Shopify Vs. BigCommerce: Which eCommerce giant suits you the most?

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Tony Pham Nov 19 2025

Are you currently hesitating between Shopify vs BigCommerce for your e-commerce strategy? Rest assured, you're not alone. These are the two leading hosted e-commerce platforms globally, powering millions of online stores with a combined annual Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) reaching hundreds of billions of USD. In this article, NextSky will provide a detailed comparison between the two platforms to help you easily identify the perfect partner for your business.

Shopify vs. BigCommerce: At a Glance

Shopify

Launched in 2006 by Tobi Lütke, Shopify is a subscription-based e-commerce platform that allows users to create websites and online stores, sell digital and physical products, generate shipping labels, and manage social media posts. It is renowned for its user-friendly interface, extensive app store with over 8,000 third-party apps, and appealing themes. Shopify is ideal for small business owners with no coding experience but charges transaction fees for using external payment gateways.

BigCommerce

BigCommerce is a SaaS e-commerce platform that serves businesses of all sizes. It offers a straightforward content management system with a modern dashboard, advanced inventory management, multi-language, and currency support. BigCommerce provides powerful, scalable features suitable for businesses with significant growth plans. However, it can be more challenging to use and requires a steeper learning curve compared to Shopify.

1. Pricing – Shopify wins

Both Shopify and BigCommerce offer free trials, with paid plans ranging from $19 to $299 per month. However, the main difference lies in the features included in each plan.

BigCommerce

Standard ($29/month): Unlimited products, 0% transaction fees, unlimited staff accounts, four inventory locations, point-of-sale (POS) support, 24/7 support.
Plus ($79/month): Everything in Standard + 5 inventory locations, abandoned cart recovery, customer segmentation, and saved customer cards.
Pro ($299/month): Everything in Plus + 8 inventory locations, advanced product filtering for customers on the storefront.

Key highlights of BigCommerce:

When your annual revenue reaches $180,000 on the Standard plan, you are automatically forced to upgrade to Plus — even if you don't need the additional features.
Truly 0% transaction fees, no matter which payment gateway you use (very advantageous if you don't use Shopify Payments).

Shopify

Basic ($29/month): Unlimited products, 2.9% + 30¢ transaction fees (unless using Shopify Payments), up to 77% shipping discount, 10 inventory locations, 24/7 support, and POS support.
Grow ($79/month): Everything in Basic + 2.7% + 30¢ transaction fees, up to 88% shipping discount, shipping insurance, and five staff accounts.
Advanced ($299/month): Everything in Grow + 2.5% + 30¢ transaction fees, 15 staff accounts, advanced live support, third-party calculated shipping rates.
Shopify Plus: Starting at $2,300/month (custom pricing for enterprises).

Key highlights of Shopify:

Fixed pricing: you only upgrade when you actually need more features, giving you complete control and predictability over costs.
0% transaction fees when using Shopify Payments (available in over 100 countries).
Special promotion: First 3 months for $1/month — a risk-free way to test all features thoroughly.

Verdict: The forced plan upgrades on BigCommerce (based on revenue, not feature needs) annoy many growing brands. Meanwhile, Shopify's predictable fixed pricing and lower total cost of ownership (TCO) in the long run make it the winner in approximately 90% of cases.

2. Ease of Use – Shopify wins

BigCommerce

BigCommerce is designed for users with little to no website-building experience, yet it remains flexible enough for developers and power users to customize the code. You can build a store from scratch or leverage built-in sales-boosting features, though it takes some time to get entirely comfortable with the platform.

Shopify

Shopify stands out with its minimalist, intuitive interface and detailed step-by-step guides. You follow the in-app instructions to add products and customize your store — no technical worries, so you can focus entirely on business strategy.

Verdict: In terms of ease of use, Shopify clearly outperforms BigCommerce. Its user-friendly interface, clear menus, and guided setup process allow you to launch and manage your store quickly and efficiently.

3. Themes & template – Shopify wins

BigCommerce

BigCommerce offers 294 themes organized by industry, layout, and price. Although the selection is diverse, it remains significantly smaller than Shopify's. Free themes are ideal for beginners, while premium themes range from $150 to $399. You can check out lists of the best BigCommerce themes for inspiration.

Shopify

Shopify's theme store offers 982 options, covering a wide range of industries and styles, with prices ranging from $100 to $500. You can easily filter by layout, store size, navigation style, and many other criteria. All themes are modern, professional, mobile-responsive, and highly customizable, helping you create a genuinely unique storefront.

Verdict: In terms of themes and design, Shopify surpasses BigCommerce. The modern look, full mobile responsiveness, and superior customization capabilities of Shopify themes give it a clear advantage, making Shopify the better choice for both free and paid themes.

4. Online selling features – Shopify

Selling features

Shopify: Offers a comprehensive suite of sales tools, including abandoned cart recovery, discount code creation, and multi-channel selling. Additionally, it integrates intelligent AI (Shopify Sidekick) to help manage stores, create personalized themes, and generate content for products, blogs, or newsletters.
BigCommerce: Supports basic features such as abandoned cart recovery, discount codes, and multi-channel selling, but does not have built-in AI. It utilizes the BigAI Copywriter app to generate SEO-optimized product descriptions quickly.

Payment processing

Shopify: Supports over 100 payment gateways, including PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, etc. When using Shopify Payments, transaction fees decrease depending on the plan: 2.9% + $0.30 (Basic plan) and 2.5% + $0.30 (Advanced plan).
BigCommerce: Offers over 65 payment gateways (including PayPal and Stripe) and charges no transaction fees whatsoever. However, it does not have a native built-in payment solution so that the setup can be more complex compared to Shopify.

App market

Shopify: The Shopify App Store features over 8,000 third-party apps, enabling stores to expand functionality, customize design, and optimize sales processes as needed. However, many premium apps require additional monthly fees, so users should exercise caution when choosing.

BigCommerce: It has over 1,200 apps, but many essential features are already built-in (e.g., unlimited staff accounts, product reviews, and real-time shipping calculations), reducing reliance on third-party apps.

5. Marketing features – Shopify

Marketing tools

Shopify: Offers numerous tools to connect with customers, sync products on Instagram, TikTok, or sell on Amazon and Etsy via Shopify Marketplace Connect. Shopify Email allows you to create and customize email campaigns, although colours, fonts, and images must be manually adjusted.
BigCommerce: Supports promotional banners, automated emails (including abandoned cart and post-purchase), and newsletter management. However, advanced email personalization or social media integrations require additional apps.

SEO

Shopify: Stands out with automatic sitemaps, alt text support, and advanced tools like Ecommerce Booster (in partnership with Semrush) that provide detailed SEO planning and specific recommendations.
BigCommerce: Offers basic SEO features (sitemaps, alt text), but lacks the advanced SEO assistance tools available in Shopify.

Internationalization/Global Support

Shopify: Supports over 30 languages with automatic redirection based on the visitor's browser language, delivering a seamless international shopping experience.
BigCommerce: Strong multi-currency support (display, transaction, and payment in multiple currencies), optimizing the experience for global markets.

6. Payment gateways – BigCommerce Wins

Shopify

Shopify Payments is Shopify's in-house gateway that transfers money directly from customers to merchants. It includes fraud analysis and ensures fast, smooth, and secure transactions. Key advantages:

Instant setup and approval
Full integration with Shopify
No hidden fees or extra transaction fees (when using Shopify Payments)

Shopify also supports over 100 third-party gateways, but charges additional transaction fees of 0.5%–2% depending on the plan, if you don't use Shopify Payments.

BigCommerce

Provides over 65 international gateways and more than 250 local payment methods across over 100 countries (e.g., Amazon Pay, PayPal, Stripe, Square). Key advantages:

Zero transaction fees on any gateway
PCI compliant
Mobile-optimized
Full multi-currency support with per-SKU pricing customization

BigCommerce users can freely choose any payment gateway, even with multi-currency enabled, whereas Shopify often requires the use of Shopify Payments for specific features or to avoid extra fees.

Verdict: BigCommerce wins the payment gateway category due to its zero transaction fees and the flexibility to connect with any popular gateway, resulting in significant cost savings for merchants.

7. Dropshipping – Shopify wins

Although both platforms support the complete A-to-Z dropshipping process, there is a slight difference in the quality of their services.

Shopify

Shopify stands out thanks to its deep integrations with top-tier dropshipping apps, such as DSers and Dropified, which are the leading choices for sourcing a wide variety of wholesale-priced products. Additionally, the Shopify App Store offers a vast number of specialized apps tailored to different niches, markets, and regions. Due to Shopify's strict app review standards, almost all available apps are of high quality and reliable.

BigCommerce

BigCommerce also has its own app marketplace, which features several apps that aid in product sourcing and management. However, the quality of these apps is inconsistent, and none are as deeply specialized or widely adopted as DSers.

Verdict: Shopify clearly has the advantage thanks to its strong supplier relationships and a vast, highly specialized app ecosystem. BigCommerce still offers decent support through third-party integrations, but it falls short in depth and reliability.

8. Security – Tie

BigCommerce

Offers robust, enterprise-grade security with multiple layers of protection, including PCI DSS Level 1 compliant servers, firewalls, 24/7 monitoring, and built-in fraud protection for transactions. It also supports third-party SSL certificates to encrypt data and protect customer information.

Shopify

Similarly, it achieves full PCI compliance by default, protecting both customer and business data. SSL certificates are automatically issued when you add a custom domain, ensuring all website content and data transmission are securely encrypted via HTTPS.

Verdict: Both platforms are highly secure and meet the highest industry standards — this category is a tie.

9. Customer support – BigCommerce wins

When building an online store, besides pricing, the availability and quality of technical support are crucial because you never know what issues might arise.

BigCommerce

Immediately after signing up for a trial, you will receive a personal 10-minute onboarding call, allowing the team to gain a deeper understanding of your business and provide tailored advice. With enterprise plans, you get priority onboarding and direct access to an experienced support team.

Shopify

Shopify offers a comprehensive Help Center, community forums, and support through social media. It also has contextual in-editor guidance that quickly directs you to the right article in the Knowledge Center, making the experience very user-friendly.

Verdict: Both platforms have comprehensive help centers, but BigCommerce takes the lead with proactive, personalized onboarding calls and priority support for higher-tier plans, while Shopify excels in self-service tools and in-app guidance. However, for users who value direct human support (especially when starting), BigCommerce has a clearer edge.

Shopify vs. BigCommerce: Which is right for your business?

Shopify is the best for business:

Ideal for businesses with both online and offline sales due to its robust point-of-sale system.
Suitable for those wanting control over subscription upgrades and have small eCommmerce teams.
Offers customizable themes and apps for tailored online stores.
Provides various pricing plans and features like Shopify Payments to eliminate transaction fees.
Offers 24/7 customer support via live chat, email, and phone.

BigCommerce is the best for business:

Best for businesses focused solely on online sales, especially those with multiple storefronts.
Ideal for large teams with advanced collaboration needs.
Preferred by high-risk industries due to its multiple payment gateway integrations.
Offers support options, including a 10-minute phone call post-free trial and dedicated assistance for enterprise-level plans.

Ultimately, the choice depends on your business's sales channels, team size, industry, and support preferences.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Which platform is better for beginners, Shopify or BigCommerce?

Both platforms are user-friendly and offer intuitive interfaces. However, Shopify is often considered slightly easier for beginners due to its simpler setup process and more straightforward navigation.

Can I use Shopify or BigCommerce for selling physical products only?

Yes, both Shopify and BigCommerce are well-suited for selling physical products online. They offer features such as inventory management, shipping integrations, and order tracking to help businesses streamline their online sales operations.

Do Shopify and BigCommerce offer support for mobile commerce?

Yes, both platforms support mobile commerce by providing responsive themes and mobile-friendly checkout experiences. This ensures that customers can easily browse and make purchases from your online store using smartphones or tablets.

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Tony Pham

Hello! I'm Tony Pham, a full-stack Shopify, Magento, and WordPress developer with over 12 years of experience in both front-end and back-end development.

Since 2016, I have been proudly working at Nextsky as the Tech Lead, where I continue to enhance my skills and contribute to exciting projects. One of my proudest works is the Agile theme, which passed Shopify's high standard and is currently available on Shopify Theme Store.

I am passionate about researching new technologies and staying updated with the latest trends in the industry. It not only makes my life more fulfilling and exciting but also allows me to bring better service to clients.