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In This Article:
Overview of Shopify
Overview of BigCommerce
Key Aspects For Choice: BigCommerce or Shopify
BigCommerce vs. Shopify Pricing and ROI
Feature Set: BigCommerce vs. Shopify
Performance Analysis: BigCommerce vs. Shopify
Shopify vs Bigcommerce: SEO and Marketing Tools
Security Features: Shopify vs BigCommerce
Customization and UX in BigCommerce vs. Shopify
Support and Community: BigCommerce vs. Shopify
BigCommerce Enterprise vs. Shopify Plus
According to Statista, e-commerce reshapes the global marketplace, with sales expected to reach $8.1 trillion by 2027. With competition intensifying, the selection of an e-commerce platform becomes a key factor in achieving business success.
The platform you choose can significantly impact how well you attract and keep customers, as well as how efficiently your business runs. To stay competitive, you should carefully evaluate top platforms like Shopify and BigCommerce.
This article offers a detailed comparison of Shopify vs. BigCommerce, with actionable insights to help you choose the platform that best matches your business goals and supports sustainable growth.
Overview of Shopify
Shopify is a cloud-based platform designed for online selling, trusted by over 4 million businesses for its user-friendliness and lack of programming requirements. It manages hosting, security, and caching, making it ideal for small businesses without tech staff and scalable enough for larger companies who can customize the platform with Shopify experts.
Pricing
Shopify's plans start at $39/month, with features and pricing varying by plan. A transaction fee applies to sales made on the platform. Most countries offer a 3-day free trial for new users to explore Shopify's capabilities.
Key Shopify Features
- Hosting and Security – Fully managed services for hassle-free operation.
- Scalable Plans – Accommodates growth with tiered pricing options.
- App Integration – Works smoothly with numerous apps and payment gateways.
- 24/7 Support – Continuous customer service to resolve issues anytime.
- Ease of Use – Perfect for small to medium businesses with minimal tech experience.
With its comprehensive features, Shopify is an excellent choice for you if you're looking to efficiently launch or expand your online presence.
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Discuss your project requirements and get a free estimate.
Overview of BigCommerce
BigCommerce is a comprehensive e-commerce platform designed to help businesses of all sizes effectively launch and expand their online presence. BigCommerce is known for its versatility and rich out-of-the-box functionality.
It can provide you with built-in features that eliminate the need for extra apps, which results in cost savings and simpler operations. It's an ideal choice if you want to expand your business without having to manage numerous add-ons. Its scalability allows both small and large businesses to grow easily as needs evolve.
Pricing
BigCommerce offers plans starting at $39/month, with options scaling to Plus and Pro for advanced features. It doesn't charge transaction fees, making it cost-effective. A 15-day freetrial is available to explore its offerings and suitability for your business.
Key BigCommerce Features
- All-in-One Platform: Offers a complete suite of tools for managing your online store, reducing reliance on external apps.
- Scalable Solutions: Accommodates businesses of all sizes, from small sellers to large corporations, with flexible pricing plans.
- Advanced SEO and Analytics: Equipped with built-in SEO features and analytics tools to maximize visibility and inform data-driven decisions.
- Multi-Channel Selling: Easily integrates with platforms like Amazon, eBay, and social media, broadening your sales channels.
- Responsive Design and Themes: Provides customizable, mobile-friendly templates to create a unique shopping experience.
If you need a robust and scalable platform to simplify management and optimize growth, BigCommerce is a great choice.
Key Aspects For Choice: BigCommerce or Shopify
When you compare Shopify and BigCommerce, several important criteria can guide your decision process. Here are the key aspects to consider:
That’s just a high-level BigCommerce vs. Shopify review. Below, we’ll analyze each of the aspects in more detail, so read on if you’re still undecided.
BigCommerce vs. Shopify Pricing and ROI
Understanding the price and potential returns on investment (ROI) for e-commerce platforms is very important for you to make an informed decision.
Pricing Structures
Shopify and BigCommerce offer tiered pricing plans, but their cost structures differ.
Shopify starts at $39 per month for Basic, $105 for the Shopify Plan, and $399 for Advanced, with transaction fees applied to third-party gateways unless using Shopify Payments. What’s more, businesses using Shopify POS for in-person sales should factor in hardware costs and potential processing fees.
BigCommerce offers its Standard plan at $39 per month, Plus at $105 per month, and Pro at $399 per month, without additional transaction fees regardless of the payment gateway used. The absence of transaction fees can result in significant savings, particularly for businesses with higher sales volumes.
Transaction Fees and Payment Gateways
A notable differentiator between Shopify and BigCommerce lies in their approach to transaction fees:
- Shopify imposes transaction fees ranging from 0.5% to 2% for transactions processed through third-party payment gateways unless you use Shopify Payments, which waives these fees. If you’re processing a high volume of credit card transactions, consider Shopify’s payment processing rates when calculating total costs.
- BigCommerce stands out as it does not charge transaction fees, regardless of the payment gateway you choose. This can be a substantial cost-saving in scenarios involving high transaction volumes.
Potential Hidden Costs
Both platforms might present additional costs beyond the basic subscription:
- Shopify’s official app ecosystem is extensive, but to add extra functionalities, you often need to purchase third-party apps, which increases monthly expenses. Features such as advanced report generation, currency conversion, or enhanced SEO may require these paid apps.
- BigCommerce offers a comprehensive set of features out-of-the-box, which reduces dependency on paid plugins. However, specialized needs may still lead to paid custom development services or higher-tier BigCommerce plans.
Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
To make an informed decision, businesses must analyze the TCO. Here's a comparison of possible scenarios:
Scenario A – Small Business
A small business starting with 100 sales per month, with a $50 average order value.
Shopify Basic Plan: $39 + (100 orders x $0.5 average transaction fee if using third-party gateway) = $89/month plus app costs.
BigCommerce Standard Plan: $39/month, inclusive of most built-in features without additional fees.
Scenario B – Medium-Sized Venture
A growing business with 1,000 sales per month, with an $80 average order value.
Shopify: Using the Shopify Plan at $105 + (1,000 x transaction fee if not using Shopify Payments), total monthly costs increase with sales.
BigCommerce: Pro Plan at $399 with unlimited transaction processing at no extra fee.
Long-Term ROI
Whether your store is small or medium-sized, you should focus on long-term ROI. Shopify provides scalability and a user-friendly interface, which makes it ideal to expand through additional functionalities via apps.
However, expect transaction fees to increase with your growth. In contrast, BigCommerce offers greater ROI potential with its inclusive features and absence of transaction fees, which is particularly beneficial if you handle a high volume of transactions.
Overall, while both platforms offer scalable e-commerce solutions, you should analyze pricing structure and calculate costs for your own business to understand which option is more profitable for you.
Feature Set: BigCommerce vs. Shopify
Now that we’ve covered pricing, let’s look at the features in BigCommerce and Shopify.
BigCommerce Functionality Pros and Cons:
Pros:
- Comprehensive built-in tools – Includes advanced SEO features, product filtering, and multi-currency support without relying on third-party apps.
- Unlimited product variants – Ideal for businesses with a large or complex product catalog.
- Flexible checkout customization – Supports headless commerce and fully customizable checkout without requiring Shopify Plus.
- Strong B2B capabilities – Built-in wholesale and bulk pricing features cater to B2B sellers.
Cons:
- Steeper learning curve – The feature-rich platform can be more complex for beginners.
- Limited third-party apps – While many features are native, fewer third-party apps exist compared to Shopify.
- Revenue-based pricing tiers – Plans scale based on annual sales, potentially increasing costs as the business grows.
Shopify Functionality Pros and Cons:
Pros:
- User-friendly interface – Intuitive setup, making it beginner-friendly.
- Extensive app ecosystem – Thousands of third-party apps extend functionality, from advanced SEO to AI-powered marketing tools.
- Best-in-class multi-channel selling – Seamless integration with social media, marketplaces, and Shopify POS for in-person sales.
- Mobile optimization – Themes and checkout are optimized for mobile-first commerce.
Cons:
- Limited built-in features – Many advanced tools require third-party apps, adding to costs.
- Product variant limits – Only 100 product variants per item, which can restrict stores with complex product catalogs.
- Customization constraints – Checkout customization requires Shopify Plus, while BigCommerce allows more flexibility by default.
Overall, Shopify offers flexibility but – similarly to the Magento platform – may require additional apps to match BigCommerce's comprehensive out-of-the-box capabilities.
Related articles
Shopify vs WooCommerce: E-commerce Platform Comparison
Shopify Plus vs Magento: Navigating Your E-commerce Platform Choice
Related articles
Shopify vs WooCommerce: E-commerce Platform Comparison
Shopify Plus vs Magento: Navigating Your E-commerce Platform Choice
Performance Analysis: BigCommerce vs. Shopify
To see which platform will help you better maintain customer satisfaction and optimize sales opportunities, you need to understand how they handle high traffic and sales.
Performance During Peak Traffic
BigCommerce provides a strong infrastructure to manage high traffic, which ensures enterprise-level businesses run smoothly. With excellent uptime and fast page load speeds, your store remains responsive and quick during traffic spikes, which guarantee a good customer experience and reduce bounce rates.
Shopify also offers reliable performance with a scalable system that manages increased demand effectively. Its cloud-based setup ensures great uptime and stability and allows for seamless transactions and navigation, which is a key during busy sales and marketing events.
High Sales Periods
During busy sales times, BigCommerce handles many transactions smoothly. It easily connects with third-party apps, offering advanced analytics and real-time insights to improve operations and sales strategies.
Shopify also maintains strong performance during heavy sales. Its platform efficiently manages large transaction volumes, and its wide range of apps allows for customization and integration, which boosts efficiency. This flexibility is a key, if you want to maximize sales without technical issues.
All in all, both BigCommerce and Shopify are well-equipped to handle the demands of peak traffic and high sales periods. Your choice between them should consider other factors like customization needs, and specific operational goals to ensure the best fit for your business.
Shopify vs Bigcommerce: SEO and Marketing Tools
High visibility and customer engagement are vital for online success. Shopify and BigCommerce each offer distinct tools for SEO and marketing. Here's how they support these functions:
SEO Capabilities
- Shopify offers basic SEO tools like editable title tags and meta descriptions, along with a variety of SEO-related apps. The platform's URL structure might require additional optimization to achieve full potential.
- BigCommerce provides advanced SEO features such as customizable URLs and automatic sitemaps, ensuring quicker and more effective search engine indexing. The on-page SEO controls are robust and ready-to-use without third-party tools.
Marketing Toolkits
- Shopify features a rich app ecosystem that supports social media integration, email marketing, and other promotional tools. Its simplicity allows businesses to easily apply marketing strategies.
- BigCommerce offers built-in tools for selling across multiple channels and integrates seamlessly with email platforms like Mailchimp. It is particularly suited for businesses with expansive multichannel marketing plans.
Security Features: Shopify vs BigCommerce
Robust security is a key for any e-commerce website. Both Shopify and BigCommerce prioritize the protection of your store and customer data, but they approach security in distinct ways:
Shopify provides a comprehensive suite of security measures designed to protect sensitive information:
- SSL Certification: Every Shopify store gets a free SSL certificate, encrypting data and ensuring secure transactions.
- PCI Compliance: Shopify adheres to PCI DSS Level 1 standards, the highest level of payment card data security.
- Fraud Tools: Shopify includes built-in fraud analysis to help identify potentially fraudulent orders, with additional advanced options available on Shopify Plus.
- Automatic Updates: The platform continuously updates its security protocols automatically, keeping your store protected against the latest threats.
BigCommerce also emphasizes robust security features, ensuring reliable protection for your e-commerce operations:
- SSL and PCI Compliance: Like Shopify, BigCommerce offers free SSL certificates and is PCI DSS Level 1 compliant.
- Advanced Firewall Protection: This platform provides powerful firewall security to defend against cyber threats.
- Comprehensive Fraud Prevention: With seamless integration with top-tier fraud prevention tools, BigCommerce offers a layered approach to transactional security.
- Regular Security Audits: BigCommerce conducts frequent security audits and vulnerability assessments to proactively address potential threats.
Both Shopify and BigCommerce do a great job of keeping online businesses safe. Shopify uses an easy and automatic security system. BigCommerce provides strong security with extra tools and regular checks for threats. Your choice might depend on what you need, like the level of fraud prevention or how much you want security to run on its own.
Customization and UX in BigCommerce vs. Shopify
The best e-commerce platform is one that adapts to your brand, rather than forcing you to conform to its limitations. Carefully assess BigCommerce and Shopify’s customization and user experience features to determine which aligns best with your business needs.
Shopify offers flexibility in design and functionality through its Liquid language and extensive app marketplace, allowing you to achieve a distinct brand presence. However, certain advanced features may require third-party integrations.
BigCommerce provides powerful built-in tools and open APIs, which reduce reliance on additional apps and support consistent brand representation.This makes it a strong choice for businesses prioritizing long-term operational efficiency.
Support and Community: BigCommerce vs. Shopify
When you select an e-commerce platform for your business, it's definitely worth estimating the quality and accessibility of customer support. Here is how BigCommerce and Shopify provide it:
- Shopify offers 24/7 customer support through various channels, including live chat, email, and phone, which ensures help is always available. Users benefit from quick response times and knowledgeable staff who can assist with a wide range of issues.
- Meanwhile, BigCommerce provides robust customer support with expert assistance available through phone, chat, and email as well. BigCommerce is known for its strong support team ready to address both technical and operational queries.
Both Shopify and BigCommerce also offer substantial resources and community support, integral to maximizing the user experience and platform capabilities.
Shopify's Learning Resources
- Active Forums: Shopify provides vibrant forums where users discuss various topics, offering support ranging from technical queries to marketing insights.
- Webinars and Workshops: Regular webinars and workshops provide practical insights into e-commerce strategies, hosted by industry experts.
- Shopify Academy: Offers free courses covering store setup to advanced marketing, complete with video tutorials and quizzes.
- Shopify Experts Marketplace: Connects users with certified experts for specialized support and custom solutions.
BigCommerce's Comprehensive Resources
- Community Forums: Offers a concentrated space for discussing design, development, and strategic planning.
- BigCommerce University: Provides video tutorials for mastering the platform, from basic operations to advanced techniques.
- Blueprint E-learning: Structured courses that dive deep into platform functionalities and strategies.
- Regular Webinars: Events featuring industry leaders that provide insights on trends and new tools.
Both platforms empower merchants through extensive resources and vibrant communities, which enable businesses to optimize operations and maintain competitiveness.
BigCommerce Enterprise vs. Shopify Plus
When scaling beyond standard Shopify and BigCommerce plans, Shopify Plus and BigCommerce Enterprise offer advanced capabilities tailored for high-growth businesses. The biggest differences from their regular versions lie in features, performance, and support.
- Features – Shopify Plus introduces automation tools like Shopify Flow, advanced API access, and customizable checkout experiences, whereas BigCommerce Enterprise offers built-in B2B functionalities, advanced product filtering, and headless commerce support.
- Performance – Both platforms handle high traffic well, but BigCommerce Enterprise is designed for complex catalogs and bulk ordering, while Shopify Plus relies on third-party apps for similar functionality.
- Support & Pricing – Shopify Plus provides a dedicated account manager, but customization often requires additional development work. BigCommerce Enterprise offers in-depth technical support and pricing based on business needs rather than a flat fee.
Core Takeaways: Shopify or BigCommerce?
The choice between Shopify and BigCommerce depends on factors such as your specific niche, budget, technical expertise, scalability needs, and desired level of customization. Evaluating these factors will help you select the platform that best aligns with your business objectives.If this decision seems complicated, the Transform Agency is here to assist. Our team offers expert guidance to help you choose the right platform for your business needs. Contact us to ensure your online store achieves optimal performance and growth!
FAQ
What are the key differences between Shopify and BigCommerce?
Shopify offers user-friendly navigation with many themes and apps, great for beginners. BigCommerce provides robust features and no transaction fees, ideal for high-volume sellers and those needing advanced capabilities without extra costs.
Which platform is more cost-effective for small businesses?
Shopify’s user-friendly nature and flexible pricing plans make it attractive for startups. However, BigCommerce might be more economical long-term due to its lack of transaction fees and comprehensive features, offering significant savings as sales volume increases.
Is BigCommerce better than Shopify?
BigCommerce excels with built-in features and no transaction fees, suiting large businesses. Shopify offers ease of use and extensive apps, ideal for flexibility and customization. The best choice depends on your specific needs.
How does customer support compare between the two platforms?
Shopify offers 24/7 customer support and a large community. BigCommerce provides excellent support with additional resources and certified partner access for advanced customization and expert help.
Which has better SEO features, Shopify or BigCommerce?
BigCommerce stands out with robust SEO features like customizable URLs and rich snippets out-of-the-box. While Shopify provides strong SEO tools, BigCommerce offers more flexibility and control, enhancing search visibility without needing extra apps.
What payment options and transaction fees do they offer?
Shopify Payments avoids transaction fees but charges 0.5%-2% for third-party gateways. BigCommerce supports numerous gateways without transaction fees, providing merchants with the flexibility to choose their preferred payment solutions while maximizing profit margins.
A seasoned product manager specializing in e-commerce, Helen excels in market analysis and strategic marketing for Magento platforms.
A seasoned product manager specializing in e-commerce, Helen excels in market analysis and strategic marketing for Magento platforms.
