Editorial and affiliate disclosure: StackScale may earn a commission if you sign up through clearly identified partner links, including Shopify and Printful. This does not change our evaluation. We used official product and pricing documentation, not independent conversion, speed, or support benchmarks. Prices and eligibility vary by country, merchant, billing period, and contract. Research updated October 14, 2026.
Short answer: Choose Shopify when you want a commerce-focused interface, a broad app ecosystem, and a straightforward route from a first store to more demanding retail operations. Choose BigCommerce when its particular built-in catalog, customer-group, multi-storefront, or integration capabilities meet requirements you would otherwise assemble from several tools. Neither is automatically cheaper, faster, better for SEO, or better for every growing merchant. Your actual payment provider and BigCommerce’s 2026 GMV thresholds can change the decision substantially.
This Shopify vs BigCommerce comparison explains the platform costs and the questions a buyer should answer before signing a contract. It also gives you cost calculations, a workflow test, and decision scenarios. For other platforms, see our best ecommerce platforms guide and how to choose an ecommerce platform checklist.
Shopify vs BigCommerce at a glance
| Decision factor | What to know |
|---|---|
| Hosting and core maintenance | Both provide hosted commerce infrastructure. Neither requires you to administer a WooCommerce-style WordPress server. |
| Simple dedicated retail launch | Shopify is a sensible first trial for merchants prioritizing store setup and day-to-day selling. |
| Complex catalog or B2B processes | BigCommerce merits a trial for specialized catalog, pricing, customer-group, and integration requirements; confirm the exact plan. Shopify also offers B2B functionality on multiple plans. |
| Subscription cost | Both advertise $29/month entry plans on annual US billing, but those prices alone cannot predict your total bill. |
| Additional provider fees | Shopify can charge third-party transaction fees; BigCommerce can charge Open Payment Provider fees. The triggers and exemptions differ. |
| Growth thresholds | BigCommerce has revenue-related tier limits and Scale overage rules. Shopify has plan feature limits and separate rates, not an equivalent Core/Growth GMV auto-upgrade schedule. |
| SEO | Both have workable SEO features. URL conventions, templates, structured data, redirects, and content quality need hands-on testing. |
Our decision rule: Before asking which system has more features, list the five workflows you cannot compromise on. Then price the least expensive eligible plan, necessary apps, payment processing, and implementation for each. An expensive feature you will never use is not a practical advantage.
Compare live offers: Review Shopify plans and trial terms (affiliate link), or check BigCommerce plans and eligibility directly. Verify prices and qualifications before subscribing.
2026 pricing: how much do Shopify and BigCommerce cost?
The most useful starting point is their current public US-dollar pricing, with annual versus monthly terms clearly separated. Do not compare a heavily discounted introductory offer with a standard renewal rate, or a platform subscription with another provider’s fully managed service package.
Shopify plans: published US reference prices
| Plan | Subscription and key considerations |
|---|---|
| Basic | $29/month equivalent when billed annually, or $39 month to month. Good for a first dedicated store; check staffing and shipping integrations. |
| Grow | $79/month annually or $105 month to month; up to five staff accounts on the current comparison page. |
| Advanced | $299/month annually or $399 month to month; adds more advanced operational and international capabilities and up to 15 staff accounts. |
| Plus | Starting at approximately $2,300/month on applicable longer-term arrangements; request an actual quote and verify merchant eligibility. |
Shopify’s published standard US online card rates start at 2.9% + $0.30 on Basic, 2.7% + $0.30 on Grow, and 2.5% + $0.30 on Advanced. Other cards, wallets, markets, international payments, negotiated agreements, and payment configurations can cost differently. Shopify has additional third-party transaction fees of 2%, 1%, and 0.6% respectively in the relevant circumstances; these are not automatically charged to every Shopify Payments transaction. See Shopify’s plan comparison, its third-party fee explanation, and our detailed Shopify pricing guide.
BigCommerce plans: the June 2026 structure
| Plan | Subscription, threshold, and provider-fee rule |
|---|---|
| Core | $29/month equivalent on annual billing, or $39 monthly; up to $30,000 trailing-12-month Inclusive GMV; 2% fee on eligible Open Payment Provider GMV. |
| Growth | $79/month annually, or $105 monthly; up to $100,000 trailing-12-month Inclusive GMV; 1% fee on eligible Open Payment Provider GMV. |
| Scale | $299/month annually, or $399 monthly; starts with $33,333/month Inclusive GMV allowance, with 0.9% overage on the amount above it; 0.6% Open Payment Provider fee on applicable GMV. |
| Performance | Contracted pricing beginning at $1,499/month billed annually; payment and volume conditions require a sales quote. |
Important distinctions: BigCommerce replaced its former self-service Standard, Plus, and Pro plan labels in June 2026. Core and Growth can automatically move to higher tiers after passing their GMV thresholds. The Scale overage is separate from an Open Payment Provider fee. Neither is the same as a payment gateway’s own card-processing fee. BigCommerce calculates its Inclusive GMV with a 10% reduction to gross order value under the current published methodology; its calculated measure can differ from the store’s own sales dashboard. Check BigCommerce’s current plan and pricing page and its 2026 pricing update FAQs before choosing a tier.
The payment-provider question can overturn the cheapest-plan comparison
For BigCommerce, orders actually processed through an Embedded Payment Provider carry no additional BigCommerce Open Payment Provider fee. Orders processed through an Open Payment Provider can incur one. A store offering both types can have a mixed bill: what matters is which provider processed each order, not simply which logos appear at checkout. The official list currently includes Stripe, PayPal Braintree, Adyen, and other options, but participation and the method of integration matter. Some custom integrations may not qualify. Always check the current Embedded Payment Provider list.
For Shopify, the additional third-party transaction fee generally depends on whether an order was processed through an applicable third-party or alternate provider, with published exceptions for certain Shopify Payments, manual payment, and PayPal configurations. Combining Shopify Payments with a third-party provider can introduce special fees. Check your precise gateway setup rather than assuming all external payment methods receive the same treatment.
Illustrative fee example, not a merchant invoice: Suppose a BigCommerce Growth store records $5,000 of gross order value in one month, and the eligible Inclusive GMV for all orders through an Open Payment Provider is $4,500 after the standard 10% reduction. The 1% Open Payment Provider fee would be $45 for that month, in addition to the provider’s own processing charges and subscription. If an eligible Embedded Payment Provider processed all those orders, that BigCommerce fee would be $0. On Shopify Basic, if $5,000 of orders were wholly subject to a 2% third-party transaction fee, that fee would be $100 before the external provider’s processing charges. These are different platforms’ specific fee systems, not a claim that identical providers qualify on both.
Avoid a common mistake: The $29 Core subscription can be misleading for a seller already above $30,000 of trailing-12-month Inclusive GMV. An established $6,000/month gross-order-value store may need Growth as the normal ongoing BigCommerce tier, depending on measured Inclusive GMV and upgrade timing.
Calculate total cost, not just the monthly subscription
Use a simple cost model: platform subscription + payment processing + any additional platform/provider fees + required apps + storefront/theme work + integrations + operational support + migration costs. Advertising, product sourcing, inventory, shipping, taxes and returns also affect profitability, but are not all unique to one ecommerce platform.
Scenario A: a lean retail launch
Assume a new US store expects $2,200/month in gross order value, uses an eligible standard payment setup, and buys only its essential apps. The 12-month projected BigCommerce Inclusive GMV would be about $23,760 before special adjustments, which sits below the currently published Core threshold. Suppose Shopify Basic needs $15/month in additional apps, while BigCommerce Core needs $30/month for this merchant’s workflow. The illustrative annual platform-and-app totals become Shopify $528 ($348 subscription + $180 apps) versus BigCommerce $708 ($348 subscription + $360 apps). This is not a standard bill or evidence that Shopify is universally cheaper. A merchant needing a different feature set could reverse the app spend.
Scenario B: a growing store with $78,000 annual gross order value
Assume steady gross sales of $6,500/month, or $78,000/year. BigCommerce’s illustrative Inclusive GMV is approximately $70,200, placing that level above Core but within Growth. Compare Shopify Grow with BigCommerce Growth, both advertised at $948/year on annual terms. Suppose Shopify needs $60/month in paid apps, while BigCommerce needs $35/month. With only eligible Embedded Payment Provider orders, the illustrative software totals are Shopify $1,668 and BigCommerce $1,368 before processing and other costs.
If all the example BigCommerce orders instead incur the Growth plan’s 1% Open Payment Provider fee on $70,200 of Inclusive GMV, that adds approximately $702/year, bringing the modeled BigCommerce subtotal to $2,070. Shopify’s own additional charges depend separately on its selected payment setup. Do not compare these totals until you insert real quotes from the providers available to your business.
These examples deliberately hold some operating expenses out of the calculation to isolate the decisions; neither number predicts profits or a real merchant’s bill. For deeper alternatives, read our Shopify alternatives and BigCommerce review.
Ease of use and day-to-day operations
Both platforms manage hosting, core software deployment, SSL and commerce infrastructure. That removes much of the server work associated with a self-hosted WordPress/WooCommerce installation. But it does not remove the merchant’s responsibilities for catalog accuracy, discounts, shipping rules, compliance, app permissions, customer service or fulfillment.
Shopify’s practical advantage is its direct focus on common retail operations: add a product, organize collections, configure payments, publish a theme, manage orders, then connect selling and marketing channels. Its usability is a reasonable reason to trial it first when a small team has limited technical support. That is a recommendation based on product positioning and workflow design, not a claim that we measured setup time in a controlled test.
BigCommerce’s practical advantage can emerge when the merchant already knows it needs several configurable product, customer-group, storefront, or integration features. Those settings may require more planning initially while reducing dependence on a collection of specialized apps later. But ‘more built in’ never means that a specific requirement will be available on every plan.
Trial both on the same assignment: Create a configurable product with multiple variants; apply a promotion; configure an unusual shipping rule; place a test order; perform a partial refund; and export the related order data. Ask the staff who will actually perform these jobs which workflow they can maintain accurately. Document blockers, required apps, and available support rather than relying on generic ‘beginner-friendliness’ scores.
Product catalogs, variants, and B2B selling
Shopify offers product and variant management, collections, discounts, inventory locations, sales channels, reporting and a large app ecosystem. BigCommerce offers comparable foundational selling features and emphasizes configurable catalog, customer, promotion and integrations functionality. The real question is how each handles your actual catalog and pricing rules—not whether a marketing table lists the word ‘variants’.
For a retailer with apparel sizes, bundles or product personalization, test the same representative SKU set on both. Confirm inventory synchronization, returns, image handling, shipping weights, tax treatment, discount stacking and the data your warehouse receives. Where one platform needs an app or custom build, get a quote before calling it a disadvantage.
B2B requires a fresh 2026 assessment. It would be outdated to say Shopify B2B is available only on Plus. Shopify’s current B2B documentation shows up to three active catalogs across B2B markets on Basic, Grow and Advanced, with unlimited catalogs and direct company-location assignment on Plus. Certain other B2B capabilities are plan-specific. BigCommerce has customer groups and specialized B2B/price-list offerings, but the public plan matrix makes clear that some advanced functionality is restricted to higher tiers or contractual arrangements. Compare your customer-specific price lists, approval processes, payment terms, account hierarchy and quote-to-order workflow on the eligible plan of each platform.
For a wholesaler: create two companies with different negotiated pricing, minimum quantities and permissions; submit orders as each; then test invoicing, tax exemptions, order approvals, and data sync into accounting. This proof of concept is more useful than calling one provider the universal B2B winner. Official references: Shopify B2B catalogs and BigCommerce pricing/features.
Design, customization, APIs, and checkout
Shopify themes provide a structured editing environment and can be customized using the theme editor, Liquid, supported app blocks, APIs, and developer extensions. BigCommerce supports storefront theming with Stencil, APIs, and more involved storefront approaches. Both have credible options for developers, and neither grants the same unrestricted server ownership as a self-hosted ecommerce stack.
Avoid an absolute claim that BigCommerce always has more backend or checkout control. Shopify’s checkout extensibility and plan limits vary; BigCommerce’s hosted checkout and payment integrations also have constraints. A bespoke checkout journey should be scoped with a developer using each vendor’s current APIs, supported extensions, security obligations and plan eligibility. Request a demonstration of the particular change you need instead of assuming a ‘developer flexibility’ score guarantees feasibility.
For a custom storefront, ask: Can we build the page design in the selected theme? Which application or API owns each data field? How do we handle releases and testing? What happens if an app changes its pricing? Is the checkout customization officially supported and secure? Those are real cost and risk differences.
SEO: which ecommerce platform ranks better?
Neither Shopify nor BigCommerce has a guaranteed Google ranking advantage. Both let merchants optimize titles, descriptions and product content, publish SEO-relevant pages, manage redirects, and deliver hosted storefronts. Search performance depends on content relevance, internal linking, crawlable product/category structures, duplication control, page experience, and implementation quality.
Shopify uses recognizable URL conventions such as /products/ and /collections/, provides XML sitemaps and canonical handling, and supports customizing robots.txt.liquid for qualified technical users. It does not follow that Shopify has no technical SEO controls. BigCommerce offers configurable storefront URLs and its own redirect, metadata and template controls, but ‘more editable’ does not automatically mean ‘better optimized’. Verify specific settings for your storefront architecture and theme.
Run a six-point SEO pilot: (1) Create a product and category with useful descriptions. (2) Check rendered title, canonical URL, and product structured data. (3) Inspect the XML sitemap and robots rules. (4) Apply a URL change and confirm the 301 redirect. (5) Test a product appearing through two category paths. (6) Review mobile Core Web Vitals on real pages with your planned apps and content. Neither platform can guarantee rankings from the platform name alone. Read our best ecommerce platform for SEO analysis for a broader approach and Google Search Central for foundational guidance.
Scalability, support, and security
Both platforms offer hosted infrastructure and can serve demanding commerce operations. Neither deserves a universal ‘faster’ label without a fair, repeatable test of equivalent themes, apps, data, traffic and checkout workflows. A store with efficient product data, sensible scripts and working integrations will generally be easier to operate than one with a poorly maintained app stack—regardless of provider.
BigCommerce’s GMV thresholds are an additional scalability cost issue: Core and Growth have trailing-12-month limits, while Scale has a monthly included threshold and percentage overage, with higher-volume contracted arrangements. Shopify’s scaling decision instead involves its plan feature availability, transaction rates, staffing and checkout/B2B requirements. A retailer should build a 12-month forecast, include seasonal peaks, and model the point where the plan changes.
Security also remains shared work. Hosting companies maintain substantial platform infrastructure, but merchants still control staff permissions, passwords, phishing risk, connected apps, domain settings, compliance, and handling of customer information. Before signing up, confirm help channels by plan, restoration processes, export capabilities, and responsibility for custom integrations. BigCommerce’s current pricing states phone support is included from Growth upward, with Core chat/email options and a separate phone-support add-on roadmap.
Apps, subscriptions, and print-on-demand fulfillment
Shopify’s extensive app ecosystem can simplify adopting specialized marketing, loyalty, subscriptions, shipping and operations tools, but every subscription or integration has a cost and support owner. BigCommerce has its own marketplace and integrations; some merchants may need fewer add-ons because specific capabilities already appear in the plan they choose. A large app marketplace is not a reason to install unnecessary apps.
For recurring orders, test billing retries, failed payments, cancellation flows, customer portals, tax handling and data exports. Our best Shopify subscription apps guide and subscription management software comparison offer additional context. For lifecycle email marketing, see best email marketing software for ecommerce.
Print-on-demand is not a deciding advantage by itself: Printful supports both Shopify and BigCommerce integrations. You can explore Printful’s fulfillment service (affiliate link). Before choosing either platform, confirm what data syncs, how fulfillment status returns, whether shipping/tax assumptions are correct, your product margin after base costs, and how returns are handled. See Printful’s BigCommerce setup documentation and the Printful integration overview.
The five situations that clarify the choice
| Your situation | A sensible starting point and what to verify |
|---|---|
| New retail store with a small team | Start by testing Shopify Basic for catalog, checkout, payments and staff workflows. Also trial BigCommerce Core if your projected Inclusive GMV keeps you eligible and its built-in features replace paid apps. |
| Established brand with complex product rules | Trial BigCommerce Growth or Scale for your precise catalog requirements, then run the same prototype in Shopify. Compare the full extension/integration bill. |
| Merchant committed to an unusual payment gateway | Verify whether it is an eligible BigCommerce Embedded provider and whether Shopify applies third-party fees. Model every order-level charge. |
| Wholesale seller with negotiated price lists | Test Shopify’s current B2B catalog entitlements against BigCommerce customer and price-list controls on the plans you actually qualify for. |
| Subscription or print-on-demand business | Decide based on order events, integrations, margins, customer portal, refund/fulfillment processes and true provider costs—not marketplace app counts. |
A useful tie-breaker: If both platforms do the job at a similar full cost, choose the workflow your team can confidently maintain. If one requires a fragile custom integration for a business-critical task, that risk deserves more weight than a small subscription difference.
Seven-task trial checklist before you commit
- List hard requirements. Include product variants, discount rules, B2B terms, shipping, taxes, markets and your essential payment methods.
- Confirm plan eligibility. Record current and forecast 12-month GMV, Shopify plan features, and BigCommerce’s Core/Growth/Scale thresholds.
- Run the same test order. Create a product, promotion, shipping rule, and checkout on both. Test an order edit and refund.
- Reconcile payment fees. Identify the actual processing provider for each order type, and distinguish processor fees from additional platform fees.
- Prototype integrations. Test accounting, warehouse, subscriptions, email, or Printful with realistic data; check error handling.
- Audit search and portability. Inspect URLs, redirects, schema, exports and the work required to migrate away if circumstances change.
- Calculate year-one and renewal cost. Include the realistic app stack, contracted terms, agency work, support, scaling fees and staff time. Make a decision only after comparing the same scope.
Frequently asked questions
Is Shopify cheaper than BigCommerce in 2026?
Not necessarily. Their entry subscriptions can look identical at the published annual US rate, while BigCommerce GMV eligibility, provider fees, Shopify third-party fees, app spending, and development work can produce very different totals. Calculate your own order and payment mix.
Does BigCommerce still have no transaction fees?
The old blanket statement is misleading. BigCommerce charges no additional Open Payment Provider fee on orders processed through eligible Embedded Payment Providers, while other eligible orders on Core, Growth and Scale can incur 2%, 1%, or 0.6% respectively. Your payment gateway can charge its own processing fees in either case.
Does Shopify charge transaction fees if I use another gateway?
Additional third-party transaction fees can apply on orders processed by external/alternate providers, with published exceptions and special rules. Shopify’s listed rates are 2%, 1%, and 0.6% on Basic, Grow and Advanced respectively. Check the current help documentation and your selected configuration.
Which is easier to use for a beginner?
Shopify is a reasonable first trial for a straightforward retail launch. BigCommerce could fit better if an established operation needs its specific configurations. Test your ordinary product, refund, and shipping workflows to judge the real difference.
Is BigCommerce better for B2B?
Neither is automatically better. BigCommerce offers B2B-oriented options, while Shopify now supports B2B catalogs on Basic, Grow and Advanced, with wider catalog and company-level features on Plus. Compare the particular features you need, including negotiated pricing and payment terms, on eligible plans.
Which platform is best for SEO?
Neither has a proven universal ranking advantage. Both supply everyday SEO controls, with differing URL and template conventions. Structured data, indexing, redirects, internal linking and high-quality product content matter more than brand claims.
Can I migrate from Shopify to BigCommerce or vice versa?
Yes, but data exports do not transfer themes, app behavior, subscriptions, all SEO redirects, or every customer/payment token automatically. Plan a staging import and validate product variants, order data, URLs, consent, tax settings and integrations before switching live traffic.
Which is better for a rapidly growing store?
Model how your catalog, payments, staffing, B2B, multi-storefront and traffic requirements change. Both are viable for growing operations; BigCommerce’s published GMV thresholds and Shopify’s plan-specific capabilities will influence the cheapest suitable arrangement.
Final verdict: choose the platform that fits your store economics
Choose Shopify when you want a practical retail starting point, strong integrations, and a team that prefers managing products and customers rather than designing a complex technical stack. Explore current Shopify plans and trial terms (affiliate link), then compare the subscription, processing setup and required apps before paying.
Choose BigCommerce when its own catalog, promotions, storefront, customer, or integration tools reduce complexity for your business. Before signing, check current BigCommerce plan eligibility, GMV thresholds and payment-provider rules; the June 2026 pricing structure deserves explicit modeling.
If neither hosted service meets a vital requirement, an alternative such as WooCommerce may offer more architectural control with more maintenance responsibility. Read our Shopify vs WooCommerce comparison, WooCommerce vs BigCommerce guide, and complete ecommerce platform selection framework before committing. Your best choice is the system you can sustain after the promotional pricing and first launch have passed.
