Compare · Home food and taking orders
SME AI Office vs Carousell
Carousell is a Singapore marketplace where buyers find and chat with sellers; SME AI Office is your own order page with pickup times, a prep list and accounting.
Prices checked 30 September 2026
The short answer
Choose Carousell if you want buyers who are already browsing a marketplace, or you sell now and then from a Personal account, which pays no selling fees. Buyers can also pay through Carousell with Buyer Protection.
Choose SME AI Office if you sell regularly and want your own order page. A Professional Carousell account over the thresholds pays 2.5% per chat deal, capped at S$30 each: about S$500 on S$20,000 a year, before offsets. SME AI Office charges S$0 on orders paid by your PayNow QR.
Side by side
| SME AI Office | Carousell | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free. A small 0.5% platform fee, only on card and automatic PayNow paymentsYour own PayNow QR and cash: no fee | Personal: no selling fees. Professional: 2.5% per chat deal, capped at S$30Professional fee applies from S$500 revenue or 10 buyer chats in a month |
| Free plan | Yes, for good. No monthly fee, no card, no cap on orders | Personal accounts pay no selling fees |
| Fee your buyer pays | SME AI Office adds nothing; you may choose to pass on the card fee | 4.5% by PayNow, 6% by card under S$100, with Buyer ProtectionGST-inclusive; 3.5% and 5% from S$100 in selected categories |
| How buyers pay | PayNow QR with the amount and order number, straight to your bank | Through Carousell by PayNow, PayLah! or card, or agreed in chat |
| Chats and WhatsApp | WhatsApp is a link you tap; no fee on chats | Professional: outbound chats counted at 1–2.5% of listing price, even with no saleCapped at S$30, depending on category |
| New buyers | None brought to you. You share your own link | Buyers already browsing the marketplace |
| Your own page | Your own order page at smeaio.com/s/your-name, with pickup times and delivery days | Listings and a profile on Carousell |
Which one fits
SME AI Office fits when
- You sell regularly and want customers to order on your own page, not a marketplace.
- You want pickup points and times, delivery days and a daily limit per item.
- You want tomorrow's prep list and every sale in your accounting.
Carousell fits when
- You sell now and then from a Personal account, with no selling fees.
- You want to be found by buyers already browsing Carousell.
- Your buyers want Carousell's Buyer Protection on what they pay.
Free. A small 0.5% platform fee, only on card and automatic PayNow payments.
Questions
Is SME AI Office cheaper than Carousell in Singapore?
For a regular seller, usually. Carousell Personal accounts pay no selling fees, but a Professional account over the thresholds pays 2.5% per chat deal, capped at S$30 each. SME AI Office is free. It charges nothing on orders paid by your own PayNow QR, and a small 0.5% only on card and automatic PayNow payments.
Do buyers pay a fee on Carousell?
Yes, when they pay through Carousell with Buyer Protection: 4.5% by PayNow or PayLah! and 6% by card on items under S$100, GST-inclusive, as of February 2025. SME AI Office adds no fee to what your customer pays; you choose whether to pass on the card fee to them.
Who pays Carousell's service fee?
Carousell says Professional accounts pay it in a month when they reach S$500 in revenue or 10 outbound chats, WhatsApp or contact views from unique buyers, and the fee is at least S$10. Personal accounts and Professional accounts on a sales package are exempt. Spending on CarouBiz, Coins and bumps offsets it.
What is an alternative to Carousell for selling home-baked food in Singapore?
SME AI Office's Free plan gives you your own order link for Instagram, WhatsApp or Telegram, pickup points and times or delivery days, a PayNow QR with the amount filled in and tomorrow's prep list. There is no monthly fee and no cap on orders, and no fee on orders paid by your PayNow QR.
Can I move from Carousell to SME AI Office?
Yes. Send us your Carousell profile link, and we copy your items, prices and photos across and set up your order page for you, free. You can keep your Carousell listings as long as you like. WhatsApp us on +65 9613 7676 and we help you move it over.
Carousell facts are from Carousell Help: Service Fee Policy (Singapore), Carousell Help: fees charged to buyers (Singapore), checked on 30 September 2026. Prices are as shown there. Carousell is a trademark of Carousell Pte. Ltd.. SME AI Office is not connected with Carousell.