BigCommerce vs Shopify
BigCommerce and Shopify are both ecommerce options. BigCommerce lists 6 features across 1 platform; Shopify lists 6 features across 3 platforms — see the full breakdown below, sourced from each vendor's own site rather than ratings or reviews.
Side-by-side summary
Best for BigCommerce
Serves a range from emerging/SMB brands (via free trial, emerging-brand programs) to enterprise merchants needing B2B features like account-specific pricing and approval workflows.
Best for Shopify
Positioned for businesses of all sizes — from solo entrepreneurs launching their first store to large enterprises.
Feature comparison
Every feature listed here comes directly from each vendor's own official site.
BigCommerce
- Drag-and-drop store builder with code-level customization
- One-page checkout with digital wallets/BNPL
- 130+ payment solutions, 20+ embedded providers
- B2B tools (account pricing, quotes, approvals)
- 600+ app integrations (ERP/CRM/PIM/WMS)
- Multi-channel selling via Feedonomics (150+ marketplaces)
Shopify
- Website builder with themes and AI-assisted design
- Shopify Checkout with Shop Pay
- Built-in and third-party payment processing
- Multichannel selling (social, marketplaces, POS)
- 21,000+ app ecosystem
- Shipping/international tools (Shopify Markets)
Pros and cons
BigCommerce
- Drag-and-drop store builder with code-level customization
- One-page checkout with digital wallets/BNPL
- 130+ payment solutions, 20+ embedded providers
- B2B tools (account pricing, quotes, approvals)
- 600+ app integrations (ERP/CRM/PIM/WMS)
- Multi-channel selling via Feedonomics (150+ marketplaces)
- Core is capped at $30,000 trailing-12-month GMV and automatically moves to Growth after that threshold.
- Scale includes a GMV base threshold and a 0.9% overage above the published cap; an Open Payment Provider fee can also apply.
Shopify
- Website builder with themes and AI-assisted design
- Shopify Checkout with Shop Pay
- Built-in and third-party payment processing
- Multichannel selling (social, marketplaces, POS)
- 21,000+ app ecosystem
- Shipping/international tools (Shopify Markets)
- Shopify's lowest displayed Basic price requires annual billing; month-to-month Basic is $39 instead of the $29 annual-billing equivalent.
- If a merchant uses a third-party payment provider instead of Shopify Payments, Shopify lists additional transaction fees of 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, and 0.6% on Advanced.
- Shopify Plus starts at $2,300/month on a 3-year term, so the enterprise tier has a much larger minimum commitment than the self-serve plans.
Key differences
The feature summaries above use each vendor's own terminology; unmatched wording is not proof that the other platform lacks a capability. For a store-platform decision, verify the requirements that matter to your workflow in the cited vendor sources instead of treating wording differences as a capability matrix.
Choose BigCommerce if…
Choose BigCommerce if this fits: Serves a range from emerging/SMB brands (via free trial, emerging-brand programs) to enterprise merchants needing B2B features like account-specific pricing and approval workflows. Compared with Shopify specifically, BigCommerce also offers Drag-and-drop store builder with code-level customization, One-page checkout with digital wallets/BNPL, 130+ payment solutions, 20+ embedded providers, and 3 more features that Shopify doesn't list.
Choose Shopify if…
Choose Shopify if this fits: Positioned for businesses of all sizes — from solo entrepreneurs launching their first store to large enterprises. Compared with BigCommerce specifically, Shopify also offers Website builder with themes and AI-assisted design, Shopify Checkout with Shop Pay, Built-in and third-party payment processing, and 3 more features that BigCommerce doesn't list, plus iOS, Android support that BigCommerce doesn't list.
This is an affiliate link. See our Affiliate Disclosure.
Facts on this page are sourced from each vendor's official site (linked below), not from ratings or reviews. Products change — verify anything that matters to your decision directly on the vendor's own site before switching. See our Disclaimer and Sources Policy.
Keep exploring
Related software
Ecommerce
Ecwid
Ecwid by Lightspeed is an ecommerce platform that lets merchants launch a standalone store or embed commerce into an existing website. Ecwid says it does not add its own transaction fee; payment processors still charge their own processing fees.
Ecommerce
WooCommerce
WooCommerce is an open-source ecommerce platform built as a WordPress plugin, described as "the most flexible ecommerce platform" giving merchants full control over their store.
Ecommerce
Adobe Commerce
Adobe Commerce (formerly Magento Commerce) is Adobe's enterprise ecommerce platform for B2B and B2C businesses, combining open-source extensibility with native tools for content, merchandising, and multi-site management.
Keep exploring
Related comparisons
Still not sure which one fits?
Answer a few questions and get a deterministic, explained match instead of comparing tool by tool.
Comparing something else?
Search any software by name to see its alternatives.