E-commerce & Retail · head to head
BigCommerce vs Square
BigCommerce
E-commerce & Retail
Enterprise ecommerce platform for ambitious merchants
- From
- $29.95/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Square 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; Square plus plan pricing not specified in documentation
- They diverge on capability: BigCommerce covers Multi-channel selling, Square covers Payment processing.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which BigCommerce and Square actually diverge.
| Attribute | BigCommerce | Square |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $29.95/month | Free |
| Pricing model | subscription | freemium |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Web | POS (Mobile app), Web |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (E-commerce & Retail), founded (2009).
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 Square
- Payment processing
- Point of sale
- Invoicing
- Payroll
- Banking
- QuickBooks
- WooCommerce
- Wix
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.
Square
- Accept payments with all-in-one POS applicationnot BigCommerce
- Online ordering and basic website creationnot BigCommerce
- Invoicing and appointment bookingnot BigCommerce
- Staff scheduling and loyalty programmesnot 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
Square
- Plus plan pricing not specified in documentation
- Processing fees differ by tier but exact rates not detailed
- Free plan pricing mentioned but specific features for Plus unclear
- Text marketing charged at 3¢ per message after first 500 included
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
Square
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Square review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Square if
- You need payment processing.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on POS (Mobile app), Web.
- You also want point of sale.
Questions people ask
- Is BigCommerce or Square better?
- Neither clearly leads. BigCommerce starts at $29.95/month and Square at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, BigCommerce or Square?
- Square has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29.95/month for BigCommerce and Free for Square.
- Does BigCommerce or Square run on more platforms?
- BigCommerce runs on Web. Square runs on POS (Mobile app), Web.
- Can I use Square for free?
- Yes. Square has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. BigCommerce starts at $29.95/month.
- What can BigCommerce do that Square cannot?
- BigCommerce covers Multi-channel selling, Built-in SEO, Abandoned cart recovery, Customer segmentation. Square covers Payment processing, Point of sale, Invoicing, Payroll.