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E-Commerce · head to head

BigCommerce vs Etsy

BigCommerce logo

BigCommerce

E-Commerce

Hosted e-commerce platform that charges no transaction fee and no surcharge for third party gateways

From
$29.95/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Etsy logo

Etsy

E-Commerce

Global marketplace for handmade, vintage, and unique items

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: BigCommerce plans are gated on annual online sales, so a strong year pushes you into a higher tier and a higher subscription even though your traffic, catalogue and resource usage are unchanged.; Etsy transaction fees at 6.5% of sale price
  • They diverge on capability: BigCommerce covers No platform transaction fee, Etsy covers Shop setup.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which BigCommerce and Etsy actually diverge.

Attributes where BigCommerce and Etsy differ
AttributeBigCommerceEtsy
Starting price$29.95/monthOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptiontransaction
Founded20092005

Identical on both: free tier (No), platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (E-Commerce).

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

  • No platform transaction fee
  • Stencil theme framework
  • Multi-storefront
  • Faceted search
  • B2B capabilities
  • Headless support
  • Built-in tax integrations
  • Multi-currency

Only in Etsy

  • Shop setup
  • Product listings
  • Payment processing
  • Shop customization
  • Order management
  • Shipping labels
  • Reviews & ratings
  • Shipping protection

What people use each for

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

BigCommerce

  • A merchant whose volume makes a percentage transaction fee the largest line in the platform decisionnot Etsy
  • A retailer needing several branded storefronts sharing one catalogue and one back officenot Etsy
  • A B2B seller who needs company accounts and customer-specific price lists without custom developmentnot Etsy
  • A team going headless who wants a managed commerce back end rather than a self-hosted onenot Etsy

Etsy

  • Selling handmade crafts and unique itemsnot BigCommerce
  • Reselling vintage goods and collectiblesnot BigCommerce
  • Marketing handpicked curated productsnot BigCommerce
  • Operating storefront with secured payment processingnot BigCommerce

Where each one falls short

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

BigCommerce

  • Plans are gated on annual online sales, so a strong year pushes you into a higher tier and a higher subscription even though your traffic, catalogue and resource usage are unchanged.
  • There is a documented ceiling on the number of variants a single product can have, which breaks configurable, made-to-measure and heavily optioned catalogues and forces awkward workarounds such as splitting one product into several listings.
  • The application marketplace is much smaller than the largest competitor's, so a specific integration or niche feature is more often a custom build, and custom builds are the line item that quietly exceeds the platform cost.
  • Theme customisation past the visual settings means Stencil, Handlebars templates and a local command line workflow, so changes that look small to a marketing team still require a developer and a deployment.
  • Migrating out moves products and inventory reasonably well and moves the things that matter badly, since customer passwords cannot be exported in usable form, order history rarely transfers intact, and reviews and URL structure have to be rebuilt with a redirect map you must produce yourself or lose the search traffic.

Etsy

  • Transaction fees at 6.5% of sale price
  • Payment processing fee of 3% plus $0.25 per transaction
  • 15% offsite ads fee for sales from Etsy external advertising
  • No monthly subscription covers fees - all fees per transaction

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

Etsy

On request
  • Seller Fees$0.2/listing
    • Listing fee per item for 4 months
  • Transaction Fee$6.5/percent
    • 6.5% of sale price including shipping
  • Payment Processing Fee$3/percent
    • 3% of sale price plus $0.25 per transaction
  • Offsite Ads Fee$15/percent
    • 15% of sale price when sale results from Etsy external advertising

Which should you pick?

Choose BigCommerce if

  • You need no platform transaction fee.
  • You also want stencil theme framework.
BigCommerce review

Choose Etsy if

  • You need shop setup.
  • You also want product listings.
Etsy review

Questions people ask

Is BigCommerce or Etsy better?
Neither clearly leads. BigCommerce starts at $29.95/month and Etsy at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, BigCommerce or Etsy?
BigCommerce starts at $29.95/month and Etsy at On request.
Does BigCommerce or Etsy run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is BigCommerce best used for?
BigCommerce is most often used for a merchant whose volume makes a percentage transaction fee the largest line in the platform decision, a retailer needing several branded storefronts sharing one catalogue and one back office, a b2b seller who needs company accounts and customer-specific price lists without custom development, a team going headless who wants a managed commerce back end rather than a self-hosted one. Of those, a merchant whose volume makes a percentage transaction fee the largest line in the platform decision and a retailer needing several branded storefronts sharing one catalogue and one back office are not what Etsy is typically brought in for.
What can BigCommerce do that Etsy cannot?
BigCommerce covers No platform transaction fee, Stencil theme framework, Multi-storefront, Faceted search. Etsy covers Shop setup, Product listings, Payment processing, Shop customization.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

BigCommerce: Does BigCommerce charge transaction fees?

No, and it does not surcharge third party payment gateways either. Revenue affects the price through plan sales thresholds instead.

Etsy: What is the listing fee on Etsy?

Each listing costs $0.20 and is active for 4 months. You only pay transaction and payment processing fees when you make a sale.

Source
BigCommerce: What happens when I exceed my plan's sales threshold?

You move to the next plan tier. Model this at your projected growth rate, because the increase is driven by revenue rather than by usage.

Etsy: What are Etsy's transaction and payment fees?

Etsy charges 6.5% transaction fee on the sale price including shipping, plus 3% and $0.25 for payment processing per transaction. If a sale results from Etsy's external advertising, an additional 15% offsite ads fee applies.

Source
BigCommerce: Is the app ecosystem large enough?

It covers the common integrations. For anything niche, assume a development project rather than an install, and price that in before comparing subscriptions.

Etsy: Are there monthly subscription costs?

No, Etsy does not require a monthly subscription. You pay per listing ($0.20) and transaction-based fees when you make sales.

Source
BigCommerce: How hard is it to leave?

Products export cleanly. Customer passwords, order history, reviews and SEO URLs do not. Build the redirect map before you cut over, not after traffic drops.

Etsy: What types of items can I sell on Etsy?

Etsy allows items you made, designed, handpicked, or sourced that meet Creativity Standards. The marketplace focuses on unique, handmade, or vintage goods rather than mass-produced items.

Source
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