What is Thrive Cart and How it Works

Important Affiliate Disclaimer: I’m a ThriveCart affiliate, which means if you purchase or sign up through my link, I’ll receive a commission on the sale – at no extra cost to you! This post reflects my honest opinion based on my experience as a small business owner and online course designer & strategist.

If you’ve been hanging out with me on the blog, on Instagram, or in email lately, you’ve probably heard me sing the praises of Thrive Cart Learn. In 2022, Learn got a redesign that moved it straight to the top of my list as the best online course creator for most people.

But if online course creation is the thing that brought you to Thrive Cart in the first place, you might find yourself asking, “Wait…what is Thrive Cart?”

Of course, as an online course designer, I’m a little partial to Thrive Cart Learn and the course creation features, but the OG Thrive Cart service is a fantastic business tool in its own right.

Since Thrive Cart Learn has been getting so much love from me lately, I also wanted to do a quick post on the original Thrive Cart service. (Just a side note between you and me: The actual name is ThriveCart – without a space – but I know many people hear the name out loud and search for “Thrive Cart,” so you’ll see me write it both ways in this blog).

So keep reading to answer what whole “What is Thrive Cart?” question and learn about what it can do for you!

What is Thrive Cart?

The short answer is that it’s a shopping cart and checkout service platform that helps you sell everything from digital and physical products to courses and coaching services.

The thing that makes Thrive Cart stand out is the ability to customize your digital storefront, cart, and checkout experiences. The goal is to make it as easy as possible to convert potential customers, increase upsells, and lower cart abandonment rates.

So, what is Thrive Cart? To sum it up, Thrive Cart helps you make more sales. Thrive Cart Learn is the online course-building platform that you also get with a membership. (Honestly, ThriveCart Learn is such a great value that I’d recommend signing up for that alone.)

How does Thrive Cart work?

Once you’ve paid a one-time membership fee, you can use templates and drag-and-drop builders to set up digital product sales pages, checkout pages, and cart experiences for clients.

With ThriveCart Learn, you can use similar tools to make online courses and membership programs!

However, there are a few things that Thrive Cart doesn’t take care of for you. Though you have the option for customers to pay in installments, on a recurring schedule, or all at once, you’ll still need a payment processor, like Stripe or Paypal.

If you decide to build an online course with Thrive Cart Learn, you’ll have to host videos and downloadable items elsewhere. That said, I’ve never found these things to be a significant obstacle for myself or my clients!

What are the benefits of using Thrive Cart?

Overall, Thrive Cart has a TON of features that can help you sell more of your offer, whether that’s an ebook, an online course, or a membership.

Plus, Thrive Cart Learn can save you some serious money. Since you only pay for Thrive Cart once, you can skip paying around $100-$200 each month for another online course platform. If you’re an online course creator, Thrive Cart is an excellent all-in-one solution for building and selling your course.

Thrive Cart’s Standout Features/Benefits

High-converting checkout pages with analytics, so you can see what’s working
Affiliate programs that are easy to set up and manage
Coupon code and discount creation
Order bumps and upsells/downsells that offer customers another item related to what they’re already buying
Multiple payment options, including recurring payment options for subscription plans (this is especially useful for online courses, coaches, and membership programs!)
Embeddable shopping carts and pop-up cart pages that go anywhere on your site
Two-step shopping carts that help you capture leads – even if customers abandon a cart before paying, you can retarget them to encourage them to complete the purchase

Is Thrive Cart easy to use?

Thrive Cart is incredibly user-friendly, even if you’re starting out. Everything is drag-and-drop, so you don’t have to use code, and it’s relatively easy to navigate setup for payments, membership options, and courses.

So far, there’s not a live chat feature for customer service, and it can take a little longer to get a response (but they do respond and are super helpful!)

Generally, everything on Thrive Cart works how it’s supposed to, so I don’t have to reach out to customer service that often.

Thrive Cart pricing

Thrive Cart costs a one-time fee of $495. There’s also an option to upgrade to Pro for another $195, but the basic account gives most people all the features they need. You can always upgrade later if you need to!

Overall, that’s a huge savings compared to paying for Kartra or Kajabi for $100-$200 each month.