SamCart

Conversion-focused checkout, subscriptions, upsells, courses, and affiliates

NOT REALLY · consider alternatives
price $79/mosubscription / year $948estimated build time not a true replacement; consolation build in one to two daysreplaced by 0 people

Do not mistake the interface for the product. SamCart's durable value is payments, network, compliance, which a solo one-shot build cannot reproduce responsibly. The prompt therefore builds only the closest honest personal consolation tool.

Build verification: not recorded. How we judge buildability

What you give up

  • fulfilment, email, and affiliate ecosystems
  • marketplace discovery and buyer trust
  • tax, disputes, payouts, and fraud operations
  • native apps and community moderation

Why people still pay

SamCart: Creators pay to outsource payments, tax complexity, disputes, deliverability, moderation, and the trust needed to convert strangers.

Your build guide

The stack, security requirements, and agent rules for a focused replacement.

Before you start

  • Node.js 22
  • PostgreSQL
  • Stripe account and API keys in .env
  • Explicit README warning that this is a consolation build, not a production replacement
01
Use exactly this stack: Next.js 15 + TypeScript + PostgreSQL + Stripe.
02
Model products, buyers, purchases, entitlements, and delivery receipts; keep stable source IDs and timestamps.
03
Interface for this checkout + courses workflow: a local web page with input, progress, review, and export views.
engineering roadmap

Implementation plan

1

Phase 1, architecture and data

Use exactly this stack: Next.js 15 + TypeScript + PostgreSQL + Stripe. Model products, buyers, purchases, entitlements, and delivery receipts; keep stable source IDs and timestamps.

2

Phase 2, implement

For checkout + courses, define products or membership access rules and record prices in integer minor currency units.

3

Phase 3, implement

Create a checkout session through the user’s payment provider and verify the signed completion webhook.

4

Phase 4, review and output

Grant digital access exactly once and show purchase, refund, and delivery history.

5

Phase 5, recovery and acceptance

Verify this invariant with a saved fixture: A repeated payment webhook cannot deliver twice; a refund must revoke the relevant access without deleting the audit trail. State the practical limit: fulfilment, email, and affiliate ecosystems.

the pro prompt
Build me a focused checkout + courses workflow for the personal core of SamCart. Requirements:

- Use exactly this stack: Next.js 15 + TypeScript + PostgreSQL + Stripe. Model products, buyers, purchases, entitlements, and delivery receipts; keep stable source IDs and timestamps.
- Paid product context: Conversion-focused checkout, subscriptions, upsells, courses, and affiliates. Build only this DIY scope: Build a narrow checkout + courses storefront or member area for one creator, using Stripe Checkout and explicit digital-delivery rules.
- For checkout + courses, define products or membership access rules and record prices in integer minor currency units.
- Create a checkout session through the user’s payment provider and verify the signed completion webhook.
- Grant digital access exactly once and show purchase, refund, and delivery history.
- Use a local web page with input, progress, review, and export views. Required input or access: Stripe account and API keys in .env. Keep credentials in .env.
- Acceptance: with one labelled sample, show the input, saved intermediate state, and exported result; verify this invariant: A repeated payment webhook cannot deliver twice; a refund must revoke the relevant access without deleting the audit trail.
- Out of scope: fulfilment, email, and affiliate ecosystems; marketplace discovery and buyer trust. Keep this a personal, inspectable workflow.
- Include a README with setup, a sample input, required keys or permissions, data location, and the supported scope.

$ open in your agent (prompt prefilled, you press enter), copy the prompt or copy AGENTS.md · generated from this app's build plan

share on X ↗

Alternatives to building your own

systeme.ioCheckout, subscriptions, bumps, upsells, one course and one affiliate program; free until your second course or fourth funnel.$0free↗

no votes, no pay-to-list · just what's real

SamCart pricing

planmonthlyannual (per mo)what you get
core$79/workspace—Unlimited products, pages and checkouts; 1 user seat.Official pricing page advertises 25% off annual billing, but the exact annual dollar total did not render.
pro$199/workspace—Unlimited products, pages and checkouts; 10 seats; upsells, A/B testing, affiliates and API.Official pricing page advertises 25% off annual billing, but the exact annual dollar total did not render.
done for you——Unlimited seats and multiple marketplaces; custom scale and support.Contact sales.

free tierno free tier; 7-day trial

billingmonthly + annual (-25%); exact annual dollar totals did not render; annual charged upfront

hidden costsSamPay is 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction; tax calculation and collection adds 0.50% on Core or 0.35% on Pro; third-party processors are Pro-only and keep their own fees.

pricing sources checked 2026-08-14 · pricing source ↗

Questions about SamCart

Can you build your own SamCart with AI?

A full replacement is not the recommended project. Do not mistake the interface for the product. SamCart's durable value is payments, network, compliance, which a solo one-shot build cannot reproduce responsibly. The prompt therefore builds only the closest honest personal consolation tool.

What does the SamCart build prompt cover?

The prompt starts with this scope: Build a narrow checkout + courses storefront or member area for one creator, using Stripe Checkout and explicit digital-delivery rules. Full-product capabilities excluded from the comparison include: fulfilment, email, and affiliate ecosystems; marketplace discovery and buyer trust; tax, disputes, payouts, and fraud operations. Follow the implementation plan and its prerequisites before expanding the build.

How do I use the prompt, AGENTS.md and agent skills?

Start with the SamCart prerequisites and stack, then copy the prompt into your coding agent. Save the project rules as AGENTS.md in the project root. Linked skills are optional packages or source instructions for specific tasks; review their current contents and install only those matching the chosen stack. A skill does not supply API credentials or verify the finished app.

How long will this SamCart project take?

The catalogue estimate is not a true replacement; consolation build in one to two days for the limited scope. Setup, integration approvals, debugging, deployment and ongoing maintenance can add time. This is an estimate, not a delivery guarantee.

What would I give up by replacing SamCart?

fulfilment, email, and affiliate ecosystems; marketplace discovery and buyer trust; tax, disputes, payouts, and fraud operations; native apps and community moderation. SamCart: Creators pay to outsource payments, tax complexity, disputes, deliverability, moderation, and the trust needed to convert strangers.

What price is this guide comparing against?

The recorded Launch plan is $79/mo (monthly commerce plan), checked 2026-07-31. Check the linked pricing source before buying. Building your own also has hosting, API and maintenance costs; the recorded amount is not a guaranteed saving.

What can I use instead of building SamCart?

systeme.io: Checkout, subscriptions, bumps, upsells, one course and one affiliate program; free until your second course or fourth funnel. Check each option's license, hosting needs and feature limits.

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