Choosing the right ecommerce platform is a major step for any business. Two of the most widely used solutions are BigCommerce and Shopify. Both platforms help businesses build online stores, manage inventory, process payments, and grow their presence across digital channels. However, they differ in certain features, pricing models, customization abilities, and overall user experience.
In this comparison blog on BigCommerce vs Shopify, we’ll break down their core offerings in simple language, covering everything from usability and SEO to pricing and integrations. Whether you’re just starting or scaling up, this detailed look at BigCommerce and Shopify will help you choose what aligns with your business needs.
What is BigCommerce?
BigCommerce is a cloud-based ecommerce solution launched in 2009. It provides everything businesses need to create and manage a professional online store. Known for its wide range of built-in features, BigCommerce is designed to minimize the need for third-party apps. It supports businesses of all sizes, from startups to enterprises.
It focuses on flexibility and scalability, making it especially suitable for merchants who need more advanced features like multi-currency support, B2B pricing tools, and complex product catalogs.
What is Shopify?
Shopify, founded in 2006, is one of the most popular ecommerce platforms globally. It allows individuals and businesses to set up an online store with ease. Shopify is praised for its user-friendly interface, modern templates, and strong third-party app ecosystem.
With Shopify, businesses can start selling online quickly without needing technical knowledge. It also offers mobile apps, social media selling tools, and in-store POS systems.
Ease of Use
When comparing BigCommerce vs Shopify in terms of ease of use, both platforms offer intuitive dashboards, but the experience can vary.
Shopify provides a cleaner and simpler interface, ideal for those with little to no technical background. It features a drag-and-drop store editor and guided setup, making it beginner-friendly.
BigCommerce offers more advanced settings and options built into its dashboard. While this adds flexibility, it might feel slightly complex for new users. Those familiar with ecommerce platforms may find the learning curve manageable, while beginners might take longer to adjust.
Design and Themes
Both BigCommerce and Shopify offer modern, mobile-friendly themes. Shopify has a library of 100+ themes, with around 12 available for free. The themes are professionally designed and easy to customize, even without coding.
BigCommerce offers fewer free themes—around a dozen—with additional premium themes available for purchase. While customization is also possible, it leans more toward users comfortable with HTML and CSS.
The overall design experience on Shopify is slightly more streamlined, while BigCommerce provides more developer control.
SEO Features
Search engine optimization (SEO) is crucial for bringing organic traffic to your store. Comparing BigCommerce vs Shopify in terms of SEO, both platforms offer solid tools, but with some differences.
BigCommerce includes built-in SEO features like customizable URLs, meta titles and descriptions, automatic sitemaps, and proper schema markup. It also avoids duplicate content issues by offering full URL control.
Shopify allows customization of titles, descriptions, and alt tags, but its URL structure includes fixed folders like “/products/” or “/collections/” that can’t be removed. This could impact SEO flexibility for some users.
Overall, both BigCommerce and Shopify are capable of supporting SEO strategies, but BigCommerce offers slightly more control over technical SEO elements.
Pricing and Plans
Both platforms offer similar pricing tiers. Here’s a comparison:
| Plan Level | BigCommerce (Monthly) | Shopify (Monthly) |
| Basic | $39 | $39 |
| Standard / Shopify | $105 | $105 |
| Pro / Advanced | $399 | $399 |
Additional notes:
- Shopify charges transaction fees (up to 2%) if you don’t use Shopify Payments.
- BigCommerce doesn’t charge transaction fees regardless of the payment provider.
- BigCommerce may require you to upgrade your plan based on your annual sales volume.
When examining BigCommerce vs Shopify from a pricing standpoint, both platforms are similarly priced, but the cost structure and conditions vary depending on business size and payment methods used.
App Ecosystem and Extensions
The app ecosystem plays a major role in customizing and expanding your store. Here’s how BigCommerce and Shopify compare:
Shopify:
- Offers an App Store with over 8,000 apps.
- Supports easy integration for marketing, shipping, analytics, reviews, and loyalty tools.
- Suitable for users who prefer adding features as needed through third-party apps.
BigCommerce:
- Provides around 1,000 apps in its marketplace.
- Includes many features by default, such as product filtering, tax management, and promotions.
- Ideal for those who prefer built-in functionality over relying on multiple plugins.
While Shopify has a wider variety of apps to choose from, BigCommerce aims to reduce the need for extensions by offering more features natively. Businesses should consider whether they want built-in tools or the flexibility to choose apps from a large ecosystem when comparing BigCommerce vs Shopify.
Payment Gateways and Fees
Both platforms support a wide range of payment gateways, including PayPal, Stripe, and Authorize.Net.
Shopify encourages merchants to use Shopify Payments, which removes additional transaction fees. If another provider is used, Shopify adds fees ranging from 0.5% to 2%.
BigCommerce supports 65+ gateways and doesn’t charge any extra fees regardless of which one you choose. This gives more flexibility for merchants who want to use third-party gateways without additional costs.
In the debate between BigCommerce and Shopify, the payment structure can impact your long-term costs depending on how you plan to accept payments.
Inventory and Product Management
When managing large product catalogs, both platforms provide useful tools.
BigCommerce offers built-in support for product variants, bulk pricing, and complex filtering systems. It’s a strong choice for businesses that sell many items with multiple options.
Shopify handles product management well too, with bulk editing and variant options. For advanced features like custom filters, you may need third-party apps.
The comparison of BigCommerce vs Shopify shows that both support inventory management, but BigCommerce includes more complex features by default.
Multi-Channel Selling
Selling across different platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Amazon, and eBay is essential for growth.
Shopify offers integrated tools to connect your store to major social and sales channels. It also provides native apps for mobile management.
BigCommerce also supports multi-channel sales but often requires more configuration. It integrates well with platforms like Amazon and eBay, especially for high-volume sellers.
In the BigCommerce and Shopify landscape, Shopify’s channel integrations are a bit more user-focused, while BigCommerce provides robust tools for merchants with specific needs.
Support and Resources
Both platforms offer 24/7 customer support via chat, email, and phone. Their help centers are filled with tutorials, documentation, and community forums.
Shopify has a larger user base, which results in more online resources, guides, and third-party tutorials. BigCommerce also has helpful documentation and provides access to onboarding specialists for higher-tier plans.
In the BigCommerce vs Shopify conversation, support is strong on both sides, though Shopify’s ecosystem makes it easier to find external help.
Scalability and Performance
As your business grows, your platform should be able to handle more traffic, orders, and products.
BigCommerce is known for its ability to scale with businesses, offering features like multi-currency, headless commerce capabilities, and strong API support out of the box.
Shopify scales efficiently as well and offers Shopify Plus for enterprise-level businesses. However, as the store grows, users often rely more heavily on paid apps.
Both BigCommerce and Shopify are capable of supporting large-scale businesses, though they approach scalability differently.
Point of Sale and Offline Sales
If you run a physical store along with an online business, POS (Point of Sale) integration matters.
Shopify provides its own POS system that integrates seamlessly with the online store. It’s a strong choice for brick-and-mortar retailers.
BigCommerce doesn’t have its own POS, but integrates with third-party providers like Square and Clover. This adds flexibility but may require additional setup.
This part of the BigCommerce vs Shopify comparison shows that both can handle offline sales, with Shopify offering a more unified system.
Conclusion
When comparing BigCommerce vs Shopify, both platforms offer excellent ecommerce tools—but they cater to different types of users.
Shopify is focused on ease of use and flexibility through apps, making it ideal for beginners and businesses that want a fast, user-friendly setup. BigCommerce provides more advanced features from the start, appealing to businesses that require built-in complexity and control.
As with any major decision, the choice between BigCommerce and Shopify should depend on your business needs, technical comfort level, and growth goals. Each platform has its strengths—what matters most is aligning them with your store’s vision.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Which is easier to use, BigCommerce or Shopify?
Shopify is easier for beginners, while BigCommerce offers more built-in tools for advanced users.
2. Do both platforms charge transaction fees?
Shopify does (unless you use Shopify Payments); BigCommerce doesn’t charge any.
3. Which has better SEO features?
BigCommerce offers more control over URLs and SEO settings out of the box.
4. Can I sell on Amazon and social media with both?
Yes, both support multi-channel selling on platforms like Amazon, Facebook, and Instagram.
5. Which is better for a growing business?
Both scale well—Shopify with apps, BigCommerce with built-in features. It depends on your growth style.