LiveShoply vs Cartr: the Cartr alternative for Shopify
LiveShoply is a Cartr alternative for Shopify stores that want live shopping at a small-business price.
Cartr is a strong choice if you want multi-camera production from iPhones and iPads with branded graphics and multistreaming to 10 destinations. LiveShoply streams from any phone or laptop browser with no app, includes polls, giveaways and live deals, and starts free with paid plans from $29/month instead of a single $149 plan.
You want polished multi-camera shows from Apple devices.
You want to start free or for $29 a month.
LiveShoply: free, then $29/mo · Cartr: $149/mo
Cartr by Switcher (on the Shopify App Store since May 2022) connects the Switcher Studio iPhone and iPad app to Shopify for shoppable live streams. On the Shopify App Store it's rated 5.0 from 2 reviews. This page compares it with LiveShoply feature by feature, using the prices and features each app publishes on its Shopify App Store listing. We're the LiveShoply team, so we've made a point of including where Cartr is the better choice.
At a glance
| Feature | LiveShoply | Cartr |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | ✓ 300 viewer minutes | — |
| Entry paid plan | $29/month | $149/month |
| Usage model | Viewer minutes | Viewed minutes on the embed (60,000) |
| Go live from | Any phone or laptop browser, or OBS | Switcher Studio app on iPhone/iPad |
| Multi-camera, graphics and logos | Via OBS | ✓ built in |
| Multistream | Facebook & YouTube (Growth+) | 10 destinations |
| Product pinning & live chat | ✓ | ✓ featured collections |
| Polls & keyword giveaways | ✓ every plan | Not listed |
| Live-only discount codes | ✓ every plan | Not listed |
| Facebook comment-to-shop | — | ✓ |
| Shoppable replays | ✓ | Clips can be repurposed |
| Email reminders & Klaviyo | Starter and up | Not listed |
| AI captions & highlight clips | Growth and up | Not listed |
"Not listed" means we couldn't find the feature on Cartr's public plan list — it may exist elsewhere in their product.
About Cartr
- Developer: Switcher, Inc., on the Shopify App Store since May 27, 2022
- Rating: 5.0 from 2 reviews
- App languages: English (LiveShoply: 11 languages)
- Works with: Facebook, Facebook Live, Facebook Messenger
- Links: App Store listing · official website
Pricing compared
LiveShoply
Charges by viewer minutes — one person watching for one minute.
- Free (300 viewer minutes)
- Starter $29/mo (5,000)
- Growth $79/mo (20,000)
- Pro $199/mo (60,000). No commission
Cartr
One flat monthly plan with 60,000 viewed minutes on the embedded player.
- Merchant: $149/month — unlimited social views, 60,000 viewed minutes on the embedded player, Switcher Studio iOS app, multistreaming to 10 destinations, dedicated account manager
- 14-day free trial
- The listing notes that some charges may be billed separately by Switcher, Inc.
What you'd pay
Here's what a typical store would pay on each app. Viewer-minute estimates include about 15% extra for replay views.
| Scenario | LiveShoply | Cartr |
|---|---|---|
| 2 shows a month, 30 min, ~20 viewers | Starter — $29/mo | Merchant — $149/mo |
| Weekly show, 45 min, ~30 viewers (≈6,200 viewer min) | Growth — $79/mo | Merchant — $149/mo |
| 8 shows a month, 1 hour, ~60 viewers (≈33,000 viewer min) | Pro — $199/mo | Merchant — $149/mo |
Feature by feature
Production
Go live from a phone or laptop browser with no download, or use OBS for multiple cameras and graphics. Co-hosts can join from their own phones on Growth and Pro.
Switcher Studio on iPhone and iPad: multiple camera angles, logos, graphics and text built into the app.
Engagement
Product pinning, chat, polls, keyword giveaways and live-only discount codes on every plan.
Featured Shopify collections during the stream and Facebook comment-to-shop, live or later.
Reach
Your store first, with multistreaming to Facebook and YouTube from Growth.
Multistreaming to 10 destinations, including YouTube, Facebook and Twitch.
Pricing
Free plan, then $29, $79 or $199 a month.
One $149/month plan. For large audiences (over about 20,000 viewer minutes a month) it can cost less than LiveShoply Pro.
What's included in LiveShoply
Here's everything LiveShoply does, with a guide for each feature so you can see how it works before you install. See the full feature list or compare plans to check which plan includes what.
| Feature | What you get |
|---|---|
| Go live from a phone or laptop browser | No app download and under one second of delay. Full HD 1080p browser streaming on Growth and Pro. |
| OBS and RTMP streaming | Connect OBS or any RTMP encoder from Starter, with automatic recording. |
| Live chat, polls and live deals | Product pinning, polls, live-only Shopify discount codes, slow mode and blocked words on every plan. |
| Keyword giveaways | Viewers type a keyword in chat to enter and a random winner is drawn on screen. |
| Co-hosts and remote guests | Bring an influencer or teammate into the show from their own phone on Growth and Pro. |
| Multistream to Facebook and YouTube | Send OBS shows to your social channels at the same time on Growth and Pro. |
| Pre-recorded premieres | Schedule a recorded show that plays like a live one, with chat, from Starter. |
| Shoppable replays | Every show becomes a shoppable replay: 10 hours of storage on Starter, 30 on Growth, 100 on Pro. |
| Shoppable videos on product pages | Carousels, stories, a swipeable discovery feed and videos that appear on the products they feature. |
| Instagram Reels import | Import Reels, upload in bulk or import from a link, and add videos to your Shopify product media. |
| AI captions and highlight clips | Captions in 12 languages and 3–5 suggested clips per show, with products tagged, on Growth and Pro. |
| Email reminders and Klaviyo | Reminder sign-ups, calendar links, CSV export on every plan and Klaviyo sync from Starter. |
| Analytics and ROI | Viewers, watch time and orders attributed to each show, plus GA4, Google Tag Manager and Shopify customer events. |
On your storefront
LiveShoply adds itself to your store as a Shopify app embed and app blocks, so there's no theme code to edit and nothing is left behind if you uninstall. You place the live and replays section, shoppable video carousels and playlists from the theme editor, like any other section.
The floating mini-player that appears when you go live can be styled in the theme editor too: left or right position, horizontal and vertical margins, separate desktop and mobile widths, corner radius, border color and thickness, an overlay message, and whether it shows on desktop, mobile or both. The widget loads after your page content, so it doesn't hold up how fast your store appears.
The storefront widget, emails and admin are available in 11 languages (English, Turkish, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, Polish, Japanese and Swedish), and the widget follows your store's language automatically. To see how Cartr handles this, check the languages and theme integration on its App Store listing.
New to live selling? Start with how to do live shopping on Shopify, then plan your first show with the show script template and the equipment guide.
Where Cartr is stronger
We think you should pick the right tool for your store. Here's what Cartr does that LiveShoply doesn't (yet):
- Professional multi-camera production from iPhones and iPads, with branded graphics.
- Multistreaming to 10 destinations.
- Facebook comment-to-shop on lives and replays.
- A dedicated account manager on the plan.
Questions to ask before you choose
Whichever live shopping app you pick, these questions will save you from surprises later:
- How will my bill grow? Streaming hours, viewer minutes and per-viewer charges behave very differently as your audience grows. Model your next six months, not just your first show.
- How easy is it to go live? If going live requires a laptop, OBS or a separate app, you'll run fewer shows. Phone-browser streaming removes most of the friction.
- What happens after the show? Check that replays become shoppable automatically and that you can turn moments into short videos for product pages.
- Which engagement tools are on my plan? Polls, giveaways and live-only discounts are what keep viewers watching — make sure they aren't locked behind an upgrade.
- Do I own my audience? Confirm you can export the shoppers who signed up for reminders, or sync them to your email platform.
- Will it slow my store down? Look for an app embed that loads after your page and only streams video when it's opened.
Which should you choose?
Choose Cartr if…
- You want polished multi-camera shows from Apple devices.
- Your audience is large enough to use most of 60,000 minutes a month.
Choose LiveShoply if…
- You want to start free or for $29 a month.
- You want polls, giveaways and live deals included, and to stream from any device.
How we compared
All prices, limits and features for Cartr come from its public Shopify App Store listing, checked on October 17, 2026. Where a feature isn't mentioned on the listing we mark it "Not listed" rather than assuming it's missing. LiveShoply details come from our own pricing page and feature list.
Cost scenarios use typical show patterns for small and growing stores and add roughly 15% for replay viewing. Your real usage will depend on your audience. If you spot something out of date, email hello@liveshoply.app and we'll correct it.
FAQ
Is LiveShoply a Cartr alternative?
Yes. Both sell live on your Shopify store. Cartr focuses on production quality with Switcher Studio; LiveShoply focuses on engagement tools and low entry pricing.
Do I need an iPhone for LiveShoply?
No. Any phone or laptop browser works, and you can use OBS or any RTMP encoder from Starter.
Which is cheaper?
For small and medium audiences LiveShoply ($29–$79) costs less. Above about 20,000 viewer minutes a month, Cartr's single $149 plan can be cheaper than LiveShoply Pro.
Can LiveShoply multistream?
Yes, OBS shows can go to Facebook and YouTube at the same time on Growth and Pro.
Sources and further reading
- Cartr on the Shopify App Store: plans, reviews and the features we compared
- Cartr official website
- Shopify Help Center: apps in your theme: how app embeds and app blocks work
- Shopify Help Center: app charges: how app subscriptions and usage charges appear on your Shopify bill
- LiveShoply pricing and LiveShoply FAQ
- Best live shopping apps for Shopify: our overview of the whole category
Looking for a Cartr alternative?
Try LiveShoply free — set up in minutes, go live from your phone, no commission on sales.