Shopify vs BigCommerce Which is Better in 2026?

Shopify and BigCommerce are both hosted ecommerce platforms capable of supporting businesses from initial launch to enterprise growth. They provide managed hosting, storefront tools, product management, checkout, multichannel selling and app integrations.

The difference lies in how they deliver those capabilities.

Shopify prioritises ease of use, a broad app ecosystem and an integrated retail experience. BigCommerce includes more commerce functionality natively and provides greater control over areas such as multi-storefront management, customer groups and payment-provider selection.

However, BigCommerce’s June 2026 pricing changes make the comparison more complicated. Its self-service plans now have lower sales thresholds, and orders processed through certain Open Payment Providers can incur an additional platform fee.

For most small and growing direct-to-consumer stores, Shopify is the easier all-round choice. BigCommerce becomes particularly relevant for businesses with complex catalogues, multiple storefronts, specialised payment requirements or combined B2B and B2C operations.

Shopify vs BigCommerce: Quick Comparison

What Is Shopify?

Shopify is a hosted commerce platform for selling through an online store, physical retail locations, social platforms, marketplaces and other customer touchpoints.

Its standard plans include:

• Storefront hosting
• Product and inventory management
• Checkout
• Order management
• Discounts
• Customer accounts
• Analytics
• Shipping configuration
• Abandoned checkout recovery
• Fraud analysis in supported payment configurations
• Marketing tools
• POS capabilities

Businesses can extend Shopify through its app marketplace, custom themes, APIs and headless commerce tools.

Shopify Plus adds enterprise capabilities, including B2B commerce, greater checkout extensibility, organisational controls and higher-scale operations.

What Is BigCommerce?

BigCommerce is a hosted, API-driven ecommerce platform designed for B2C, B2B, multi-brand and multi-region businesses.

Its native capabilities include:

• Product and variant management
• Customer groups
• Price lists
• Product filtering
• Promotions
• Multi-currency selling
• Multi-storefront management
• Marketplace integrations
• Headless commerce
• Checkout customisation
• B2B functionality through B2B Edition
• ERP and operational integrations

BigCommerce’s broader native feature set can reduce the number of apps needed for some stores. However, this also makes its administration and pricing structure more complex.

Shopify vs BigCommerce: Detailed Comparison

1. Ease of Use

Shopify

Shopify’s admin is organised around common commerce activities:

• Products
• Orders
• Customers
• Inventory
• Discounts
• Marketing
• Analytics
• Sales channels

Its guided setup, theme editor and app-installation process make it approachable for merchants launching their first store.

Day-to-day activities are relatively easy to learn. Complexity increases when the business introduces many apps, markets, shipping profiles, B2B catalogues or custom integrations.

BigCommerce

BigCommerce provides more configuration options within the platform. Merchants can manage detailed product settings, customer groups, storefronts, promotions and payment configurations without immediately installing apps.

The trade-off is a denser administration experience. Teams may need more time to understand where settings are located and how they affect different storefronts or customer groups.

Winner: Shopify.

2. Themes and Storefront Design

Shopify

Shopify provides a larger ecosystem of free and paid commerce themes. Its themes use Liquid, HTML, CSS and JavaScript.

The theme editor allows merchants to add and rearrange sections without code. Developers can create custom sections, templates and app extensions for more advanced requirements.

Shopify is particularly strong when a business needs:

• A wide choice of ready-made themes
• Access to specialist theme developers
• App-compatible storefront components
• Product-focused layouts
• Custom headless storefronts

BigCommerce

BigCommerce uses the Stencil theme framework and includes a visual Page Builder. Developers work with technologies including Handlebars, HTML, CSS and JavaScript.

Its theme selection is smaller, but the platform supports substantial storefront customisation. BigCommerce also offers headless options and Catalyst for businesses needing a custom front end.

The final result depends more on the selected theme and implementation than on the platform itself.

Winner: Shopify for theme choice; tie for custom development potential.

3. Product and Catalogue Management

Shopify

Shopify currently supports up to:

• 2,048 variants per product
• Three product options
• 250 media items per product

However, merchants using more than 100 variants should verify compatibility with their theme, apps and sales channels. Some integrations still operate around the older 100-variant expectation.

Shopify also provides:

• Metafields
• Category metafields
• Product bundles
• Combined Listings for eligible Shopify Plus stores
• Multiple inventory locations
• Product catalogues
• Bulk editing and CSV imports

BigCommerce

BigCommerce has traditionally been strong in complex catalogue management. It supports extensive variant combinations, custom fields, product modifiers, customer groups and price lists.

This can suit stores selling:

• Configurable products
• Wholesale catalogues
• Customer-specific pricing
• Technical products
• Large numbers of SKUs
• Products requiring non-inventory options

Product modifiers are particularly useful when an option should customise an item without creating a separately tracked inventory variant.

Winner: BigCommerce for complex catalogues; Shopify for a more straightforward management experience.

4. Built-In Ecommerce Features

Shopify

Shopify includes the essential capabilities needed to operate an online store. Additional functionality is commonly added through apps.

Popular app-dependent requirements include:

• Advanced product reviews
• Complex subscriptions
• Loyalty programmes
• Specialist product filtering
• Wholesale workflows on non-Plus plans
• Manufacturing
• Advanced bundles
• Custom product builders

The advantage is choice. Merchants can select the provider that fits their needs.

The disadvantage is that several paid apps can increase costs, add scripts and create overlapping data or support responsibilities.

BigCommerce

BigCommerce includes more functionality natively, such as:

• Product ratings and reviews
• Customer groups
• Advanced promotions
• Product filtering on eligible plans and themes
• Multi-currency features
• Price lists
• Multi-storefront
• Complex catalogue tools

This can reduce app dependence, but merchants should not assume every advanced feature is included in every plan. Some B2B, enterprise and operational capabilities require separate products, add-ons or negotiated pricing.

Winner: BigCommerce.

5. Apps and Integrations

Shopify

Shopify has the larger app ecosystem. Merchants can find tools for:

• Reviews
• Subscriptions
• Loyalty
• Search
• Shipping
• Inventory planning
• Accounting
• Customer support
• Personalisation
• Returns
• Marketplaces
• B2B
• Analytics
• Print on demand
• Dropshipping

Its large partner ecosystem also makes it easier to find developers and agencies with platform-specific experience.

BigCommerce

BigCommerce has a smaller app marketplace but provides established integrations with payment providers, ERP systems, marketplaces, POS platforms and marketing tools.

Its native features mean some stores may require fewer apps. Businesses should still confirm that critical systems have maintained, supported connectors.

Winner: Shopify.

6. SEO

Both platforms provide the main technical controls required for ecommerce SEO.

Shopify SEO

Shopify supports:

• Editable title tags and meta descriptions
• Canonical tags
• Automatic XML sitemaps
• Redirect management
• Image alt text
• Structured data through themes
• Blogging
• Editable URL handles

Shopify uses fixed directories such as /products/, /collections/ and /blogs/. These directories are not inherently harmful, but merchants cannot remove them through standard settings.

BigCommerce SEO

BigCommerce supports:

• Editable metadata
• Customisable URLs
• Automatic sitemaps
• Redirects
• Canonical settings
• Product microdata
• Blogging
• Image optimisation controls

Its greater URL flexibility can be helpful during site architecture planning and migration.

That does not mean a BigCommerce store will automatically outrank a Shopify store. Content quality, internal linking, faceted navigation, performance, backlinks and implementation remain more important than the platform name.

Winner: BigCommerce by a narrow margin for technical control.

7. Payments and Platform Transaction Fees

Payment costs require particular attention in 2026 because both platforms can charge additional fees depending on the provider used.

Shopify

Where Shopify Payments is available, merchants can use it without paying Shopify’s additional third-party transaction fee.

When an external payment provider is used, Shopify’s current additional platform fees are:

These charges are separate from the payment processor’s own fees.

Shopify Payments and individual gateways are not available in every country. Merchants must check the payment options supported in their registered business location.

BigCommerce

BigCommerce historically promoted zero platform transaction fees. That position changed for self-service plans in June 2026.

Payment providers are now divided into two groups:

• Embedded Payment Providers: Eligible orders do not incur an Open Payment Provider Fee.
• Open Payment Providers: Eligible orders incur an additional fee based on the BigCommerce plan.

The current Open Payment Provider Fees are:

BigCommerce currently lists more than 20 Embedded Payment Providers. The provider list can change, so merchants should verify whether their preferred gateway is classified as embedded before calculating costs.

Offline orders, including some purchase-order workflows, may also be included in Open Payment Provider GMV.

Winner: BigCommerce if your preferred gateway is an Embedded Payment Provider; otherwise, compare the actual fee structure carefully.

8. Pricing

Shopify pricing

Current US list prices are:

Shopify does not automatically move standard stores to a higher plan based solely on sales revenue. Merchants can upgrade when they need additional features, staff access or lower rates.

BigCommerce pricing

BigCommerce changed its plan names and thresholds on 1 June 2026:

Core automatically upgrades to Growth after exceeding its threshold. Growth similarly upgrades to Scale.

Scale charges a 0.9% overage on GMV above $33,333 in a month and can move to Performance after reaching $2 million in trailing 12-month GMV.

BigCommerce calculates qualifying GMV using its published methodology, which includes more than product revenue alone. Merchants should review how discounts, shipping, taxes, marketplace orders and payment types affect the calculation.

Total-cost considerations

For either platform, include:

• Subscription
• Payment processing
• Platform payment-provider fees
• Apps
• Themes
• Additional storefronts
• POS
• B2B products
• Development
• Maintenance
• Email and SMS usage

BigCommerce may reduce app costs but introduces sales-based plan movement and provider-classification considerations. Shopify may require more apps but gives merchants greater control over when they upgrade standard plans.

Winner: Shopify for pricing predictability.

9. Multi-Storefront and Multi-Brand Commerce

Shopify

Shopify can support multiple brands, regions and customer experiences through Markets, expansion stores, catalogues and Shopify Plus organisational tools.

The exact architecture depends on whether the business uses:

• One store with several markets
• Multiple Shopify stores
• Shopify Plus expansion stores
• Headless storefronts
• Separate catalogues

Multiple independent stores may require duplicated apps, themes and administrative work.

BigCommerce

BigCommerce Multi-Storefront allows businesses to manage several storefronts from one backend.

Merchants can vary:

• Domains
• Themes
• Product availability
• Categories
• Pricing
• Customer groups
• Currencies
• Regional experiences

Current additional storefront pricing begins at:

• Core: $30 per month per storefront, up to three
• Growth: $50 per month per storefront, up to five
• Scale: $100 per month per storefront, up to eight
• Performance: Custom

Limits and pricing should be confirmed for the intended configuration.

Winner: BigCommerce.

10. International Selling

Shopify

Shopify Markets supports international selling through tools for:

• Markets
• Local currencies
• Languages
• Domains and subfolders
• Market-specific catalogues
• International pricing
• Duties and import taxes
• Local payment methods

Feature availability depends on the merchant’s plan, country and Shopify Payments eligibility.

BigCommerce

BigCommerce supports multi-currency selling and can use Multi-Storefront to create region-specific stores with separate domains, catalogues, content and default currencies.

Translation and localisation may require integrations or separate storefront configuration.

Shopify offers a more guided international ecosystem, while BigCommerce provides strong structural control for businesses operating distinct regional storefronts.

Winner: Tie. Shopify is easier for centralised international selling; BigCommerce is strong for separately managed regional storefronts.

11. B2B Ecommerce

Shopify

Shopify’s native B2B capabilities are available on Shopify Plus.

They include:

• Companies and company locations
• Customer-specific catalogues
• Price lists
• Quantity rules
• Payment terms
• Draft-order workflows
• B2B customer accounts
• Combined B2B and DTC selling

Businesses on standard Shopify plans generally need apps or custom development for wholesale functionality.

BigCommerce

BigCommerce supports customer groups and price lists, while B2B Edition adds capabilities such as:

• Company account management
• Buyer roles
• Shared shopping lists
• Quote requests
• Invoice management
• Sales representative tools
• Reordering
• Payment controls
• Buyer Portal

B2B Edition is not equivalent to the standard self-service plan and may involve additional or negotiated pricing.

For manufacturers and distributors with complex account hierarchies or quote-based purchasing, BigCommerce deserves serious consideration.

Winner: BigCommerce for complex B2B requirements; Shopify for businesses already committed to Shopify Plus and combined DTC operations.

12. Point of Sale

Shopify

Shopify POS is a first-party system connected to online products, inventory, customers and orders.

POS Pro adds advanced functionality for an additional monthly fee per location.

It is well suited to:

• Retail shops
• Pop-ups
• Multiple locations
• In-person returns
• Omnichannel customer profiles
• Store pickup
• Unified inventory

BigCommerce

BigCommerce supports in-person commerce through integrations with POS providers. This provides vendor choice but means the merchant must evaluate connector quality, feature coverage, support and synchronisation.

Winner: Shopify.

13. Performance and Scalability

Both platforms provide managed cloud hosting, CDN delivery and security infrastructure. Neither requires standard merchants to manage servers.

A store’s real performance depends on:

• Theme quality
• Image optimisation
• Third-party scripts
• Apps
• Tracking tags
• Custom code
• API calls
• Catalogue structure

BigCommerce’s native tools may reduce the need for storefront apps, but fewer apps do not automatically guarantee faster performance. Shopify can also perform well when themes and extensions are implemented carefully.

Both platforms support enterprise and headless architectures.

Winner: Tie.

14. Customer Support

Shopify

Shopify provides 24/7 chat support on standard plans, along with documentation, community resources and a large partner network.

Support levels and account management differ for Shopify Plus.

BigCommerce

BigCommerce currently provides:

• Core: 24/7 chat and email support
• Growth and Scale: 24/7 phone, chat and email support
• Performance: Higher-touch enterprise support

Core merchants can add phone support separately where offered.

The support channel alone should not decide the platform. Evaluate the quality of documentation, partner availability and support for any third-party apps or integrations used.

Winner: Tie, with plan-specific differences.

Shopify vs BigCommerce: Which Should You Choose?

Choose Shopify if:

• You want the easier setup experience.
• You are launching a DTC brand.
• You need a broad choice of themes and apps.
• You sell through physical retail locations.
• You want a large developer and agency ecosystem.
• You prefer to choose when to upgrade plans.
• Shopify Payments supports your business location.
• You need a mature social, marketplace and POS ecosystem.
• You are comfortable adding apps for specialised features.

Choose BigCommerce if:

• You want more commerce functionality built in.
• You manage several brands or regional storefronts.
• You need customer groups and complex price lists.
• Your preferred payment gateway is an Embedded Payment Provider.
• You have a complex product catalogue.
• You need extensive URL and checkout control.
• You operate B2B and B2C workflows.
• You want several storefronts managed from one backend.
• You understand and accept the GMV-based pricing model.

Best Platform by Business Type

Migrating Between Shopify and BigCommerce

Migration is possible in either direction, but it requires more than copying product records.

Plan for:

• Products
• Variants
• Images
• Categories or collections
• Customers
• Orders
• Discounts
• Gift cards
• Reviews
• Subscriptions
• Price lists
• Customer groups
• SEO metadata
• Redirects
• App data
• Analytics
• Payment and tax settings

Shopify and BigCommerce use different catalogue structures and URL patterns. Create a complete redirect map and validate important product, category and content URLs before launch.

Customer passwords, subscriptions and certain app records may not transfer directly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is BigCommerce better than Shopify?

BigCommerce is stronger for native multi-storefront, complex catalogue and some B2B requirements. Shopify is generally easier to operate and offers a larger ecosystem of apps, themes, developers and retail tools.

Is BigCommerce still free from transaction fees?

Not in every configuration. Since June 2026, self-service plans charge Open Payment Provider Fees on eligible orders. Orders processed through approved Embedded Payment Providers avoid this additional platform fee.

Which platform is cheaper?

Their self-service subscription prices now align closely. Shopify may require more paid apps, while BigCommerce uses GMV thresholds, automatic upgrades, Scale overages and payment-provider fees that can increase total cost.

Does BigCommerce automatically upgrade your plan?

Yes. Core and Growth plans automatically move to the next tier when trailing 12-month GMV exceeds the published threshold. Scale applies monthly overages and can move to Performance at higher volume.

Which platform is better for SEO?

Both can rank well. BigCommerce offers greater URL flexibility, while Shopify has strong product and collection SEO foundations. Content, technical implementation, internal linking and authority matter more than the platform alone.

Which platform supports more product variants?

Shopify now supports up to 2,048 variants per product, although some themes and apps remain limited. BigCommerce also supports complex product configurations and separates inventory variants from product modifiers.

Which is better for international ecommerce?

Shopify offers a more guided international-selling system through Markets. BigCommerce is particularly useful when separate regional storefronts, domains, catalogues and currencies must be managed from one backend.

Can I migrate from BigCommerce to Shopify?

Yes, but product structures, customers, orders, redirects, reviews and integrations require careful mapping. Passwords, subscriptions and some B2B or app data may need separate migration processes or manual recreation.

Final Verdict: Shopify or BigCommerce?

For most startups, direct-to-consumer brands and omnichannel retailers, Shopify is the better overall choice in 2026. It is easier to use, has a larger ecosystem and provides stronger first-party retail tools.

For multi-brand businesses, complex catalogues and organisations requiring native multi-storefront or advanced B2B workflows, BigCommerce may be the better architectural fit.

BigCommerce’s 2026 pricing changes remove one of its previous headline advantages. It should no longer be selected simply because it supposedly charges no platform transaction fees. The answer now depends on your payment provider, GMV, storefront count and required features.

Compare both platforms using your actual catalogue, payments, sales volume and app requirements. The cheaper subscription is not necessarily the platform with the lower total cost.