Shopify vs. BigCommerce: Which Platform Is Better?

Every e-commerce platform is built differently. Depending on how comfortable you are online and how experienced you are, you may want an option that lets you edit code or launch right away. Shopify and BigCommerce are two of the top choices for building an e-commerce platform. The question is which of the two to pick. Below is a Mona Media will comparison of Shopify and BigCommerce to help you make the right decision.

What do you know about Shopify and BigCommerce?

Shopify was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Canada. It is a technology company that has grown exponentially. About 600,000 online retailers sell on the Shopify platform.

BigCommerce appeared about 5 years after Shopify and is still fairly young. It currently serves about 100,000 online stores worldwide and is headquartered in Austin, Texas.

Being older, Shopify holds a larger share of the market. Still, user reviews generally rate the two as evenly matched, especially as BigCommerce keeps proving its strengths.

You do not pay extra for hosting or for installing additional software, because both are hosted platforms. Both are also easy to manage and customize, with a fairly simple interface. Users get all the necessary features, including marketing tools.

Shopify and BigCommerce both offer useful features and both let you build a good online store. But if you look closely at each platform's goals, the differences are clear. Shopify prioritizes small and medium stores and dropshipping services, while BigCommerce targets large stores and online brands.

See more: Professional web design services, reputable

Should you choose Shopify or BigCommerce?

Before drawing a conclusion, you should test both platforms. We have put together a detailed, objective comparison between Shopify and BigCommerce so you can follow along and find the platform that fits you.

Cost

Even if you do not pay to buy the software, you still need to spend money on the materials to build an eye-catching store, right?

Many people are looking for a tool that fits their budget. Shopify and BigCommerce both offer free options and paid upgrades, so you can try one for a while before deciding whether to invest in an upgraded plan.

Shopify pricing plans

• Shopify Lite costs $9/month
• Shopify Basic costs $29/month
• Shopify costs $79/month
• Advanced Shopify costs $299/month
• Shopify Plus pricing varies according to the client's requirements

If you are starting with a e-commerce budget store, Shopify is easier. With the cheapest $9 plan you get a buy button for online sales that you can place on an existing website and even on social media channels.

BigCommerce pricing plans

BigCommerce costs more. There is no $9 option; the plans start from:

• BigCommerce Standard costs $29.95/month
• BigCommerce Plus costs $79.95/month
• BigCommerce Pro costs $249.95/month
• BigCommerce Enterprise has custom pricing

Both platforms offer many features, and some limitations, on the $29/month plan. You get products, unlimited file storage, bandwidth and support and live chat options. The biggest difference is that Shopify limits staff accounts, while BigCommerce does not.

On the $79 plan, Shopify gives you gift cards for promotions and professional reports. BigCommerce offers customer segments, an abandoned cart saver and other advanced features that you do not really need if you are just opening a store.

So on cost, the two platforms are not far apart. The only difference is that Shopify has a $9 plan (which only offers a buy button, with no online store). Both Shopify and BigCommerce have a free trial of 14 to 15 days, with 10% and 20% discounts if you choose higher plans or pay 1 to 2 years upfront.

Design and theme library

For design and theme library, Shopify has the edge over BigCommerce: it offers up to 10 free themes, while BigCommerce has only 7 free themes.

Both BigCommerce and Shopify have many options within the same theme styles. They mostly differ in color and are not significantly different. Shopify is rated better and more varied in design, while BigCommerce delivers a professional, modern product.

The

To build a professional, powerful online store, features are essential. On both platforms you can create products, optimize your store for search engines, manage inventory, set up payment methods, and more.

Payment gateways

Shopify and BigCommerce both let you connect your store to a variety of payment gateways, but the number differs by country.

Users usually rely on only 2 main gateways. BigCommerce offers about 40 gateways, while Shopify offers more than 100.

Product categories and collections

Shopify and BigCommerce both offer simple features for setting up product categories. But users find Shopify faster to work with, and it lets you add products manually. BigCommerce only has bulk editing and does not have collections like Shopify.

Product options

Here BigCommerce has the advantage. Shopify limits each product to 3 options (material, size and color, for example), while BigCommerce can build full option lists with the flexibility you need.

Product data import and export

Shopify lets you import and export data in CSV format, while BigCommerce offers both CSV and XML with more flexibility. The limitation of both platforms is that they cannot import or export other types of content, only blog posts and static pages.

Blogging on your website

Blogging helps increase traffic. Well-optimized content is an excellent way to promote your products and brand. Both platforms have this feature, but only at a basic level, with no tag categories, and you also cannot use plugin Yoast SEO. BigCommerce also lacks an RSS feed.

Abandoned cart recovery

This feature lets the store admin send emails to customers to remind them of a paused purchase and the items still in their cart. With this feature, BigCommerce can recover up to 15% of lost sales. It is more flexible and better than Shopify, which only sends automatic emails at set time intervals.

See more: How to reduce cart abandonment on your website

Reporting tools

Both selling platforms have built-in analytics, from financial and sales reports to data and abandoned carts. The details differ from plan to plan.

Experience

Shopify and BigCommerce are both fairly simple and easy to use, and their interfaces are quite similar. You choose what to do from the menu on the left. Both are convenient to use with just a few clicks.

Community and customer support

Both Shopify and BigCommerce have 24/7 customer support and a strong user community, so you do not need to worry about problems while using them.

Shopify and BigCommerce each have strengths and limitations. BigCommerce is the choice for websites selling their own products at a large scale that need customization and flexibility. On cost, Shopify has the advantage, with varied plans, no sales limit, low credit card fees, a free theme library and other perks. It is a good fit for anyone opening a small store.

After these comparisons of Shopify and BigCommerce, you should know which platform suits you. Good luck!