Shopify vs. BigCommerce: Which Is the Best Platform for You?
Choosing the right eCommerce platform is one of the most critical decisions you’ll make when starting or scaling your online business. Two of the most popular options for eCommerce entrepreneurs today are Shopify and BigCommerce. Both platforms offer robust tools, customizable features, and user-friendly interfaces, but which one is the best fit for your business?
In this article, we’ll compare Shopify and BigCommerce based on several key factors: ease of use, pricing, customization, SEO capabilities, and scalability. By the end, you should have a clearer understanding of which platform aligns with your business goals.
Overview of Shopify and BigCommerce
- Shopify: Known for its simplicity and ease of use, Shopify has become one of the go-to platforms for small to medium-sized eCommerce businesses. It’s a fully hosted solution, meaning all technical aspects like hosting, security, and software updates are handled for you. Shopify also boasts an extensive app store, making it easy to extend the functionality of your store.
- BigCommerce: BigCommerce is a versatile, feature-packed platform that is ideal for businesses looking for built-in functionality without relying on third-party apps. It’s known for its powerful SEO tools, scalability, and support for larger product catalogs. Like Shopify, it’s a hosted solution, but it offers more native features out of the box.
1. Ease of Use
Shopify:
Shopify is widely regarded as one of the easiest eCommerce platforms to use, even for beginners. The platform offers a drag-and-drop store builder, simple navigation, and an intuitive dashboard. You can quickly set up your store, add products, and start selling without much technical knowledge. Shopify also provides excellent documentation and support to guide users through the setup process.
BigCommerce:
BigCommerce is slightly more complex in its interface, offering more built-in features and advanced customization options right out of the box. While it still offers a user-friendly experience, there is a steeper learning curve compared to Shopify, especially for those without prior eCommerce experience. However, for businesses needing more functionality without relying on apps, BigCommerce’s built-in tools might be worth the extra effort.
Winner: Shopify
Shopify’s ease of use makes it the better choice for beginners and small business owners who want a quick and straightforward setup.
2. Pricing
Shopify:
Shopify offers several pricing tiers:
- Basic Shopify: $39/month
- Shopify: $105/month
- Advanced Shopify: $399/month
Shopify also charges transaction fees unless you use Shopify Payments, their in-house payment gateway.
BigCommerce:
BigCommerce’s pricing structure is similar:
- Standard: $39/month
- Plus: $105/month
- Pro: $399/month
One of BigCommerce’s major advantages is that it doesn’t charge transaction fees, regardless of the payment gateway you use. However, each plan has an annual sales threshold, meaning if your sales exceed that limit, you’ll need to upgrade to a higher-tier plan.
Winner: Tie
Both platforms have comparable pricing structures, but BigCommerce edges out slightly by not charging transaction fees.
3. Customization and Themes
Shopify:
Shopify offers a variety of free and premium themes, all of which are fully responsive. While the themes are well-designed and cater to a range of industries, the options for customization without code are limited. To fully customize a Shopify theme, you’ll need to know Liquid, Shopify’s templating language. However, there are many third-party developers and designers available for hire if you need advanced customizations.
BigCommerce:
BigCommerce also offers a variety of free and premium themes, with a focus on modern, responsive design. Unlike Shopify, BigCommerce allows more customization out of the box without needing to hire a developer. Its customization tools are user-friendly, and you can modify many elements without touching code. For advanced users, BigCommerce uses Stencil, its proprietary theme engine, which is flexible and robust for developers.
Winner: BigCommerce
BigCommerce wins this round due to its more flexible customization options out of the box.
4. Apps and Integrations
Shopify:
Shopify’s App Store is one of its strongest assets, with thousands of apps available to extend your store’s functionality. Whether you need email marketing, inventory management, or customer reviews, there’s an app for it. However, relying on apps can increase the overall cost of running your store, as many apps come with recurring fees.
BigCommerce:
BigCommerce offers fewer apps in its marketplace compared to Shopify, but it makes up for this with a more comprehensive set of native features. Many tools and features that Shopify users would need apps for (such as product reviews, coupons, and SEO optimization) are built into BigCommerce by default.
Winner: Shopify
While BigCommerce offers more built-in tools, Shopify’s extensive app ecosystem gives users unmatched flexibility in building out their stores.
5. SEO Capabilities
Shopify:
Shopify provides basic SEO features such as editable title tags, meta descriptions, and mobile-optimized themes. However, Shopify’s URL structure is fixed, which can sometimes be less ideal for SEO (e.g., URLs always include “/collections” or “/products”). Shopify’s reliance on apps for advanced SEO features can also be seen as a disadvantage.
BigCommerce:
BigCommerce is highly regarded for its SEO capabilities. It allows more control over URLs, lets users create custom URL structures, and has built-in features for sitemaps, robots.txt, and more. This makes it easier to optimize your store for search engines without relying on third-party apps. Additionally, BigCommerce offers more control over 301 redirects and other advanced SEO tools.
Winner: BigCommerce
BigCommerce’s superior SEO tools and customization options give it an edge for businesses that prioritize organic search traffic.
6. Scalability
Shopify:
Shopify is highly scalable, making it suitable for both small businesses and large enterprises. Shopify Plus, the enterprise solution, is used by major brands like Gymshark and Kylie Cosmetics. However, as your business grows, you may find that relying on third-party apps to fill feature gaps increases costs and complexity.
BigCommerce:
BigCommerce is designed with scalability in mind and is better equipped for fast-growing businesses out of the box. Its built-in features, such as multi-channel selling and advanced reporting, make it easier to scale without needing as many apps. Businesses with larger catalogs and higher sales volumes may find BigCommerce more accommodating.
Winner: BigCommerce
BigCommerce’s built-in scalability features make it the better choice for fast-growing businesses or those with large product catalogs.
Conclusion: Which Platform is Best for You?
- Choose Shopify if you’re a small to medium-sized business owner looking for an easy-to-use platform with a huge ecosystem of apps. Shopify’s simplicity, coupled with its powerful app store, makes it ideal for those who want a quick setup and a broad range of functionalities.
- Choose BigCommerce if you’re a larger business or a rapidly growing one that needs advanced SEO features, built-in scalability, and fewer dependencies on third-party apps. BigCommerce is also a great choice if you want more customization options and don’t want to deal with transaction fees.
Ultimately, the decision between Shopify and BigCommerce comes down to your business size, goals, and the features you value most. Both platforms are excellent choices, but understanding the specific needs of your business will help you make the right decision.