# Big Cartel vs Shiply

The clearest difference is rating: Big Cartel at 4.7 against Shiply's 3.9. Big Cartel also leads on ratings volume (6.8K vs 33) and update cadence (fortnightly vs monthly). Shiply's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Big Cartel holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Big Cartel has 6.8K ratings behind it against 33, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 28% of Big Cartel's written reviews are positive against 33% of Shiply's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Big Cartel ships an update fortnightly, Shiply monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Big Cartel | Shiply |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (6.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/big-cartel/id739285899/reviews)** | [3.9 (33 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shiply/id1498598032/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **6.8K** | 33 |
| Positive reviews | 28.4% of reviews | **33.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 170 MB | 81 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Big Cartel](https://appshunter.io/developer/739285902) | [Shiply Logistics](https://appshunter.io/developer/1498598031) |

## What reviewers say

### Big Cartel

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/big-cartel/id739285899)

Build and manage your online store from your phone. This platform provides all the tools needed to start selling your creations, from adding products and managing inventory to processing orders and running promotions. It's designed for creators to easily turn their passion into profit.

**Highlights:** Add and edit products, Manage inventory and photos, Real-time order notifications, Shipment management, Offer discounts, In-person payments

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Wallet, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 🚀 Affordable
- 🚀 Great for small businesses
- 🚀 Customizable store
- 🚀 Good customer service

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Constant crashing/glitching
- 🐛 Slow loading times
- 🐛 Buggy app
- 🐛 Logging out issues
- 🐛 Limited features compared to competitors

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on startup
- Products/orders not loading
- Inability to save changes
- Constant 'error' messages
- Black screen issues after updates

**Requested features**

- Ability to add more product images
- Integrated shipping tracking
- Discount code management
- Abandoned cart emails
- More payment options (e.g. Afterpay)


### Shiply

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shiply/id1498598032)

Manage your parcel delivery process from adding to tracking. Update parcel information, initiate returns, and search for deliveries by name or phone number. Order and review detailed invoices for your cash transactions.

**Highlights:** Add and track parcel deliveries, Check balance, pending, delivered, and returned parcels, Change parcel info during delivery, Return and resend parcels, Search and filter parcels by status, Order and review invoices

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Big Cartel free?

Big Cartel is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Shiply free?

Shiply is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Big Cartel or Shiply?

Big Cartel is rated higher. Big Cartel averages 4.7 out of 5 from 6.8K ratings, while Shiply averages 3.9 from 33 ratings.

### Do Big Cartel or Shiply have ads?

Neither Big Cartel nor Shiply shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Big Cartel or Shiply?

Big Cartel ships an update fortnightly, and Shiply monthly. Most recently, Big Cartel was updated on November 1, 2026 and Shiply on November 3, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*