Software Alternatives & Startups

Big Cartel VS Opalstack

Compare Big Cartel VS Opalstack and see what are their differences

Big Cartel

Big Cartel is home to hundreds of thousands of clothing designers, bands, record labels, jewelry makers, crafters, and other artists.

Big Cartel Landing page
Rating
0 reviews
Opalstack

Managed Hosting for developers, entrepreneurs, and businesses like yours

Opalstack Landing page
Rating
0 reviews
Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, Big Cartel seems to be more popular. It has been mentioned 7 times since March 2021.

social mentions
7 vs 0
eCommerce popularity
100% vs 0%

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

Big Cartel
Opalstack
Website bigcartel.com opalstack.com
Pricing
Listed in

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

Big Cartel 6 features
Opalstack 5 features
  • Ease of Use
    Big Cartel has a user-friendly interface that is intuitive and easy for beginners to navigate.
  • Affordability
    It offers cost-effective plans, including a free version, making it accessible for small businesses and independent artists.
  • Customization
    Provides customizable templates that allow users to personalize their online stores to align with their brand.
  • No Listing Fees
    Big Cartel does not charge listing fees, which enables sellers to keep more of their profits.
  • Mobile App
    Offers a mobile app that allows users to manage their stores and track sales on-the-go.
  • Support for Creatives
    Caters specifically to artists, makers, and small business owners, with features that suit their needs.

Possible disadvantages

  • Limited Features
    Compared to other eCommerce platforms, Big Cartel offers fewer advanced features, which might limit business expansion.
  • Inventory Management
    Inventory management tools are basic and may not be sufficient for stores with a large number of products.
  • Customization Limitations
    While it offers customization, the options are more limited compared to other platforms like Shopify or WooCommerce.
  • Payment Gateways
    Big Cartel supports fewer payment gateways, potentially limiting payment options for customers.
  • Scalability
    May not scale well for larger businesses due to the lack of advanced features and integrations.
  • Developer-Friendly Hosting
    Opalstack is designed with developers in mind, offering SSH access, Git integration, and support for multiple programming languages and frameworks including Python, Node.js, Ruby, and PHP, giving developers granular control over their hosting environment.
  • Affordable Pricing
    Opalstack offers competitive pricing for shared and managed hosting plans, making it an accessible option for small businesses, freelancers, and individual developers who need robust features without enterprise-level costs.
  • Modern Control Panel
    Opalstack provides a clean, modern, and intuitive web-based dashboard for managing sites, applications, databases, and email accounts, which is a significant improvement over older-style hosting control panels like cPanel.
  • Strong Support for Multiple Applications
    The platform supports a wide variety of application types including WordPress, Django, Flask, Express, static sites, and more, allowing users to host diverse projects on a single account with easy deployment.
  • Reliable Infrastructure and Support
    Opalstack is built by former WebFaction team members, bringing experienced hosting expertise. They offer responsive customer support and a reputation for stable, well-managed server infrastructure with good uptime.

Possible disadvantages

  • Smaller Community and Ecosystem
    Compared to major hosting providers like DigitalOcean, AWS, or even shared hosts like SiteGround, Opalstack has a smaller user base, which means fewer community tutorials, third-party guides, and forum discussions available for troubleshooting.
  • Limited Scalability Options
    Opalstack is primarily a shared hosting provider, which means it may not be the best choice for high-traffic applications or projects that require rapid, on-demand scaling of resources like CPU, RAM, or storage.
  • Not Ideal for Beginners
    While developer-friendly, Opalstack's approach can be intimidating for non-technical users. Setting up applications often requires familiarity with the command line and server configuration, which may not suit those looking for simple one-click solutions.
  • Limited Data Center Locations
    Opalstack offers a relatively small number of data center locations compared to major cloud providers, which may result in higher latency for users targeting audiences in regions not well-served by the available server locations.
  • Fewer Managed Services and Add-ons
    Unlike larger hosting platforms, Opalstack lacks a wide range of managed add-on services such as built-in CDN integration, managed backups with granular restore options, or one-click SSL management that more mainstream providers offer out of the box.

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

Big Cartel
Opalstack

Overall verdict

  • Big Cartel is a good choice for small businesses, artists, and creators looking for a simple and budget-friendly ecommerce platform. While it may lack some advanced features present in larger platforms, its ease of use and affordability make it an attractive option for those who want to focus on selling unique products online with minimal technical hurdles.

Why this product is good

  • Big Cartel is a popular ecommerce platform known for its simplicity and ease of use, especially for artists and small businesses. It offers a range of customizable themes and a straightforward setup process. The platform is well-suited for those who want to quickly launch an online store without dealing with the complexities of larger platforms. It's also cost-effective, with free and affordable paid plans, making it accessible to independent creators.

Recommended for

  • Artists and creators who want an easy way to sell their work online
  • Small businesses with a limited budget
  • Independent sellers looking for a straightforward ecommerce solution
  • Those who prioritize simplicity and ease of use over extensive features

Overall verdict

  • Opalstack is a solid choice for developers and tech-savvy users seeking an affordable, flexible control panel hosting solution with good performance and transparent pricing, though it may require more technical know-how than mainstream cPanel hosts.

Why this product is good

  • Uses a custom lightweight control panel that's fast and efficient compared to resource-heavy alternatives like cPanel
  • Offers straightforward, transparent pricing without hidden fees or aggressive upselling
  • Provides SSD storage and solid server performance for the price point
  • Supports multiple app types including Python, Node.js, and various frameworks beyond typical PHP hosting
  • Founded by the original creators of WebFaction, bringing significant hosting industry experience
  • Good for running multiple websites/apps under one account with granular resource control
  • Responsive customer support with a knowledgeable team
  • No long-term contracts required, allowing flexibility

Recommended for

  • Developers who need support for Python, Node.js, or other non-PHP applications
  • Users comfortable with a more technical, non-cPanel control panel interface
  • Small businesses or freelancers hosting multiple websites who want granular control
  • Former WebFaction users looking for a similar service after its shutdown
  • Budget-conscious users who want VPS-like flexibility without full server management
  • Users who prioritize transparent pricing over bundled marketing extras

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

Big Cartel 1 video + Add
Opalstack 0 videos + Add

How I Package & Ship Orders | Big Cartel vs Shopify pt 1

No Opalstack videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
Big Cartel
Opalstack
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%

User comments

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Reviews and articles

External articles and on-site reviews we used to compare the two products.

Big Cartel no reviews yet
Opalstack no reviews yet

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We have no reviews of Opalstack yet. Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

Big Cartel 7 mentions
Opalstack 0 mentions
  • A man offers you $10,000 USD if you deliver fake cocaine to the cartel and promises lifetime protection if you succeed. Do you take this offer?
    Yep. I would get a bag of flour, put a sticky note on it that says “Cocaine” w/ a QR code to this video. Then deliver it to big cartel’s offices. Source: about 3 years ago
  • GoDaddy VS Squarespace
    If you only sell a handful of products I can recommend using the free version of bigcartel.com. It's specifically made for selling arts and crafts, trinklets, etc. You can even set up a free custom domain on the free plan. Source: over 3 years ago
  • my shop is on strike, but I've been thinking of leaving Etsy for awhile. Anyone have any alternatives?
    I don't think there's any marketplaces for handmade products (apart from Amazon Handmade) but if you want to have a shopping cart I recommend Big Cartel. It's remotely hosted (not self hosted) and it's designed for unsigned and... Source: over 4 years ago

View more

Tracking Opalstack since Sep 2023.

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