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BigCommerce vs Shopify
Comparing BigCommerce and Shopify to help you pick the right E-commerce Platforms for your needs.
| Feature | BigCommerce | Shopify |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Platforms | Web | Web, iOS, Android |
| Launched | 2009 | 2006 |
| Starting price | $29/month | $39/month |
| Community votes | 198 | 487 |
BigCommerce Pros & Cons
- No mandatory transaction fees regardless of which payment gateway you use, unlike Shopify's surcharge for third-party gateways
- Strong built-in B2B features (customer-specific pricing, bulk ordering) without needing extra apps
- Solid multi-channel selling (Amazon, eBay, social) built into core plans
- Annual sales thresholds on lower plans force upgrades, which is worth knowing upfront
- Smaller app ecosystem than Shopify, so some features need custom development
- Plans have annual online sales caps that trigger automatic upgrades to higher tiers
- Theme selection is smaller and less polished than Shopify's marketplace
- Steeper learning curve for store design customization than Shopify
Shopify Pros & Cons
- Fully hosted — no servers, security patches, or uptime to manage yourself
- Enormous app store covering nearly any feature a store might need
- Scales from a single-product side project to large multi-million dollar brands
- Built-in payment processing (Shopify Payments) avoids needing a separate gateway
- Monthly fees plus transaction fees (unless using Shopify Payments) add up for low-margin stores
- Customization beyond themes/apps requires Shopify's own Liquid templating language
- Costs scale up quickly once advanced features or higher-tier plans are needed
- Migrating off Shopify later can be disruptive given how deeply stores integrate with its ecosystem
Verdict: BigCommerce vs Shopify
BigCommerce and Shopify both serve the E-commerce Platforms category well, but suit different priorities. Shopify supports more platforms (3 vs 1). Based on community engagement, Shopify is currently the more widely adopted choice (487 votes), but the better fit ultimately depends on your specific pricing, platform, and feature requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Which is cheaper, BigCommerce or Shopify?
- BigCommerce and Shopify use a similar pricing model (both paid), so the cheaper choice depends on which specific plan tier and feature set you need rather than the base pricing model.
- Is BigCommerce or Shopify rated higher?
- BigCommerce and Shopify currently hold comparable editorial ratings, so neither has a clear edge — the right pick depends more on which specific features and pricing fit your use case.
- Which platforms do BigCommerce and Shopify support?
- BigCommerce is available on Web. Shopify is available on Web, iOS, Android. Shopify covers more platforms overall, which matters if your team works across a wider range of devices and operating systems.
- Can I switch from BigCommerce to Shopify (or vice versa)?
- Most e-commerce platforms tools, including BigCommerce and Shopify, support data export in standard formats, making migration possible though rarely fully automatic. Expect to manually verify that custom configurations, integrations, and historical data transfer correctly, and budget time for the team to adjust to workflow differences between the two products.
- Should I choose BigCommerce or Shopify?
- BigCommerce and Shopify both serve the E-commerce Platforms category well, but suit different priorities. Shopify supports more platforms (3 vs 1). Based on community engagement, Shopify is currently the more widely adopted choice (487 votes), but the better fit ultimately depends on your specific pricing, platform, and feature requirements.