Big Cartel vs Hocoos: Comprehensive comparison guide for 2024

Final verdict


Big Cartel and Hocoos both offer unique advantages, catering to different user needs and preferences.


  • Big Cartel (Overall Grade: 5.8/10)

    is tailored for artists and small-scale sellers, providing a straightforward and affordable platform for creating online stores. It excels in simplicity, ease of use, and customer support, making it ideal for independent creators and small businesses. However, its limited ecommerce features and customization options may not meet the needs of larger or more complex online stores. When comparing Big Cartel vs Hocoos, Big Cartel is best for those who prioritize simplicity and affordability.

  • Hocoos (Overall Grade: 5.6/10)

    offers a more comprehensive set of features, including AI-driven design and content generation, making it suitable for users seeking advanced customization and a professional online presence. It stands out in design functionalities, ease of use, and AI capabilities, providing a versatile platform for various website types. Considering Big Cartel vs Hocoos, Hocoos is better suited for users who want a more feature-rich and customizable website builder.

Best for ecommerce

6.2
7.4


Verdict

: Big Cartel is ideal for artists and small businesses, while Hocoos offers more advanced features for growing ecommerce needs.


  • Big Cartel

    : Tailored for artists and makers, Big Cartel provides a straightforward setup with essential ecommerce features like inventory tracking, sales analytics, and social media integrations. It is perfect for small-scale operations but may lack the advanced functionalities needed for larger businesses. In the Big Cartel vs Hocoos comparison, Big Cartel scores 6.2 for ecommerce.

  • Hocoos

    : Hocoos stands out with its comprehensive ecommerce features, including product and order management, payment processing, and advanced marketing and SEO tools. Its AI-driven customization makes it suitable for businesses looking to scale. In the Big Cartel vs Hocoos comparison, Hocoos scores 7.4 for ecommerce.

Best for informational & business websites

7.2
7.4


Verdict

: Hocoos slightly edges out Big Cartel for informational and business websites due to its AI-driven design functionalities and ease of use, making it more versatile for a broader audience.


  • Big Cartel

    : Big Cartel is tailored for artists and small-scale sellers, offering a straightforward setup and user-friendly interface. While it excels in simplicity and affordability, its focus on ecommerce features may limit its appeal for purely informational websites. It scores 7.2 in this category.

  • Hocoos

    : Hocoos provides a more versatile platform with AI-driven features and a wide range of customizable templates. Its user-friendly interface and additional functionalities like SEO optimization and mobile responsiveness make it a strong contender for informational and business websites. It scores 7.4 in this category.

Detailed comparison

Design functionalities & templates

Design FunctionalitiesRepresents how well each platform allows for creative design and customization of websites.Score Components:

  • Template Variety (30%): Range and quality of design templates.
  • Customization (30%): Flexibility and options for design alterations.
  • User Interface (20%): Ease and intuitiveness of the design process.
  • Responsiveness (10%): Adaptability to different devices and screen sizes.
  • Innovation (10%): Unique design features and tools.
6.9
7.2

🏆

Winner: Hocoos.

If you’re looking for a platform that offers a unique approach to website design through AI, Hocoos is the preferred choice.

Big Cartel provides a variety of free, customizable templates designed to ensure that online stores look appealing on all devices. These templates are geared towards artists, creators, and small business owners, offering features like high-quality product displays and adjustable product grids without the need for coding knowledge.


Big Cartel Themes

Big Cartel templates
Big Cartel template example

Compared to Big Cartel, Hocoos offers a wide variety of designs for their website builder. With over 190 professionally designed templates to choose from, users can easily find a design that suits their needs and preferences. The templates are available for various industries and purposes, including business, ecommerce, portfolio, and more. Additionally, Hocoos regularly updates their template library to ensure that users have access to the latest design trends and styles. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced web designer, Hocoos provides a range of options to create a visually appealing and functional website.

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Ease of use

Ease of useReflects the platform’s overall user-friendliness.Score
Components:

  • Learning curve (40%): Quickness and ease of getting started.
  • Interface design (30%): Simplicity and intuitiveness of layout.
  • User guidance (20%): Quality of tutorials and support.
  • Flexibility (10%): Adaptability to various user skills.
8.0
8.1


🏆 Winner: Hocoos

. With a score of 8.1, Hocoos slightly edges out Big Cartel in terms of ease of use. Hocoos is recognized for its user-friendly interface and AI-driven features, making it an excellent choice for users without coding or design experience. Big Cartel, scoring 8.0, also offers a user-friendly platform, but it’s specifically designed for artists and small-scale sellers, limiting its appeal to a broader audience.


Learning Resources


🏆 Winner: Big Cartel

. Despite Hocoos’ emphasis on simplicity and AI content generation, it lacks traditional learning resources. Big Cartel, on the other hand, offers various support and learning resources, including articles and guides on setting up and customizing stores, making it the winner in this category.

For ecommerce

EcommerceMeasures the platform’s effectiveness in supporting online business activities.Score Components:

  • Ecommerce themes and templates (20%): Variety and design of templates.
  • Product management (25%): Ease of managing and organizing products.
  • Payment options (25%): Variety and convenience of payment methods.
  • Ecommerce features (20%): Features for managing an ecommerce store.
  • Integration (10%): Compatibility with external e-commerce tools and services.
6.2
7.4

Big Cartel and Hocoos both offer ecommerce capabilities, but they cater to different needs and scales of businesses. Big Cartel is specifically designed for artists and makers, offering a straightforward setup process and essential features such as inventory management, sales tracking, and promotional tools. However, it’s designed for smaller stores, offering fewer product listings and less advanced ecommerce features compared to other platforms.

Big Cartel Logo
Hocoos Logo

Ecommerce themes and templates

5.5

6.0

Product page customization

6.8

7.0

Payment processing and commissions

7.0

6.5

POS capabilities

6.5

5.5

Payment gateways

6.0

7.0

Product numbers

4.5

6.5

Additional ecommerce features

5.7

7.0

Big Cartel ecommerce features:

  • Inventory tracking
  • Sales analytics
  • Social Media integrations
  • Marketing tools

Big Cartel Add a product

Hocoos ecommerce features:

  • Product management
  • Order management
  • Payment processing
  • Shipping and Logistics
  • Marketing and SEO
  • Analytics and reporting
  • Customizability and Integrations

Hocoos add a product

Ecommerce themes & templates

Big Cartel offers around 20 templates, each specifically designed to cater to the needs of ecommerce stores, providing a variety of options for creating an online store. In contrast, Hocoos does not rely on traditional templates for website creation, including ecommerce sites. Instead, it utilizes AI technology to generate unique and customized websites based on the user’s specific inputs.

Product page customization

Big Cartel enables merchants to customize their product offerings with the Product Variants feature, supporting up to 150 variants per item, such as sizes, colors, and more, allowing for specific pricing and quantities for each variant. Hocoos, on the other hand, allows for easy setup of product variations, including different sizes, colors, or attributes, empowering you to customize offerings, manage pricing, and ensure availability for each variation.

Payment processing

When it comes to payment processing, Big Cartel supports payment processing through PayPal and Stripe, allowing a variety of payment methods including credit/debit cards and mobile payments like Apple Pay and Google Pay. The platform itself does not charge additional transaction fees, but standard processing fees from PayPal and Stripe apply. Hocoos, on the other hand, integrates payment methods like PayPal and Stripe for seamless management of transactions and inventory.

Website Editors

Website EditorsEvaluates the platforms’ website building and editing capabilities.Score Components:

  • Customization tools (40%): Range and power of editing features.
  • Editor usability (30%): User experience within the editor.
  • Design flexibility (20%): Freedom in layout and design changes.
  • Update and maintenance ease (10%): Simplicity of updating and maintaining the site.
6.8
7.7

🏆

Winner: Hocoos

. Hocoos, with a score of 7.7, is an AI-driven website builder that simplifies the creation of personalized websites. It features an easy-to-use editor for further customization and offers AI-powered tools for content creation, logo design, and more, making it accessible to users of all technical skill levels.

Hocoos editor

Big Cartel’s website builder editor, scoring 6.8, is designed with simplicity in mind, catering primarily to artists and small-scale sellers. Users can easily customize their online store’s look and feel without needing advanced technical skills, thanks to its user-friendly interface. The editor allows for the customization of themes, addition of products, and setup of different pages like home, about, and contact pages.

Mobile editor/app

7.5
0

🏆

Winner: Big Cartel

. Both Big Cartel and Hocoos offer user-friendly website builders, but only Big Cartel provides a mobile app for managing your online store. With the Big Cartel mobile app, you can add and edit products, process orders, check inventory, and view store statistics directly from your mobile device. This provides a convenient way for store owners to keep their business running smoothly on-the-go, without the need for a computer. However, it’s important to note that website design changes can only be made on the desktop version.

Hocoos, on the other hand, does not have a dedicated mobile app, which puts it at a disadvantage in this category.

In summary, Big Cartel receives a higher rating due to its mobile app that allows for convenient management of an online store, while Hocoos lacks this feature.

Product testing options

Product Testing OptionsAssesses the options for trying out platform features before commitment.Score Components:

  • Trial quality (40%): Extent and usefulness of the trial or free version.
  • Feature accessibility (30%): How many features are available to test.
  • Trial duration (20%): Length of the trial period.
  • Ease of transition (10%): Smoothness of moving from trial to paid plans.
5.9
7.5


Overall Result

:

Hocoos Wins

. Hocoos scores 7.5, higher than Big Cartel’s 5.9 in product testing options. Both platforms offer a free version and allow testing of some premium features. However, Hocoos stands out by offering a 14-day money-back guarantee, which Big Cartel does not provide.

Big Cartel Logo
Hocoos Logo

Free Plan
Yes Yes

Trial Duration
No No

Testing Premium Features
Some features with free plan Some features with free plan

Money Back Guarantee
No
14-day money-back guarantee

Price

PriceLooks at the cost-effectiveness and value for money of each platform.Score Components:

  • Plan value (40%): What each pricing tier offers.
  • Transparency and clarity (30%): Clearness of pricing structures.
  • Flexibility of plans (20%): Range of options to suit different budgets.
  • Hidden costs (10%): Additional expenses not included in the plan.
7.8
7.8


Big Cartel and Hocoos have similar price scores, but their offerings differ.

Big Cartel is more focused on artists and creators, offering a free plan with basic features and affordable paid plans. Hocoos, on the other hand, offers a free plan with limited features and a comprehensive premium plan.

Big Cartel Logo


Offerings

Hocoos Logo


Offerings


Free

Gold ($0/month):

The Gold plan is free and allows up to 5 product listings with one image per product. It includes features such as free customizable templates, the ability to sell online and in person, multiple payment options, real-time stats, product variant groups, and sales tax autopilot.


Free ($0/month):

Limited features, ideal for personal projects or trying out the platform. Includes free website hosting, a limited booking system, a blog (without AI blogging), 15 image uploads, and 20 uses of AI content generation.


$0-$10

Platinum ($9.99/month):

The Platinum plan increases the product listing limit to 50 and allows up to five images per product. It adds features like the use of a custom domain, template code editing, Google Analytics, ads support, inventory tracking, the ability to offer discounts and run promos, bulk editing, and shipment tracking.

Value for price:


7.5

No offering at this amount.

$10+

Diamond ($19.99/month):

The Diamond plan further extends the product limit to 500 with the same benefits as the Platinum plan, including advanced Google Analytics reporting, ads with audience targeting, and priority customer support.

Value for price:


8.5


Premium ($15/month):

All features, including a free custom domain name, online payments, 600,000+ stock images, marketing integrations, unlimited image uploads, unlimited AI features, a custom email address, and email marketing.

Value for Price:


9.0

In some cases companies have different prices based on various components like a
location. As a result in rare cases the prices displayed here can differ from the ones you see on their
websites.

Hosting quality

Hosting
quality
Examines the reliability and performance of the hosting solutions.Score Components:

  • Uptime (40%): Consistency and reliability of website availability.
  • Speed (30%): Loading times and performance.
  • Bandwidth and storage (20%): Sufficiency of resources provided.
  • Data centers (10%): Quality and distribution of hosting infrastructure.
5.0
2.4

🏆

Winner: Big Cartel

Both Big Cartel and Hocoos offer hosting services included in their plans. However, neither of them provides explicit details about their hosting type, uptime, uptime guarantee, and data centers. Big Cartel stands out slightly as it allows users to manually backup their websites, while Hocoos offers unlimited image uploads for premium users but lacks details on bandwidth limitations and automatic data backups. Due to the lack of transparency and detailed information, both builders have relatively low hosting quality scores, with Big Cartel leading slightly.

Big Cartel Logo
Hocoos Logo

Do they offer hosting?

Yes, included in all plans

Yes, included in all plans

Type of hosting:

Not specified

Not specified

Uptime:

Not disclosed

Not disclosed

Uptime Guarantee:

No

No

Data Centers:

Not disclosed

Not disclosed

Website Speed Optimization

Website Speed OptimizationEvaluates optimization of website loading timesScore Components:

  • PageSpeed Score (30%): Google’s score indicating performance optimization.
  • Loading Time (30%): The average time until a website is fully interactive.
  • Mobile Optimization (15%): Optimization effectiveness for mobile devices.
  • Resource Optimization (15%): Optimizing images, scripts, and other heavy resources.
  • CDN Usage (10%): Use of CDN to enhance speed across geolocations.
5.0
6.2


🏆 Winner: Hocoos

Both Big Cartel and Hocoos have their own strategies for website speed optimization. However, Hocoos has a higher Website Speed Optimization score than Big Cartel.

Big Cartel Logo
Hocoos Logo

Focus
Not specified CDN, Minimization of HTTP Requests, Caching

Performance Tools
Not specified Not specified

Key Strategies
Not specified CDN, Minimization of HTTP Requests, Caching

Load Times
Varies depending on optimization and website complexity Varies depending on the optimization and user’s location

Page Speed Scores Range
Not specified Not specified

Core Web Vitals Improvement
Not specified Not specified

Hocoos, with a Website Speed Optimization score of 6.2, uses strategies such as CDN, minimization of HTTP requests, and caching for speed optimization. However, the load times and PageSpeed scores vary widely, depending on the optimization and user’s location. There is no information available about its Core Web Vital improvements.

On the other hand, Big Cartel, with a Website Speed Optimization score of 5.0, does not specify any strategies for speed optimization. The load times and PageSpeed scores vary depending on optimization and website complexity. There is no information available about its Core Web Vital improvements.

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Plugins and integrations

Plugins and integrationsMeasures the range and effectiveness of additional plugins and integrations.Score Components:

  • Variety of options (40%): Range of available add-ons.
  • Integration smoothness (30%): Ease of integrating plugins into the site.
  • Quality of plugins (20%): Functionality and reliability of the options.
  • Custom integration capabilities (10%): Support for custom or third-party integrations.
5.8
6.3


🏆 Winner: Hocoos.

Hocoos scores 6.3, slightly ahead of Big Cartel’s 5.8. Hocoos offers a wide range of plugins and extensions to enhance the functionality of your website, including contact forms, social media integration, ecommerce capabilities, and more. Big Cartel, on the other hand, offers a variety of apps and integrations to enhance ecommerce store functionality, including marketing, shipping, and store management tools. However, the total number of direct apps and integrations is around 27, which may be fewer than other platforms offer.

Marketing Features

Design FunctionalitiesRepresents how well each platform allows for creative design and customization of websites.Score Components:

  • Template Variety (30%): Range and quality of design templates.
  • Customization (30%): Flexibility and options for design alterations.
  • User Interface (20%): Ease and intuitiveness of the design process.
  • Responsiveness (10%): Adaptability to different devices and screen sizes.
  • Innovation (10%): Unique design features and tools.
6.2
7.0

🏆

Overall Winner: Hocoos

. Hocoos stands out for its comprehensive SEO features, blogging capabilities, and premium plan email marketing. Big Cartel, while offering basic SEO and third-party email marketing, lacks blogging features.

Big Cartel Logo
Hocoos Logo

SEO Tools

Basic SEO features

Comprehensive SEO features

Email Marketing

Through third-party integrations like Mailchimp

Available on premium plan

Blogging

No

Yes

Social Media Integration

Yes

Yes

Analytics and Reporting

Yes

Integration with Google Analytics

Ads and Promotions

Yes, using third-party integration

Integration with platforms like Google Ads

Customer Support

Customer supportEvaluates the quality and availability of support options.Score Components:

  • Response time (40%): Speed of support responses.
  • Support quality (30%): Effectiveness and helpfulness of the support.
  • Availability (20%): Range of support channels (phone, chat, email).
  • Resource richness (10%): Quality of self-help and educational materials.
5.4
3.0


🏆 Winner: Big Cartel

. In the comparison of Big Cartel vs Hocoos, Big Cartel takes the lead with a customer support score of 5.4, compared to Hocoos’ score of 3.0. Big Cartel offers support from Monday through Friday, 8am to 6pm EST, with a dedicated team of twelve members ready to assist users. They provide email support and recommend that account holders log in for faster assistance. While Big Cartel does not handle order fulfillment or refunds directly, they offer resources to help users manage these aspects.

Hocoos, on the other hand, does not provide detailed information about their customer support hours or availability. However, they emphasize that their support is 100% human, which suggests a commitment to personal assistance. Despite this, the lack of detailed support information and a lower support score places Hocoos behind Big Cartel in this category.

Security

SecurityLooks at the platforms’ security measures and data protection.Score Components:

  • Data protection (40%): Safeguards for user and customer data.
  • SSL and encryption (30%): Implementation of secure connections.
  • Compliance (20%): Adherence to industry security standards.
  • Regular updates (10%): Frequency of security updates and patches.
7.3
4.5

🏆

Winner: Big Cartel

. Big Cartel takes a comprehensive approach to security, with SSL encryption across all shops and custom domains, strict data processing protocols, and technical and organizational safeguards to prevent unauthorized access or loss of merchant personal data. While it does not achieve PCI compliance on its own, it facilitates secure payment processing via third-party PCI-compliant gateways like PayPal and Stripe.

Although it may not offer the same level of specialized ecommerce security features as Big Cartel, Hocoos is committed to maintaining a secure platform for all types of websites. This includes advanced encryption protocols and providing regular security updates. However, it does not provide specific information regarding its security measures, making it difficult to compare its security capabilities with Big Cartel’s.

AI Capabilities

AI capabilitiesMeasures the effectiveness of AI-driven features and tools.Score Components:

  • Automation efficiency (40%): Impact of AI on streamlining processes.
  • Personalization (30%): AI-driven customization for users or customers.
  • AI-Assisted design (20%): Role of AI in website design and functionality.
  • Data analysis (10%): Use of AI in interpreting user data and analytics.
0.0
7.3
Big Cartel Logo
Hocoos Logo

AI Website Builder




Hocoos offers an AI website builder that creates websites based on user inputs

AI Ecommerce Features




Hocoos uses AI for personalized product recommendations, visual search, customer service, inventory management, and dynamic pricing

AI Content Generation




Hocoos has an AI Content Creator for generating written material for pages, blog posts, and articles

Additional AI Features




Hocoos provides AI-powered features for dynamic content, mobile optimization, text widgets, and color palette customization


🏆 Winner: Hocoos

. Hocoos, with a score of 7.3, clearly outperforms Big Cartel in terms of AI capabilities. It offers a comprehensive range of AI features, including an AI website builder, AI ecommerce features, AI content generation, and additional AI features. On the other hand, Big Cartel does not have any AI capabilities.

Hocoos AI feature

User Management

User ManagementAssesses the platforms’ capabilities in managing user roles, permissions, and accessibility.Score Components:

  • Role Customization (40%): Flexibility in creating and defining user roles and
    permissions.
  • Ease of Management (30%): User interface and tools for managing users.
  • Access Control (20%): Effectiveness of access control measures for different user
    levels.
  • Scalability (10%): Ability to manage a growing number of users efficiently.
1.3
0.0


🏆 Winner: Big Cartel

. Both Big Cartel and Hocoos do not support multiple users for editing a website. However, Big Cartel scores slightly higher in user management.

  • Big Cartel allows only one user to build and edit a website.
  • Hocoos does not allow to have multiple users for editing your website.

There are no user roles and access levels to compare for both platforms as they do not support multiple users for website editing.

Additional Features

Big Cartel Logo
Hocoos Logo

SSL Certificate







Custom Domain







Free Custom Domain Included







International Domains







Mobile Responsive







Page Speed







Website Builder Mobile App







Convert a Website To An App







Website Analytics







Multilingual Sites







Multiple Users


User Feedback

Big Cartel
26 reviews
4.2 out of 5 stars
Hocoos
0 reviews
0 out of 5 stars

User feedback on Big Cartel highlights its simplicity and affordability as key advantages, making it a popular choice for small businesses and startups looking to establish an online presence quickly. Users appreciate the ease of setting up and customizing their online stores, the flat monthly fees without per-item charges, and the platform’s intuitive design and mobile management capabilities. However, limitations in features compared to more comprehensive platforms, restricted customization options, and lack of advanced integrations or inventory management for specific items are noted drawbacks. Despite these concerns, Big Cartel is praised for its cost-effectiveness and user-friendly approach, particularly for those new to e-commerce or with smaller inventories.

Hocoos, on the other hand, does not have any reviews on G2, making it challenging to gauge user satisfaction directly. However, its general description suggests that it offers a user-friendly experience with customizable templates and drag-and-drop functionality, which could appeal to users looking for a straightforward website building process. The inclusion of ecommerce integration, SEO optimization, and mobile responsiveness indicates that Hocoos aims to provide a comprehensive solution for creating a successful online presence. When comparing Big Cartel vs Hocoos, the lack of user feedback for Hocoos is a notable gap, but its feature set suggests potential for those seeking an all-in-one website builder.

The making of this blog

We followed a clear, step-by-step process to write and research this article.

FAQ

Which platform is better for artists and small-scale creators, Big Cartel or Hocoos?

Big Cartel is specifically designed for artists and small-scale creators, offering a simple, user-friendly platform with essential ecommerce features tailored to their needs. It’s ideal for those who prefer a straightforward approach to selling online with a focus on creative products.

How do Big Cartel and Hocoos compare in terms of AI capabilities?

Hocoos stands out with its AI-driven platform, offering a wide range of AI features including personalized website creation, content generation, and ecommerce enhancements. Big Cartel does not have AI capabilities, making Hocoos the better choice for users looking for modern, efficient website building and management tools.

Which platform offers better customer support, Big Cartel or Hocoos?

Big Cartel provides more transparent customer support with specific hours and a dedicated team, making it easier for users to get help when they need it. Hocoos emphasizes human support but lacks detailed information about support hours and availability.

Can I use both Big Cartel and Hocoos for ecommerce?

Yes, both platforms offer ecommerce capabilities, but they cater to different scales of businesses. Big Cartel is best suited for independent artists and makers with smaller inventories, while Hocoos provides a more comprehensive ecommerce solution with its AI-driven features, making it suitable for a broader range of online businesses.

Which platform is more user-friendly for beginners?

Both Big Cartel and Hocoos are designed to be user-friendly, but Hocoos slightly edges out Big Cartel in terms of ease of use, thanks to its AI-driven features that simplify the website creation process. However, Big Cartel is also highly user-friendly, especially for artists and small-scale sellers.

Are there any significant differences in pricing between Big Cartel and Hocoos?

Both platforms offer similar price scores, but their offerings differ. Big Cartel is more focused on artists and creators, offering a free plan with basic features and affordable paid plans. Hocoos offers a free plan with limited features and a comprehensive premium plan, making it a versatile option depending on your specific needs.

Which platform is better for hosting quality and website speed optimization?

Big Cartel and Hocoos both offer hosting services included in their plans, but Hocoos has a higher score in website speed optimization, using strategies such as CDN, minimization of HTTP requests, and caching. However, both platforms have relatively low hosting quality scores, with Big Cartel leading slightly due to its ability to manually backup websites.

Can I manage multiple users with either Big Cartel or Hocoos?

Neither Big Cartel nor Hocoos supports multiple users for editing a website, making them more suitable for individual users or small businesses that do not require collaborative editing capabilities.

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