Shopify and BigCommerce are the two leading hosted ecommerce platforms in 2026, but they make fundamentally different tradeoffs. Shopify prioritizes ecosystem and ease of use. BigCommerce prioritizes built-in features and zero transaction fees.
Here’s how they compare on the things that actually matter for your store.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Shopify | BigCommerce |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $39/mo (Basic) | $39/mo (Standard) |
| Transaction Fees | 2.9% + $0.30 (Basic) | 0% on all plans |
| Third-Party Gateway Fee | 0.6%–2% surcharge | None |
| Free Themes | 12+ | 12+ |
| App Ecosystem | 8,000+ apps | 1,200+ apps |
| Built-in Features | Moderate | Extensive |
| Multi-Channel Selling | Excellent | Good |
| B2B Features | Plus plan ($2,300+/mo) | Included on higher tiers |
Pricing
Both platforms start at $39/month, but the real cost difference comes from transaction fees and the features included at each tier.
Shopify: Basic $39/mo, Grow $105/mo, Advanced $399/mo, Plus from $2,300/mo. Annual billing saves ~25%. Using any payment gateway other than Shopify Payments adds a 0.6%–2% surcharge per transaction.
BigCommerce: Standard $39/mo, Plus $79/mo (annual), Pro $299/mo (annual), Enterprise custom. BigCommerce charges zero transaction fees on all plans regardless of payment gateway.
Winner: BigCommerce on pure pricing, especially if you don’t use Shopify Payments. If you use Shopify Payments and operate in a supported region, the gap narrows significantly.
Ease of Use
Shopify’s admin is cleaner and more intuitive. Setting up a store, adding products, and processing orders feels effortless. The onboarding flow guides new merchants step by step.
BigCommerce’s admin is more feature-dense, which means more options on every screen. It’s not difficult to use, but there’s more to learn upfront. Power users appreciate the control; beginners may feel overwhelmed.
Winner: Shopify for beginners. BigCommerce for merchants who want granular control from day one.
Built-in Features
This is where BigCommerce shines. Out of the box, BigCommerce includes:
- Real-time shipping quotes from all major carriers
- Advanced product filtering and faceted search
- Multi-currency and multi-language support
- Customer groups and price lists
- Built-in product reviews and ratings
Shopify requires paid apps for several of these features. Real-time carrier shipping, for instance, requires the Advanced plan ($399/mo) or a third-party app.
Winner: BigCommerce. More features included at lower price points.
App Ecosystem
Shopify’s app store has 8,000+ apps covering virtually every ecommerce need. BigCommerce’s marketplace has ~1,200 apps. While BigCommerce covers the essentials, Shopify’s ecosystem is unmatched for niche requirements.
This matters because ecommerce stores inevitably need specialized functionality—loyalty programs, subscription billing, reviews, email marketing. With Shopify, there’s almost always an app. With BigCommerce, you may need custom development.
Winner: Shopify, by a significant margin.
Themes and Design
Both platforms offer professional themes, but Shopify’s theme ecosystem is larger and more actively developed. Shopify’s Theme Store has hundreds of options from $0 to $400. BigCommerce’s selection is smaller but includes solid free options.
Shopify’s Liquid templating language is well-documented and has a large developer community. BigCommerce uses Stencil, which is capable but has a smaller talent pool.
Winner: Shopify for variety and developer ecosystem.
Scalability
Both platforms handle high-traffic stores well. Shopify Plus is the clear enterprise play with dedicated infrastructure, checkout customization, and multi-store management. BigCommerce Enterprise competes on features but has a smaller enterprise customer base.
BigCommerce applies annual revenue caps to each plan tier (Standard: $50K, Plus: $180K, Pro: $400K). Exceeding these thresholds forces an upgrade. Shopify has no revenue caps.
Winner: Shopify for enterprise scale. BigCommerce’s revenue caps are a minor annoyance.
SEO
Both platforms handle SEO fundamentals well—custom URLs, meta tags, sitemaps, 301 redirects. BigCommerce has a slight edge with more flexible URL structures out of the box. Shopify forces /collections/ and /products/ prefixes in URLs, which some SEO practitioners dislike.
Winner: Slight edge to BigCommerce on URL flexibility.
Who Should Choose Which?
Choose Shopify if:
- You’re new to ecommerce and want the smoothest setup
- You need a massive app ecosystem for specialized features
- You plan to sell across multiple channels (Instagram, TikTok, Amazon)
- You’re in a region supported by Shopify Payments
Choose BigCommerce if:
- Transaction fees are a concern (especially with third-party gateways)
- You want more built-in features without paying for apps
- You need B2B features without enterprise pricing
- URL structure and SEO flexibility matter to you
Bottom Line
Shopify wins on ecosystem, ease of use, and brand momentum. BigCommerce wins on value—more features included at every price point and zero transaction fees. For most new merchants, Shopify is the safer bet. For cost-conscious merchants who know what they need, BigCommerce often delivers more for less.
Learn more → Shopify review | BigCommerce review | Shopify Pricing 2026