Trying to decide between BigCommerce or Shopify for your online business? Read our guide to discover the best fit for you!

eCommerce business owners looking to upgrade from a free online selling solution or just breaking into the eCommerce world will find BigCommerce and Shopify, two huge eCommerce platform companies, in their research.
Keep reading our BigCommerce VS Shopify comparison to decide which store builder is right for your business model and budget.
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BigCommerce |
Shopify |
Ideal For |
- Businesses in “high-risk” industries
- Businesses that want lower payment processing fees and more payment processing options
- Businesses with several staff members
- Business owners who want an all-in-one eCommerce solution
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- Individuals who want to easily start selling on social media or marketplaces
- Business owners who plan on hosting multiple international storefronts
- Business owners who want a lot of site customization
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Pricing |
$29.95/month-$299.95/month |
$5/month-$299/month |
Payment Processing |
- 100+ payment gateways with no transaction fees
- Optional payment processing at 2.05%-2.59% per transaction
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- Transaction fee of 0.5%-3% per transaction unless you use Shopify Payments
- Shopify Payments payment processing at 2.4%-2.9% per transaction
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Standout Features |
- Single-page checkout on all subscription plans
- No payment processing limitations or transaction fees
- Real-time shipping quotes on all subscription plans
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- Built-in online and in-person sales channels
- Very inexpensive “buy button” online selling option
- Excellent international sales features with Shopify Markets
- 7,500+ add-on apps in the Shopify app store
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What’s Missing |
- More diverse set of store templates
- No revenue limitations on monthly plans
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- More product variants for single products
- More payment processing options
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Start Trial Read Review |
Start Trial Read Review |
BigCommerce VS Shopify At A Glance
Shopify and BigCommerce are online sales software for business owners to sell on their own websites, online marketplaces, social media, and in person. Shopify offers fewer built-in software features but offers more website add-ons and a low-cost monthly plan. BigCommerce offers more built-in software features and lower payment processing fees, which is good for higher-revenue businesses.
Pros & Cons Of BigCommerce
Pros
- Several payment processing options
- Extensive product offering customizations
- Real-time shipping estimations on all plans
- Unlimited staff accounts on all plans
- High-risk businesses can use BigCommerce
Cons
- Design limitations and basic online store themes
- Multiple storefront options only available on highest-level plan
- Annual sales caps may automatically increase monthly payments
BigCommerce is an excellent eCommerce store builder for business owners with larger sales volumes, as they can benefit from the lower payment processing fees offered by many BigCommerce-compatible payment processing providers (with no transaction fees, no matter which processor you work with.) Business owners who want to offer highly customizable products, products with several variations, and “high-risk” products will also benefit from BigCommerce’s extensive product entry and management features.
Pros & Cons Of Shopify
Pros
- Low-cost monthly “buy button” plan
- Excellent shipping and international sales functions
- Integrated in-person point of sale app and hardware
- Lots of add-on apps (free and paid) in Shopify app store
- Order fulfillment network for faster delivery times
Cons
- Transaction fees and payment processing limitations
- No single-page checkout
- Add-on apps can get expensive
Shopify is a great sales platform for individuals just starting out, as there’s a low-cost “buy button” plan that does not include a full-blown website and a free point of sale app for casual in-person sales. It’s easy to scale up any Shopify plan, so as business owners grow, their online presence can grow as well. It’s also easy to fill in any of Shopify’s feature/customization gaps by installing third-party software apps from Shopify’s huge app store.
What’s Really The Difference Between BigCommerce & Shopify?
Shopify offers more site customization and pricing flexibility for small business owners, while BigCommerce offers more built-in features but fewer software add-ons. Shopify requires you to use the company’s payment processor or you’ll be charged transaction fees. BigCommerce allows you to use any payment processor for free, so you’ll pay less per month in processing fees.
Both BigCommerce & Shopify Offer…
- Physical and digital item sales, dropshipping and print-on-demand items, and selling in person with a point of sale app
- Selling through a custom website, online marketplaces such as Amazon and Walmart Marketplace, and social media channels like Facebook and Instagram
- Advertising through social channels such as TikTok, Pinterest, and Google Shopping
- Shipping rules for zones, pricing, and free shipping conditions
- Support for 100+ payment types, including mobile wallets, local currencies, and apps such as PayPal and Stripe
- Marketing tools such as coupons, discounts, and abandoned cart emails
- 24/7 tech support
Only BigCommerce Offers…
- The ability for high-risk industries such as CBD companies to sell products online
- Fast one-page checkout on all subscription plans
- Saved address and card on file to speed up checkout (and reduce cart abandonment rates) even more
- Unlimited staff accounts
- Real-time shipping calculations on all subscription plans
- The freedom to use any payment processing provider you want without additional transaction fees
- A special lower rate on payment processing by Braintree
- 250 product variation options, customization fields, and the ability for customers to upload a photo for a custom item
- Built-in price lists and wholesale catalogs for B2B businesses (higher-level plans only)
- Create multiple stores with one BigCommerce account (highest-level plan only)
Only Shopify Offers…
- An extensive set of free and paid store themes that are unique and highly customizable
- The second largest app store of any website builder
- A low-cost “buy button” monthly subscription plan for people who want to sell, but don’t want to pay for their own website
- Inventory warehousing and fulfillment (via Shopify Fulfillment)
- International sales features such as generating multiple versions of an online store to match a user’s geographic location, language, currency, etc.
- Free built-in point of sale app (Shopify POS) and dedicated Shopify POS hardware
- Shipping discounts through Shopify Shipping
BigCommerce VS Shopify Pricing
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BigCommerce |
Shopify |
Monthly Subscription Pricing |
- Standard: $29.95/month -Plus: $79.95/month ($71.95/month with annual billing)
- Pro: $299.95/month (269.96/month with annual billing)
- Enterprise: Custom quoted
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- Starter: $5/month -Basic: $29/month
- Shopify: $79/month
- Advanced: $299/month
- Plus: $2000+/month
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Transaction Fees |
0% |
0.5%-5% (unless you use Shopify Payments) |
Online Payment Processing Fees |
- Varies depending on your choice of payment processor
- Optional: 2.05%-2.59% + $0.49 with special Braintree credit card processing rates
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2.4%-2.9% + $0.30 (with Shopify Payments) |
In-Person Payment Processing Fees |
Depends on point of sale integration |
2.4%-2.7% (with Shopify Payments) |
Chargeback Fees |
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$10 (refunded if you win chargeback dispute) |
Contract Length |
Monthly or annual |
Monthly or annually for up to three years |
Early Termination Fees |
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For online store builders, BigCommerce and Shopify charge similar monthly fees.
The biggest differences between BigCommerce and Shopify pricing are:
- Shopify’s transaction fees and payment processing restrictions
- Shopify’s low-cost starter plan (BigCommerce does not offer a comparable online selling solution)
- Fees for paid apps that sellers may need to install to round out their online store/point of sale solution
Shopify charges transaction fees on all online store builder plans (Basic, Shopify, Plus, and Plus) unless you use Shopify Payments, which not all merchants qualify for. Shopify Payments may not offer the best payment processing fees, especially for midsize and larger businesses.
BigCommerce, on the other hand, never charges transaction fees, and there are a huge array of payment processors available for BigCommerce users. Business owners can shop around for the best payment processing fees while knowing that the freedom to choose does not come with any associated costs or strings attached.
For independent sellers and influencers, Shopify offers a low-cost online checkout solution (BigCommerce doesn’t have a comparable monthly subscription plan.) Users can add a checkout link anywhere that a link can be shared. It’s a great monthly subscription price. The only catch is the 5% transaction fee that you’re charged whenever you make a sale, which is not waived even if you use Shopify Payments.
Lastly, business owners have to consider the cost of any additional apps they may need to add to their current eCommerce solution. For example, Shopify has a built-in language translation function, while BigCommerce users have to pay for a language translation app like Weglot. BigCommerce includes price lists on its highest plan, while Shopify users will have to pay for a price list app.
Shopify VS BigCommerce Features
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BigCommerce |
Shopify |
Online Store Builder |
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Starting on Basic plan |
Unlimited Items |
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Physical And Digital Item Sales |
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Staff Accounts |
Unlimited |
2-15 |
Online Marketplace Sales |
Facebook Marketplace, Amazon, Walmart, Etsy, eBay, Wish, Mercado Libre |
Shop App, Facebook Marketplace, Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Wish, and more (via add-on apps) |
Social Media Marketing/Selling |
Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, Google Shopping |
Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, Google Shopping, Snapchat, YouTube, WhatsApp, Twitter |
Buy Button |
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Point Of Sale |
- Through Square or Clover (native integration)
- Through Hike, Lightspeed, Revel, Vend, Connect POS, ePOS Now, and ShopKeep (add-on app)
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- Shopify POS app
- Multiple third-party point of sale app integrations available
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One-page Checkout |
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Through paid add-on app |
Inventory Management |
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Shipping Management |
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Dropshipping/Print-On-Demand |
Through add-on app |
Through add-on app |
Order Fulfillment |
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Discounts, Coupons, Gift Cards |
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Loyalty Program |
Through add-on app |
Through add-on app |
Customer Profiles |
Starting at Plus plan |
Starting at Basic plan |
Email Marketing |
Through add-on app |
Through add-on app |
Blogging |
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SEO Tools |
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Multiple Currencies Supported |
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Multiple Languages Supported |
Through add-on app |
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Multiple Storefronts |
Starting at Pro plan |
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24/7 Customer Support |
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Shopify and BigCommerce offer all the essential eCommerce features such as customizable online store builders and inventory/shipping management dashboards.
Shopify has created a highly scalable eCommerce and in-person sales solution, leaning largely on its app store to give sellers the online store customization, marketing, and advanced inventory features they need. The platform has also designed a large-scale order fulfillment network for sellers to compete with Amazon, and a native point of sale app so you can sell online and in person within one dashboard.
BigCommerce, on the other hand, has made it possible for eCommerce businesses (especially B2B businesses) to sell on a large scale with price lists, quotes, large catalog search capabilities, bulk ordering, and its multi-storefront feature, which allows companies to manage multiple sites under one BigCommerce account.
Small to midsize companies will find everything they need to run a successful eCommerce site on BigCommerce’s lower-level plans in one holistic store admin dashboard, but larger companies should definitely get on the Pro-level or Enterprise-level plan to harness all of BigCommerce’s capabilities.
Read our BigCommerce review and Shopify review for a more detailed feature breakdown. For now, these are how the two eCommerce store builders stack up to each other in some key sales and operational features.
Store Builder Templates
Shopify definitely has more variety in terms of store templates and add-ons. The company offers eight free themes and about 100 paid themes for merchants to choose from. Pricing for paid themes ranges from $140 to $350. You can get a free or paid Shopify theme through a third-party eCommerce developer website such as TemplateMonster, but it may not be fully compatible with all Shopify apps, and you may have trouble getting support if your website starts experiencing issues.
Shopify’s themes are professional, elegant, and easy to navigate. Of course, if you don’t like what you see, you can access Shopify’s code to develop your own theme, using HTML, CSS, and Shopify’s own language, Liquid.
At BigCommerce, you’ll find about 150 themes, called Stencil themes, along with about 500 total variations or styles. You can choose from 12 themes, or 36 styles, for free, or purchase a theme that costs between $150 and $350. All BigCommerce themes are mobile responsive. Stencil themes are easy to edit without dipping into any code, although you can add custom code if you’d like.
Product Listings
Shopify and BigCommerce allow you to list an unlimited number of products on all subscription plans. If you have a straightforward online shop without a huge number of listings, you can pick from Shopify or BigCommerce.
However, if you have a huge, want to offer different price lists for B2B customers/bulk buyers, or have a lot of product variations/sell custom products, BigCommerce is probably a better fit in terms of product listing functions.
BigCommerce has a built-in product search and filtering option on mid-tier and higher-level plans, which makes it easy for customers to search through a lot of options and find what they’re looking for. Shopify merchants will have to add an app to get this function.
BigCommerce allows you to create up to 600 product variations for a single product, while Shopify currently allows you to add up to three to a single product offering (and up to 100 variations total across all products.) If, for example, you sell a shirt with different sizes, colors, designs, and cut/length options, you’d have to split these up into different products in your Shopify dashboard, while BigCommerce would have no issues.
Also, BigCommerce allows you to list several types of variants, including a swatch, radio button, rectangle list, checkbox, and dropdown option. This function can be used for everything from offering different color variants to adding a checkbox that, when checked, allows someone to donate in addition to purchasing an item (great for nonprofits and marketing campaigns such as “Giving Tuesday” campaigns.)
Users shopping on a BigCommerce-hosted site can add their own custom content such as personalized text (great for items such as custom mugs or jewelry), file uploads (great for items such as custom t-shirts or photo books), and different pick list options (great for selling add-ons, such as accessories for a dress).
Lastly, BigCommerce’s price list feature, only available on the highest-level plan, allows you to create different price lists for a single item or variant based on customer groups. Customers may also create accounts to see exclusive product offerings. It makes B2B customers feel more like they’re getting a smooth B2C shopping experience. B2B customers can request a quote as well, so they have even more freedom while shopping on your site.
Shipping Management
Both eCommerce platforms can fulfill your standard shipping needs.
BigCommerce offers real-time shipping rate calculators for major shipping carriers on all subscription levels, but Shopify only offers this on higher-level plans.
On the other hand, Shopify has partnered with major shipping carriers to offer shipping discounts to Shopify Shipping users.
Both platforms offer shipping app integrations to major shipping apps such as ShippingEasy and Shippo.
Checkout Process
BigCommerce offers a better checkout experience for guests, with a single-page checkout built into all BigCommerce plans. At the mid-tier subscription level, customers on a BigCommerce-hosted site can save their cards for later purchases, have their addresses auto-filled, and their shopping cart will still have items in it, even if they switch from a mobile device to a desktop (and vice versa.)
All these BigCommerce features add up to a fast, easy checkout experience, and translate into more sales on your end.
Shopify has a pretty standard checkout process, although Shopify merchants can offer checkout through Shop Pay for individuals who have already signed up for the Shop app.
Both companies have multiple ways you can display shipping options at checkout. However, BigCommerce shows real-time shipping estimates on all subscription plans, while Shopify only allows this option on higher-level subscription plans.
Buy Buttons
Both BigCommerce and Shopify allow you to generate buy buttons that you can place in marketing emails, social media posts/profiles, DMs, affiliate marketing posts, blog posts – anywhere you can paste HTML code or a hyperlink.
Shopify has a $5/month Starter plan that only includes a buy button, which is much cheaper and easier to manage compared to BigCommerce’s lowest-level plan. However, Shopify charges a 5% transaction fee for every order on the Starter plan, so the “low-cost” plan might not actually be cheaper in the long run.
With BigCommerce, you can attach a Google Analytics ID to buy buttons to track their performance. This will help you figure out where and when buy buttons work best as a lead conversion strategy.
Otherwise, the two platforms offer about the same level of button customization options.
Point Of Sale
Shopify has a free built-in point of sale app that every Shopify merchant can use, along with Shopify hardware, to sell at in-person events as well as online.
If you want to conduct in-person sales through your BigCommerce store, you can choose among 18 apps, including Lightspeed and Square POS, to download. The Square-BigCommerce integration is easy and free to use, but it’s an extra step that Shopify merchants don’t have to take.
International Selling
Shopify and BigCommerce both support international selling, but on the whole, Shopify offers way more features for business owners to build a global sales network.
With Shopify Markets, Shopify’s new international sales solution, merchants can create several copies of one website (in website subfolders, with specific subdomain names) and set specific languages, currencies, product offerings, and marketing campaigns to distribute to different geographical zones.
When someone clicks on your Shopify website, the version they see in search results will either automatically show the user the version of your website that matches their language settings and geographical location, or you can set your store to offer suggested versions of your store based on country. You get to choose, and it depends largely on your SEO strategy and technical skills.
BigCommerce doesn’t have a super sophisticated international selling setup like this, but like Shopify, BigCommerce allows you to sell in multiple languages and currencies. You can also set shipping zones and rules with both store builders, along with tax and duty import fees.
If you’re on the highest-level BigCommerce plan, you can easily set up multiple storefronts in varying languages and let regional managers in different countries operate their own versions of your company’s website. This isn’t an option for Shopify users.
Dropshipping
Shopify and BigCommerce both make use of third-party apps to give users dropshipping (including print-on-demand) capabilities. BigCommerce offers most of the best Shopify dropshipping apps, but Shopify offers more third-party dropshipping apps in general.
If you want to sell very niche items from a specific dropshipping site, Shopify is the best option. Otherwise, the two eCommerce platforms are neck-and-neck in this area.
Order Fulfillment
Shopify shines when it comes to item warehousing and order fulfillment. The company has consistently added warehousing locations for merchants to store their items and get orders to customers faster.
The idea behind the Shopify fulfillment network is for Shopify merchants to be able to compete with Amazon when it comes to fast order delivery.
The network suggests what fulfillment center you should ship your products to, based on where your orders are coming from, notifies you when inventory is running low, and offers a custom packing option. You manage everything except the pick and pull from your admin dashboard.
Shopify charges storage fees based on the square footage of space used in their warehouse and a per-item transaction fee. Of course, you can also choose to work with a third-party fulfillment service, which may be more cost-effective in the long run.
While BigCommerce integrates with nearly two dozen third-party fulfillment services, it does not offer an in-house option. Some fulfillment services charge monthly fees and others by the item.
Related: If using a fulfillment service is one of your eCommerce goals, read our post on eCommerce order fulfillment strategy to learn what fulfillment options, if any, are right for your business.
Blogging
Both BigCommerce and Shopify have built-in blogs. Neither blog builders are very impressive.
If you want to build a more comprehensive/customizable blog, consider using a different web builder to create a blog, or installing a third-party blogging app to your store builder.
Social Media & Online Marketplace Selling
If you want to make Instagram posts shoppable, sell on TikTok, and/or sell on Facebook, both eCommerce platforms allow you to do so from within your store admin dashboard.
Shopify offers more social media app integrations through its app store. With buy buttons, though, you can sell on pretty much any social media platform.
Both BigCommerce and Shopify allow you to sell on major marketplaces such as Amazon, eBay, and Walmart Marketplace. Again, Shopify has more niche marketplace selling options due to its vast app store offerings.
Bottom line: If you want to integrate your online store with several social media channels and marketplaces, Shopify is your go-to eCommerce builder. If you are only interested in major social media channels and marketplaces, either store builder will work.
SEO Tools
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a method of improving your website so that it will get listed higher in search results. Websites listed higher in search results are more likely to be clicked on, and more likely to convert potential buyers into customers.
BigCommerce and Shopify have built-in SEO tools, such as custom URLs, lazy-loading pages, mobile-optimized website templates, custom product descriptions, meta descriptions, and robots.txt customizations.
However, BigCommerce does a better job at serving up fast, SEO-enhanced pages to users and Google search bots.
BigCommerce allows you to automatically serve up webpages in Google’s new, faster accelerated mobile pages (AMP) format. Faster-loading webpages are preferred by both Google and users, so making your pages load fast is a high SEO priority. You’d have to install a third-party app to get your Shopify site to serve up pages in AMP.
Shopify nests different versions of webpages in subfolders, which often take longer to load.
Related: To improve your site’s SEO and search results ranking, read our post on how to improve a website.
Shopify VS BigCommerce Complaints & Reviews
Neither eCommerce platform has many complaints, but of those complaints, the one that both BigCommerce and Shopify users complained about was the learning curve. Users say it’s a little overwhelming to start with, but that they got the hang of it after a while.
BigCommerce Common Complaints
- Sales Limits: Once you reach a certain sales threshold, you are automatically bumped up to the next subscription level, which can be a steep price jump for any business.
- Basic Themes: Both BigCommerce themes and customization capabilities could use an update.
- Not Enough Integrations: Unlike Shopify, BigCommerce does not have integrations for all the major third-party software providers.
Shopify Common Complaints
- Basic Features: Shopify users do not get a lot of functionality out-of-the-box, and many merchants find themselves relying heavily on add-ons. Add-ons can be glitchy and expensive.
- Lack Of SEO: Shopify sites don’t come with the best SEO tools, and Shopify sites are often slow to respond.
- Additional Fees: Many users are not happy with transaction fees, customization/app fees, and paid theme fees. However, you can avoid transaction fees with Shopify Payments, and possibly find free themes and apps to make your store work with as little financial investment as possible.
Which Is Best for My Business Needs?
Both eCommerce platforms are highly scalable, especially with the inclusion of dedicated plans for enterprise-level businesses. Which one is right for your business needs?
Choose BigCommerce If …
- Your business offers “high-risk” products, a lot of different products, product variations, and customizable items
- You want your choice of payment processor (and the lowest payment processing rates available)
- You want to own multiple storefronts under one account
- You’re in the B2B industry and want to offer price lists, customer accounts, and/or a quoting system
- You need a lot of staff accounts
- You want an all-in-one eCommerce solution and are comfortable with potential price increases with increased sales
Choose Shopify If …
- You’re okay with using Shopify Payments and Shopify’s payment processing fees
- You’re interested in a holistic online/offline sales system
- You want to customize your store with add-on apps
- You’re an influencer/very small business owner looking to just sell a few items
- You’re interested in warehousing items for faster delivery
- You want to quickly start selling on a global scale
Comparing BigCommerce VS Shopify: The Final Verdict
This BigCommerce VS Shopify comparison shines a light on what kind of business models and budgets are suited for each eCommerce platform.
If you are an eCommerce business that sells a lot of items or custom items, you operate a B2B business, you sell “high-risk” items, or just want the freedom to choose your payment processor (and negotiate a good merchant agreement with good payment processing rates), then BigCommerce is right for you.
Shopify is ideal for a range of merchants. International sellers, dropshippers, influencers, businesses that sell online and on-location, and general small to midsize B2C retail sales businesses will appreciate the wealth of features Shopify offers. The huge variety of add-on apps is great for individuals looking for more site customization.
BigCommerce and Shopify both have two-week free trials. Sign up for both, test out all the features you may need, then decide which one is right for you.
If you feel that neither of these online store builders fits your business’s needs, read our post on the best eCommerce platforms to find the store builder that’s right for you.
BigCommerce VS Shopify: FAQs
Is BigCommerce or Shopify cheaper?
Shopify is cheaper than BigCommerce sometimes.
If you use Shopify’s Starter plan, which costs $5/month, you’ll get charged transaction fees that may make the “low-cost” plan not worth it.
After that, Shopify and BigCommerce have similar monthly plan pricing.
It’s worth noting that if you don’t use Shopify’s in-house payment processor, you’ll pay transaction fees.
BigCommerce is often cheaper depending on your choice of payment processor.
Is Shopify or BigCommerce better for a large inventory?
BigCommerce is better for a large inventory. There are more product customization, variation, and search functions with BigCommerce.
Is Shopify or BigCommerce better for a business that sells digital downloads?
BigCommerce is better for a business that sells digital downloads. With BigCommerce, it’s easier to set up digital products and you have options like digital download expiration dates.
Is there a plan similar to Shopify Lite in BigCommerce?
There is not a plan similar to Shopify Lite in BigCommerce (Shopify Lite is now called Shopify Starter.)
Shopify Lite costs $5/month (Shopify Lite is now known as Shopify’s Starter plan) and does not deliver a complete eCommerce solution, just a buy button.
You can create buy buttons with BigCommerce, but you have to sign up for a plan that comes with an online store.
How much does BigCommerce Enterprise cost?
BigCommerce Enterprise costs vary, as pricing is customized for each user. Aimed at businesses with more than $400,000 in annual sales, plans range from $400 to $15,000+ per month.
Can you have two Shopify stores?
You can have two Shopify stores, but not with one Shopify account. You’ll have to create and pay for two separate Shopify accounts.
On BigCommerce’s highest-level plan, you can control multiple stores on one account.
What is Shopify pricing?
Shopify pricing is $5/month up to $299+/month, or you can get custom pricing for Shopify’s enterprise-level plan.
With the $5/month Starter plan, you have to pay a 5% transaction fee on every order. Keep that in mind when choosing between the $5/month Shopify Starter plan and the $29/month basic Shopify plan.