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E-Commerce · head to head

BigCommerce vs Volusion

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
Volusion logo

Volusion

E-Commerce

Ecommerce platform for growing online businesses

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Volusion 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.; Volusion pricing details not shown on main website
  • They diverge on capability: BigCommerce covers No platform transaction fee, Volusion covers Website builder.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which BigCommerce and Volusion actually diverge.

Attributes where BigCommerce and Volusion differ
AttributeBigCommerceVolusion
Starting price$29.95/monthFree
Free tierNoYes
Founded20091999

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), 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 Volusion

  • Website builder
  • Product catalog
  • Shopping cart
  • Payment processing
  • Inventory tracking
  • Order management
  • Email marketing
  • SEO tools

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

Volusion

  • Small to medium business e-commerce storefrontsnot BigCommerce
  • Inventory and product managementnot BigCommerce
  • Omnichannel selling across platformsnot BigCommerce
  • Email marketing and customer engagementnot 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.

Volusion

  • Pricing details not shown on main website
  • Requires migration effort for existing stores

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

Volusion

Free
  • Free TrialFree
    • Store builder
    • Product management
    • Basic analytics
  • Professional$35/month
    • All free features
    • Advanced tools
    • Email marketing

Which should you pick?

Choose BigCommerce if

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

Choose Volusion if

  • You need website builder.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want product catalog.
Volusion review

Questions people ask

Is BigCommerce or Volusion better?
Neither clearly leads. BigCommerce starts at $29.95/month and Volusion at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, BigCommerce or Volusion?
Volusion has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29.95/month for BigCommerce and Free for Volusion.
Does BigCommerce or Volusion run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Volusion for free?
Yes. Volusion 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 Volusion is typically brought in for.
What can BigCommerce do that Volusion cannot?
BigCommerce covers No platform transaction fee, Stencil theme framework, Multi-storefront, Faceted search. Volusion covers Website builder, Product catalog, Shopping cart, Payment processing.

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.

Volusion: What payment methods does Volusion accept?

Volusion supports multiple payment options including Stripe, PayPal, Venmo, and Amazon Pay through integrations with certified technology partners.

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.

Volusion: Is there a contract requirement to use Volusion?

No contract is needed. Volusion offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required, and you can cancel anytime.

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.

Volusion: What support is available to Volusion users?

Volusion provides free 24/7 customer support. Users also have access to a help center and can connect with SEO specialists, web designers, and marketing professionals through Marketing 360.

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.

Volusion: What features are included with a Volusion store?

Core features include inventory management, unlimited product options, responsive themes, site builder, SEO management, newsletters, CRM system, and payment processing capabilities.

Source
Volusion: Can I integrate third-party applications with my Volusion store?

Yes, Volusion offers "dozens of powerful apps and integrations created by our certified technology partners" to add advanced functionality to your site.

Source
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