BigCommerce vs Shopify: Which Is Better for Your Business?

Choosing the right eCommerce platform is pivotal for businesses seeking success in the digital marketplace. Among the myriad options available, BigCommerce and Shopify emerge as two titans, each offering a suite of features tailored to meet diverse business needs. So entrepreneurs aiming to build a solid online presence and boost sales must grasp the intricacies of these platforms.

In this comparative analysis, we delve into the strengths and weaknesses of BigCommerce vs Shopify, aiding entrepreneurs in making an informed decision on the ideal eCommerce platform for their specific requirements.

BigCommerce vs Shopify: An Overview

What is BigCommerce?

BigCommerce is a leading eCommerce platform renowned for its robust features and scalability. Founded in 2009, it caters to businesses of all sizes, from startups to enterprise-level operations. 

Boasting an intuitive interface, BigCommerce allows building and managing online stores efficiently. Its extensive built-in features encompass everything from customizable storefront templates to advanced marketing and analytics tools. It offers a comprehensive solution for businesses aiming to establish a strong online presence. 

With robust support for omnichannel selling and seamless integrations with leading payment gateways, BigCommerce remains a formidable contender in eCommerce platforms.

What is Shopify?

Since its establishment in 2006, Shopify has become synonymous with eCommerce success. Prioritizing simplicity and accessibility, Shopify offers a user-friendly interface alongside a vast array of customizable themes and apps. This platform serves businesses of all scales, providing scalability to support expansion. Its hallmark lies in user-friendliness, enabling merchants to establish online stores swiftly and effectively. 

With built-in payment processing and reliable customer support, Shopify liberates sellers from the typical complexities of eCommerce, allowing them to concentrate on business growth.

BigCommerce vs Shopify: 10 Keys Comparison

#1. Pricing

Both Shopify and BigCommerce offer various pricing plans, ranging from approximately $25 to $399, with free trial options available. However, there are notable differences in pricing structures between the two platforms.

BigCommerce Pricing: 

BigCommerce provides four pricing plans:

• Standard: $39/month.
• Plus: $105/month.
• Pro: $399/month.
• Enterprise: Custom pricing based on specific requirements.

BigCommerce's pricing is scalable, adjusting according to annual sales volume. This flexibility allows businesses to grow seamlessly, supported by a host of premium features included in the cost, such as real-time shipping quotes, sales channel integration, and unlimited product listings.

Shopify Pricing: 

Shopify offers five pricing plans:

• Starter: $1/month.
• Basic Shopify: $25/month.
• Shopify: $65/month.
• Advanced Shopify: $399/month.
• Shopify Plus: Custom pricing tailored to individual business needs.

Shopify's pricing structure emphasizes tiered features, with higher-tier plans unlocking additional functionalities. Notably, features like abandoned cart recovery are available in lower-tier plans, contrasting with BigCommerce's approach of reserving certain features for higher-tier subscriptions.

Recommend:
In the comparison of BigCommerce vs Shopify pricing, BigCommerce emerges as the winner due to its inclusion of essential features across all plans without transaction fees. Features such as unlimited file storage, product variants, bandwidth, and staff accounts are accessible without additional charges. Conversely, Shopify's pricing model incorporates transaction fees and limits on staff accounts. 

#2. Ease to Use

While both offer user-friendly interfaces, ease of use remains a crucial factor for businesses.

BigCommerce ease of use:

BigCommerce provides an intuitive dashboard and straightforward setup process, allowing users to navigate through various features and functionalities effortlessly. With comprehensive tutorials and customer support, it offers a smooth onboarding experience for merchants of all skill levels.

Shopify ease of use:

Shopify boasts a simplistic interface and streamlined setup, enabling users to build and manage online stores easily. Its drag-and-drop editor and extensive library of templates simplify the customization process, empowering merchants to create visually appealing storefronts without technical expertise.

Recommend:
Shopify excels in simplicity and customization, making it a preferred choice for merchants seeking ease of use and flexibility in design.

#3. Design and Customization

Regarding design and customization, both BigCommerce and Shopify offer robust tools to create visually appealing and personalized online stores.

BigCommerce design and customization:

BigCommerce provides a wide range of customizable themes and templates, allowing merchants to tailor their storefronts to match their brand identity. With access to HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, users have full control over the design elements, enabling them to create unique and visually stunning websites. 

Additionally, BigCommerce offers a drag-and-drop page builder and integration with popular design tools like Adobe Photoshop, facilitating seamless customization without coding knowledge.

Shopify design and customization:

Shopify offers diverse themes and templates, ranging from simple and minimalist designs to more elaborate and immersive layouts. Its intuitive drag-and-drop editor allows users to easily customize their storefronts, while advanced users can access the platform's Liquid programming language for deeper customization. 

Moreover, Shopify's extensive app store provides additional design tools and integrations to enhance the overall aesthetic and functionality of the online store.

Recommend:

Shopify excels in design flexibility and ease of customization, making it a top choice for merchants looking to create visually appealing and unique online storefronts.

#4. Apps & Scalability

With apps & scalability, both BigCommerce and Shopify offer extensive app marketplaces catering to various needs. However, they differ in built-in features and scalability options.

BigCommerce apps:

BigCommerce boasts over 1,000 apps across different categories, providing users with a wide array of options to enhance their stores. The platform emphasizes its powerful built-in features, minimizing the need for third-party apps. 

Additionally, its Enterprise Plan offers a headless solution with unlimited API calls, making it highly scalable. BigCommerce's multi-storefront capability and deep integration with Google products further enhance its scalability.

Shopify apps:

With over 8,000 apps, Shopify has the largest app store in the market and offers extensive customization options. Shopify Plus, designed for global expansion, provides advanced functionalities like multi-channel selling and enhanced security measures.

Recommend:

Shopify emerges as the preferred choice. Because it offers a vast array of apps and advanced features, it is ideal for businesses aiming to scale up.

#5. Marketing

Both BigCommerce and Shopify provide various marketing features to assist businesses in effectively promoting their products. Now, let's explore the marketing offerings of each platform.

BigCommerce marketing:

BigCommerce provides robust marketing tools, including built-in SEO features, email marketing integrations, and social media integrations. Its SEO-friendly architecture and customizable URLs enhance visibility on search engines, while integrations with popular email marketing platforms allow for targeted campaigns. BigCommerce also offers features like abandoned cart recovery and discounts/promotions to drive sales.

Shopify marketing:

Shopify offers comprehensive marketing tools, including SEO optimization features, email marketing integrations, and social media marketing capabilities. Its app store provides access to numerous marketing apps for SEO optimization, email campaigns, and social media advertising. Additionally, Shopify's built-in features, like abandoned cart recovery and discount codes, contribute to effective marketing strategies.

Recommend:

Both BigCommerce vs Shopify provide extensive marketing features to assist businesses in promoting their products and increasing sales. However, Shopify's vast app store and customizable options give it a competitive advantage in marketing. Ultimately, the decision between the two platforms hinges on the unique marketing requirements and preferences of the business.

#6. Payment Gateways and Transaction Fees

BigCommerce and Shopify are two leading eCommerce platforms that offer various features, including payment gateways and transaction fees. Let's delve into a detailed comparison of these aspects:

Payment Gateways:

Both BigCommerce and Shopify support the integration of numerous payment gateways, enabling merchants to accept payments from customers seamlessly. However, certain gateways and integration procedures are not always accessible.

BigCommerce Payment Gateways:

• Offers integration with over 65 payment gateways, including major players like PayPal, Stripe, Square, and Authorize.Net.
• Provides native integration with PayPal powered by Braintree for seamless transactions.
• Offers multiple payment options such as credit/debit cards, digital wallets, and alternative payment methods.
• Provides support for global payment gateways, enabling merchants to cater to international customers effectively.

Shopify Payment Gateways:

• Supports more than 100 payment gateways, including popular options like Shopify Payments, PayPal, Stripe, and Amazon Pay.
• Offers Shopify Payments as a built-in solution, simplifying the setup process for merchants.
• Provides support for various currencies and payment methods to accommodate diverse customer preferences.
• Offers Shopify Payment, a feature that enables customers to save their payment information for faster checkout in the future.

Transaction Fees:

Transaction fees can significantly impact a merchant's bottom line, so it's essential to consider the fee structures offered by both platforms.

BigCommerce transaction fees:

• Doesn't charge any transaction fees on top of the fees charged by the payment gateways.
• Offers a range of pricing options with diverse features and limits on transaction volume.
• Provides transparency regarding pricing, with clear distinctions between plans based on business needs.

Shopify transaction fees:

• Waives transaction fees for transactions processed through Shopify Payments if merchants use it as their payment gateway. However, external payment gateways incur additional transaction fees that vary depending on the plan.
• Offers tiered pricing plans with different transaction fee structures, with lower fees for higher-tier plans.
• Provides discounted transaction fees for users on higher-tier plans, potentially reducing costs for high-volume merchants.

Recommend:

Shopify offers the advantage of waiving transaction fees for transactions processed through Shopify Payments, but merchants using external payment gateways will incur additional fees. Otherwise, BigCommerce doesn't charge extra transaction fees regardless of the payment gateway. So, the choice between them largely depends on a merchant's specific requirements, preferences, and budget constraints. 

#7. Sales Features

Here's a detailed breakdown of the sales features comparison between BigCommerce and Shopify:

Inventory Management:

BigCommerce: Offers a native and robust inventory management system that seamlessly integrates online and offline channels.

Shopify: Provides tools for tracking, viewing, and adjusting inventory, including a history of inventory adjustments for product variants.

Recommend:

While BigCommerce offers robust inventory management, Shopify's intuitive tools and user-friendly interface make it easier for merchants to manage their inventory effectively.

Sales Channels:

BigCommerce: Channel Manager simplifies multi-channel selling, enabling connections with various marketplaces and social channels.

Shopify: Integrates with multiple online sales channels like Facebook, Amazon, eBay, and Instagram, allowing centralized management of products and orders.

Recommend:

Both platforms offer strong multi-channel selling capabilities, but Shopify's extensive integration with key sales channels provides merchants with a broader reach and potential for increased sales.

Point-of-Sale (POS):

BigCommerce: Offers flexibility to connect with various POS providers, facilitating seamless online-offline sales with centralized inventory management at no extra cost.

Shopify: Provides a dedicated POS application for in-person sales, available on iOS and Android, directly integrated with Shopify's ecosystem.

Recommend:

While BigCommerce offers flexibility in POS integration, Shopify's dedicated POS app offers unparalleled convenience and seamless integration with its online platform, making it the preferred choice for merchants needing a reliable in-person sales solution.

Shopify's intuitive inventory management, extensive sales channel integration, and convenient POS system make it the preferred choice for merchants seeking a comprehensive eCommerce solution. While BigCommerce offers competitive features, Shopify's user-friendly interface and seamless integration across all aspects of online selling give it a clear advantage for businesses looking to maximize their online sales potential.

#8. Support

Both BigCommerce and Shopify offer comprehensive support to assist merchants in managing their online stores effectively. Here's a comparison of their support features:

BigCommerce support:

• BigCommerce provides 24/7 customer support via email, phone, and live chat.

• Offers a dedicated help center with extensive documentation, tutorials, and user guides to assist merchants in setting up and customizing their stores.
• Provides access to a community forum where merchants can seek advice, share experiences, and connect with other users.

Shopify support:

• Shopify offers 24/7 customer support through email, phone, and live chat.

• Provides a comprehensive help center with articles, guides, and video tutorials covering various aspects of store setup, customization, and troubleshooting.
• Offers access to the Shopify Community Forum for merchants to seek advice, share insights, and collaborate with others.
• Provides additional support through Shopify Experts, a network of vetted professionals offering services such as store setup, design, and marketing.

Recommend:

Shopify also provides excellent support options, including round-the-clock assistance and a wealth of resources, making it suitable for merchants seeking reliable support throughout their eCommerce journey.

#9.Security

When comparing security features, Seller priority choice to its comprehensive measures and dedicated focus on safeguarding data

BigCommerce security:

• Offers robust security features, including Level 1 PCI DSS compliance, ensuring secure payment transactions and customer data protection.
• Provides SSL encryption for all online stores to encrypt sensitive information, enhancing security during data exchange.
• Implement regular platform updates to address security vulnerabilities and enhance protection against emerging threats.
• Employs proactive monitoring to detect and mitigate potential security risks promptly.

Shopify security:

• Like BigCommerce, Shopify also boasts Level 1 PCI DSS compliance, ensuring industry-standard security for payment transactions and customer data.
• Implements SSL encryption for all online stores, guaranteeing secure data transmission between customers and the website.
• Provides integrated fraud analysis tools, chargeback protection, and a team of security experts actively overseeing the platform for potential risks.

Recommend:

While both BigCommerce and Shopify offer robust security features, Shopify's dedicated focus on security, including built-in fraud protection tools and proactive monitoring by security experts, gives it the edge over BigCommerce in providing a secure environment for merchants to conduct their online business with confidence.

#10. Mobile Responsiveness

Both BigCommerce and Shopify prioritize mobile responsiveness, ensuring seamless shopping experiences across devices. They offer responsive themes and templates optimized for various screen sizes. BigCommerce provides a mobile-friendly customization editor, while Shopify offers a mobile app for on-the-go management. Both platforms support mobile payments and provide tools for mobile optimization, such as accelerated mobile pages (AMP) and mobile-first indexing.

Recommend:

BigCommerce and Shopify are equally committed to mobile responsiveness, offering intuitive design tools and mobile-friendly features. Their choice depends on additional factors such as pricing, integrations, and specific business needs.

Bottom Line

Shopify emerges as the preferred choice over BigCommerce for most merchants. Its user-friendly interface, extensive app store, and robust security features make it ideal for businesses seeking customization and scalability. While BigCommerce offers competitive features, Shopify's dedication to innovation and comprehensive support ecosystem gives it a clear advantage. Whether you're a small startup or a large enterprise, Shopify provides the tools and resources needed to succeed in the competitive eCommerce landscape, making it the preferred platform for online merchants.