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BigCommerce vs Shopify

BigCommerce logo

BigCommerce

Software

Enterprise ecommerce platform for ambitious merchants

From
$29.95/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Shopify logo

Shopify

Software

The most trusted ecommerce platform to start, grow, and scale your business

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • 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; Shopify using any payment provider other than Shopify Payments adds a transaction fee on top of the card rate, at 2% on Basic falling to 0.2% on Plus
  • They diverge on capability: BigCommerce covers Built-in SEO, Shopify covers Hosted ecommerce platform.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which BigCommerce and Shopify actually diverge.

Attributes where BigCommerce and Shopify differ
AttributeBigCommerceShopify
Starting price$29.95/month$29/month
Founded20092006

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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

  • Built-in SEO
  • Abandoned cart recovery
  • Customer segmentation
  • B2B functionality
  • API access
  • Advanced security

Only in Shopify

  • Hosted ecommerce platform
  • Payment processing
  • Inventory management
  • Order tracking
  • Apps and integrations
  • SSL certificate

Both cover

  • Multi-channel selling
  • Marketing automation

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.

Shopify

  • Running a hosted ecommerce store with payments and fulfilmentnot BigCommerce
  • Selling across online, in person and social channels from one cataloguenot 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

Shopify

  • Using any payment provider other than Shopify Payments adds a transaction fee on top of the card rate, at 2% on Basic falling to 0.2% on Plus
  • That fee makes the cheapest plan the most expensive place to use an outside processor, which is the opposite of how plans usually work
  • Card rates also improve with the plan, from 2.9% on Basic to 2.7% on Advanced
  • Amex is charged at a higher rate than other cards on every plan below Plus
  • Plus starts at $2,300 a month
  • The advertised lower monthly prices require paying a year up front

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

Shopify

$29/month
  • Starter$5/month
    • Buy Button & Sales Channel
    • Abandoned checkout recovery
    • Basic reporting
  • Basic$29/month
    • Online store
    • Up to 2 staff accounts
    • Basic reports
  • Standard$79/month
    • Professional reports
    • Gift cards
    • Up to 15 staff accounts

Which should you pick?

Choose BigCommerce if

  • You need built-in seo.
  • You also want abandoned cart recovery.
BigCommerce review

Choose Shopify if

  • You need hosted ecommerce platform.
  • You also want payment processing.
Shopify review

Questions people ask

Is BigCommerce or Shopify better?
Neither clearly leads. BigCommerce starts at $29.95/month and Shopify at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, BigCommerce or Shopify?
BigCommerce starts at $29.95/month and Shopify at $29/month.
Does BigCommerce or Shopify run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What can BigCommerce do that Shopify cannot?
BigCommerce covers Built-in SEO, Abandoned cart recovery, Customer segmentation, B2B functionality. Shopify covers Hosted ecommerce platform, Payment processing, Inventory management, Order tracking. Both handle Multi-channel selling, Marketing automation.
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Related pages

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