- Amelia Sabestine
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Shopify and BigCommerce are e-commerce website builders that are capable of handling high-volume sellers. The biggest distinction between the two is that Shopify’s out-of-the-box ease of use makes it easier to open an online store quickly. However, BigCommerce allows businesses to set up an infinite number of user accounts, create multiple storefronts, and choose the payment processors of their choice.
Shopify is typically a better option for smaller e-commerce businesses and those that conduct in-person sales because of its point-of-sale capabilities. BigCommerce may be a better fit for larger companies managing multiple brands, but it does have a major drawback in that you have to upgrade your monthly subscription once you hit certain revenue thresholds.
We will thoroughly compare Shopify and BigCommerce, the two most popular choices, in this post. By the time this is all through, you will be able to determine for sure which platform—BigCommerce vs Shopify—best fits the goals of your online store.
Important Variations – Which is Superior, BigCommerce or Shopify?
Ultimately, BigCommerce and Shopify are both excellent e-commerce platforms, but there are a few significant distinctions that might help you choose one for your particular requirements.
- Shopify is a fully hosted solution, you won’t need to worry about keeping up with software or servers. BigCommerce gives developers more freedom to customize the platform without requiring them to handle backend technology.
- Shopify offers an intuitive interface that is ideal for novices, whereas BigCommerce offers more sophisticated features that are necessary for expanding businesses. A vast array of integrations are available in Shopify’s app store to enhance functionality, even though BigCommerce also integrates with numerous similar tools.
- Shopify vs Bigcommerce pricing differs too. Shopify’s monthly fees start lower but increase as your business grows. BigCommerce offers a wider selection of plans to accommodate businesses of all sizes. Transaction fees differ as well; BigCommerce does not impose transaction fees on the majority of its plans, while Shopify levies a percentage of sales in addition to its monthly charge.
- BigCommerce is preferable if you require more control and customization, but Shopify is great if you want a simple, turnkey solution. You can’t go wrong because these are both fantastic platforms. The decision ultimately boils down to your particular business’s particular needs and priorities.
BigCommerce vs Shopify: Customization and Usability
Shopify and Bigcommerce are similar in terms of customization and usability. Both platforms have user-friendly interfaces that are straightforward to use. You will value how fast you can add products, change your theme, and make updates as a store owner.
You can choose from hundreds of expert themes with either system to give your store a fashionable appearance. With your photos, typefaces, and color schemes, you can further alter the theme. Both platforms allow you to create custom themes using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript if you want complete control.
The built-in features and functionality of the Shopify and BigCommerce platforms should be sufficient for the majority of small to medium-sized businesses. As your company expands, you might need more sophisticated features like intricate sales campaigns or a unique API.
In these cases, BigCommerce may have a slight edge with its open API and powerful marketing features. For getting started, you really can’t go wrong with either solution.
Ease of Use
With its easy-to-use interface and straightforward setup process, Shopify is famous for being incredibly user-friendly. It may take some technical knowledge to get started with BigCommerce and have a steeper learning curve. Shopify is a better option for novices if you’re not tech-savvy.
Customization
BigCommerce offers frontend/backend code access and an open API, which might give developers a small advantage. Shopify also has an API, but less code access. Both platforms are highly customizable, however, and you can create unique store designs and experiences on either.
In terms of customization and ease of use, Shopify versus BigCommerce are fairly similar. Both provide professional themes, customization options, and an intuitive user interface. BigCommerce offers a tiny benefit for larger companies, but both platforms are great options for the majority of small businesses that are just getting started.
Shopify vs BigCommerce: Features
A comparison of Shopify and BigCommerce reveals that the former is more feature-rich than the latter.
Templates
Shopify currently has a larger selection with over 100 free and paid templates, but both offer high-quality templates for selection. BigCommerce has around 50 free templates.
Apps and Integrations
BigCommerce and Shopify both integrate with a wide range of outside services and apps. With more than 2,500 apps, Shopify’s app store is bigger. Over 1,000 apps and integrations are available for BigCommerce. Among the most widely used apps are those for marketing, accounting, shipping, and payment gateways.
Customization and Themes
Shopify offers 105 mobile-responsive themes, or templates, of which 11 are free. However, BigCommerce offers 286 mobile-responsive themes, 15 of which are free. The selection isn’t as wide as it sounds, though, as several BigCommerce themes are fairly similar to one another—the only exception being the color scheme.
While quite comparable overall, Shopify currently offers some advantages in design, apps, and entry-level pricing. However, BigCommerce is also a powerful, enterprise-level option for big, complicated stores. The ideal platform for you will depend on your particular requirements and business priorities.
BigCommerce vs. Shopify: Cost and Transaction Fees
The price structures of BigCommerce and Shopify are very different. Learn about the costs that BigCommerce and Shopify would impose on you, as well as their policies regarding customer payments:
Depending on the features of your store, Shopify charges a monthly subscription fee. The ability to sell on social media, discounts, and gift cards are all included in the $29/month Basic Shopify plan. Third-party calculated shipping rates and advanced report building are added to the $299/month Advanced Shopify plan.
BigCommerce bases its fees on your annual sales volume. The standard plan is free for stores making under $50,000 per year. The Plus plan ($79/month) supports mid-size brands, and Enterprise ($249/month) is for high-volume stores. Nevertheless, in addition to monthly fees, BigCommerce levies a 0.5–2% commission on each sale.
The most affordable BigCommerce plan is $29.95 a month. However, BigCommerce’s premium plans come with more features for the money, such as abandoned cart recovery and real-time carrier shipping rates. If budget is a concern, see which features you need and compare Shopify and Bigcommerce’s price points.
So if you’re just launching your store, BigCommerce could be more budget-friendly. But as your sales increase over time, Shopify’s flat-fee model may end up costing less. It all depends on your company’s specific requirements and expansion goals. Fortunately, you can test out both platforms for free to see which one works best for you.
BigCommerce vs Shopify: Logistics
Shopify and BigCommerce provide comparable core functionality in terms of logistics, such as payments, shipping, and taxes. To accept credit cards, you can effortlessly integrate both platforms with payment gateways such as PayPal, Authorize.Net, and Stripe. Additionally, they offer resources for printing labels, tracking shipments, and calculating shipping costs.
Still, there are a few noteworthy variations to take into account:
- FedEx, UPS, DHL, and USPS are just a few of the third-party logistics companies that Shopify integrates with.
- With Shopify Payments, its payment gateway, transaction costs are reduced. There’s no payment option available with BigCommerce.
- Re-engaging customers and boosting sales can be achieved with Shopify’s built-in abandoned cart recovery tool. This functionality isn’t available in BigCommerce.
- Stripe and Braintree are two gateways where BigCommerce might offer cheaper payment processing fees. When using Shopify Payments, transaction fees normally vary from 2.9% + 30¢ to 2%.
- Shopify is available in more countries and supports over 20 languages and 150 currencies. BigCommerce currently only supports English, Chinese, and Spanish.
Security
As one might expect, major platforms like BigCommerce and Shopify are knowledgeable about security protocols. They both use 128-bit SSL encryption, which is software that encrypts private messages, credit card numbers, and other sensitive customer data to keep it safe from prying eyes.
Both of them abide by the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS), a set of guidelines created by five significant credit card companies that specify how to secure financial transactions.
Inventory Management
Shopify has better inventory management features than BigCommerce. You can easily manage your inventory across several locations and keep track of which items need to be shipped from which with your dashboard. Purchasing a third-party app would be required to access the same features in BigCommerce.
Dropshippers, or online retailers who manage their websites but never handle the products they sell, love Shopify because it makes handling and shipping easy for them. If so, there are numerous apps available to link your Shopify website to websites that supply stock and can handle customer shipping, such as Shopify’s own Oberlo.
Both platforms are capable of handling the operational aspects of running an online store, but Shopify has a slight advantage because of its larger functionality and app ecosystem. However, BigCommerce’s more user-friendly interface and cheaper fees might appeal to smaller retailers.
BigCommerce vs Shopify: Marketing and Sales
To help you advertise your store and boost conversions, Shopify and BigCommerce both provide robust marketing and sales tools.
Promotions and Discounts
- Use discounts, sales, and promotions to increase customers and revenue. Coupons, gift cards, discounts, and sales are available on both platforms.
- Shopify offers more extensive marketing tools, including sections for managing promotions, discounts, and sales channels.
Abandoned Cart Recovery
- Recover lost sales from abandoned carts. Shopify and BigCommerce can automatically send cart reminder emails.
- BigCommerce has slightly more advanced abandoned cart tools with the ability to create drip campaigns and customize emails.
Email Marketing
- Create a mailing list and maintain contact with your clients. Every platform has integrations with email services provided by third parties, such as Constant Contact, Klaviyo, and MailChimp.
- A section dedicated to email marketing on Shopify allows users to create newsletters, emails for abandoned carts, and promotions. BigCommerce relies more on third-party integrations for advanced email marketing.
Overall, while both platforms offer the essential marketing features most stores need, Shopify has a slight advantage with its native marketing and promotion capabilities. You can also investigate the numerous third-party marketing integrations that are offered for both platforms if you want the greatest degree of customization.
Shopify vs. BigCommerce: Connectivity and Extra Features
Both Shopify and BigCommerce provide a plethora of options for add-ons and integrations that enhance the functionality of your store.
Numerous beneficial third-party integrations are available on both platforms. Shopify has a larger app store with more niche offerings, though, so if seamless integrations are important for your business model or you have specific needs, compare the options available on each platform.
Apps and Themes
Both Bigcommerce and Shopify offer thousands of premium and free apps and themes. There are many apps available for both platforms, depending on what you require—a wish list, product reviews, loyalty programs, or something entirely else. Although BigCommerce is rapidly catching up, Shopify’s app store does have a wider selection.
You can search for apps on both platforms using categories such as accounting, customer service, sales, and marketing. To further personalize the appearance and feel of your store, a plethora of both free and premium themes are available.
Payment Gateways
Payment acceptance is essential for any online retailer. BigCommerce and Shopify both integrate with important gateways. For some plans, Shopify Payments—Shopify’s internal gateway—may impose lower transaction fees. BigCommerce also provides a gateway with lower fees for some subscriptions.
You can accept all major credit cards, debit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, and other widely used payment methods with either platform. The particular rates will vary based on the plan and payment gateway you select.
Shipping Carriers
Finally, built-in integrations with prominent shipping companies are available for both platforms. During the checkout process, you can compute real-time rates for your customers, print shipping labels, and monitor shipments. The specific carriers available will depend on your store location.
Ultimately, you really can’t go wrong with either BigCommerce or Shopify when it comes to integrations and add-ons. A rich ecosystem of tools is available on both platforms to assist you in creating a fully functional online store.
Should I Switch From BigCommerce to Shopify?
Shopify is a great option to think about if you’ve outgrown BigCommerce and need to upgrade. A million-plus companies use Shopify, a well-known e-commerce platform. In comparison to BigCommerce, it provides more sophisticated features and customization choices.
Justifications for Moving From BigCommerce to Shopify:
- Greater design flexibility: Shopify provides a greater selection of themes in addition to the ability to design your own. The appearance and feel of your store are entirely up to you.
- More robust marketing features: Shopify offers tools for social media selling, email marketing, SEO optimization, and customer segmentation. You can increase sales by developing targeted campaigns.
- App ecosystem: With more than 2,500 apps, Shopify offers a sizable app store to improve your store. Applications are available for customer support, shipping, accounting, and other tasks. BigCommerce offers slightly more than 200 apps, a smaller selection.
- Scalability: Shopify can handle larger stores with higher sales volumes and traffic. As your business grows, BigCommerce may begin to perform less smoothly and encounter performance problems.
Switching to Shopify is simple. To transfer your goods, clients, and orders from BigCommerce to your new Shopify store, they provide a free trial as well as migration tools. Shopify has a higher monthly fee than Bigcommerce SEO, but for many businesses, the extra features and scalability make it well worth the investment. Shopify is a fantastic option to grow your store if you’ve outgrown your present platform.
Which is Cheaper, Shopify or BigCommerce?
Depending on your requirements and financial constraints, Bigcommerce vs. Shopify pricing provides e-commerce platforms at various points. For small to midsize businesses, Shopify is typically a little more affordable.
Pricing
All the necessary components to create an online store are included in Shopify’s basic plan, which is available for just $29 a month. BigCommerce’s basic monthly plan costs $29.95 and necessitates a one-year commitment. For extra costs, both services provide upgrades with more sophisticated features.
Shopify’s more affordable entry-level pricing might be more suitable for a small store with a constrained product selection. With either service, you can easily upgrade to a higher-tier plan as your business expands. BigCommerce does have lower transaction fees, so if you have a high volume of sales, you may end up saving money over time.
The price of Bigcommerce vs. Shopify is a significant consideration, but don’t base your decision to use an e-commerce platform only on price. Select the service that will help your business succeed by best meeting its needs. Your plan can always be adjusted to fit your budget, no matter how big or small. Long-term cost-effectiveness isn’t always achieved by choosing the most economical choice.
Can you Migrate BigCommerce to Shopify?
You can migrate your BigCommerce store to Shopify, yes. The basic steps to make the move are as follows:
Export your Products
Export all of your orders, clients, and products to CSV files from BigCommerce. Product photos, variations, custom fields, etc. are all included in this. This data will be imported into your brand-new Shopify store.
Create a Shopify store
Create a Shopify account and select a plan based on the needs of your company. Select a theme that matches your brand and begin customizing it.
Import your data
In the Shopify admin, go to “Products” and “Import.” Select the CSV files you exported from BigCommerce and map the columns to import your products, customers, and orders. Check that everything is imported correctly.
Redirect URLs
To avoid losing SEO principle rankings, you’ll want to set up 301 redirects in BigCommerce to send traffic from old products, categories, and blog pages to the new Shopify store URLs.
Go live!
Once your Shopify store is set up and tested, you’re ready to launch! Flip the switch in BigCommerce to redirect all traffic to your new Shopify store. You’ve successfully migrated from BigCommerce to Shopify!
Many retailers discover that Shopify’s features, app ecosystem, and flexibility in design make the transition worthwhile, even though it requires some work. Please contact me with any more inquiries!
Conclusion
There is a clear winner between Shopify and BigCommerce, depending on who judges the competition. Since they are fierce rivals, you can count on receiving excellent service, no matter which option you select.
It all boils down to what matters most to you. Shopify is arguably your best option if you’re looking for a user-friendly platform with a ton of fashionable themes and sales channels. If you need advanced features, a lower-cost option, and more customization control, then BigCommerce is likely the way to go.
What you’re looking for ultimately determines which platform is better. Shopify emerged victorious in AFX Web Studios‘ testing due to its user-friendliness, sales capabilities, design functionality, and assistance and support options.
