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Lanternbee vs Big Cartel

Lanternbee as a Big Cartel alternative

A small, low-cost store for artists and makers. Its prices and features sit next to Lanternbee’s below, including where Big Cartel does better.

Not open yet. We’re letting authors in from the waitlist, a few at a time.

What Big Cartel is

Big Cartel is made for independent artists selling a limited range: prints, zines, merch and, on paid plans, digital downloads.

Who it suits

Authors with a short list of books and art or merch, who want a small store for a low monthly price.

What Big Cartel costs

US prices, checked against the sources at the bottom of this page.

PlanPriceFee on sales
GoldFree. Up to 5 productsNone; card fees apply
PlatinumUS$15 a month, or US$12 a month paid yearly. Up to 50 productsNone; card fees apply
DiamondUS$30 a month, or US$24 a month paid yearly. Up to 500 productsNone; card fees apply

Big Cartel and Lanternbee side by side

Big Cartel and Lanternbee, feature by feature
What you needBig CartelLanternbee
One book in several formatsYesFormat choices on one download; print and ebook are separate.Yes. Ebook, audiobook, paperback and hardback live on one book page.
Series with a reading orderPartlyCategories group books, with no reading order.Yes, with the reading order you set.
Bundles and box setsPartlyA bundle can be a choice on one download.Yes. Readers who own book one pay less for the rest.
Ebook and audiobook deliveryPartlyPaid plans; one file per product on Platinum.Yes. Download links by email, and a reader library.
Send to KindleNot listedYes, from the reader library.
Print on demand for booksNoIts print apps make clothing and art prints, not books.Partly. Printed formats are set up for BookVault or Lulu; sending orders to the printer is being built.
Your reader listWith an appBuyer emails go to Mailchimp or Omnisend on paid plans.Yes. Every buyer lands on your reader list, with tags.
Your own domainYesYes. yourname.lanternbee.shop or shop.yourname.com.
Monthly costGold: Free. Up to 5 productsPlatinum: US$15 a month, or US$12 a month paid yearly. Up to 50 productsDiamond: US$30 a month, or US$24 a month paid yearly. Up to 500 productsFree: nothing a month. Author: US$39 a month, or US$29 paid yearly.
Fee on salesGold: None; card fees applyPlatinum: None; card fees applyDiamond: None; card fees applyNone, on every plan.

Big Cartel prices in US dollars. “Not listed” means we could not find it on Big Cartel’s own pages or in the sources below, so check with them. Rows we could not check at all are left out. Card fees apply everywhere; on Lanternbee they are Stripe’s, with nothing added.

What Big Cartel does better

Fair reasons to stay where you are.

  • A low monthly price and no fee on sales.
  • Made for artists, so prints, zines and handmade work feel at home.

Moving from Big Cartel

There’s no importer for Big Cartel. Moving by hand takes these steps.

  1. Add your books on Lanternbee. Each format belongs to one book, not a separate product.
  2. Keep Big Cartel for art and merch if you sell it, and link the stores to each other.
  3. Download your Big Cartel customers if you need them and keep them in your email tool. Lanternbee cannot import that list yet.

Questions about Big Cartel and Lanternbee

Does Big Cartel limit how many books I can list?

Yes. Gold allows 5 products, Platinum 50 and Diamond 500. If each format is its own product, a series uses those up quickly. On Lanternbee, Free holds up to 3 books with all their formats, and Author has no limit.

Can Big Cartel deliver ebooks?

On paid plans, yes. Platinum allows one file or link per product, and Diamond five. Lanternbee delivers ebooks and audiobooks by email, keeps a reader library and sends ebooks to Kindle.

What does Big Cartel cost?

Gold is free, Platinum US$15 a month and Diamond US$30 a month, with no fee on sales. Card fees apply.

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