Is Cardel an alternative to BookBub or ThriveCart?

Cardel is a home for your craft: a site of your own with a blog, newsletter, shop, community, and one inbox. It can replace BookBub or ThriveCart when you want your work, audience, and sales in one place. The feature list on this page shows where BookBub and ThriveCart are marked.

Can I use Cardel with BookBub or ThriveCart?

Yes. Cardel pages can link out to other products, so you can keep BookBub or ThriveCart for what it does best and bring the rest of your work to Cardel.

How much does Cardel cost compared with BookBub and ThriveCart?

You don't pay for Cardel until you publish. Choose Starter, Pro, or Studio when your site goes live. BookBub and ThriveCart set their own prices, so check their pricing pages on this page for current plans.

How do I switch from BookBub or ThriveCart to Cardel?

Start with Build Your Site, set up your home, and bring your work over at your own pace. You do not have to move everything on day one.

Compare

BookBubvsThriveCart

BookBub Author Websites builds a book-first site and simple newsletter for authors. ThriveCart is a lifetime-priced checkout with bumps, upsells, affiliates, and courses.

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How BookBub and ThriveCart compare

BookBub Author Websites is made for writers who would rather be writing. Import an ebook from Amazon or BookBub and its cover, description, and retailer links fill in, and each book gets its own page that you update in one place. Templates are designed around genres, the Author Bio, Blog, and Contact pages are ready on day one, and a built-in newsletter pulls your book details into every email. Pro adds series pages, a press kit and events, and reader magnets that trade a free download for a signup, and the Free plan has no time limit.

ThriveCart is a cart that pays for itself once. A one-time price buys high-converting checkout pages, order bumps, one-click upsells, subscriptions, coupons, affiliate management, and a course platform through ThriveCart Learn. Digital sellers who hate monthly fees and love conversion rates have made it a cult favorite.

Where they are different

BookBub

BookBub's book pages send readers to Amazon, Apple Books, and other retailers, with no checkout on the site.
BookBub's newsletter sends 1,000 emails a month on Free and 10,000 on Pro, from a no-reply address on your domain on Pro, and replies go to your personal email.
BookBub's blog has an RSS feed but no comments, and its only automation is a welcome email.
BookBub's Events page lists your appearances.

ThriveCart

ThriveCart is the cart, not the site.
ThriveCart hands buyers to your email tool.
ThriveCart has no inbox or bookings.

Choose BookBub when your books sell through retailers, you want a polished author site in an afternoon, and a simple monthly newsletter is all the email you need.

Choose ThriveCart when checkout conversion, bumps, and affiliates matter and you want to pay once.

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What's on BookBub and ThriveCart

A check means that capability is available. BookBub and ThriveCart are marked only when the offer is comparable, not the same product.

Site and brand

Workspace site
BookBub: Included
ThriveCart: Not included
Custom domain
BookBub: Included
ThriveCart: Included
Theme and fonts
BookBub: Included
ThriveCart: Included

Public content

Blog
BookBub: Included
ThriveCart: Not included
Shop pages
BookBub: Included
ThriveCart: Not included

Audience and email

Audience
BookBub: Included
ThriveCart: Included
Marketing emails
BookBub: Included
ThriveCart: Not included

Commerce

Shop payments
BookBub: Not included
ThriveCart: Included

Team

AI Assistant
BookBub: Not included
ThriveCart: Included

Feature comparison for BookBub and ThriveCart
Feature	BookBub	ThriveCart
Site and brand
Workspace site	Included	Not included
Custom domain	Included	Included
Theme and fonts	Included	Included
Public content
Blog	Included	Not included
Shop pages	Included	Not included
Audience and email
Audience	Included	Included
Marketing emails	Included	Not included
Commerce
Shop payments	Not included	Included
Team
AI Assistant	Not included	Included

* Note: This table does not capture every feature of BookBub or ThriveCart, and is not intended as a comprehensive list. We keep this page current, but BookBub or ThriveCart may add or remove features that are not shown here.