Shopify Vs BigCommerce: Understanding the Key Differences

So, you have decided to start an eCommerce business and are ready to dive into the online shopping world. However, it’s not as easy as drinking a cup of tea!

You need to make various things work to get eCommerce success. And the first thing to decide on is the ideal eCommerce platform – the base of your online business. While there are various eCommerce platforms available on the market, only a few will be able to meet your business requirements.

Shopify and BigCommerce are the most popular platforms eCommerce development companies prefer. Both of them offer a wide range of useful features and customization options. Still, there are some differences, too!

Shopify Vs BigCommerce: Key Differences

Shopify Vs BigCommerce: Detailed Comparison

When it comes to Shopify vs BigCommerce, we can say no platform is a clear winner as they both offer robust features to eCommerce stores. Both platforms have their own pros and cons.

Choosing between them can be difficult, but don’t worry! Here, we will compare different aspects of Shopify and BigCommerce and find out which one can suit your needs better.

Pricing & Cost

When it comes to pricing, both Shopify and BigCommerce offer a range of plans and a free trial to help you decide which platform suits your needs best. Their pricing plans range from around $19 to $299 per month. However, the difference lies in the features available at each pricing tier.

Shopify Pricing

Shopify provides four main pricing plans:

• Basic Shopify: $19/month
• Shopify: $49/month
• Advanced Shopify: $299/month

For larger businesses, Shopify also offers an enterprise-level solution called Shopify Plus, which comes with custom pricing based on your specific requirements.

BigCommerce Pricing

BigCommerce has a similar pricing structure with four plans:

• Standard: $29/month
• Plus: $79/month
• Pro: $299/month
• Enterprise: Custom pricing, tailored to your business needs

One of the key advantages of BigCommerce is that it does not charge transaction fees on any of its plans. However, there are limits on the annual sales volume depending on the plan you choose.

Ease of Use

Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned eCommerce entrepreneur, ease of use is a critical factor in choosing the right platform.

Setting up a Shopify store is straightforward. Shopify’s dashboard is designed with simplicity in mind, making it easy to navigate and manage your store. The platform has pre-built sections that guide you through the setup process, allowing you to focus on building your business rather than dealing with technical issues.

BigCommerce also aims to be user-friendly, especially for those with little experience in web development. However, it offers more flexibility for advanced users who want to dig into the code and customize their store further. If you’re comfortable with coding or plan to hire a developer, BigCommerce provides the tools needed to create a highly customized eCommerce site.

Themes & Design

A visually appealing store is essential to attract customers and encourage sales. Both Shopify and BigCommerce offer a wide range of themes, but there are some differences.

Shopify offers 212 themes in its theme store, catering to various industries and styles. These themes are priced between $100 and $350. Shopify’s themes are highly customizable, allowing you to adjust layouts, colors, and features to suit your brand. Additionally, all Shopify themes are mobile-responsive, meaning they automatically adjust to different screen sizes, ensuring your store looks great on any device.

BigCommerce provides 196 themes, which are also sorted by industry and layout. The prices for BigCommerce themes range from $150 to $399. Like Shopify, BigCommerce offers mobile-responsive themes, ensuring a seamless shopping experience for customers on any device.

Apps & Addons

As your business grows, the ability to scale and customize your online store becomes increasingly important. Both Shopify and BigCommerce offer extensive app marketplaces to enhance the functionality of your store.

Shopify boasts over 8,000 apps in its app store, making it the largest app marketplace in the eCommerce space. Whether you’re looking for shipping solutions, marketing tools, or customer support features, you’ll find plenty of options to choose from. The app store is well-organized, making it easy to find trending apps or explore categories that meet your specific needs.

BigCommerce’s app store is smaller, with around 1,500 apps. However, BigCommerce compensates with powerful built-in features, reducing the need for third-party apps. The platform offers open APIs and 99.99% uptime across all plans, with the Enterprise plan offering a headless solution with unlimited API calls, making it a strong choice for growing businesses.

Payment Gateways

Payment gateways are a critical component of any eCommerce platform, and both Shopify and BigCommerce integrate with a wide range of third-party payment providers like PayPal, Stripe, and Square. However, there are key differences to consider.

Shopify offers its in-house payment solution called Shopify Payments, which simplifies the payment process by handling transactions directly through Shopify. Shopify Payments also includes fraud analysis tools to help detect suspicious activity. In addition to Shopify Payments, Shopify supports over 100 third-party payment gateways, but be aware that using these may incur transaction fees ranging from 0.5% to 2%, depending on your plan.

BigCommerce supports 65+ payment gateways and 250+ local payment methods in over 100 countries. Unlike Shopify, BigCommerce does not charge transaction fees on any of its plans, making it a more cost-effective option if you plan to use third-party payment providers. BigCommerce also stands out with its multi-currency feature, allowing you to customize pricing at a deeper SKU level, which is particularly beneficial for global businesses.

Sales Features

Sales features are the backbone of any eCommerce platform, determining how effectively you can sell your products and grow your business.

Shopify excels in multi-channel selling, allowing you to integrate your store with various online sales channels such as Facebook, Amazon, eBay, and Instagram. By connecting these channels to Shopify, you can manage your products, orders, and customers from a single dashboard, making it easier to keep track of your business.

BigCommerce offers a robust set of sales features as well. The platform’s Channel Manager simplifies multi-channel selling, enabling you to connect your store with major marketplaces like eBay, Amazon, and Walmart, as well as social channels like Facebook and Google. This integration makes it easier to expand your reach and manage sales across multiple platforms from one central location.

Which One to Choose?

When it comes to choosing between Shopify vs BigCommerce, it’s important to consider your business needs, technical skills, and growth plans. Here’s a breakdown to help you decide:

Choose Shopify if:

• You want a platform that’s simple and quick to set up without requiring extensive technical knowledge. Shopify’s user-friendly interface makes it easy to get started, even if you’re new to eCommerce.
• You plan to customize and scale your store with the help of third-party apps. Shopify’s app marketplace is the largest in the eCommerce industry, offering over 8,000 apps to enhance your store’s functionality.
• You prefer an all-in-one payment system. Shopify Payments simplifies the checkout process and reduces the need for third-party gateways, though be mindful of transaction fees if you choose to use external payment providers.
• You want to sell across multiple channels like Facebook, Instagram, and Amazon from one central dashboard. Shopify’s seamless integration with various sales channels makes it a top choice for multi-channel selling.

Choose BigCommerce if:

• You want more powerful tools right out of the box without relying heavily on third-party apps. BigCommerce offers a range of built-in features that cover most of your eCommerce needs, reducing additional costs and app dependencies.
• You want to avoid paying transaction fees, especially if you plan to use third-party payment gateways. BigCommerce doesn’t charge transaction fees on its plans, which can be a significant cost-saving advantage.
• You have some technical skills or plan to hire a developer. BigCommerce provides more flexibility for customization, making it ideal for businesses that want to tweak their store’s design and functionality at a deeper level.
• You’re looking to scale your business internationally. BigCommerce’s multi-currency feature and support for various local payment methods make it easier to cater to a global customer base.

To fully leverage the capabilities of these platforms, you should consider hiring one of the best eCommerce development agencies.

Conclusion

Choosing between Shopify and BigCommerce depends on your specific business needs and goals. Shopify stands out for its user-friendly interface, extensive app marketplace, and strong multi-channel selling capabilities, making it a solid choice for beginners and small businesses looking for ease of use. On the other hand, BigCommerce offers more robust built-in features, no transaction fees, and advanced customization options, making it ideal for growing businesses with global ambitions.

Ultimately, both platforms are powerful tools for building a successful online store. Assess your priorities, whether it’s simplicity, customization, or scalability, and choose the platform that best supports your eCommerce journey.

If you need a customized store, consulting eCommerce development companies can be the right choice. Our recommendations might help you!

FAQ’s on Shopify vs BigCommerce

Neil Jordan

Hey! I'm Neil Jordan, a technical consultant with extensive experience in web development, design, and technical solution management. My research focuses on web development and various technologies. I have a diverse background in providing various IT service consulting.