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BigCommerce vs Swell Commerce

BigCommerce logo

BigCommerce

Software

Enterprise ecommerce platform for ambitious merchants

From
$29.95/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Swell Commerce logo

Swell Commerce

Software

Headless ecommerce for modern brands

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Swell Commerce 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; Swell Commerce each plan carries an annual revenue ceiling, and exceeding it is charged as a percentage of the excess: 2 percent on Starter down to 0.4 percent on Unlimited
  • They diverge on capability: BigCommerce covers Multi-channel selling, Swell Commerce covers Headless architecture.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which BigCommerce and Swell Commerce actually diverge.

Attributes where BigCommerce and Swell Commerce differ
AttributeBigCommerceSwell Commerce
Starting price$29.95/monthFree
Free tierNoYes
Founded20092019

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), 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

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

Only in Swell Commerce

  • Headless architecture
  • GraphQL & REST APIs
  • Subscription commerce
  • Multi-currency support
  • Inventory management
  • Custom checkout
  • Webhook integrations
  • Developer-friendly SDK

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.

Swell Commerce

  • Running a headless commerce backend with APIs for a custom storefrontnot BigCommerce
  • Selling subscription products alongside one off purchasesnot BigCommerce
  • Operating multi currency stores from one commerce backendnot 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

Swell Commerce

  • Each plan carries an annual revenue ceiling, and exceeding it is charged as a percentage of the excess: 2 percent on Starter down to 0.4 percent on Unlimited
  • Starter at $29 a month allows 2 admin users and includes only 100,000 API requests and 1GB of storage per month
  • Additional API requests cost $5 per 100,000 and extra storage $5 per GB
  • Role based permissions and developer support are restricted to the Unlimited plan at $2,250 a month
  • Advanced reports and priced currencies require the Standard plan or higher
  • Published prices are the billed yearly rates, so monthly billing costs more

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

Swell Commerce

Free
  • CommunityFree
    • Unlimited products
    • API access
    • Basic support
  • Standard$299/month
    • Everything in Community
    • Priority support
    • Advanced features
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Everything in Standard
    • Dedicated support
    • SLA guarantees

Which should you pick?

Choose BigCommerce if

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

Choose Swell Commerce if

  • You need headless architecture.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want graphql & rest apis.
Swell Commerce review

Questions people ask

Is BigCommerce or Swell Commerce better?
Neither clearly leads. BigCommerce starts at $29.95/month and Swell Commerce at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, BigCommerce or Swell Commerce?
Swell Commerce has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29.95/month for BigCommerce and Free for Swell Commerce.
Does BigCommerce or Swell Commerce run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Swell Commerce for free?
Yes. Swell Commerce has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. BigCommerce starts at $29.95/month.
What can BigCommerce do that Swell Commerce cannot?
BigCommerce covers Multi-channel selling, Built-in SEO, Abandoned cart recovery, Customer segmentation. Swell Commerce covers Headless architecture, GraphQL & REST APIs, Subscription commerce, Multi-currency support.
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