ThriveCart Pricing in 2025: Plan Comparison, Transaction Fees and Cheaper Alternatives

If you’ve been researching platforms to sell digital products, courses, or subscriptions, chances are you’ve come across ThriveCart. It’s known for being one of the most powerful checkout and cart software tools available, especially for creators, course sellers, and online entrepreneurs.

But before signing up, you probably want to know: What does ThriveCart cost in 2025? And more importantly, are there any hidden fees?

In this article, we’ll break down:

• The different ThriveCart pricing options
• What features you get with each plan
• Whether there are transaction fees
• And finally, some cheaper alternatives if ThriveCart feels out of budget

By the end, you’ll know whether ThriveCart is worth the investment or if you’d be better off with another platform.

ThriveCart Pricing Plans in 2025

Unlike many other platforms that charge monthly subscriptions, ThriveCart is unique because it primarily uses a one-time lifetime pricing model. You pay once, and you get access forever.

In 2025, ThriveCart has three main plans:

Sometimes ThriveCart runs promotions where prices are slightly discounted, but the standard pricing has been steady for a few years now.

ThriveCart Standard Plan

The Standard Plan is ThriveCart’s entry-level option.

• Price: $495 one-time payment
• Transaction Fees: None (only processor fees from Stripe/PayPal apply)

Once you pay, you own the license forever. There are no recurring monthly or yearly subscription costs, which is rare in this industry.

What’s Included in the Standard Plan?

The Standard Plan includes everything you need to create a powerful checkout and sales system:

• Unlimited carts and products
• Unlimited checkout pages and funnels
• 1-click upsells, downsells, and bump offers
• Support for subscriptions, trials, and payment plans
• Integrations with Stripe, PayPal, and Authorize.net
• Integration with email marketing platforms like ConvertKit, ActiveCampaign, and Mailchimp
• Basic affiliate management system
• Sales tax calculations and receipts

For many creators, the Standard Plan alone is more than enough to run a full digital business.

Who is the Standard Plan Best For?

• New or intermediate creators who want a solid cart system
• Course creators or digital product sellers
• Businesses that prefer a one-time payment model instead of monthly subscriptions
• People who don’t need advanced features like sales tax automation or advanced reporting

If you’re starting small but want a checkout system that scales as you grow, the Standard Plan is excellent value.

ThriveCart Pro Plan

The Pro Plan builds on everything in Standard but unlocks more powerful features for established businesses.

• Price: $790 first year payment then $295/year from year 2
• Transaction Fees: None

That extra $295 gives you a surprising number of advanced tools.

What’s Included in the Pro Plan?

Everything in Standard, plus:

• Affiliate Management Suite (Full Version): Run your own affiliate program with advanced tracking and payouts.
• Automatic Sales Tax Calculation: Especially useful if you sell in Europe or other regions with complex VAT/GST laws.
• Advanced Customer Management: See detailed purchase history, manage subscriptions, and offer refunds with ease.
• Custom Domain Support: Brand your checkout pages with your own domain instead of ThriveCart’s.
• Advanced Reporting & Analytics: More insight into your sales performance, conversions, and revenue.
• Client Billing Features: Manage clients if you run an agency.

Who is the Pro Plan Best For?

• Businesses making consistent monthly revenue ($5,000+)
• Course creators or agencies wanting to run affiliate programs
• Sellers who need tax compliance tools
• Entrepreneurs looking for detailed analytics to optimize their funnels

ThriveCart Ultimate Bundle

The Ultimate Bundle is ThriveCart’s all-in-one package, created for creators and businesses that want every feature ThriveCart has to offer in a single deal. It combines checkout, advanced sales tools, and course hosting into one comprehensive package.

Here’s what’s included:

• ThriveCart Standard (Lifetime Access): All the core checkout and sales features.
• ThriveCart Pro+ (Annual Access): Advanced sales tools like affiliate management, sales tax automation, and deeper analytics.
• ThriveCart Learn+ (Lifetime Access): A powerful learning management system (LMS) for hosting courses with advanced features.

With Learn+, you unlock things like:

• Advanced course management and analytics
• Custom domains, multiple course tracks, and bundles
• Custom tags & gated content
• Time-limited course access
• Bonus content rewards for students
• Seamless migration from your existing LMS
• Student imports via CSV
• Upgraded team management tools

And just like other ThriveCart plans, the Ultimate Bundle comes with 0% transaction fees and 24/7 customer support.

Who Is the Ultimate Bundle Best For?

• Course creators who need a full LMS with advanced student management
• Businesses running multiple courses, bundles, or membership tracks
• Agencies managing client education or branded learning platforms
• Anyone ready to fully commit to ThriveCart and avoid piecing together multiple tools

If you want checkout, cart optimization, affiliate management, and a serious course platform all under one roof, the Ultimate Bundle is ThriveCart’s most complete solution.

ThriveCart Pricing Plan Comparison

Here’s a quick breakdown of the plans:

Are There Any Hidden Fees?

ThriveCart itself doesn’t charge ongoing subscription fees or transaction fees. The only extra costs you’ll encounter are payment processor fees, which are unavoidable on nearly every platform:

• Stripe: ~2.9% + 30¢ per sale
• PayPal: ~3.49% + fixed fee depending on location

So if you sell a $100 course, you’ll lose about $3 in fees to Stripe or PayPal, but ThriveCart won’t take a cut.

This makes ThriveCart particularly appealing for creators selling at high volume, since you’re not giving up a percentage to the platform.

Which ThriveCart Plan Should You Choose?

Here’s a quick guide:

• Just starting out or on a budget? Go with Standard. It’s already powerful and covers everything you’ll need.
• Running a serious business with affiliates or international sales? Invest in Pro. The sales tax automation and affiliate tools will pay for themselves
• Need everything Thrivecart has to offer? Go for the Ultimate Bundle.

ThriveCart Transaction Fees

One of the best parts about ThriveCart is that it charges 0% transaction fees on both plans.

Example:

• Sell a $100 product → PayPal/Stripe fees (~$3) → You keep ~$97.
• No extra “platform fees” on top, unlike many other platforms.

If you’re scaling your business, this can save you thousands per year compared to platforms that take 5–10% per sale.

ThriveCart Free Plan

ThriveCart does not currently offer a free plan or free trial. The only way to get in is to buy one of their lifetime deals.

This can feel like a big upfront cost compared to platforms with free tiers but long-term, it usually works out cheaper since you’re not paying monthly fees forever.

Cheaper Alternatives to ThriveCart

If you’re not ready to pay $495–$690 upfront, here are some more affordable options:

1. SchoolMaker: Starts at $29/month, zero transaction fees

• Price: Starts at $29/month (with 0% fee)
• Best For: Course creators who want to make more sales and keep more of their revenue
• Why It’s Good: You can sell courses, coaching, community and consultations.

2. Payhip: Free to Start

• Price: Free plan available, 5% fee per sale, or $29/month for 0% fee
• Best For: Creators who want to test the waters with no upfront cost
• Why It’s Good: Includes course hosting, memberships, and digital downloads. Handles EU VAT automatically.

3. Gumroad: Free to Start

• Price: $0/month, but 10% transaction fee on sales
• Best For: Artists, writers, and indie creators selling simple products
• Why It’s Good: No upfront cost, simple setup, and easy payouts.

4. Podia: Starts at $39/month

• Price: $39/month with 5% fee (Mover plan) or $89/month with no fees (Shaker plan)
• Best For: Creators who need email marketing and course hosting built-in
• Why It’s Good: More advanced features for online courses and memberships than ThriveCart.

5. SamCart: Starts at $79/month

• Price: $79–$399/month depending on plan
• Best For: Sellers who want a ThriveCart-like experience but prefer monthly payments
• Why It’s Good: Similar checkout customization, upsells, and subscription tools.

6. Ko-fi: Free Option

• Price: Free with 5% fee on sales
• Best For: Creators relying on donations or occasional product sales
• Why It’s Good: Great for part-time creators or hobbyists who don’t need advanced funnels.

Is ThriveCart Worth It in 2025?

That depends on your goals and budget.

• If you want a lifetime solution and don’t mind paying upfront, ThriveCart can save you thousands in the long run.
• If you’re just experimenting or can’t justify $495+ right now, starting with SchoolMaker makes more sense.
• If you’re scaling a serious business and need tax tools, affiliate management, and detailed reporting, the Pro Plan is an excellent investment.

Conclusion

ThriveCart in 2025 remains one of the most powerful checkout platforms for creators and online entrepreneurs.

• The Standard Plan ($495 one-time) is perfect for most small businesses.
• The Pro Plan ($790 first year) unlocks affiliate programs, tax tools, and advanced reporting.
• The Ultimate Bundle Plan ($985 first year) unlocks many more advanced features.
• All plans come with 0% transaction fees, so you keep more of what you earn.

If you can afford the upfront cost, ThriveCart is hard to beat for long-term value. But if you’re just getting started and want something cheaper, platforms like SchoolMaker may be a better fit until your business grows.