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Pricing, plan names, free plan availability, and trial details are checked against official provider pages before being used in ProPicked scores. Vendor relationships do not change rankings, scores, or recommendations.
Provider Pricing Facts
Provider pricing facts: BigCommerce starts at $39/mo; Shopify starts at $39/mo.
Source and Freshness Note
Source and freshness note: pricing, free-plan, and feature signals are compared from public provider data and updated comparison records. Last checked March 2026.
BigCommerce vs Shopify: Honest Comparison (2026)
BigCommerce
Enterprise e-commerce platform for growing brands
Shopify
The all-in-one commerce platform to start, run, and grow a business
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Quick Verdict:
Shopify wins with 8.7/10 vs 8.0/10. Choose BigCommerce for overall value. Choose Shopify for ease of use.
Shopify wins this comparison with a score of 8.7/10 vs 8.0/10. BigCommerce stands out for enterprise-grade features built in without needing apps — product variants, bulk pricing, and faceted search included, while Shopify excels at incredibly easy to set up. Both tools score equally in our detailed feature analysis (9.3/10 each).
| Feature | BigCommerce | Shopify |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating | 8.0/10 | 8.7/10 |
| Ease of Use | 7.5/10 | 9.0/10 |
| Features | 8.5/10 | 8.5/10 |
| Value for Money | 7.5/10 | 7.5/10 |
| Customer Support | 8.0/10 | 8.5/10 |
| Free Plan | No | No |
| Starting Price | $39/mo | $39/mo |
| Feature Score | 9.3/10 | 9.3/10 |
| Top Strength | Enterprise-grade features built in without needing apps — product variants, bulk pricing, and faceted search included | Incredibly easy to set up |
| Biggest Weakness | Annual sales thresholds on each plan force upgrades as revenue grows | Transaction fees unless using Shopify Payments |
| Best For | Mid-market and growing ecommerce businesses needing enterprise features without enterprise pricing | - |
| Winner | Shopify (8.7/10) | |
What is BigCommerce?
Enterprise e-commerce platform for growing brandsA SaaS e-commerce platform for growing and enterprise businesses that charges zero transaction fees on any plan. Supports multi-storefront, B2B, headless commerce, and complex catalog management out of the box. Offers open APIs, pre-built integrations with 600+ apps, and native multi-currency and multi-language capabilities.
- +Enterprise-grade features built in without needing apps — product variants, bulk pricing, and faceted search included
- +No transaction fees on any plan, unlike Shopify which charges up to 2% on non-Shopify Payments
- +Multi-channel selling across Amazon, eBay, Facebook, Instagram, and Google Shopping built in
- •Mid-market and growing ecommerce businesses needing enterprise features without enterprise pricing
- •B2B sellers requiring complex catalogs with custom pricing, quote management, and purchase orders
- •Multi-channel retailers selling across marketplaces, social media, and physical stores simultaneously
What is Shopify?
The all-in-one commerce platform to start, run, and grow a businessShopify is the world's leading e-commerce platform powering 4.6M+ active stores including Allbirds, Gymshark, and Heinz. Hosted commerce with 100+ payment gateways, 8,000+ apps, and POS for in-person sales. Pricing: Starter $5/mo (link-in-bio), Basic $39/mo, Shopify $105/mo, Advanced $399/mo, Plus $2,300+/mo for enterprise. Industry-standard for D2C brands wanting an integrated commerce stack with global tax handling.
- +Incredibly easy to set up
- +excellent app store with 8000+ apps
- +reliable hosting included
BigCommerce vs Shopify: Key Differences
BigCommerce vs Shopify: Quick Verdict
Decision Summary
Who wins in each scenario? A quick look at how BigCommerce and Shopify compare across different buyer needs.
Scores 8.7/10 vs 8.0/10
Both score 7.5/10 on value
Ease of use: 9.0/10 vs 7.5/10
Features + support avg: 8.5/10 vs 8.3/10
Both are equally startup-friendly
Both start at $39/mo
Choose BigCommerce if you need...
- ✓Enterprise-grade features built in without needing apps — product variants, bulk pricing, and faceted search included
- ✓No transaction fees on any plan, unlike Shopify which charges up to 2% on non-Shopify Payments
- ✓Multi-channel selling across Amazon, eBay, Facebook, Instagram, and Google Shopping built in
- !Annual sales thresholds on each plan force upgrades as revenue grows
- !Fewer free themes and apps compared to Shopify's larger ecosystem
Choose Shopify if you need...
- ✓Incredibly easy to set up
- ✓excellent app store with 8000+ apps
- ✓reliable hosting included
- !Transaction fees unless using Shopify Payments
- !monthly costs add up with apps
Our Take: BigCommerce vs Shopify
Shopify edges ahead with a 8.7/10 vs 8.0/10. The gap is noticeable but not dramatic — both are legitimate options depending on what you prioritize.
Where they differ: BigCommerce's biggest strengths are enterprise-grade features built in without needing apps — product variants, bulk pricing, and faceted search included and no transaction fees on any plan, unlike Shopify which charges up to 2% on non-Shopify Payments. Shopify, on the other hand, shines with incredibly easy to set up and excellent app store with 8000+ apps. These reflect fundamentally different product priorities.
Neither has a free plan, but BigCommerce offers a 15-day trial and Shopify offers a 3-day trial. Use the trial period to test with real workflows before deciding.
BigCommerce vs Shopify Score Comparison
| Category | BigCommerce | Shopify |
|---|---|---|
🏆Overall Score | 8.0 | ▲8.7 |
💫Ease of Use | 7.5 | ▲9.0 |
⚙Features | 8.5 | 8.5 |
💰Value for Money | 7.5 | 7.5 |
💬Customer Support | 8.0 | ▲8.5 |
Why These Scores? Our Reasoning
- +Enterprise-grade features built in without needing apps — product variants, bulk pricing, and faceted search included
- +No transaction fees on any plan, unlike Shopify which charges up to 2% on non-Shopify Payments
- +Multi-channel selling across Amazon, eBay, Facebook, Instagram, and Google Shopping built in
- -Annual sales thresholds on each plan force upgrades as revenue grows
- -Fewer free themes and apps compared to Shopify's larger ecosystem
Shopify — 8.7/10- +Incredibly easy to set up
- +excellent app store with 8000+ apps
- +reliable hosting included
- -Transaction fees unless using Shopify Payments
- -monthly costs add up with apps
BigCommerce vs Shopify Pros & Cons
+Strengths
- ✓Enterprise-grade features built in without needing apps — product variants, bulk pricing, and faceted search included
- ✓No transaction fees on any plan, unlike Shopify which charges up to 2% on non-Shopify Payments
- ✓Multi-channel selling across Amazon, eBay, Facebook, Instagram, and Google Shopping built in
- ✓Headless commerce support with robust APIs for custom frontend experiences
- ✓Strong SEO capabilities with customizable URLs, auto-sitemaps, and fast page speeds
- ✓Unlimited staff accounts, products, file storage, and bandwidth on all plans
-Weaknesses
- ✗Annual sales thresholds on each plan force upgrades as revenue grows
- ✗Fewer free themes and apps compared to Shopify's larger ecosystem
- ✗Steeper learning curve for non-technical users compared to simpler builders
- ✗Limited native blogging and content management capabilities
- ✗Customization beyond themes requires knowledge of Handlebars templating or developer help
Shopify8.7/10+Strengths
- ✓Incredibly easy to set up
- ✓excellent app store with 8000+ apps
- ✓reliable hosting included
- ✓great POS system
- ✓strong mobile management
-Weaknesses
- ✗Transaction fees unless using Shopify Payments
- ✗monthly costs add up with apps
- ✗limited customization without coding
- ✗content/blogging is basic
Who Should Use BigCommerce vs Shopify?
BigCommerce is ideal for
- •Mid-market and growing ecommerce businesses needing enterprise features without enterprise pricing
- •B2B sellers requiring complex catalogs with custom pricing, quote management, and purchase orders
- •Multi-channel retailers selling across marketplaces, social media, and physical stores simultaneously
- •High-volume stores wanting zero transaction fees and unlimited product listings
- •Businesses planning headless commerce implementations with custom React or Next.js frontends
When NOT to Choose BigCommerce or Shopify
Knowing when a tool is the wrong fit is just as important as knowing its strengths
Skip BigCommerce if...
- ✗Annual sales thresholds on each plan force upgrades as revenue grows
- ✗Fewer free themes and apps compared to Shopify's larger ecosystem
- ✗Steeper learning curve for non-technical users compared to simpler builders
- ✗Limited native blogging and content management capabilities
- ✗Customization beyond themes requires knowledge of Handlebars templating or developer help
Skip Shopify if...
- ✗Transaction fees unless using Shopify Payments
- ✗monthly costs add up with apps
- ✗limited customization without coding
- ✗content/blogging is basic
BigCommerce vs Shopify Decision Framework
Choose based on what matters most to you
ShopifyShopifyBigCommerce vs Shopify Pricing
| Pricing Feature | BigCommerce | Shopify |
|---|---|---|
| Free Plan | ✗ No | ✗ No |
| Starting Price | $39/mo | $39/mo |
| Free Trial | 15 days | 3 days |
| Number of Plans | 3 | 5 |
| Value Rating | 7.5/10 | 7.5/10 |
BigCommerce Plans
- ✓Unlimited products
- ✓No transaction fees
- ✓Multi-channel selling
- ✓Everything in Standard
- ✓Customer groups
- ✓Abandoned cart saver
- ✓Everything in Plus
- ✓Google customer reviews
- ✓Custom SSL
Shopify Plans
- ✓Sell on social media
- ✓Link-in-bio store
- ✓Limited features
- ✓Online store
- ✓Unlimited products
- ✓Basic reports
- ✓24/7 support
- ✓Professional reports
- ✓Lower transaction fees
- ✓5 staff accounts
- ✓Custom reports
- ✓Calculated shipping
- ✓15 staff accounts
- ✓Enterprise commerce
- ✓B2B
- ✓Custom checkout
What You Get: Plan Feature Comparison
Comparing BigCommerce's Plus ($105/mo) vs Shopify's Starter ($5/mo)
| Feature | BigCommerce | Shopify |
|---|---|---|
| Everything in Standard | ✓ | ✗ |
| Customer groups | ✓ | ✗ |
| Abandoned cart saver | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sell on social media | ✗ | ✓ |
| Link-in-bio store | ✗ | ✓ |
| Limited features | ✗ | ✓ |
Which Should You Choose?
BigCommerce
Shopify
Quick Buyer's Guide
Based on our analysis, here's who each tool is best suited for
- ✓Mid-market and growing ecommerce businesses needing enterprise features without enterprise pricing
- ✓B2B sellers requiring complex catalogs with custom pricing, quote management, and purchase orders
- ✓Users who need enterprise-grade features built in without needing apps — product variants, bulk pricing, and faceted search included
Shopify is best for:- ✓Users who need incredibly easy to set up
- ✓Users who need excellent app store with 8000+ apps
BigCommerce vs Shopify: The Bottom Line
Shopify takes this matchup, though BigCommerce remains a viable alternative.
Choose BigCommerce if you want more built-in features out of the box, zero transaction fees on any payment gateway, and strong multi-channel and B2B capabilities. Choose Shopify if you value the largest app ecosystem, the most polished user experience, and the broadest range of themes and integrations. BigCommerce at 8.0/10 is still competitive and may be the better fit depending on your specific requirements and budget.