BigCommerce vs Shopify

Updated October 2026 · AppBreakup editorial

BigCommerce

Hosted ecommerce platform with many features built in, strong B2B tools and headless options.

Paid

Visit BigCommerce BigCommerce profile

Shopify

The leading hosted ecommerce platform, with themes, checkout, POS and a huge app store.

Paid

Visit Shopify Shopify profile

The short answer

Pick Shopify if you want the largest app and theme ecosystem, a highly trusted checkout with Shop Pay and built-in point of sale. Pick BigCommerce if you want more features built in, no extra fee for using your own payment gateway, and strong B2B or headless options. Both are hosted platforms; the biggest difference is that BigCommerce includes more natively while Shopify relies on its app store.

BigCommerce or Shopify: our take

Shopify and BigCommerce are both hosted ecommerce platforms that handle hosting, security and checkout. Shopify is the default for many sellers, with a checkout that includes Shop Pay, more than 21,000 apps and more than 200 pre-built themes, built-in point of sale and sales channels for marketplaces and social platforms. It accounts for about 10% of US ecommerce sales. BigCommerce includes more out of the box, such as product options, faceted search, B2B price lists and multi-storefront, so stores often need fewer paid apps. Its APIs and headless support let you run the backend on BigCommerce with a custom frontend or a WordPress storefront; Shopify offers its Hydrogen framework and APIs for custom storefronts.

The pricing models differ in important ways. Shopify charges a monthly plan fee and adds transaction fees when you use a third-party payment provider, and paid apps raise the bill further. BigCommerce charges no extra fee for third-party gateways, which matters if you already have a processor. Its Core plan is $29/month and Growth $79/month, both billed annually, but plans are tied to annual sales, so a growing store is moved to a pricier tier automatically once it passes a threshold. BigCommerce offers a 15-day free trial; Shopify's is 3 days.

On day-to-day use, Shopify is usually easier for small shops, while BigCommerce's admin can feel complex. BigCommerce's theme and app ecosystems are smaller, so niche features are more likely to need custom work. Both have mobile apps for managing orders.

For most new and growing direct-to-consumer brands, Shopify's ecosystem and checkout make it the safer default. For B2B sellers, merchants with an existing payment processor, or teams planning a headless build that want more built in, BigCommerce deserves a serious look.

Choose BigCommerce if…

Growing and B2B merchants who want rich built-in features and gateway choice
Many features built in, fewer paid apps needed
No extra fee for third-party payment gateways

Choose Shopify if…

Most merchants who want a reliable hosted store that can grow from first sale to enterprise
Fast, trusted checkout with Shop Pay
Largest ecommerce app and theme ecosystem

What is BigCommerce?

BigCommerce is a hosted ecommerce platform that competes closely with Shopify. It includes more features natively, such as product options, faceted search, B2B price lists and multi-storefront, so many stores need fewer paid apps. It does not charge extra transaction fees for using third-party payment gateways, which matters for merchants who already have a processor. Its APIs and headless support let you run the backend on BigCommerce with a custom frontend or a WordPress storefront. Plans are tied to annual sales, so a growing store is automatically moved up to a pricier tier once it passes the threshold, and the theme and app ecosystems are smaller than Shopify's. A fully functional 15-day free trial is available, and annual billing is cheaper than monthly. It runs in the browser with a mobile app for managing orders.

What is Shopify?

Shopify is a hosted platform for running an online store, and for many sellers the default starting point. You choose a theme, add products and connect payments, and Shopify handles hosting, security, checkout and updates. Its strengths are the checkout, including Shop Pay, a vast app store for nearly any feature, built-in point of sale for physical shops, and sales channels for marketplaces and social platforms. Larger brands move to Shopify Plus, and developers can build custom storefronts with its Hydrogen framework and APIs. The costs add up: monthly plan fees, extra transaction fees if you use a third-party payment provider, and paid apps for features some rivals include. Customising checkout and deeper logic needs higher plans or developers. Plans are billed monthly or yearly in local currency after a short trial. It runs in the browser with iOS and Android apps for managing the store.

Side by side

Attribute	BigCommerce	Shopify
Pricing	Paid	Paid
Open source	No	No
Self-hostable	No	No
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android	Web, iOS, Android
Best for	Growing and B2B merchants who want rich built-in features and gateway choice	Most merchants who want a reliable hosted store that can grow from first sale to enterprise
Status	Active	Active

Verified facts, compared

Facts both apps publish, checked on each vendor's own site.

Fact	BigCommerce	Shopify
Free trial	15 days	3 days