The Ultimate Comparison of BigCommerce and Shopify: Which Is Best ?

 

If you're going to open an ecommerce store, you'll quickly find yourself in a difficult situation: Which one should you select between BigCommerce and Shopify? 

While both BigCommerce and Shopify are fantastic in their very own right, there are certain key distinctions that make one platform ideally equipped to certain circumstances and user types than the other.

Today, we'll get to the core of the matter by contrasting BigCommerce with Shopify. We examine their functionalities, cost, design options, and simplicity of use — in other words, anything an ecommerce site owner would really want to know.

BigCommerce vs. Shopify: Advantages and Disadvantages 

It's worth having a brief look at the benefits and disadvantages of each before deciding if you want to use Basic Shopify or Shopify Premium, or examine the alternatives for adding HTML to BigCommerce. All eCommerce site-building tools have advantages and disadvantages to take into account.

Some programs give free themes and SSL certificates, while others provide superb sales tools and incredible backend usability. 

Shopify's advantages and disadvantages

Let's start with Shopify's advantages and disadvantages. 

Pros of Shopify 

• This is a great way to add sales functionality to your eCommerce site. 

• Choose among variety of options, such as Shopify Plus and Advanced Shopify.

• Wonderful backend with a ton of plugin tools and extensions to add functionality. 

• Shopify Experts are part of a large network of experts that can assist you. 

• Inventories are a fantastic way to keep track of your transactions. 

• Multi-channel selling on social networking sites and other contexts is supported. 

• There are several themes and designs to pick from, and support is superb, with a dedicated crew available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Cons of Shopify 

• Scalability choices are limited: You'll have to rely on third-party multi-currency applications to get around this. 

• Unless you use Shopify Payments, transaction costs are a concern. 

• Every time you change templates, you must reformat your site. 

• The features for blogging might not be as good as they can be elsewhere. 

Advantages and Disadvantages of BigCommerce

Now let's look at the advantages and disadvantages of BigCommerce:

Pros of BigCommerce 

• There are several built-in capabilities for online selling. 

• You won't have to worry about transaction costs, which means more of your money will go to you. 

• There are a lot of good SEO elements that may help you rank higher online. 

• Scalability is important for businesses who wish to expand quickly online. 

• Fantastic ability to market via several channels 

Cons of BigCommerce 

• Beginners may find it difficult to use, especially with the intricate vocabulary.

• If you'd like to get the most out of every technology, you'll need to know how to code. 

• Annual sales thresholds are included in BigCommerce plans; if you exceed them, you will be charged extra. 

• BigCommerce makes it difficult to construct multilingual stores. 

• For novices, the editing interface might be challenging. 

Background Information about BigCommerce vs. Shopify

First and foremost, why are we focusing just on BigCommerce versus Shopify since there are so many other excellent ecommerce platforms available? 

The solution is straightforward, and it shouldn't come as a surprise. The finest of the group are Shopify and BigCommerce. They provide the most remarkable features at extremely low rates while being simple to use.

Shopify was established in 2006 and is headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. 

They are now one of the fastest growing IT firms in the world (no surprise, given the growth of the ecommerce space as a whole). 

They claim to fuel approximately 600,000 online merchants at the time of this post, with more  added daily.

Take a glance at our Shopify reviews and pricing guideline for more information. 

BigCommerce is a newer company, having been started in 2009 and hailing from Sydney, Australia, but currently based in Austin, Texas (although Australia remains where the majority of their workforce resides). 

The firm is likewise on the rise, serving more than 100,000 online businesses across the world.

However, Shopify is growing at a far faster rate than BigCommerce, and it appears to be gaining an increasing number of customers every year. 

Shopify is more popular than BigCommerce, those results can be find in google trends

What's crucial to remember is that both businesses are expanding for excellent reasons. Either caters to a somewhat different sort of user, and both appear to be very happy with what they're getting. 

Let's take a deeper look at how BigCommerce and Shopify stack up in terms of functionality:

Pricing comparison of BigCommerce and Shopify 

Pricing is frequently the most important consideration when making any purchase, which is understandable. After all, it makes no difference how amazing a product is if you can't buy it. Fortunately, I have excellent news for you: no matter what your budget is, you will discover something for yourself in the BigCommerce vs Shopify area.

As you'll see, Shopify is less expensive to get started with if you don't require a separate new website to function as your online store. This is what I imply: 

The lowest Shopify account includes a "purchase button" that you may install on your existing site or any other site, such as on social networks.

The concept is that you may introduce additional goods in your Shopify panel and then assign each one a unique buy button. Something you do not receive, however, is a whole new online shop site. 

If you do require a full-fledged web store, Shopify or BigCommerce will set you back roughly $30 per month.

Both Shopify Basic and BigCommerce Standard offer a similar set of capabilities and restrictions. The only major distinction is that BigCommerce enables you to establish an unlimited number of staff accounts, whereas Shopify Basic only enables you to establish two. 

All of our products, file storage, and bandwidth are limitless. Both systems provide the same level of customer service, including live chat and phone assistance 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Higher-level plans, such as Shopify's $79/$299 and BigCommerce's $79.95/$299.95, don't provide much more in terms of enhancements above the $30 entry-level features. 

• When you upgrade to Shopify for $79 a month, you receive gift cards and professional reports.

• When you upgrade to $79.95 a month with BigCommerce, you receive target customers and segmentation, a "abandoned cart saver," and a number other sophisticated features that you won't utilize if you're just getting started. 

When it comes to price, you must also consider the costs associated with each transaction. Despite the fact that both BigCommerce and Shopify claim to have no transaction costs, this isn't totally true. While they won't immediately take a share of your sales price for themselves, they will both collect credit card processing costs. These fees vary from 2.2 percent to 2.9 percent plus 30 cents every transaction.

Furthermore, as we've been telling our visitors for some time, BigCommerce's latest pricing adjustments make it tough for expanding businesses to expand up while maintaining expenses low. In summary, after you reach $125,000 in sales, BigCommerce will force you to upgrade to an Enterprise plan, which is significantly more expensive ($900 to $1,500 per month) than Shopify in a comparable sales volume situation.

Overall, all systems appear to be fairly identical in terms of pricing, with the exception of Shopify's $9/month plan, which is a great low-cost choice for getting into the world of ecommerce – though without really having an online store. 

Lastly, both platforms have free trials, allowing you to try them out before investing any money.

Enterprise Plans comparison of BigCommerce and Shopify 

It's worth remembering that there are price factors far beyond the basic plans you have seen on the Shopify and BigCommerce websites when assessing the alternatives between what BigCommerce provides and what's accessible with your Shopify subscription.

If you operate a larger business and accept a lot of payments through PayPal or another payment gateway, you may need to inquire about Enterprise options from the Shopify app or BigCommerce team. 

BigCommerce provides BigCommerce Enterprise, whereas Shopify provides Shopify Plus. These tools are simply enterprise-level versions of the features available from Shopify and BigCommerce.

However, the corporate upgrade provides you with more capability, such as: 

• Increased server uptime 
• SSL certificates and dedicated IP addresses 
• Developers can benefit from advanced API support. 
• Enhanced security components 

Enterprise accounts often provide greater customer care and onboarding assistance. However, you will have to contact the team in order to receive an estimate for a service that is specifically tailored to you.

Making the decision between Shopify and BigCommerce for an Enterprise package will start with a chat with each company's sales staff. 

BigCommerce Enterprise includes a 15-day free trial including the following features: 

• There are no transaction costs. 
• Customer service is available 24 hours a day, seven days 
• Themes that are both responsive and customisable 
• Growth-oriented tools and applications are built-in. 
• With DDoS protection, you can set it and forget it. 
• Selling across several channels

Shopify Plus is a low-cost corporate platform built for quick expansion. This service is already used by companies such as Lindt, Heinz, and many more. The features range from 3D product pages to fully configurable checkout pages. 

In addition, you can: 

• Access to enhanced security 
• Unlock personalized automation techniques. 
• Improve checkout performance 
• The Shopify team will provide you with personalized customer support.
• Build localized experiences for international clients. 
• Shopify Payments eliminates transaction costs. 

The Key Differences between BigCommerce and Shopify

Let's get one thing straight: both systems provide all of the basic ecommerce features you'd expect right out of the box. Everything that should be included is missing. 

When trying to compare BigCommerce vs Shopify, you'll be pleased to learn that both will provide you with:

• You have an infinite number of goods in your store. 
• Orders are not restricted. 
• Limitless disk space 
• Limitless bandwidth - there is no limit to the amount of visitors your business can accommodate 
• Live chat and phone assistance are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 
• A fully complete online store site With shopping cart features for your consumers 
• Visual and drag-and-drop solutions for creating your store
• “point of sale” — leverage your ecommerce system in a physical store. 
• Mobile-optimized shop 
• Credit card handling in addition to different internet gateway systems 
• Integrations for shipping 
• Automated tax computation 
• Accounts of customers 
• Right away, search engine optimizations are implemented. 
• PCI Level 1 Compliance (a little known, yet crucial element when launching a store online) 
• SSL is incorporate completely for free
• Tools for selling on social media 
• Inventory control 
• Sales figures 

As you'll see, the list is extensive, and you can locate it all with Shopify and BigCommerce. 

When you look behind the hood of those platforms, there actually isn't much of a distinction. That's very reasonable.

Both Shopify and BigCommerce keep a close eye on what's going on in the industry and do everything they can to include any new feature provided by the competitors. Nothing lasts long as a platform-exclusive. 

It's similar to how autos work. Despite the fact that we have a plethora of various manufacturers, at the end of the day, they all have four wheels and accomplish essentially the same thing.

Shopify, on the other hand, is more easy to use with multilingual setups and has built-in dropshipping options if that's what you want to do.

BigCommerce, meanwhile, prides itself on its DDOS prevention and multi-layered hosting security. They also make it easier to display your products on product comparison sites.

BigCommerce vs. Shopify: User Experience and Design 

Let us just get that, as nice as it is for your business to run smoothly behind the scenes, you still want it to seem appealing sufficient on the front end to entice consumers to buy. 

The following table compares the shop design choices between BigCommerce and Shopify: 

Shopify

Let's take a look at Shopify first. In terms of aesthetics, the platform does not disappoint. There are over 100 free and commercial designs/themes to pick from. Plus, they're all stylish and contemporary. 

Shopify themes are organized into categories, making it easy to select a theme that fits a certain specialty or market. 

Third-party designers created the majority of the themes. Premium themes typically cost between $80 and $200 and are usually purchased once. 

The Shopify community has done some incredible things with the themes, and some of the live stores are absolutely amazing. To have an overview, go through this portfolio of previous Shopify stores.

The organization is undoubtedly proud of their design attention. This is mirrored in the platform's overall user experience as well as their extensive selection of shop themes. The user interface of Shopify is extremely similar to that of other content management systems, such as WordPress, which is why most users who are familiar with web-based solutions may fit in perfectly.

With so much emphasis on user experience, we have to confess that working on your store with Shopify is rather simple to grasp, especially for a first-time user. 

This is how the primary dashboard looks:

Every choice is exactly where you'd expect it to be, and Shopify includes a helpful onboarding wizard that walks you through each step. 

When introducing a new product, this is how it looks:

BigCommerce

Then let take a look at BigCommerce. 

BigCommerce is also a design powerhouse, with a wide range of shop themes to pick from as well as a user-friendly dashboard interface. 

While Shopify appears to have modeled its user experience after existing web tools and content management systems, BigCommerce has chosen a more distinct approach to the platform's interface.

This has both positive and negative implications. It's significantly more difficult to perform some fundamental operations, such as adding a product, than it is with Shopify. You may, however, specify some extra, more complex parameters at the same time - this is very handy for individuals who desire a finer degree of detail / personalization. 

BigCommerce's primary dashboard looks like this:

And here's how it appears when you're adding a new product:

BigCommerce, like Shopify, has a pretty comprehensive collection of both free and paid themes, which are separated into numerous categories. They're all mobile-friendly and completely customisable. 

The pricing of the premium themes will be similar to the cost of Shopify themes. Certain premium themes, on the other hand, will be a little more expensive, with prices approaching $300 in some circumstances. 

BigCommerce, like Shopify, has a large number of existing subscriber sites. Check these out to get a sense of what BigCommerce can do.

Comparison of the Extensions offered by BigCommerce and Shopify 

Even while both systems come with plenty of functionality out of the box, you may still install extensions to expand your capabilities. 

Shopify's App Store has over 500 distinct applications, both in-house and from third-party developers. These applications let you add almost any feature you can think of to your business.

Conversion optimization, SEO, marketing, customer retention, social media integration, fulfillment, customer service, and many other extensions are available. 

• Several of the extensions are available for free. The premium ones cost between $15 and $50 each month.

On the BigCommerce side of the “BigCommerce vs Shopify” debate, you'll find a comparable set of extensions in many of the same areas. BigCommerce's app store includes both free and paid apps. Similar to Shopify, this allows business owners to add extra features with only just few clicks.

BigCommerce's app store, on the other hand, has a little smaller assortment than Shopify's. Although, in terms of functionality, you'd be hard-pressed to find a Shopify app that doesn't have a BigCommerce counterpart. 

• There are certain extensions that are accessible for free. The paid ones cost between $20 and $50 every month.

Comparison of the POS Solutions: BigCommerce vs. Shopify 

Even though your business is largely online is does not imply you won't have to deal with offline transactions from occasionally. When evaluating anything from Shopify and BigCommerce themes to CSS support, don't forget to factor in POS as well.

Mobile devices are supported by both Shopify and BigCommerce for online retailing. Based on the type of user-friendly experience you would like to generate, you may also utilize barcode scanners, receipt printers, label printers, and tills.

Every one of these technology will enable your BigCommerce or Shopify store grow by enabling you to develop pop-up stores and other business possibilities in the actual world. 

You'll have to interface hardware with third-party systems if you want to use a POS system with BigCommerce. This generally entails utilizing tools such as Square and Shopkeep.

From the other side, hardly any third-party apps are required for POS with Shopify. 

Shopify hardware solutions are offered straight from the company. As a result, you won't have to worry about collaborating with many businesses.

One thing to bear in mind with Shopify's POS (see our Shopify POS review) is that if you want take full advantage of it, you must pay for an add-on called Shopify POS Pro. This is a pricey add-on that costs $89 per month. Although you may still access ecommerce solutions for your physical storefront using the basic Shopify plans, the add-on provides you additional options for expansion.

If you wish to create an online shop and a small business, the add-on can help you: 

• There are several selling places. 
• Collect in-store and purchase online features 
• Support for printed receipts 
• Management of employee roles and permissions 
• Attribution of sales to certain employees

Comparison of the Payment Processing: BigCommerce vs. Shopify 

Aside from supporting both online and offline transactions, the finest eCommerce platforms must also offer a variety of payment processing options. 

The excellent thing is that each of these solutions will take care of you in this situation. BigCommerce offers with more than 65 pre-integrated payment gateways from which to choose.

Approximately 100 countries and much more than 250 local payment methods are supported by these technologies. In other words, your clients can purchase in a variety of methods. 

BigCommerce's payment processing options may be set up with one click, making life easier. That implies you could process all major credit cards and payment methods, including Apple Pay and Amazon Pay, as well as Stripe.

Furthermore, all of the payment processing tools are already mobile optimized, ensuring that your mobile customers have the same great experience as your PC customers. With BigCommerce, you could even handle several currencies, making it easy to gather sales from all across the globe.

Another significant benefit of BigCommerce is that it makes it simple to offer service-based, digital, and physical items. These sales may be made without the use of any software. That's not to mention the fact there are no transaction costs to be concerned about. 

While BigCommerce has a number of payment choices and ways to make your life simpler, setting up your business isn't as straightforward.

The far more complicated the options you have to pick from, the more probable you are to have trouble with the first set-up. 

BigCommerce, on the other hand, provides additional security with built-in fraud prevention technologies and compliance alternatives to prevent complications with your local government. 

So, how does Shopify stack up against the competition?

As the industry leader in ecommerce capabilities, it should come as no surprise that Shopify offers a plethora of payment options. The main disadvantage is that, while there are over 100 different payment suppliers to interface with, the only one that does not charge transaction fees is Shopify's own payment service.

Nevertheless, if you're seeking for a solution to avoid transaction fees, Shopify Payments (see our Shopify Payments review) is an excellent option. It also assures that you may sell in a variety of nations worldwide. 

Shopify Payments gives you a lot of flexibility and is simple to use because you don't have to sign up for additional payment methods like Stripe and PayPal.

Nonetheless, if you want to increase conversions, you should provide your consumers with a variety of payment methods. 

Shopify not only boasts a wide selection of payment alternatives, but it also offers some of the greatest tools for increasing sales. You may use abandoned cart recovery solutions to increase your odds of making a transaction, as well as multi-channel selling and a robust inventory.

Because of Shopify's vast app and add-on shop, you may add whatever extra functionality you want to your ecommerce site without worrying about being confined to pre-built solutions. With the accessible mobile app, you can also run your business from just about anywhere. 

Reviews of the Buy Buttons of:  BigCommerce vs. Shopify

Shopify and BigCommerce offer a variety of opportunities for company owners to generate money online, including opportunities to sell on Amazon and eBay as well as social media. For several small company owners, accessing a "purchase button" is a very appealing option.

If you'd like to expand beyond Shopify and BigCommerce's basic plans and seek other sales prospects, you may use purchase buttons to sell items on many other websites. 

Adding a purchase button to your website with Shopify Lite is as simple as copying some code and pasting it into another blog. Customers may then be directed to your store in timely manner.

Installing a Buy button app on your BigCommerce store is required to add an external buy button, however the process is straightforward after that. 

Review of the Mobile Apps provided: BigCommerce vs. Shopify 

You may desire an e-commerce website designer that enables you to take benefit of the mobile revolution as the globe becoming highly interactive.

This includes ensuring that your consumers may purchase online without fear of being hacked while on the go. Nonetheless, you should double-check that both BigCommerce and Shopify offer apps that you may utilize. 

Shopify provides better functionality and app alternatives for managing your businesses on the move when it comes to mobile applications for company owners.

Shopify POS and the Shopify app are the two primary rivals. You can handle orders and reports using the Shopify app. The Shopify POS, on the other side, enables you to sell items through your Shopify store at a geographical place. 

BigCommerce now includes a mobile app that allows you to manage orders and monitor customer information. When contrasted to Shopify, the BigCommerce app is a tad rudimentary.

When it relates to enabling mobile customers, it's noteworthy that Shopify and BigCommerce both enable merchants to publish product pages in AMP format. This implies you can ensure that your web page load quickly and provide superior mobile experiences. 

To our knowledge, you don't need to pay any more fees to your BigCommerce price to enable AMP capabilities.

Furthermore, if you have the correct application installed, you may leverage AMP technology with any of Shopify's themes. It's features like this that make BigCommerce and Shopify stand apart from competitors like Magento and Squarespace. 

Review of the Customer Support provided: BigCommerce vs. Shopify

You must go beyond price plans and delivery rates if you truly want take full advantage of your eCommerce store-building experience. 

While it's critical to locate solutions that offer a price structure that fit your company, it's equally critical that your SaaS solution is simple to use and provides enough support.

You'll need a dependable customer care staff whether you're having difficulties working out shipping rates or would like to upgrade from your basic Shopify account to something more complex.

When it relates to assistance, Shopify and BigCommerce both feature comparable alternatives, such as live chat, forum communities, FAQ sites, and even email assistance. You may also get help over the phone. 

With BigCommerce, you'll need access to live chat, email, and phone support 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Before you can get an email or a contact information, you'll have to fill in a form and go through any DIY ideas the BigCommerce site has to offer. 

If you know you'll need extra help, there's an option to "skip this stage." On the bright side, BigCommerce has some of the greatest customer service in the industry, with over 90% of issues resolved on the first contact.

Shopify's customer service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and it also requires you to discover DIY answers to your problems before receiving any genuine contact information. 

In some areas, Shopify's assistance approach is a little hazy. There is contact information help for some countries, however there is no suggestion on who to call if you don't live in one of those countries.

Even after this, many consumers reported that if you don't require phone help, Shopify can still provide exceptional customer care. 

When Should You Use BigCommerce Instead of Shopify? 

As a growing e - commerce business owner, you must make several options, ranging from what payment service to utilize about which store builder to invest in. If you're still undecided between BigCommerce and Shopify, we have some suggestions.

For businesses who wish to avoid transaction costs, BigCommerce is typically the best option. With the exception of a few tools, such as the ability to preserve abandoned carts, the BigCommerce standard plan offers a lot more functionality than the Shopify basic plan. Furthermore, because you have more access to the code, designing custom websites is easier.

BigCommerce is an excellent alternative for anybody seeking access to cutting-edge reports that may allow them to build their business. Unlike Shopify, you get these metrics on all plans. You may also obtain real-time carrier quotes with amazing rates for your delivery. You won't even get these rates until you pay $299 per month to Shopify.

BigCommerce also has more product possibilities than Shopify, as well as a plethora of custom fields and file uploads for your product selections. This facilitates the sale of a broader range of items. Furthermore, such things may be sold to buyers all over the globe in a variety of currencies.

BigCommerce provides additional phone connectivity to different nations across the world for customer service, as well as limitless employee accounts. Furthermore, all BigCommerce plans are compatible with a variety of POS systems, allowing you to sell offline. 

When Should You Choose Shopify Over BigCommerce?

Obviously, Shopify offers advantages to consider as well. Indeed, for many individuals, Shopify stands out as the industry leader in eCommerce technologies, with hundreds of sales features to assist you boost your revenues quickly. 

If you're searching for anything that offers abandoned cart recovery access at a lower cost, Shopify could be the ideal alternative for you.

You don't have to upgrade your Shopify plan to get this feature. Furthermore, if you're on a tight budget, Shopify Lite will get you up and running quickly. 

Shopify also has greater capabilities for making your site appear amazing, with better themes to work with and a greater variety of typefaces.

Furthermore, the premium layouts on Shopify are sometimes more superior to the comparable alternatives on BigCommerce. 

Shopify features a more robust mobile app that provides greater capabilities to company owners on the move. Furthermore, unlike BigCommerce, you receive email marketing out of the box, rather than needing to rely on connectors.

In terms of backend functionality, Shopify provides a more user-friendly and comprehensive experience, with superb product categorization and a large range of third-party apps to pick from. You may also adapt for a variety of tax rates and follow VAT MOSS standards using Shopify, which can handle a lot of the financial work for you.

If you've been selling offline, Shopify offers a variety of POS options that you may use without having to rely on third-party vendors. Furthermore, Shopify POS tools let you obtain a better sense of the capabilities.

Shopify also has a great blogging option with an RSS feed, and you won't be pushed up to a new price level if you hit a sales limit. 

Which one is best, BigCommerce or Shopify? 

So, who wins in the BigCommerce vs. Shopify battle? 

The good news is that there is no such thing as a bad decision whenever it comes to choosing between Shopify and BigCommerce.

Both systems have comparable prices and functionality. However, the devil is in the details, and everything dependent on how you want all of those things provided.

Shopify's third-party ecosystem is somewhat more developed. When you choose Shopify, you'll have access to a more active community of Shopify-savvy designers, developers, and freelancers (who will also be willing and able to assist you). 

It's really a particularly beginner-friendly platform, which is especially important if this is your first time starting an ecommerce business on your own.

BigCommerce, on the other side, provides some wonderful advanced capabilities right out of the box without requiring you to get in to the app store and purchase upgrades there. BigCommerce may be the best option for you if you wish to play with your shop on a more detailed level.

Since the inception of Ecommerce-Platforms.com in 2012, we've been immersed in the world of ecommerce. Over the years, we've tried dozens of various ecommerce tools and solutions, giving us a thorough understanding of what is really accessible and what people are most likely to respond to.

Conclusion

In summary, the BigCommerce vs Shopify comparison comes down to:

Use Shopify if you're a new entrepreneur looking for a platform that you can get started with right away, has a low learning curve and a simple structure, but is also robust enough to provide you with all the tools you'll ever need.

If you're willing to experiment with your e-commerce platform even more and you're not worried about the learning curve ... Shopify is still in use.

Isn't that surprising? But here's the deal: BigCommerce is a fantastic alternative to Shopify, but we can't deny the fact that Shopify is around 9 times more popular. Is it possible that all of these users are incorrect?

Furthermore, both systems provide free trials, so if you don't like Shopify after two weeks, you can simply switch to BigCommerce and not lose any money.