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E-Commerce · head to head

BigCommerce vs PrestaShop

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
PrestaShop logo

PrestaShop

E-Commerce

Open-source ecommerce platform for online merchants

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only PrestaShop has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • 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.; PrestaShop no specific pricing tiers or costs disclosed on homepage
  • They diverge on capability: BigCommerce covers No platform transaction fee, PrestaShop covers Product catalog management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which BigCommerce and PrestaShop actually diverge.

Attributes where BigCommerce and PrestaShop differ
AttributeBigCommercePrestaShop
Starting price$29.95/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
Free tierNoYes
Founded20092007

Identical on both: 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 PrestaShop

  • Product catalog management
  • Order management
  • Payment gateway integration
  • Shipping module
  • Customer management
  • SEO tools
  • Analytics
  • Mobile-responsive design

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 PrestaShop
  • A retailer needing several branded storefronts sharing one catalogue and one back officenot PrestaShop
  • A B2B seller who needs company accounts and customer-specific price lists without custom developmentnot PrestaShop
  • A team going headless who wants a managed commerce back end rather than a self-hosted onenot PrestaShop

PrestaShop

  • Fully customizable ecommerce platform for startups to enterprisesnot BigCommerce
  • Stores handling millions in annual revenuenot BigCommerce
  • Access to thousands of modules and themesnot BigCommerce
  • Payment solutions integration with Stripe, Alma, Klarnanot 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.

PrestaShop

  • No specific pricing tiers or costs disclosed on homepage
  • Requires navigation to dedicated pricing pages for cost details

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

PrestaShop

Free
  • Classic$undefined/mo
    • Download source code and install from scratch
    • Self-hosted ecommerce platform
  • Hosted$undefined/mo
    • CivicPlus handles technical aspects
    • Ready-to-use store

Which should you pick?

Choose BigCommerce if

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

Choose PrestaShop if

  • You need product catalog management.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want order management.
PrestaShop review

Questions people ask

Is BigCommerce or PrestaShop better?
Neither clearly leads. BigCommerce starts at $29.95/month and PrestaShop at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, BigCommerce or PrestaShop?
PrestaShop has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29.95/month for BigCommerce and Free for PrestaShop.
Does BigCommerce or PrestaShop run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use PrestaShop for free?
Yes. PrestaShop has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. BigCommerce starts at $29.95/month.
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 PrestaShop is typically brought in for.
What can BigCommerce do that PrestaShop cannot?
BigCommerce covers No platform transaction fee, Stencil theme framework, Multi-storefront, Faceted search. PrestaShop covers Product catalog management, Order management, Payment gateway integration, Shipping module.

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.

PrestaShop: How much does PrestaShop cost?

PrestaShop offers two models: Classic (free download with self-installation) and Hosted (vendor-managed). Specific pricing figures are not displayed on the homepage. Visit the pricing pages or contact PrestaShop directly for cost details.

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.

PrestaShop: Does PrestaShop have a free version?

Yes, the Classic plan is free and allows you to download the source code and install your store from scratch.

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.

PrestaShop: What payment methods does PrestaShop support?

PrestaShop integrates with payment solutions including Stripe, Alma, and Klarna.

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.

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