BigCommerce vs. Shopify Comparison: Which Online Store to Choose?

Posted 6 months ago by Anastasia Prokofieva

Choosing the right ecommerce platform is a crucial decision for small business owners looking to expand their online presence. With so many options available, it’s important to weigh factors like features, ease of use, pricing, and scalability.

If you’re looking into ecommerce platforms and are wondering whether to choose Shopify or BigCommerce, this blog post will come in handy. Continue reading for a detailed breakdown of the platforms and explore an alternative option if none of them seem like the right fit for you.

Shopify vs BigCommerce: Website Builder

You may already have a business website built using platforms like WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace. But what if you don’t? Let’s explore if you can create an ecommerce website from scratch using these ecommerce platforms.

Shopify: Shopify provides a drag-and-drop website builder. It’s great for beginners, but customization can feel limiting without advanced coding skills or themes from the Shopify Theme Store.
BigCommerce: BigCommerce features an intuitive website builder with more built-in tools for customization and scalability. It’s ideal for those who want flexibility without relying on third-party apps.

BigCommerce vs Shopify: Online Store Features

Now, let’s address the most crucial question in the BigCommerce vs. Shopify debate: how do their online store features stack up against each other?

Built-In Features

Built-in features refer to the tools and functionalities that are directly available within the platform, without needing to install third-party apps or integrations.

Essential tools for online stores, such as checkout, discounts, or tax calculations, are often built in. However, their availability can vary across platforms depending on the chosen plan.

The key consideration is how many features rely on third-party services, which may lead to additional costs. With this in mind, let’s compare Shopify versus BigCommerce.

Shopify: Shopify offers multi-channel selling capabilities and inventory tracking across platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. It also provides access to a wide range of third-party apps to expand your store’s functionality.
BigCommerce: BigCommerce includes strong native features such as product filtering, abandoned cart recovery, and advanced SEO tools. These features are built-in, reducing reliance on paid apps.

Design Themes

When creating your online store, you generally have two choices: use pre-designed templates (commonly referred to as design themes) or work with a developer to design a custom site.

Most ecommerce platforms provide a variety of customizable site templates, making it easy for beginners or teams without a developer to build a professional-looking store.

Let’s dive into a comparison of design themes: Shopify vs. BigCommerce.

Shopify: Offers hundreds of themes, with 23 free and 246 paid, priced at $100-$500. These themes are mobile-responsive and polished, but can become costly.
BigCommerce: Comes with 12 free themes and 200+ paid themes ranging from $195 to $500. These themes are suitable for both B2C and B2B stores.

Integrations

Integrations mean allowing your store to connect with other applications or tools. This is important because it allows for automation and streamlining of tasks, saving you time and effort.

Speaking of integrations, here’s the BigCommerce vs. Shopify overview:

Shopify: Shopify expands functionality with its 8,000+ apps, ranging from shipping calculators to email automation. However, many of these apps come with additional subscription fees.
BigCommerce: Includes many features natively, but still offers 1,200 apps for extra integrations.

B2B Solutions: BigCommerce vs. Shopify Plus

If you run a B2B store, you need to consider factors like custom pricing, bulk ordering, and customer groups.

Both BigCommerce and Shopify offer solutions for B2B businesses through their specialized plans. Let’s compare Shopify Plus vs. BigCommerce Enterprise:

Shopify Plus: Can be used for B2B, as it includes wholesale solutions, custom customer groups, and advanced checkout customizations.
BigCommerce Enterprise: Offers comprehensive B2B solutions through its dedicated B2B Edition. These include advanced tools for sales agents, a buyer portal for B2B customers, and an invoice management portal.

Shopify versus BigCommerce: Pricing

Price can be a major factor when deciding between ecommerce platforms, especially for businesses just starting out.

Let’s see which platform offers the most affordability, Shopify or BigCommerce.

Shopify:

Basic — $32/month
Grow — $92/month
Advanced — starting at $399/month
Plus — starting at $2,300/month
Extra costs for transaction fees (ranging from the lowest 0.2% on Plus to the highest 2% on Basic)
3-day free trial (not available for Plus plans).

BigCommerce:

Standard — $39/month
Plus — $105/month
Pro — $399/month for less than $400k in online sales, + $150/mo for each additional $200k in online sales.
Enterprise — custom pricing based on your online sales.
15-day free trial on Standard, Plus, and Pro plans.

BigCommerce vs. Shopify: Ease of Use

Ease of use is important for both beginner sellers managing everything themselves and established businesses training their online store teams.

Let’s see what BigCommerce vs Shopify reviews say about the user-friendliness of the platforms.

Shopify: Rated 4.5 for ease of use by Software Advice, a review platform.
BigCommerce: Earns a 4.2 ease-of-use rating from Software Advice.

Alternative solution: Ecwid

Ecwid by Lightspeed is a user-friendly ecommerce platform that’s a popular alternative to Shopify and Bigcommerce, thanks to its affordability and flexibility.

Ecwid is an ecommerce platform that allows business owners to sell online easily. Ecwid is designed to be a straightforward ecommerce platform online, so no experience is required. Additionally, with integration with online sales channels (including social media and marketplaces), Ecwid users can sell products anywhere.

Here’s why Ecwid is a great, more affordable alternative to Shopify or BigCommerce:

User-friendliness: Rated 4.6 for ease of use on Software Advice, Ecwid outshines both Shopify and BigCommerce.
Free themes: Ecwid has 70+ site templates available at no extra charge on all plans. The themes are tailored to different niches and fully customizable. You can also add an online store to your existing website.
Core features: Plans include vital online store features like customizable checkout, automated taxes, discounts, marketing automation, and multilingual stores, so you don’t have to rely on third parties.
Integrations: Supports over 100 major payment providers and integrates with popular CMS platforms like WordPress and Wix, social platforms like Meta and TikTok, marketplaces like Amazon and eBay, and hundreds of accounting, marketing, and customer support tools.
Pricing: Starting with just $5/month, it has more feature-rich plans at $30/month, $55/month, and $130/month. Although Ecwid doesn’t offer a free trial, its free themes, cost-effective pricing plans, and minimal dependence on third-party apps make it a more affordable choice over time.
No transaction fees: Transparent options, with no extra fees across plans.

To sum up, Ecwid by Lightspeed is highly user-friendly and has a no-fuss setup process. It is the most straightforward and affordable option, with no extra transaction fees.

Set Up Your Online Store

Now that you have the information about BigCommerce vs. Shopify, as well as Ecwid, it’s time to pick your platform and start your ecommerce journey.

Whether you’re a small business owner looking to expand your reach or an entrepreneur taking the first steps towards selling online, you can make it happen with just a few clicks.

Choose the platform that best fits your needs and budget, and get ready to see your business grow.

About The Author

Anastasia Prokofieva is a content writer at Ecwid. She writes about online marketing and promotion to make entrepreneurs’ daily routine easier and more rewarding. She also has a soft spot for cats, chocolate, and making kombucha at home.