Ardent Seller vs Convene vs Marketspread vs ShowUp

Ardent Seller is web-based inventory, production and sales software for small-batch makers, including at-home bakers, cottage food producers, coffee roasters, and candle, soap and jewelry makers. Convene Markets is a marketplace and management platform for organisers of farmers markets, craft shows, street festivals and similar pop-up events. Marketspread is web software for people who run farmers markets, flea and craft markets, fairs, festivals and trade shows. ShowUp is a web platform for people who run vendor-driven events such as farmers markets, food truck rallies, pop-up markets and expos. All four are listed under Farmers Market & Cottage Food Business Tools. The main differences are in price, audience and platforms.

Key differences

  • price

    Ardent Seller publishes a starting price of USD 19 per month. Convene, Marketspread and ShowUp do not publish a starting price.

  • audience

    Audience differs between the profiles. Listed by one product alone: Ardent Seller: At-home bakers and cottage food producers; Convene: Farmers market and pop-up event organisers; Marketspread: Farmers market managers; ShowUp: Farmers market organizers.

  • platforms

    Listed platforms: Ardent Seller: Web; Convene: Web; Marketspread: Web, iOS, Android; ShowUp: Web.

Side by side

Ardent Seller vs Convene vs Marketspread vs ShowUp: side-by-side comparison from published vendor information
FieldArdent SellerConveneMarketspreadShowUp
What it isArdent Seller is web-based inventory, production and sales software for small-batch makers, including at-home bakers, cottage food producers, coffee roasters, and candle, soap and jewelry makers.Convene Markets is a marketplace and management platform for organisers of farmers markets, craft shows, street festivals and similar pop-up events.Marketspread is web software for people who run farmers markets, flea and craft markets, fairs, festivals and trade shows.ShowUp is a web platform for people who run vendor-driven events such as farmers markets, food truck rallies, pop-up markets and expos.
Best forAt-home bakers and cottage food producers; Farmers market vendors and craft sellers; Etsy and Shopify sellers who make their productsFarmers market and pop-up event organisers; Food vendors, farmers and makers who sell at markets; Towns and property owners starting a marketFarmers market managers; Fairs, festivals and food festivals; Vendors and exhibitors selling at marketsFarmers market organizers; Food truck rally organizers; Pop-up markets, flea markets and expos
Pricing modelSubscription with free planTransaction fees on booth payments, no monthly subscriptionPer booth per eventFree for organizers, transaction fees
Starting priceUSD 19 per monthNot publishedNot publishedNot published
Free planYesNot publishedYesYes
Free trialNot publishedNot publishedNot publishedNot published
ContractNot publishedNot publishedNot publishedNone: the vendor says no contracts
PlatformsWebWebWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb
CountriesNot publishedUnited StatesUnited StatesNot published
LanguagesNot publishedEnglishNot publishedNot published
Number of integrations294Not published
CertificationsNot publishedNot publishedNot publishedPCI compliant
Security practicesTLS in transit and AES-256 encryption at restNot publishedNot publishedData encrypted in transit (HTTPS/TLS)
FoundedNot publishedNot publishedNot publishedNot published
HeadquartersNot publishedNot publishedNot publishedNot published
OwnerNot publishedNot publishedNot publishedNot published
Last reviewed29 September 202629 September 202629 September 202629 September 2026

Integrations

No partner appears in every list.

Named only by Ardent Seller

  • Etsy
  • Shopify

Named only by Convene

  • ChatGPT
  • Claude
  • Constant Contact
  • ConvertKit
  • Eventbrite
  • Facebook Events
  • Luma
  • Mailchimp

Named only by Marketspread

  • ACT Insurance
  • Food Liability Insurance Program
  • Payrix

Named only by ShowUp

ShowUp does not name any integrations in the material we reviewed.

Which to choose

Ardent Seller

Choose Ardent Seller if you are in one of these groups: At-home bakers and cottage food producers; Farmers market vendors and craft sellers; Etsy and Shopify sellers who make their products.

Less suited to: Enterprise manufacturers: the vendor says the feature set is tuned for creator businesses with fewer than 50 employees.

Convene

Choose Convene if your business matches one of the audiences it is listed for: Farmers market and pop-up event organisers; Food vendors, farmers and makers who sell at markets; Towns and property owners starting a market.

Marketspread

Choose Marketspread if your business matches one of the audiences it is listed for: Farmers market managers; Fairs, festivals and food festivals; Vendors and exhibitors selling at markets.

ShowUp

Choose ShowUp if your business matches one of the audiences it is listed for: Farmers market organizers; Food truck rally organizers; Pop-up markets, flea markets and expos.

What we could not confirm

Ardent Seller

  • Contract terms
  • Countries served
  • Team size, founding year, headquarters and funding
  • Mobile apps
  • Interface languages
  • Independent security certifications (only controls listed)

Convene

  • Fee percentage (only a calculator example is shown)
  • Headquarters, founding year, employee count, funding
  • Mobile apps
  • Security certifications

Marketspread

  • Premium tier price
  • Payment processing fees
  • Founding year, headquarters, employee count, funding
  • Contract terms
  • Security certifications
  • Whether it is used outside the United States

ShowUp

  • Number of events or organizers served (vendor figures not verified)
  • Founding year, founders, headquarters, employee count and funding
  • Countries served
  • Contract and cancellation terms beyond the no-contracts statement
  • Whether ShowUp offers any paid plan or add-on price (Custom Branding add-on price not shown)

Go further

Ardent Seller profileConvene profileMarketspread profileShowUp profile

Other comparisons with these products

Sources

Facts on this page come from the pages below. Prices and features change, so confirm with each vendor before you buy.

Convene, reviewed 29 September 2026

  1. Marketplace, listed organisations and eventshttps://convene.markets/
  2. Organiser features, fees, integrations, roadmaphttps://convene.markets/for-organizers
  3. Vendor features and pricinghttps://convene.markets/for-vendors
  4. Company story and teamhttps://convene.markets/about
  5. Help centre, Stripe paymentshttps://convene.markets/support
  6. Municipal market programmehttps://convene.markets/municipal-partnerships