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For the last few years, one common debate in E-commerce development has been between Shopify and BigCommerce: which platform is better? After developing many websites over the years, we have summarized the main differences between both platforms, leaving you to decide the better one.
At a Glance
- Shopify offers more options for customizing the look and feel of your online store, while BigCommerce offers more advanced features for managing and tracking inventory.
- Shopify has a wider range of apps and integrations available, while BigCommerce offers more built-in features.
- Shopify is meant for small and mid-level stores, while BigCommerce offers more support for high-volume sales and large product catalogs.
- One of the major differences between Shopify and BigCommerce is the transaction fees. Shopify charges a 2% fee on all transactions, while BigCommerce has no transaction fees whatsoever.
- Shopify has a larger user base and is considered to be more user-friendly, while BigCommerce may be a better option for larger stores due to its scalability.
Pricing
The BigCommerce package starts at 29.95 USD per month and goes as high as 299.95 for the Pro package. For larger firms that have specialized needs, you may have to get a custom pricing offer instead. However, you may avail of discounts on these packages as part of different offers that arrive from time to time.
On the other hand, the lite package of Shopify comes at a mere 9 USD per month. The Advanced package is comparable to BigCommerce, costing 299 USD per month. However, for the Plus package, you need to discuss your requirements to get a specified quote.
| BigCommerce | Shopify |
|---|---|
| Offers four subscription plans: Standard ($29.95/month), Plus ($79.95/month), Pro ($249.95/month), and Enterprise (custom pricing). | Offers four subscription plans: Basic Shopify ($1/month), Shopify ($49/month), Advanced Shopify ($299/month) and Enterprise plan with custom pricing. |
Comparing the Basic Plan
Shopify’s basic plan provides an easy-to-use interface with unlimited products, file storage and bandwidth. Additionally, customers have access to 24/7 customer support and Shopify’s own payment gateway. It also includes fraud analysis tools, as well as detailed analytics capabilities.
However, users must pay transaction fees on each sale made through the platform. BigCommerce offers its own set of features in its basic plan including unlimited staff accounts and no transaction fees when using their payment gateways. It also includes abandoned cart recovery tools and gift cards along with secure checkout options.
Templates and Design
Shopify offers a wide array of themes and templates, allowing you to create a unique look for your store. You can customize everything from fonts and colors to layout and content. Additionally, there are plenty of apps available in the Shopify app store that can help you add extra features such as social media integration or product reviews.
BigCommerce also provides users with plenty of customizable features including templates, themes, product pages, navigation menus and more. It also offers an easy-to-use drag-and-drop page editor for creating custom page designs quickly and easily. However, BigCommerce themes are not very different from each other when it comes to design and most of them are just color variations of each other.
Payment Processing
Shopify provides its own payment processing system, while BigCommerce relies on third-party providers like PayPal. Shopify also offers a range of payment options, including Apple Pay, Google Pay, Stripe and Amazon Payments. BigCommerce does not offer as many payment options, but it does offer integrations with popular payment gateways like PayPal, Authorize.Net and Stripe.
Add-ons and Integration
Shopify offers over 2,000 apps from its app store which help businesses build everything from loyalty programs to shipping options.
Additionally, automated notifications are available with Shopify that can keep customers informed about order statuses, product availability and more. Many of these apps integrate seamlessly with other essential tools like QuickBooks Online for accounting purposes.
BigCommerce boasts an extensive library of pre-built integrations ranging from payment processing gateways like PayPal to customer review systems like Yotpo. However, it doesn’t have a very extensive library when compared to Shopify.
Bottom Lime
Shopify and BigCommerce are both powerful eCommerce platforms that offer a wide range of features to meet the needs of different types of businesses. Shopify is geared more towards small- to mid-sized businesses while BigCommerce tends to be a good fit for larger, enterprise-level operations. Ultimately, the right platform depends on each business’s individual requirements.
Overall, both platforms are competing for the neck to neck, gaining many benefits over each other. Let us know your preferred one today and get your website development project started.
