Quick Summary
The first step of launching an eStore involves choosing the best ecommerce development platform. With numerous options available, it’s crucial to select a platform that aligns with your business goals and technical expertise. Two of the most popular contenders include BigCommerce and Shopify.
Both are excellent eCommerce platforms. BigCommerce is a powerful platform for scaling businesses, offering more control over technical aspects like hosting and customization. Shopify, on the other hand, is a more user-friendly platform ideal for small and medium-sized businesses.
Through this blog, I’ll elaborate BigCommerce vs Shopify further and show when eCommerce experts choose which one. Let’s get straight into it.
| Factor | BigCommerce | Shopify |
| Pricing | Starts from $29 per month. No additional transaction fees. | Starts from $29 per month. Additional transaction fees. |
| Ease of Use | User-friendly interface, good for beginners | Relatively easy, but some technical knowledge required |
| Customization | Highly customizable, offers more flexibility | Less customizable, but easier to use themes |
| SEO | Strong SEO tools and features | Good SEO tools, but less flexible |
| Marketing Features | Robust marketing tools, including email marketing and promotions | Basic marketing tools, but integrates well with third-party apps |
| Customer Support | Good customer support, including 24/7 live chat | Good customer support, but less comprehensive than BigCommerce |
| Target Audience | Larger businesses and enterprises | Small to medium-sized businesses |
Both platforms offer a suite of features to help you build and manage your online store. But which one is the right fit for you? Well, before we dive deep into the comparison, let’s look at an overview of the two platforms.
BigCommerce is your powerful, flexible e-commerce platform. It’s designed to help you scale your business without limitations. With a focus on performance, security, and customization, BigCommerce helps build stunning online stores, drive sales, and deliver exceptional customer experiences.
Pros
+ High Performance: BigCommerce is known for its speed and reliability, ensuring a seamless shopping experience for your customers.
+ Scalability: It can handle high traffic volumes and rapid growth, making it suitable for businesses of all sizes.
+ Advanced Features: Offers a wide range of features, including robust SEO tools, powerful marketing capabilities, and flexible customization options.
+ No Transaction Fees: Unlike some other platforms, BigCommerce doesn’t charge transaction fees, saving you money on every sale.
+ Strong Customer Support: Provides 24/7 customer support to assist you with any issues or questions.
Cons
– Steeper Learning Curve: While user-friendly, BigCommerce may require more technical expertise compared to some other platforms, especially for advanced
– Less App Integration: While it offers a decent app store, the selection may not be as extensive as some other platforms, such as Shopify.
BigCommerce is an excellent platform for creating high-quality eCommerce websites. But is it actually better than Shopify, or is it worse? Before answering that, let’s look at an overview of Shopify.
Shopify is a popular eCommerce platform that empowers businesses of all sizes to sell their products online. It offers a user-friendly interface, a vast app store, and a strong focus on design and customization.
With Shopify, you can easily set up your online store, manage your inventory, process orders, and accept payments.
Pros
+ User-friendly interface: Shopify’s intuitive interface makes it easy to set up and manage your online store, even if you have no technical experience.
+ Extensive app store: Access a wide range of apps to extend your store’s functionality and integrate with other services.
+ Strong marketing tools: Utilize built-in marketing features like email marketing, discounts, and gift cards to promote your products and attract customers.
+ Secure payment processing: Shopify offers secure payment processing and fraud protection to safeguard your business and customer data.
+ Reliable customer support: Shopify provides 24/7 customer support to assist you with any questions or issues.
+ Scalability: Shopify can grow with your business, offering plans to accommodate businesses of all sizes.
Cons
– Transaction fees: Shopify charges transaction fees on sales, which can add up, especially for high-volume businesses.
– Limited customization: While Shopify offers a variety of themes and customization options, it may not be as flexible as other platforms for advanced customization.
– App costs: Many of the best apps on the Shopify App Store are paid, which can increase your monthly expenses.
– Hosting fees: You’ll need to pay a monthly subscription fee to host your store on Shopify.
Shopify is a great choice for businesses of all sizes, from small startups to large enterprises. But which is better, BigCommerce or Shopify? Well, you can opt for our eCommerce consulting services to get the best advice on your eStore.
As mentioned earlier, both BigCommerce and Shopify are outstanding if you want to create a high-quality eCommerce website. But to make a choice between them, let me give you a deeper comparison between the two.
BigCommerce: While BigCommerce also offers a user-friendly interface, it can be more complex for those new to e-commerce. However, it provides more flexibility and customization options, which can be beneficial for experienced users.
Shopify: Renowned for its user-friendly interface, Shopify is a great choice for beginners. Its drag-and-drop builder makes it easy to create and customize your online store without any coding knowledge.
Verdict: While both platforms offer user-friendly interfaces, Shopify generally has a smoother learning curve for beginners.
BigCommerce: BigCommerce provides more flexibility and customization options, allowing you to create truly unique online stores. You can customize the platform’s core code to tailor it to your specific needs.
Shopify: Shopify offers a wide range of customizable themes to give your store a unique look and feel. However, its customization options are more limited compared to BigCommerce.
Verdict: If you’re looking for a simple, out-of-the-box solution with limited customization options, Shopify is a good choice. However, if you need more control over the design and functionality of your store, BigCommerce is a better option.
BigCommerce: BigCommerce is designed to scale with your business. It can handle high-volume traffic and complex product catalogs.
Shopify: Shopify can handle a wide range of store sizes, from small businesses to large enterprises. However, for high-volume stores, you may need to upgrade to a higher-tier plan or consider using a third-party fulfillment service.
Verdict: If you’re a small business with moderate traffic, Shopify can be a good option. However, if you’re expecting high-volume traffic or plan to scale your business rapidly, BigCommerce is a more suitable choice.
BigCommerce: BigCommerce also provides a variety of marketing tools, including email marketing, SEO, and social media integration. However, its app store is not as extensive as Shopify’s.
Shopify: Shopify offers a range of built-in marketing tools, including email marketing, social media integration, and discount codes. It also has a vast app store with additional marketing tools.
Verdict: Both platforms offer effective sales and marketing tools. However, Shopify’s extensive app store gives it a slight edge in terms of flexibility and customization. BigCommerce, on the other hand, offers powerful built-in features and is more SEO-friendly.
BigCommerce: BigCommerce supports a variety of payment gateways, including PayPal, Stripe, and Amazon Pay. It also offers its own payment processor, BigCommerce Payments.
Shopify: Shopify offers a wide range of payment gateways, including PayPal, Stripe, and Amazon Pay. It also has its own payment processor, Shopify Payments, which can be a convenient option for many merchants.
Verdict: Shopify’s Shopify Payments can be a convenient option for many merchants, especially those who want to avoid transaction fees. But BigCommerce’s no-transaction-fee model can be more cost-effective for high-volume sellers.
BigCommerce: BigCommerce offers a range of pricing plans starting from $29 per month, but there are no transaction fees. This can be a more cost-effective option for high-volume sellers.
Shopify: Shopify offers a range of pricing plans starting from $29 per month to suit different business needs. However, it charges transaction fees on most plans, which can add up for high-volume sellers.
Verdict: While Shopify offers a user-friendly platform, its transaction fees can be a significant cost for high-volume sellers. BigCommerce’s no-transaction-fee model can be a more cost-effective option, especially for larger businesses.
BigCommerce: BigCommerce offers 24/7 customer support via email, phone, and live chat. They also have a comprehensive help center and active community forum.
Shopify: Shopify offers 24/7 customer support via email and live chat. They also have a helpful knowledge base and community forum.
Verdict: Both platforms offer excellent customer support. However, BigCommerce’s dedicated support teams and multiple support channels may be more beneficial for complex issues.
So as you see, BigCommerce excels at some things while Shopify excels at others. Now, the question is what you require from your platform? How do you choose between these two and when?
Although serving the same person, both are quite different platforms. Let’s see when to choose BigCommerce and Shopify.
Ultimately, the best choice for you will depend on your specific needs and budget. If you need help with choosing the best eCommerce platform and creating an eStore, hire our professional eCommerce development services.
BigCommerce generally has a more cost-effective pricing model, as it doesn’t charge transaction fees. Shopify, on the other hand, charges transaction fees on most plans, which can add up for high-volume sellers.
Both BigCommerce and Shopify are SEO-friendly platforms. However, BigCommerce offers more advanced SEO features and customization options, making it a better choice for those who want to optimize their store for search engines.
Shopify has a more extensive app store, offering a wider range of apps to extend your store’s functionality. However, BigCommerce’s app store is growing and offers many useful apps as well.
The best choice between BigCommerce and Shopify ultimately depends on your specific business needs, technical expertise, and budget. Both platforms offer powerful tools and features to help you build and grow your online store. Here’s what it boils down to.
To get a more accurate evaluation and create the best eCommerce website, connect with our experts today!
Ankur Shah is a tech-savvy expert specializing in eCommerce solutions. With a deep understanding of WooCommerce and Shopify, he helps businesses optimize their online stores for success. Whether it's implementing new features or troubleshooting issues, Ankur is your go-to guy for all things eCommerce.
