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Shopify vs BigCommerce: Costs, Features and the Right Fit
BigCommerce ties every plan to a sales limit, while Shopify ties its fees to your payment provider. Here is what that means for your monthly bill, and when each platform is the better fit.
Key takeaways
- BigCommerce plans have sales limits. Core is capped at $30,000 a year and Growth at $100,000, measured on gross sales minus 10%, and you are moved up a plan automatically when you pass them.
- For most stores under about $10,000 a month, Shopify Basic costs less than the BigCommerce plan you would be placed on, and it includes abandoned cart emails, which BigCommerce Core doesn't.
- BigCommerce adds no fee when you use one of its embedded payment providers, a list that includes Stripe, Adyen, PayPal and Klarna. Shopify adds 2%, 1% or 0.6% if you don't use Shopify Payments.
- BigCommerce is the better fit when you must use a specific payment provider, need several storefronts from one back office, or Shopify Payments isn't available to you.
- Who it is for
- Growing stores comparing two hosted platforms
- Time needed
- 11 minutes to read, 30 minutes to run your numbers
- What you need
- Your trailing 12-month sales, order count and payment provider
Of the hosted platforms, BigCommerce is Shopify's closest rival, and this Shopify vs BigCommerce comparison is closer than most. I work on Shopify every day, so weigh my view with that in mind. BigCommerce is a serious platform, and there are businesses I'd point to it, mainly ones with strict payment provider needs or several storefronts. For most growing stores, though, the numbers below explain why I usually recommend Shopify.
Prices, sales limits and fees come from both companies' US pricing pages, checked on 7 November 2026. BigCommerce's UK site shows the same $ prices as its US site, excluding VAT.
The short answer
| Your situation | Better fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A new or small store, under about $10,000 a month | Shopify | Lower plan price, no sales cap, abandoned cart emails on every plan |
| You must use Stripe, Adyen or another specific provider | BigCommerce | No platform fee on its embedded providers |
| Several brand or country storefronts from one back office | BigCommerce | Multi-storefront add-on from $30 a month |
| A physical shop as well as the website | Shopify | Shopify POS runs on the same stock and customer list |
| You rely on apps and a wide choice of themes and developers | Shopify | The larger app store and developer pool |
| Shopify Payments isn't available for your business | BigCommerce | You avoid Shopify's third-party provider fee |
Shopify vs BigCommerce pricing
The plans look alike at first glance. The difference is that BigCommerce ties each plan to a sales limit.
| BigCommerce plan | Billed monthly | Billed yearly | Online sales limit | Fee on open payment providers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core | $39 a month | $29 a month | Up to $30,000 a year | 2% |
| Growth | $105 a month | $79 a month | Up to $100,000 a year | 1% |
| Scale | $399 a month | $299 a month | $33,333 a month, then 0.9% on sales above it | 0.6% |
| Performance | Billed yearly | From $1,499 a month | Custom | 0% with contract |
| Shopify plan | Billed monthly | Billed yearly | Sales limit | Fee if you don't use Shopify Payments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $25 a month | $19 a month | None | 2% |
| Grow | $65 a month | $49 a month | None | 1% |
| Advanced | $399 a month | $299 a month | None | 0.6% |
| Plus | From $2,300 a month | Not listed | None | 0.2% |
BigCommerce measures sales on a trailing 12-month basis using what it calls GMV: gross order value, including tax and shipping, minus 10%. In plain numbers, Core covers up to about $33,000 a year in gross sales, and Growth up to about $111,000, roughly $9,250 a month. Go past the limit and you are moved to the next plan. Above $2 million a year, Scale moves to Performance.
BigCommerce offers a 15-day free trial with no card needed. Shopify offered 3 days free, then $1 a month for three months.
Transaction fees and a worked example
Both platforms now charge a fee when you use a payment provider they don't favor, but the rules differ:
- Shopify adds no fee with Shopify Payments. With any other provider it adds 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow and 0.6% on Advanced. The standard US online rates Shopify has quoted are 2.9% + 30¢ on Basic, 2.7% + 30¢ on Grow and 2.5% + 30¢ on Advanced.
- BigCommerce adds no fee on its embedded providers, which include BigCommerce Payments, PayPal Braintree, PayPal, Stripe, Adyen, Checkout.com, Worldpay, Klarna, Afterpay, Clearpay, Affirm and Amazon Pay. Any other provider pays 2%, 1% or 0.6% depending on the plan. Card processing through PayPal Braintree starts at 2.89% + 29¢ for US businesses, with Amex at 3.50%, and negotiated rates are possible on Growth and above.
Monthly cost at two store sizes (US)
- Shopify Basic, $8,000 a month$299$19 plan, $280 card processing.
- BigCommerce Growth, $8,000 a month$357$79 plan (too big for Core), $278 card processing.
- Shopify Grow, $30,000 a month$1,039$49 plan, $990 card processing at the Grow rate.
- BigCommerce Scale, $30,000 a month$1,340$299 plan (past Growth's limit), $1,041 card processing.
At both sizes Shopify comes out cheaper, mainly because BigCommerce's sales limits push you onto a pricier plan sooner. The picture flips if you can't or won't use Shopify Payments. Take the $30,000 store on Shopify Grow with another provider: the 1% fee adds $300 a month, enough to bring it level with BigCommerce Scale. If your business needs Stripe or Adyen for a good reason, BigCommerce deserves a proper look.
What each plan includes
BigCommerce keeps several store features off its cheapest plans. These are from its pricing page:
| Feature | BigCommerce | Shopify |
|---|---|---|
| Abandoned cart recovery | Growth and above | Every plan |
| Customer groups and stored cards | Growth and above | Customer segments on every plan; Shop Pay stores details |
| Product filtering and faceted search | Scale and above | Through the theme and Shopify's Search & Discovery app |
| Multi-currency | Every plan | Every plan, through Shopify Markets |
| Staff accounts | Included on all plans, number not stated | None extra on Basic, 5 on Grow, 15 on Advanced, unlimited on Plus |
| B2B price lists | Performance | Built in on Plus, apps on other plans |
The abandoned cart point matters more than it looks. Recovery emails often win back a meaningful share of lost checkouts, and on BigCommerce Core you don't get them without an app.
Catalog, checkout and apps
BigCommerce has a reputation for doing more out of the box, and in some areas that holds: multi-currency on every plan, four or more inventory locations from the start, and phone support included from Growth up (it is a $29 a month add-on on Core). Shopify answers with a larger set of first-party features, such as Shop Pay, Shopify Markets, Shopify POS and B2B on Plus, and a much bigger app store.
Checkout is where I see the biggest practical difference. Shop Pay saves a shopper's details across every Shopify store, so returning shoppers pay in a couple of taps. Shopify keeps refining that checkout across millions of stores, and on Plus you can extend it further.
The developer pool matters too. There are far more Shopify themes, apps and developers, which keeps build and support costs down and makes it easier to replace a supplier. If you want a sense of what a typical store installs, see what apps a Shopify store uses.
Multiple storefronts and B2B
This is BigCommerce's strongest card. Its multi-storefront add-on runs several storefronts from one account: $30 a month for up to 3 on Core, $50 for up to 5 on Growth and $100 for up to 8 on Scale, as far as I can read the pricing table. On Shopify, separate brands usually mean separate stores, or Shopify Plus, which starts at $2,300 a month.
For B2B, BigCommerce sells a separate B2B Commerce solution, and its plan table only lists B2B price lists on Performance, from $1,499 a month. Shopify's fullest B2B features are on Plus, with wholesale apps available on every plan. If wholesale is a big part of your business, get a written quote from both before deciding.
Selling to other countries
Shopify Markets lets one store show local currencies, prices, languages and domains per country. BigCommerce includes multi-currency on every plan and uses multi-storefront for separate country sites.
- United States. Both are strong. BigCommerce's 2.89% + 29¢ Braintree rate requires a US-based business.
- United Kingdom. BigCommerce's UK site shows the same $ prices as the US site, excluding VAT, so your bill moves with the exchange rate. Shopify bills UK plans in pounds: Basic £19 and Grow £49 a month on yearly billing, with Shopify Payments at 2% + 25p and 1.7% + 25p. Clearpay and Klarna are embedded on BigCommerce, so they carry no extra platform fee.
- Netherlands and the EU. Dutch shoppers expect iDEAL and Belgian shoppers Bancontact. On BigCommerce, check that an embedded provider such as Adyen or Stripe offers them, or you pay the open provider fee. Charge BTW correctly per country.
- Australia. Afterpay and Zip are on BigCommerce's embedded list. Check Australia Post label tools on both platforms.
When to choose which
Choose BigCommerce if:
- You must keep a particular payment provider, such as Adyen or Stripe, and it's on BigCommerce's embedded list.
- You run several brands or country sites and want them in one back office without paying for Shopify Plus.
- Shopify Payments isn't available for your business or country.
Choose Shopify if:
- You sell under about $10,000 a month and want the lowest running cost with abandoned cart emails included.
- You sell in person, or plan to.
- You want the widest choice of apps, themes and developers.
- Your sales are growing fast and you don't want each threshold to trigger a plan change.
If you are also weighing Wix, I compare it separately in Shopify vs Wix, and WooCommerce in Shopify vs WooCommerce vs BigCommerce.
How to decide in four questions
BigCommerce or Shopify?
- 1
Must you use a payment provider other than Shopify Payments?
Yes: price up BigCommerce with that providerNo: next question
- 2
Do you need several storefronts from one back office?
Yes: BigCommerce multi-storefront, or Shopify Plus if budget allowsNo: next question
- 3
Do you sell in person, or rely on many apps?
Yes: ShopifyNo: next question
- 4
Will your sales pass about $9,250 a month within a year?
Yes: Shopify, to avoid forced upgradesNo: either works, so compare the full monthly cost
Whichever you choose, model the full monthly bill, including card fees and apps, before you sign a yearly plan.
Moving from BigCommerce to Shopify
- Export products. Export products, variants and images from BigCommerce as CSV and map them to Shopify's product CSV. Custom fields usually become metafields.
- Bring customers and orders across. Customer records move by CSV or a migration app. Passwords can't move, so plan a set-a-new-password email. Order history needs an app or a developer.
- Rebuild the theme. BigCommerce themes don't transfer. Pick a Shopify theme and rebuild key templates, starting with product and collection pages.
- Map every URL. BigCommerce allows custom product URLs, while Shopify uses
/products/and/collections/. Redirect every old URL with Shopify's URL redirects. - Set up payments and apps. Activate Shopify Payments if available, and replace each BigCommerce app or built-in feature you rely on.
- Test, launch, then watch. Place real test orders, check redirects and watch Search Console for a few weeks.
If you'd like the move handled for you, my Shopify development work covers migrations with a fixed quote. Start with a free review and I'll tell you honestly whether moving would save you money.
Free tools
Check your own store
Free, no sign-up. Each one runs a part of this guide for you.
Frequently asked questions
Is BigCommerce cheaper than Shopify?
Usually not once a store sells. BigCommerce's sales limits move you to a pricier plan sooner: a store selling $8,000 a month needs Growth at $79, against Shopify Basic at $19. BigCommerce can work out cheaper if you must use a payment provider other than Shopify Payments.
Does BigCommerce have transaction fees?
There is no fee on its embedded payment providers, which include BigCommerce Payments, PayPal Braintree, Stripe, Adyen and Klarna. Other providers pay an open payment provider fee of 2% on Core, 1% on Growth and 0.6% on Scale. You still pay card processing to the provider.
What are BigCommerce's sales limits?
Core covers up to $30,000 a year and Growth up to $100,000, measured on trailing 12-month gross sales minus 10%. Scale covers $33,333 a month, with a 0.9% charge on sales above that. Pass a limit and you move up a plan automatically.
Is BigCommerce better for B2B than Shopify?
It depends on budget. BigCommerce sells B2B as a separate solution and lists B2B price lists on Performance, from $1,499 a month. Shopify's fullest B2B features are on Plus, from $2,300 a month, with wholesale apps on every plan. Get quotes from both.
Which has more apps, Shopify or BigCommerce?
Shopify. Its app store, theme library and developer pool are much larger, which makes it easier to add features and to find help.
How hard is it to move from BigCommerce to Shopify?
It's a standard migration: products and customers export by CSV, the theme is rebuilt, and every old URL is redirected. URLs need the most care, because BigCommerce allows custom product URLs and Shopify uses fixed patterns.
Sources
- BigCommerce pricing, BigCommerce
- BigCommerce UK pricing, BigCommerce
- Shopify pricing, Shopify
- Shopify POS pricing, Shopify
Related services and work
I'm a Shopify developer and CRO specialist. I have built and improved Shopify stores since 2018, completed more than 1,000 projects, and hold a 4.96 average rating across 719 client reviews.
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