Shopify vs BigCommerce Comparison

As two of the biggest names in the ecommerce industry, you will likely have already heard of at least one of the names Shopify and BigCommerce if you have some sort of connection to the ecommerce market. Both platforms pack in the best sales features that we’ve seen from many ecommerce services, and all Shopify and BigCommerce plans include unlimited products, bandwidth usage, and 24/7 customer support. But there are key differences that users need to consider when selecting an ecommerce platform, and in this case Shopify has a different pricing strategy to BigCommerce.

What makes it unique is the number of apps available in the app store and its ease of use. In fact, Shopify packs an intuitive user interface and handy on-screen instructions that make setting up a store a simple task. The platform includes a few more free templates than BigCommerce, but Shopify falls a bit short when it comes to sales features because users need to download apps to customize their settings. BigCommerce, on the other hand, includes the majority of features a business user needs in its core ecommerce package, which means you don’t need to install any new apps to have a specific feature on board.

At $29 per month and a 2% cut per transaction when not using Shopify Payments as your payment gateway, Shopify becomes a bit expensive, especially if you add the additional cost of the various third-party services that expand the platform’s abilities.

Unlike Shopify, which doesn’t include any sales or storage caps, BigCommerce’s plans come with caps calculated on a trailing 12-month basis. This means that for $29.95 per month, you’ll get the best ecommerce platform sales features so long as your annual sales do not exceed $50,000. If they do, the plan is automatically upgraded to the higher-priced Plus plan, but even so this may well worth it because the sales cap is much higher and the credit card rates are friendlier for businesses.

On the app store side of things BigCommerce lags behind a bit, though you won’t likely notice because you’ll have all the features needed out of the box with BigCommerce, unlike with Shopify. That’s a major advantage, counterbalanced by the abundance of information available in the dashboard that means at first glance you could easily become overwhelmed.

No matter which ecommerce platform you pick, you can rest assured that your business has been seeded in fertile ground. It’s hard to pick a winner in this case because both platforms excel in all important areas, from the number of templates provided, sales features, and their respective customer services. Both provide 24/7 phone support and live chat, free templates to customize, and the best sales features available. The main difference between the two is the services that are available in the core package. While BigCommerce provides all the key services from the get-go, with Shopify they’re only available by installing apps.