Softwr

E-commerce & Retail · head to head

BigCommerce vs Contentful

BigCommerce logo

BigCommerce

E-commerce & Retail

Enterprise ecommerce platform for ambitious merchants

From
$29.95/month
Rated
-
Contentful logo

Contentful

E-commerce

The content platform for the digital-first era

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Only Contentful has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: BigCommerce listed on G-Cloud 14 by reseller CTI Digital Limited at £14,000 per instance for a managed BigCommerce implementation; Contentful pricing model with content type limits (48) forces full tier upgrades
  • They diverge on capability: BigCommerce covers Multi-channel selling, Contentful covers Content modeling.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which BigCommerce and Contentful actually diverge.

Attributes where BigCommerce and Contentful differ
AttributeBigCommerceContentful
Starting price$29.95/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, API
CategoryE-commerce & RetailE-commerce
Founded20092013

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in BigCommerce

  • Multi-channel selling
  • Built-in SEO
  • Abandoned cart recovery
  • Customer segmentation
  • Marketing automation
  • B2B functionality
  • API access
  • Advanced security

Only in Contentful

  • Content modeling
  • RESTful APIs
  • GraphQL API
  • Webhooks
  • Rich text editor
  • Asset management
  • Multi-language support
  • Version control

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

BigCommerce

No use cases recorded yet. See the BigCommerce review.

Contentful

  • Website content managementnot BigCommerce
  • Mobile app contentnot BigCommerce
  • E-commerce catalogsnot BigCommerce
  • Multi-channel publishingnot BigCommerce
  • Digital experiencesnot BigCommerce

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

BigCommerce

  • Listed on G-Cloud 14 by reseller CTI Digital Limited at £14,000 per instance for a managed BigCommerce implementation

Contentful

  • Pricing model with content type limits (48) forces full tier upgrades
  • Limited GraphQL mutations for content management complexity
  • Requires significant technical expertise and developer dependency
  • Uncertainty following Salesforce acquisition announcement in June 2026

Pricing, plan by plan

BigCommerce

$29.95/month
  • Standard$29.95/month
    • Unlimited products
    • 2 staff accounts
    • Basic reports
  • Plus$79.95/month
    • All Standard features
    • Up to 5 staff accounts
    • Advanced reports

Contentful

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 10 users
    • 100K API calls per month
    • 1 Space
  • Team$489/month
    • Higher usage limits
    • Additional collaboration features
    • Professional support

Which should you pick?

Choose BigCommerce if

  • You need multi-channel selling.
  • You also want built-in seo.

Choose Contentful if

  • You need content modeling.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want restful apis.

Questions people ask

Is BigCommerce or Contentful better?
Neither clearly leads. BigCommerce starts at $29.95/month and Contentful at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, BigCommerce or Contentful?
Contentful has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29.95/month for BigCommerce and Free for Contentful.
Does BigCommerce or Contentful run on more platforms?
BigCommerce runs on Web. Contentful runs on Web, API.
Can I use Contentful for free?
Yes. Contentful has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. BigCommerce starts at $29.95/month.
What can BigCommerce do that Contentful cannot?
BigCommerce covers Multi-channel selling, Built-in SEO, Abandoned cart recovery, Customer segmentation. Contentful covers Content modeling, RESTful APIs, GraphQL API, Webhooks.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Contentful: Does Contentful offer a free tier?

Yes, Contentful has a Free tier with 10 users, 100K API calls per month, and support for 1 Space. This is suitable for small projects and proof-of-concept work.

Source
Contentful: What is the difference between Contentful and traditional CMS platforms?

Contentful is a headless CMS that decouples content from presentation, allowing you to deliver the same content across websites, mobile apps, IoT devices, and voice assistants without duplication.

Source
Contentful: How does Contentful handle multi-locale content?

Contentful supports multi-locale content, though multi-locale costs must be negotiated upfront depending on your pricing tier and requirements.

Source
Contentful: Does Contentful integrate with e-commerce platforms?

Yes, Contentful partners with Commerce Layer, an API-first commerce platform, to enable enterprise-grade e-commerce experiences alongside headless CMS capabilities.

Source

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