Big Cartel Vs Etsy 2026 🚀 Best Platform For Artisans?

Are you interested in a detailed comparison of Big Cartel vs Etsy to determine which platform is best suited for your creative product selling needs? Look no further! Both Big Cartel and Etsy are great options for artists, creators, and small businesses, however, they cater to different requirements and offer unique features. With over two decades of experience in digital marketing and e-commerce, I can assist you in choosing the most suitable platform for your creative enterprise, whether you value customisation, user-friendliness, or a wide marketplace reach. Delve into the distinctions and advantages of each platform to make an educated decision on the perfect fit for your creative business.

Many creatives face challenges in selecting between Big Cartel and Etsy due to differences in platform functionality, audience reach, and fee structures. This guide aims to alleviate these pain points by providing an in-depth analysis of Big Cartel and Etsy. Whether you're looking to establish an independent store or tap into a large marketplace, this comparison will help you make an informed decision.

TL;DR 📌 For most independent sellers and small businesses, Etsy is the better choice due to its massive customer base, built-in marketplace, and ease of use. However, if you're looking for more control over your branding and a straightforward, cost-effective platform, Big Cartel might be the ideal option.

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Quick Comparison Table

Feature	Big Cartel	🥇 Etsy (My Top Pick!)
Ease of Use	Simple and easy to set up, best for small-scale sellers.	Easy to use, user-friendly interface, popular among handmade and vintage item sellers.
Key Features & Flexibility	Basic features, product management, customization, limited themes.	Robust features, listing options, customization, shipping labels, coupons.
SEO & Marketing	Limited SEO features, no built-in marketing tools.	SEO tools, marketing and promotional tools, and a large built-in audience.
E-Commerce	Focused on e-commerce for artists and makers, limited features.	Extensive e-commerce features tailored for small-scale crafts and vintage item sellers.
Customer Support & Resources	Email support and help center.	Community forums, help center, and email support.
Pricing	Free plan for up to 5 products. Paid plans start at $9.99/month. Check Pricing	No monthly fees. $0.20 listing fee per item and transaction fees apply. Check Pricing
My View	Best for independent artists and makers with a small product range.	Ideal for sellers of handmade, vintage, and unique goods seeking a large audience.

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Overview:

Big Cartel:

• Key Features:
  • Simple Store Setup: Designed for small shops, offering easy setup and management.
  • Customizable Storefronts: Provides simple templates with basic customization options for branding and aesthetics.
  • Product Listings: Limits the number of products you can list based on the plan.
  • No Marketplace: Operates as a standalone store without a central marketplace, giving you full control over your branding.
  • Payment Processing: Integrates with Stripe and PayPal for transactions.
• Pricing:
  • Free Plan: Up to 5 products.
  • Paid Plans: Start at $9.99/month for up to 50 products, with more options for larger inventories.
• Strengths:
  • User-Friendly: Straightforward setup process, ideal for beginners.
  • Low Cost: Affordable pricing with no transaction fees.
  • Full Branding Control: Complete control over the look and feel of your online store.
• Weaknesses:
  • Limited Features: Basic e-commerce functionalities with minimal customization.
  • Limited Scalability: Not ideal for large inventories or advanced e-commerce needs.
  • No Built-in Audience: Lacks a central marketplace, requiring you to drive your own traffic.

Etsy:

• Key Features:
  • Large Marketplace: Access to a global audience with millions of shoppers.
  • Handmade and Vintage Focus: Primarily for handmade, vintage items, and craft supplies, attracting a niche audience.
  • Customizable Shop: Options to personalize your shop with banners, logos, and shop sections.
  • Built-in Tools: Provides tools for marketing, analytics, and customer communication.
  • Payment Processing: Handles payments through Etsy Payments, offering various payment options for buyers.
• Pricing:
  • Listing Fees: $0.20 per listing, with a 5% transaction fee on sales.
  • Additional Fees: Fees for payment processing and optional advertising.
• Strengths:
  • Large Built-in Audience: Access to a massive, engaged customer base.
  • Ease of Use: Easy to set up and start selling quickly.
  • Community and Support: Active community and extensive support resources.
• Weaknesses:
  • Fees: Various fees, including listing and transaction fees, can add up.
  • Limited Customization: Less control over shop layout and design compared to standalone websites.
  • Competitive Environment: High competition with many sellers offering similar products.

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Ease of Use:

Big Cartel:

Big Cartel offers one of the easiest onboarding processes we’ve seen on any creative platform. You can easily sign up for an account and immediately get started with a working five-item store.

Also, it allows users to create their own unique online storefronts. Users have at least eighteen different design templates at their fingertips, all of which are customisable in terms of colours, fonts, and widgets. Once that’s set up, you can add your products, places images per product, then select either Stripe or PayPal as payment gateways, and start doing business.

Etsy:

Just how easy is it to get started on Etsy marketplace? It’s just a matter of creating an account – and it’s all systems go.

It’s literally a matter of making your account, choosing an eCommerce store name, adding a selection of items to your stock, and putting in your billing details. All in all, you could be running your store in less than an hour – and this is regardless of whether you have any prior experience creating web pages or selling online.

Winner – DRAW! This match between Big Cartel vs Etsy is a draw. Big Cartel and Etsy are easy to use and friendly to beginners.

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Features & Flexibility:

Out of the box:

Big Cartel:

Etsy:

For those who want to create a truly unique online shop for their work, Etsy provides its own site building platform with which to create a gorgeous and engaging online store. It may come off as somewhat amateurish compared to the more sophisticated tools offered by other platforms, but if it works, there’s no need to fix it;

Themes & Template Design:

Big Cartel:

Despite the fact that you can't really work on your design options from the primary dashboard (you'll find customisation under the Account Settings dash), you have to admit that Big Cartel's eighteen pre-installed customisable themes takes a great deal of stress and guesswork out of the equation in terms of your storefront's aesthetic. While there isn't much in terms of variety, you have to admit that all the templates at your fingertips are all clean, modern, and professional-looking – perfect for creating a striking-looking storefront.

Etsy:

At last count, Etsy had over 5,000 working themes and related templates ready to be selected and implemented by users. Likewise, these themes are categorised based on product type and market niche, so it’s quite easy to select a template that is appropriate for one’s Etsy site.

3rd party apps market:

Big Cartel:

Big Cartel's ability to enhance its users' capabilities through a choice selection of third-party applications is an ace in a winning hand for this platform. From maximising one's marketing initiatives, to social media integration in order to expand one's market, and the ability to work with leading payment platforms certainly makes things easier for online store owners. But one particular app, Pulley, gives Big Cartel an edge against Etsy as it enables creatives – composers, musicians, authors, and even filmmakers – to to sell digital downloads through their sites.

Etsy:

Along with the usual payment gateways, Etsy also interfaces with a number of integrations, but not as extensive as Big Cartel's.

Hosting:

Big Cartel:

Big Cartel is a web-based and fully-hosted platform which means that it is also the server which houses user sites. While this takes the stress of having to look for a host, it unfortunately means you can’t host a Big Cartel-built site anywhere else.

Etsy:

Since 2018, Etsy has relied on cloud-based hosting for user sites via Google Cloud.

Backups:

Big Cartel:

Automated backups are made possible on Big Cartel through its integration with Amazon AWS’ backup facility which can be programmed to backup site data within a set schedule.

Etsy:

The platform’s automated shop backup feature is part of its Seller Toolsuite and, much like Big Cartel’s, can be programmed to back files up within a set schedule – and that can be done by simply linking one’s file storage account with the feature.

Migration:

Big Cartel:

While migration from a different platform to Big Cartel is not built in, applications like LitExtension make things easier for those who want to transfer their sites or online stores. It just takes a few steps, and soon one will be working exclusively on Big Cartel.

Etsy:

You may not necessarily be able to migrate your site to Etsy, but those who own Etsy sites can actually migrate these to other platforms like Shopify and Cart2Cart. However, the methods and tools used will differ from one platform to another.

Security:

Big Cartel:

SSL is built into Big Cartel sites, so encryption isn’t an issue. In recent years, with user data privacy becoming a serious concern, it has also revised its user policy on privacy to protect its customers’ information.

Etsy:

Etsy has a feature called Pattern which has made the creation of more secure custom sites easier for its users. Pattern already manages each site’s SSL certificates and also ensures that sites are secured under HTTPS protocol.

Winner – BigCartel! Big Cartel runs away with the prize in our Big Cartel vs Etsy features comparison.

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eCommerce Tools:

POS:

Big Cartel:

Big Cartel’s POS feature is powered by payment gateway developer Stripe. The Payment by Stripe system allows users to collect payment in person with the same Stripe account they use to collect payments online. Likewise, this mobile POS tool also helps users manage their stores aside from handling transactions.

Etsy:

Etsy doesn’t have its own native POS feature. Instead, it offers several third-party options for its users to consider. In which case, any related POS hardware will be dependent on which options they go for.

Abandoned cart saver:

Big Cartel:

Having an abandoned cart recovery feature is a great way to help boost sales on one’s site. However, this feature is not automatically available on Big Cartel. Instead, you’ll need to use a secondary email marketing solution like Mailchimp which could send messages to users who have items left in their carts from previous login sessions.

Etsy:

Users have the option of sending customers one-time discount coupons as Etsy’s means of cart recovery.

Payment Gateways:

Big Cartel:

In terms of payment processors, Big Cartel works with ApplePay, PayPal, and Stripe.

Etsy:

Etsy’s native payment feature Etsy Payments not only allows users to opt for the usual suspects in terms of gateways, but also localised options which accept credit and debit cards or virtual accounts in the countries they’re in.

Winner – BigCartel! We are giving this win to BigCartel for this comparison of eCommerce tools between BigCartel vs Etsy.

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SEO & Marketing:

SEO:

Big Cartel:

In terms of SEO, Big Cartel offers the following services to its users:

• Unique titles and meta descriptions based on their products and pages;
• Valid HTML markup;
• Neat and already search-engine-ready URLs, as well as canonical URLs for custom domains;
• Quick navigation;
• Appropriate headers, anchors, and alt tags; and
• A robots.txt file pointing to a sitemap pre-generated by the system.

Etsy:

Here’s our problem with Etsy: much like the crafted items its users sell, SEO here is pretty much a DIY thing. Nevertheless, the platform offers an online guide on how users can improve their site’s rankings on both Etsy SEO and Google SEO.

Mobile First:

Big Cartel:

Store management on the run is a crucial thing for ecommerce, so Big Cartel's mobile app is a perfect way to help people work on the go whether they're using iOS or Android devices. While these don’t exactly have the same level of functionality as the desktop / website version of the platform, they will nevertheless help users track orders and make necessary adjustments to orders whenever necessary regardless of their location and the time of day.

Etsy:

Installing Sell on Etsy, the platform’s mobile application is an excellent way to improve an online store’s efficiency and impact. Much like the one deployed by Big Cartel, Etsy’s app allows users to keep tabs on their orders, payments, and reviews. While it is rather basic compared to the more elaborate online sales applications deployed by competing platforms, it is a great way to help store owners get things done without needing to lug along a laptop wherever they go.

Marketing:

Big Cartel:

Real-time monitoring of your site's metrics and analytics gives users the real picture as to how well (or not) their online stores are performing – and that's where Big Cartel's site monitoring dash comes in handy. Not only will it tell users how many people browsed through the store, but it also points out which items were bought, which items got the most views, how many were left in people's virtual shopping carts, and at which specific times did one's store see the most purchases. It's a great way to determine which products are the most saleable and which ones are moving too slowly to be profitable;

Etsy:

Now, this is Etsy’s ace in the hole: a whole plethora of tools with which to promote your work through numerous channels. The marketing suite allows users to cross-post to their social media platforms, boost the visibility of your store, and even offer discounts for loyal customers;

For more advanced users, Etsy Plus, the platform’s premium service, is a valuable tool that enables them to step up their game in terms of online advertising, marketing, audience engagement, and even earn more credits to enhance any promotional initiatives. Those using the service can also offer discounts to loyal customers on their sites.

Pagespeed:

Big Cartel:

The average pagespeed / loading speed for Big Cartel is pegged at around 205 milliseconds with an overall performance grade of 91 out of 100.

Etsy:

Etsy’s pagespeed is not within ideal limits. Based on our last test, its average loading speed is a much slower 1.59 seconds. Its overall performance grade is 86 out of 100.

Winner – BigCartel! Again, BigCartel performs better in the SEO and marketing area of this comparison.

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Support and Resources:

Big Cartel:

As with most creative platforms, Big Cartel’s primary online support measure is its Help Centre which is divided into different sections ranging from the basics of setting up, to online security, to customization options, to billing – practically everything you need to know about working with the platform and more.

However, even though Big Cartel allows its users to interact with it through its social media channels, online technical support is only offered through its website during business hours (EST) and only from Monday through Friday.

For more pressing concerns regarding your Big Cartel account and/or transactions, you will need to send the platform an email requesting for support. Turnaround is a little slow, though: around two days tops.

But what we like about Big Cartel is that even customers are given priority regarding support. There is a separate email address where they can air their grievances regarding certain vendors on the platform.

Etsy:

Etsy has a regularly updated Help Centre that has relevant information on most of the likely issues one may encounter as either a buyer or seller.

It also has an order-specific support platform that allows sellers to take action regarding individual orders, along with a more general technical support platform.

Keep in mind, however, that while you can sign onto the support platform using your Google, Apple, or Facebook credentials, Etsy does not offer cross-platform support.

Winner – Big Cartel! Between Big Cartel vs Etsy, the former has a slight edge over its customer service.

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Big Cartel vs Etsy Pricing Comparison:

Pricing Comparison Table

Platform	Plan Name	Monthly Price	Transaction Fees	Key Features	Free Trial	My View
Big Cartel	Free Plan	Free	0% transaction fees	List up to 5 products, customizable themes, built-in SEO, basic inventory management	Free Forever	Best for artists and small businesses looking for a simple, low-cost platform to sell a limited number of items.
	Gold Plan	$9.99/month	0% transaction fees	List up to 50 products, more customization options, shipment tracking	No	Great for small sellers looking for more products and control over their store's design and features.
	Platinum Plan	$19.99/month	0% transaction fees	List up to 250 products, advanced features, custom domain, premium support	No	Ideal for sellers wanting a larger product listing capacity with no additional transaction fees.
Etsy	Free to join	Free to join	6.5% transaction fee + $0.20 listing fee per item sold	Built-in customer base, listing on global marketplace, customizable storefront, marketing and SEO tools	Free Forever	Best for creators and small businesses wanting immediate access to a vast marketplace and audience.
	Etsy Plus	$10/month	6.5% transaction fee + $0.20 listing fee per item sold	Includes $5 monthly ad credits, custom shop URL, advanced shop customization, and discounts on listings	No	Ideal for sellers looking to enhance their store’s visibility and customization on Etsy’s marketplace.

Big Cartel:

Big Cartel is free to use under its Gold plan, but users may only sell a number products (5 only) at any given time.

The Platinum plan will set you back by $9.99 monthly fee and the Diamond plan by $19.99 a month. Both allow users to sell more products and also gain access to numerous premium features that will enhance their store management experience.

Big Cartel vs Etsy Free trial, refund policy, and money-back guarantee:

As stated in their terms of use, Big Cartel is free to use but keep in mind that features will be limited.

Check the latest Big Cartel pricing

Etsy:

Keep in mind that you really need to read the fine print before you set up shop on Etsy as there are a number of fees you need to take into consideration.

First, the platform charges a flat listing fee of around $0.20 per product you choose to put online, regardless of whether it's a physical or digital item. Note that listings expire after four months, so you'll need to pay the fee again for any products that haven't sold but you want to keep in your inventory. This may be done manually or you could set it up so that it renews automatically.

Second, there is the matter of listing and transaction fees. As of April of this year, Etsy now charges a 6.5% transaction fee on top of the final price for all items sold through the platform. This includes shipping fees, product customisations, and even gift wrapping.

Then, while you can technically use Etsy for free, those who want to avail of the additional perks offered under the Etsy Plus feature can subscribe to the service at an additional $10.00 a month.

Etsy also charges a number of transactional fees, including additional charges for purchases made during in-person trade shows, currency conversion, and even regulatory fees. That said, you may need substantial capitalisation if your business is to survive and thrive through this particular platform.

Check the latest Etsy pricing

Big Cartel vs Etsy Free trial, refund policy, and money-back guarantee:

Similarly, under Etsy's house rules, you may also create a free account on Etsy, but we strongly advise you to reread the previous section on the different fees charged per transaction.

Winner – DRAW! Both BigCartel vs Etsy are free to use, but each require payment for transaction or processor fees.

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Conclusion and Recommendation

Now, to wrap up our Big Cartel vs Etsy comparison;

Choosing between Big Cartel and Etsy depends on your business goals, the importance of branding, and how much control you want over your online store. Etsy is an excellent choice if you're looking to tap into a large, established customer base with minimal upfront costs. It's ideal for sellers who prefer a marketplace model where traffic is generated by the platform, albeit with higher fees and less control over branding.

On the other hand, Big Cartel is perfect for artists and small businesses who want to build their own branded online store with more control over the customer experience. If you value customization, lower fees, and a straightforward platform without the competition of a marketplace, Big Cartel might be the better option.

Who Is It Best For?

• Big Cartel: Best for independent artists, makers, and small businesses seeking a simple, cost-effective platform with greater control over branding and no transaction fees.
• Etsy: Best for sellers looking for immediate access to a large customer base, ease of use, and those who don't mind paying listing and transaction fees for increased visibility.

Who Is It Not Best For?

• Etsy: Not ideal for sellers wanting full control over their brand identity or those who wish to avoid transaction and listing fees.
• Big Cartel: May not suit those who need advanced e-commerce features or who prefer the increased visibility of a large marketplace.

Alternatives:

Among the best alternatives to BigCartel or Etsy are;

Compare leading eCommerce website builders by pricing, best use case, core selling features, and review status. Use this table to quickly shortlist platforms for building an online store, selling products, managing payments, and scaling a commerce-focused website.

Platform	Price / Basic Plan + CTA	Best For	Key Features	Transaction Fees	Review
🥇 Shopify	Free trial / Paid from $29/mo annually or $39/mo monthly | Check Pricing	Best overall ecommerce website builder	Full online store, unlimited products, app store, multichannel selling, POS, strong checkout	Shopify Payments card fees vary by market; extra third-party payment provider fees may apply	Shopify Review
2. Wix eCommerce	Free site builder / Ecommerce from Core plan around $29/mo+ | Check Pricing	Best for beginners and small stores	Drag-and-drop editor, AI builder, templates, product pages, bookings, payments, marketing tools	Processor fees apply; no separate Wix platform transaction fee on standard ecommerce sales	Wix eCommerce Review
3. BigCommerce	Free trial / Paid from $39/mo+ | Check Pricing	Best for scaling stores with built-in features	Unlimited products, strong SEO, multi-channel selling, B2B options, no-code storefront tools	Processor fees apply; verify 2026 payment provider changes before publishing	BigCommerce Review
4. Squarespace Commerce	Free trial / Paid commerce plans from around $23/mo+ annually | Check Pricing	Best for design-led ecommerce sites	Beautiful templates, product pages, subscriptions, scheduling, email campaigns, member areas	No commerce transaction fee on current plans; Squarespace Payments or processor fees apply	Squarespace eCommerce Review
5. WooCommerce	Free plugin / Hosting required | Check Hosting	Best for WordPress control	Open-source ecommerce, flexible plugins, full ownership, SEO control, huge extension ecosystem	No WooCommerce platform fee; gateway, hosting, plugin, and development costs apply	WooCommerce Review
6. Square Online	Free / Paid plans available | Check Pricing	Best for local stores and POS users	Online store, POS sync, pickup, delivery, inventory tools, simple product setup	Square payment processing fees apply	Square Online Store Review
7. Ecwid by Lightspeed	Starter from $5/mo+ | Check Pricing	Best for adding a store to an existing site	Embeddable store, social selling, marketplace selling, product sync, multi-site use	No Ecwid platform transaction fee; gateway fees apply	Ecwid Review
8. Hostinger Website Builder	Paid from $2.99/mo+ | Check Pricing	Best budget ecommerce builder	AI website builder, hosting, SSL, basic ecommerce, product tools, no-code setup	No platform transaction fee; payment processor fees apply	Hostinger Review
9. Webflow Ecommerce	Ecommerce plans from around $29/mo+ | Check Pricing	Best for designers and custom storefronts	Visual design control, CMS, animations, custom layouts, responsive product pages	2% Webflow fee on Standard ecommerce plan; higher ecommerce plans remove Webflow transaction fee	Webflow Review
10. GoDaddy Online Store	Paid ecommerce plans from around $29.99/mo+ | Check Pricing	Best for quick store launches	Simple builder, appointment tools, marketing suite, product listings, payments	Processor fees apply	Review Coming Soon
11. Duda eCommerce	Website plan plus ecommerce add-on from around $8/mo+ | Check Pricing	Best for agencies building client stores	Client management, white-label tools, team workflows, ecommerce add-ons, fast pages	No Duda platform transaction fee; gateway fees apply	Duda Review
12. Big Cartel	Free / Paid from $15/mo+ | Check Pricing	Best for artists and small catalogs	Simple store builder, product listings, discount codes, digital products on paid plans	No Big Cartel transaction fee; processor fees apply	Big Cartel Review
13. Sellfy	Paid from $22/mo annually or $29/mo monthly | Check Pricing	Best for digital products and creators	Digital products, physical products, subscriptions, print-on-demand, simple storefront	No Sellfy transaction fee on current paid plans; processor fees apply	Review Coming Soon
14. Payhip	Free / Paid from $29/mo+ | Check Pricing	Best free-start digital store builder	Digital downloads, courses, memberships, affiliate tools, simple storefront	5% Payhip fee on Free, 2% on Plus, 0% on Pro; processor fees also apply	Review Coming Soon
15. Shift4Shop	Free with Shift4 Payments / Paid or custom options | Check Pricing	Best for US merchants using Shift4	Store builder, product management, checkout, marketing tools, built-in ecommerce features	Shift4 processing terms apply; availability and terms vary by merchant/location	Shift4Shop / 3dcart Review
16. ShopWired	Paid from around £34.95/mo+ | Check Pricing	Best UK-focused ecommerce builder	UK ecommerce features, VAT-friendly setup, themes, product management, support	No ShopWired platform transaction fee; processor fees apply	ShopWired Review
17. Adobe Commerce / Magento	Magento Open Source free / Adobe Commerce custom pricing | Check Pricing	Best for enterprise and complex catalogs	Advanced catalog control, B2B, multi-store, custom workflows, enterprise scalability	No standard platform transaction fee; hosting, development, gateway, and enterprise costs apply	Magento Review
18. PrestaShop	Free open-source platform / Hosting required | Check Hosting	Best open-source Shopify alternative	Customizable store, modules marketplace, product management, international selling features	No PrestaShop platform transaction fee; hosting, modules, and gateway fees apply	PrestaShop Review
19. IONOS Online Store	Paid plans with changing introductory pricing | Check Pricing	Best budget EU-friendly store builder	AI website setup, domain and hosting bundle, SSL, ecommerce tools, multilingual options	Processor fees apply; renewal pricing should be checked carefully	IONOS Website Builder Review
20. Lightspeed Retail + eCom	Paid from around $89/mo+ | Check Pricing	Best for retail businesses needing POS + ecommerce	POS, inventory, online store, retail reporting, loyalty, multi-location tools	Lightspeed Payments or processor fees apply	Review Coming Soon

Final Word:

For most independent sellers and small businesses, Etsy is the recommended choice due to its massive customer base, built-in marketplace, and ease of use. However, if you prioritize branding and lower fees, and are willing to drive traffic to your own store, Big Cartel is a strong contender.

Ready to start selling your products online?

Get started with Etsy today!

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That's all for now:

If you've read all the way through this Big Cartel vs Etsy comparison, we are thankful. We hope you can now answer the question of what are the pros and cons of this online marketplace platforms! We have a large collection of articles, guides, and comparison reviews of eCommerce solutions, web hosting providers, website builders, and more! Feel free to check them out;