SureCart Managed eCommerce Platform vs. WP Simple Pay Self-Managed Plugin
See how SureCart’s fully managed eCommerce platform compares to WP Simple Pay self-managed plugin
and why thousands of brands choose peace of mind over patchwork solutions.
The Real Difference:
Managed For You eCommerce vs Self-Managed
With SureCart, everything is taken care of
From hosting and scaling to checkout, subscriptions, taxes, and even upsells, SureCart is a fully managed eCommerce platform. No extra plugins, no server headaches, no hidden costs.
With WP Simple Pay, you only get Stripe payment forms
There’s no cart, no storefront, no product management, and no built-in growth tools. Essentials like subscriptions or recurring payments require higher plans, while everything else depends on extra plugins or custom development.
24/7 proactive monitoring
Auto-scaling built-in
Automatic Backups
No surprise add-ons
Free system maintenance
You/agency must monitor
Server upgrades required
External Servers/Cost
Extra fees for add-ons & sysadmin
You act as sysadmin
SureCart vs WP Simple Pay: The Ultimate Showdown
Free plan with all features + 1.9% transaction fee.
No feature paywalls.
Lite plugin with basic Stripe forms + 3% fee. Capped at $1,650/yr.
Subscriptions and essentials need higher plans and other plugins.
$179/yr (1 store)
Renews at $199/yr
$249/yr (5 stores)
Renews at $199/yr
$399/yr (Unlimited)
Renews at $499/yr
No transaction fee
49.50/yr (1 site)
Renews at $99/yr
$99.50/yr (3 sites)
Renews at $199/yr
$149/yr (Unlimited sites)
Renews at $299/yr
$499/yr (3 sites)
Renews at $999/yr
No transaction fee
$499 (1 store)
$899 (5 stores)
$1,499 (unlimited)
No lifetime plan.
Only transaction fee on the free plan.
Hosting, backups, security, plus paid extensions keep adding up.
Yes
Simply a Stripe Payment Form Plugin
Mostly standalone payments for Digital Products and Subscription
Visual drag-and-drop checkout editor, fully customizable fields with conditional logic, built-in
Payment form templates. Customization limited. No full checkout or cart experience
Standalone Form Checkout
KPIs dashboards and advanced reporting on all plans
No Dashboard. Sales tracked through Stripe Dashboard.
Yes
No
Advanced
Basic. Requires higher paid plans to use.
Built-in
Paid plugin required
Included
Basic. Requires higher paid plans for real-time sales tax
Customizable as per the product’s billing cycle (compliant with global laws)
Setup Manually. Does not allow customization
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Sell one-time or flexible recurring donations
Preset Prices.
Fixed Amount. No flexibility
Emails are delivered reliably
(we handle everything)
Requires manual setup
(SMTP, DKIM, email service costs)
Gutenberg, Elementor, Bricks
Customize shop pages, collections, product pages, etc.
Gutenberg and Elementor
Shortcodes for Bricks
No customization
You own your data, accessible via API/webhooks, hosted with enterprise-grade security
Stored on your server, but uptime, compliance and security depend on you.
Yes
Stored on your server or via AWS S3 – Extra fee
Handled automatically by the platform
Store owner must manage backups; adds server load and costs for secure offsite storage
US-based. Aligned with US/EU regulations (GDPR, PCI)
US-based. Unclear GDPR compliance. Not in the data privacy framework.
Enterprise-grade SaaS security with PCI compliance and SSL/TLS encryption.
PCI compliant but keeping your data secure is your responsibility.
Mature and Battle proven
Mature but lacks a few essentials
Very old code base.
Dedicated support team.
Fast resolutions even on free plans
Ticket-based. Fixed hours. Guidance only — you fix issues
Extensive docs, onboarding flows, and proactive support
Documentation available, but less comprehensive for scaling and complex customizations.
Trusted by 100,000+ global merchants and growing
Limited features and use cases. Have ~10K users
SaaS roadmap with frequent feature releases, scaling guaranteed
Reliant on WordPress hosting + plugin/add-on ecosystem growth
Why most WordPress users choose SureCart over WP Simple Pay?
Managed eCommerce vs Stripe-Only Plugin
SureCart is a fully managed eCommerce platform. Hosting, scaling, checkout, subscriptions, and taxes are all taken care of. WP Simple Pay is just a Stripe payment form plugin. No cart, no storefront, and you manage hosting and growth yourself.
All-in-One vs Add-Ons
With WP Simple Pay, essentials like subscriptions are locked behind higher plans. Anything beyond Stripe payments requires extra plugins.
Growth Without Limits
SureCart supports digital, physical, and subscription products, as well as true donations, all in a single platform. WP Simple Pay is limited to Stripe payments. Donations are fixed-amount only, and there’s no flexibility for advanced product types.
Lower Total Cost of Ownership
SureCart’s free plan includes all features with just a small transaction fee. Pro and Lifetime plans remove it, with no feature paywalls. WP Simple Pay’s free version is capped at $1,650/year and adds a 3% surcharge. Subscriptions and other basics require higher-priced plans.
Join 100K+ merchants thriving with SureCart
What’s Right For You: SureCart or WP Simple Pay?
WP Simple Pay might be right if…
You only need a simple Stripe payment form for digital products or one-time payments.
You don’t mind limited flexibility: fixed donation amounts, subscriptions only on higher-tier plans, and needing extra plugins for essentials like taxes or affiliates.
You’re okay piecing together add-ons and paying extra for missing features.
You’re happy relying only on Stripe for payments.
You don’t mind being your own sysadmin or troubleshooting when things break.
SureCart is built for you if…
You want a full eCommerce platform with product catalog, checkout builder, upsells, and order management built in.
You want everything included out of the box, subscriptions, donations with “name your price,” taxes, licensing, affiliates, and more, without stacking plugins.
You prefer predictable pricing with no feature paywalls or hidden costs.
You want multiple payment gateways (Stripe, PayPal, Mollie, etc.) so you can sell globally with more options.
You want 24/7 monitoring, backups, and a support team that fixes issues for you so you can focus on growing your business.
Hear It From Our Happy Customers
Wilhelm M.
Administrator
It´s hard to pick one favorite feature. I think it is the purpose driven team behind SureCart, that is on the pulse of time, listens to its customers and pushes forward in every aspect of their game.
Evan Doyle
Feb 27, 2025
SureCart is the best checkout plugin for wordpress that I have used… setting up products is easy and it has helped increase my monthly sales.
Josh L.
Agency Owner
I’ve been using SureCart for a couple years and it’s been such a smooth experience compared to other cart/checkout tools I’ve tried. I use it for my own personal sites as well ad on client sites.
Sibila Ribeiro
Digital Creator
It is rare to find an eCommerce solution that is packed with features and yet accessible for FREE! SureCart hits the ball out of the park with their twist on a very competitive sector.
Ronner Urbina
Award-winning violinist
Within just a few years, Surecart has grown considerably, while listening to the growing community and adding relevant new features. Support has always been top notch as well, and any issue is quickly fixed. Great product!
Youbi Vandarten
Jan 15, 2025
SureCart has completely revolutionized the way I manage my online store! Unlike WooCommerce which can be complex for beginners, SureCart offers an intuitive and easy-to-use interface. Setup is a breeze, and updates are seamless. It is without a doubt the most user-friendly e-commerce solution I have ever used.
Bianca J.
Head of People and Communication
SureCart has made it super simple to add digital products and services for sale on my websites. I love that it’s an easy, no fuss interface and that it integrates with so many other platforms so easily.
Nicola L.
Business Owner
I use surecart for all my own and clients websites. It so easy and user friendly to set up and use. The features are second to none and costs way less than any competitor software.
Frequently Asked Questions
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