BigCommerce trails Shopify and WooCommerce in terms of eCommerce usage, and we don’t recommend it for most businesses. Need to create a landing page or blog post? It’s going to be a challenge on BigCommerce as it is not optimized for anything outside of product listings. BigCommerce partnered with Bolt to offer one-click checkout. The main selling point for BigCommerce is zero transaction fees. You will still pay credit card processing fees but won't pay any additional processing fees to WooCommerce. You will only pay for the cost of the monthly plan. We love that a challenger to Shopify exists and are continuing to monitor their progress, but we think there is a long way to go before they truly challenge Shopify’s dominant product which we recommend for most eCommerce companies.
Read our full guide on: eCommerce Platforms 🛒
Best for: Small ($0-$10M), Medium ($10-50M revenue) and Enterprise ($50M+ revenue) size companies.
BigCommerce is an ecommerce platform that provides online store hosting, tools, and functionality for businesses to create and manage an online store.
BigCommerce was founded in 2009 by Eddie Machaalani and Mitch Harper, two Australians who met on an online chat group in 2003. Identifying a need for an affordable, easy-to-use, and feature-rich ecommerce platform for small businesses, Machaalani and Harper launched BigCommerce after years of building websites and intranet tools together. The founders worked tirelessly in BigCommerce's early days, often sleeping in their Sydney office as they coded the initial platform themselves. The company moved its head office to Austin, Texas in 2015. Around that time, Harper and Machaalani withdrew from daily management of BigCommerce - Harper in 2015 and Machaalani one year later in 2016. The pair maintained strategic control with 11.9% ownership stakes each as BigCommerce has grown to power over 60,000 online stores globally.
BigCommerce’s big selling point is zero additional transaction fees. You will still pay credit card processing fees, but you won't pay any additional fees unlike platforms like Shopify. BigCommerce has four pricing tiers: Standard, Plus, Pro, and Enterprise. The Standard plan is $39 / month ($29 / month when billed annually). The Plus plan is $105 / month ($79 / month when billed annually). The Pro plan is $399 / month ($299 / month when billed annually). Enterprise plans pricing is not disclosed.
SMB eCommerce Platforms
Enterprise eCommerce Platforms
What is BigCommerce?
BigCommerce is an ecommerce platform that provides online store hosting, tools, and functionality for businesses to create and manage an online store.
Why choose BigCommerce over Shopify?
Businesses choose BigCommerce over Shopify because they offer zero transaction fees (fees charged on top of credit card processing fees). Some also feel it is easier to manage multiple storefronts, B2B sales, and international operations with BigCommerce than it is on Shopify.
What companies use BigCommerce?
BigCommerce is used by Solo Stove, One Kings Lane, Berkey Water, Berlin Packaging and many other large and small eCommerce companies.
Is BigCommerce free?
No. Although they don’t charge additional processing fees (on top of credit card processing fees charged by third parties), they do charge monthly service fees. Plans start at $39 per month ($29 / month when billed annually).
Is BigCommerce better than Shopify?
In our opinion, no. We think Shopify is a better option for most eCommerce companies.
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