Shopify vs BigCommerce: Which Platform Is Best For You?

Shopify and BigCommerce carry identical sticker prices in 2026: $29, $79, and $299 per month on annual billing, so the decision comes down to payment fees, built-in features, and how each platform handles disputes. Shopify fits most merchants with its 16,000+ app ecosystem and native payments, while BigCommerce fits merchants who want built-in B2B tools and a choice of 20+ fee-free payment processors. For a full breakdown of shopify chargeback trends and prevention tips, check Chargeflow's dedicated guide.

Which platform will power your eCommerce success? Choose wrong, and you could overpay on fees or outgrow your plan sooner than expected. Some entrepreneurs skip the build phase entirely and buy an existing Shopify store instead — our guide on how to buy a Shopify store covers what to look for.

Shopify attracts beginners with its simple setup and user-friendly dashboard, while BigCommerce empowers savvy eCommerce merchants with built-in tools and B2B features. Payment processing is hassle-free on both platforms. They cater to all business types with scalable SaaS plans. Their chargeback management policies are equally similar. Merchants incur $15-$50 chargeback fees and risk suspension for excessive chargebacks, which is why keeping a healthy chargeback ratio matters. If you're new to the term, our what is a chargeback guide covers the basics before you compare platforms.

If choosing between Shopify vs. BigCommerce feels like a high-stakes gamble for you, don't worry. This guide will help you make informed decisions. We'll tackle the key questions on many merchants' minds: Is Shopify the king of eCommerce? What truly separates them? When can you choose one over the other?

Let's jump right in!

Shopify Features and Overview at a Glance

Shopify is a dominant eCommerce platform renowned for its simplicity and robust features. With over 5 million active stores in 175+ countries, Shopify is transforming how businesses of all sizes sell and interact with their prospects online.

Our recent Shopify statistics show that Shopify surpassed $1 trillion in cumulative GMV in 2024. Shopify commands ~30% share of the top million eCommerce sites and 73% share of the top 800 DTC brands.

Shopify's extensive functionalities include marketing, SEO, inventory, and shipping integrations…you get vast tools for dropshipping, analytics, and secure checkout. You also get 24/7 support through chat, email, or phone. Native payment option Shopify Payments eliminates third-party transaction fees, and multi-channel selling gives merchants access to platforms like Amazon, Instagram, and TikTok. The extensive Shopify app ecosystem helps merchants "do more, go bigger, and sell wider."

Shopify POS connects online and in-person transactions. Shopify POS delivers a 22% better total cost of ownership, a 20% faster implementation time, and an 8.9% sales spike.

Shopify Key Features

Shopify has established itself as the all-in-one commerce platform "to start, run, and grow a business." It's ideal for merchants seeking an accessible, design-focused platform with vast customization potential:

1. No-Code store builder: Easily design a responsive, SEO-friendly store with an intuitive interface, even without coding experience.
2. Dynamic themes: More than 220 thoroughly customizable and mobile-responsive themes, optimized for eCommerce.
3. App ecosystem: Access 16,000+ apps for friendly fraud prevention, marketing, SEO, inventory management, dropshipping, etc.
4. Native payment option: Shopify Payments, the company's built-in payment gateway, excludes transaction fees; Shopify also supports 100+ third-party processors.
5. Multi-channel selling: Integrate and sell on external marketplaces like Amazon, eBay, Instagram, TikTok, etc.
6. Point of sale (POS) access: Sync online and in-store sales to sell your products in retail stores, pop-ups, and other locations.
7. Inventory management: Track stock levels, set low-stock alerts, and manage products across several locations.
8. Secure checkout and abandoned cart recovery: Encrypted checkout system and automatic lost sales recovery email feature.
9. Analytics dashboard: Track sales, traffic, and customer behavior with extensive reports.

Shopify Pricing

Shopify runs four paid tiers in 2026, plus a free $0/month Agentic plan for merchants who only want to sell through AI shopping channels:

1. Basic: $29/month (if billed annually, $39/month paid monthly). Shopify Payments card rates start at 2.9% + 30¢; third-party gateways carry a flat 2% transaction fee.
2. Grow: $79/month (if billed annually, $105/month paid monthly). Shopify Payments card rates start at 2.7% + 30¢, plus up to 5 staff accounts and deeper shipping discounts.
3. Advanced: $299/month (if billed annually, $399/month paid monthly). Shopify Payments card rates start at 2.5% + 30¢, plus up to 15 staff accounts and live third-party shipping rates.
4. Plus: Starting at $2,300/month.

A 3-day free trial is available, with the first three months at $1 for new users. If you process cards through a third-party gateway instead of Shopify Payments, Shopify adds a platform fee of 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced, and 0.2% on Plus, per Shopify's published pricing.

Shopify's Advantages

Shopify's global scale and DTC brand dominance give it upsides such as:

• Global eCommerce leader: Shopify powers millions of businesses across 175+ countries and has a robust ecosystem of 2,380+ experts and 16,000+ apps, nearly 6x BigCommerce's offering. Shopify heavily invests in global commerce, being the first to market with integrations like TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube Shopping, and Microsoft Ads.
• Better checkout process: Shopify's customizable, one-click checkout experience reportedly has a 12% higher conversion rate than BigCommerce's, on average. Shopify Audiences allows merchants to craft hyper-targeted ad campaigns, increase ad spend ROI, and cut customer acquisition costs by up to 50%.
• Significantly better total cost of ownership: Shopify's total cost of ownership (TCO) beats BigCommerce by an estimated 31%. BigCommerce reportedly lags with 88% higher set-up costs, 32% pricier platform fees, and 21% costlier operations, making Shopify a no-brainer for most merchants on cost efficiency.
• 1st-to-market innovation: Shopify outpaces competitors with rapid shipping, unveiling remarkable features at an unrelenting pace, and has invested billions in R&D. BigCommerce has spent millions, according to financial reports.

What to Plan for With Shopify

• Shopify Magic speeds up store development, and merchants with limited coding skills get the most out of it by pairing it with a Shopify Partner or a no-code app for deeper customization.
• App Store subscriptions add up for functions like SEO, analytics, and shipping, so budget for a few paid apps once you scale past the basics.
• BigCommerce ships more native tools like B2B pricing and faceted search out of the box; on Shopify those come through apps instead, which suits merchants who'd rather choose best-in-class tools individually.
• Advanced theme customization often means a paid theme, a fair trade for non-technical founders who want a polished storefront without hiring a developer.

BigCommerce Features and Overview at a Glance

BigCommerce is a celebrated SaaS vendor acclaimed for its flexibility and numerous features. It serves over 130,000 B2B and B2C eCommerce merchants across 150 countries. Despite holding ~3% of the U.S. eCommerce software market share, far behind Shopify, BigCommerce is still among the top 10 platforms in the vertical. It ranks among Europe's most-used eCommerce platforms.

In 2023, about 10% of eCommerce professionals reportedly adopted BigCommerce. Globally, it placed in the top five for platforms merchants adopted, according to Statista. The report equally placed BigCommerce as the top choice for retailers moving from their own custom shopping cart to more efficient built-in solutions. Our BigCommerce statistics deep dive breaks down these numbers further.

BigCommerce's robust functionalities include intuitive store design tools, inventory management, and shipping integrations. BigCommerce has a growing app ecosystem and a POS that bridges online and offline sales, complemented by excellent customer service that has earned consistent praise from analysts.

The multitenant SaaS platform has been recognized as a Challenger for five consecutive years in the Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Digital Commerce report. BigCommerce says brands and retailers on its platform outperformed global benchmarks with a 26% increase in Cyber Week Sales in 2024.

BigCommerce Key Features

BigCommerce lives up to its reputation as a Challenger platform. It has proven especially beneficial to small-scale businesses looking to expand their offering and extend their reach.

1. Store design and customization: Intuitive low/no-code page builder enables businesses to launch responsive eCommerce stores.
2. Omni-channel selling: You can integrate with marketplaces like Amazon, eBay, and social media platforms to reach larger audiences from one dashboard.
3. Inventory and product management: Robust tools for handling complex catalogs, supporting thousands of SKUs, variants, and pricing options, with real-time inventory syncing.
4. SEO and marketing tools: Built-in SEO functions improve store visibility, while abandoned cart recovery and customer segmentation tools help drive conversions.
5. Fast checkout: Fully customizable one-page checkout delivers the best checkout conversion possible to ensure sales are not lost from checkout friction.
6. Point of Sale (POS): Connect your brick-and-mortar point of sale with your online storefront so customers can Buy Online Pick up in-store (BOPIS).
7. Built-in analytics: Track performance across all businesses with unified analytics. See what's working, identify growth opportunities, and optimize each project for success.

BigCommerce Pricing

BigCommerce renamed its plans and updated its fee structure effective June 1, 2026. The four tiers are now:

• Core (formerly Standard): $29/month billed annually ($39 paid monthly). For stores up to $30,000 in trailing-twelve-month sales; card processing with embedded providers starts at 2.89% + 29¢.
• Growth (formerly Plus): $79/month billed annually ($105 paid monthly). For stores up to $100,000 in trailing-twelve-month sales.
• Scale (formerly Pro): $299/month billed annually ($399 paid monthly). Covers up to $33,333 in monthly sales, with a 0.9% overage rate above that cap.
• Performance (formerly Enterprise): Custom pricing starting around $1,499/month.

Two changes matter most, per BigCommerce's 2026 pricing update. First, plans now auto-upgrade when your sales cross each tier's threshold. Second, BigCommerce added an Open Payment Provider fee on self-serve plans: 2% of order value on Core, 1% on Growth, and 0.6% on Scale for orders processed through non-embedded payment providers. Roughly 20 embedded providers, including Stripe, PayPal Braintree, Klarna, and Amazon Pay, stay fee-free on every plan.

A 15-day free trial is available on the self-serve tiers. BigCommerce doesn't have a native payment gateway.

BigCommerce Advantages

Some notable stand-out BigCommerce components include:

• Product management: BigCommerce offers robust built-in tools for managing products with multiple variations, including a variant limit of up to 600 per product and a product modifier for product customizations without creating new SKUs. These features are included in all plans.
• Niche features for small eCommerce businesses: BigCommerce's multi-storefront capability, abandoned cart recovery, international sales support, and native product comparison give it a significant advantage.
• Payment provider choice: BigCommerce supports roughly 20 fee-free embedded payment providers, including Stripe, PayPal Braintree, Klarna, and Amazon Pay. Since June 1, 2026, non-embedded providers carry a tiered Open Payment Provider fee, so staying with an embedded provider keeps your platform fees at zero while preserving processor choice.
• Longer free trial period: BigCommerce offers a 15-day free trial, compared to Shopify's 3-day trial. This gives merchants, especially SMBs, more time to test features without financial commitment.

What to Plan for With BigCommerce

• BigCommerce's Stencil framework gives experienced developers deep customization control; merchants without technical skills get the most from it by working with a BigCommerce partner or agency.
• BigCommerce's plans scale with sales volume: Core auto-upgrades to Growth at $30,000 in trailing-twelve-month sales, Growth auto-upgrades to Scale at $100,000, and Scale adds a 0.9% overage above $33,333 in monthly sales, per BigCommerce's pricing page. That structure ties cost directly to growth, which some merchants prefer over a flat tier they might outgrow.
• BigCommerce doesn't ship a native POS, so merchants selling in physical locations pair it with a third-party solution like Square or Clover, the same way most platforms handle omnichannel retail.

Shopify vs BigCommerce: Quick Comparison Table

What is The Difference Between Shopify and BigCommerce?

From our analysis so far, it's evident that the distinction between Shopify and BigCommerce is in the ease of use for everyday merchants, pricing strategy, and built-in features. Let's outline these differences accordingly.

Shopify vs BigCommerce: Ease of use

Shopify is generally easier to use, especially for non-technical founders. It has a user-friendly interface and a clean dashboard. The step-by-step onboarding makes it intuitive to use. The platform's no-code store builder and extensive support resources further simplify the process, allowing merchants to focus on selling rather than troubleshooting.

BigCommerce targets beginners, but the learning curve has been flagged as steeper. The interface is trickier, and the onboarding isn't as hand-holding as Shopify. It requires more technical skills for advanced features.

Shopify vs BigCommerce: Pricing

The old shorthand, Shopify charges transaction fees and BigCommerce doesn't, stopped being true on June 1, 2026. Both platforms now charge the same subscription prices and near-identical fees for going outside their preferred payment routes. Here is the side-by-side, sourced from each platform's published pricing pages:

Real merchant math: what a $20,000/month store pays

Take a store processing $20,000/month in card sales at a $50 average order (400 orders):

• Shopify Basic with Shopify Payments: $29 + 2.9% ($580) + 30¢ x 400 ($120) = about $729/month. No sales cap ever forces an upgrade.
• BigCommerce with an embedded provider: $240,000 in trailing-twelve-month sales places you on Scale at $299/month. At 2.89% + 29¢, processing runs $578 + $116, so about $993/month total, with no Open Payment Provider fee.
• BigCommerce with a non-embedded provider: add the 0.6% Scale-tier fee ($120/month) on top of that provider's own processing rates.

Your numbers will shift with negotiated rates, but the structure is the point: Shopify prices by feature tier, BigCommerce prices by sales volume. Shopify claims a 31% lower total cost of ownership than BigCommerce, while BigCommerce cites a Forrester Total Economic Impact study showing 211% ROI within 8 months for merchants on its platform. Both figures are vendor-commissioned, so treat them as directional rather than gospel.

Shopify vs BigCommerce: Features

Regarding the breadth of advanced out-of-the-box features, BigCommerce has some advantages over Shopify. B2B features like unlimited staff accounts, real-time shipping quotes, native multi-channel selling, multi-storefront, and robust product management (up to 600 variants per product) cater to businesses with complex needs.

Shopify, in contrast, leans heavily on its vast app ecosystem to extend functionalities. While it lacks some of BigCommerce's native tools, like B2B features, it compensates for flexibility. Shopify Payments, Shop Pay, and its native POS system are standout features BigCommerce hasn't matched as of writing, without third-party integrations. Shopify's approach gives merchants the freedom to tailor their stores precisely, though it may require additional app costs to achieve parity with BigCommerce's built-ins.

In general, the key takeaway on Shopify vs BigCommerce built-in features is that Shopify's approach gives merchants the freedom to tailor their store precisely, though it may require additional costs to achieve parity with BigCommerce's built-ins.

Chargebacks and Fraud Tools: Shopify vs BigCommerce

Your platform choice does not change whether you get chargebacks, but it changes where and how you fight them. Dispute fees, lost inventory, and manual evidence work are real costs that most platform comparisons skip entirely.

On Shopify, disputes on Shopify Payments orders live inside your Shopify admin. The chargeback fee is $15 in the US and is returned if you win, per the Shopify Help Center. Every order includes built-in fraud analysis with risk indicators, and Shopify Protect, a free program, covers fraud-based and unrecognized chargebacks on eligible Shop Pay orders, with Shopify absorbing both the order amount and the fee on protected orders.

On BigCommerce, there is no native gateway, so disputes flow through whichever processor you choose, each with its own dashboard, deadlines, evidence format, and fee. That flexibility lets you pick processors with strong dispute tooling, but if you run several providers, you manage several dispute queues in parallel.

On either platform, a large share of the disputes you can actually win are friendly fraud: real customers disputing legitimate charges. Platform fraud tools screen orders before fulfillment; recovering revenue after a dispute still takes structured evidence, which is where automation earns its keep on both platforms. Pairing that automation with chargeback alerts flags many disputes before they escalate, on either platform.

Where Shopify and BigCommerce Each Fit Best

Which platform is the better fit?

The answer depends on your business size, technical resources, and growth plans. Both platforms are strong choices for different situations. Here's where each one plays to its strengths:

• Shopify shines as the go-to platform for ease of use, scalability, and robust ecosystem. It's ideal for merchants who want a plug-and-play solution with room for growth, backed by features like one-click checkout and multi-channel integrations.
• BigCommerce excels for businesses needing advanced out-of-the-box features and flexibility without third-party app dependency. It's a strong pick for SMBs with complex catalogs or B2B needs.

Statista found that Shopify is the platform BigCommerce merchants most often switch to, likely reflecting Shopify's market reach and lower total cost of ownership for DTC-style stores. That doesn't make BigCommerce the wrong call: it remains a strong fit for merchants whose needs point toward its native B2B and catalog tools.

When to Choose Shopify

Shopify may be your best bet if:

1. You're a DTC beginner or non-technical founder looking for a simple, intuitive platform to launch.
2. You want access to a vast app ecosystem for endless customization and scalability.
3. You want to scale globally and need multi-channel selling (e.g., TikTok, Amazon, Instagram) with a built-in POS for in-person transactions.
4. You value superior checkout experience and innovations like Shopify Audiences to boost conversions and cut ad costs.
5. Cost efficiency over time matters more than upfront savings, especially as your business grows.

When to Choose BigCommerce

BigCommerce might be a smarter option if:

• You need advanced built-in features like B2B pricing, multi-storefronts, or complex product management without relying on apps.
• You're a small business on a budget that wants fee-free embedded payment providers and a longer free trial (15 days vs. Shopify's 3).
• You manage a large catalog with hundreds of variants and prefer native tools on all plans over third-party add-ons.
• You're transitioning from a custom cart to a SaaS platform and want robust SEO, inventory, and omnichannel capabilities out-of-the-box.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is BigCommerce better than Shopify?

Neither platform is universally better since it depends on your business model. Shopify is the stronger fit for most merchants on ease of use, app ecosystem size (16,000+ apps), and lower total cost of ownership. BigCommerce is the stronger fit for merchants who need native B2B features, higher product-variant limits (600 per product), and no add-on costs for built-in tools. If you run a DTC brand scaling fast, Shopify needs less setup; if you run a complex B2B catalog, BigCommerce needs fewer workarounds.

Is Shopify or BigCommerce cheaper?

Shopify and BigCommerce's plans are priced identically: $29, $79, and $299 per month billed annually (Shopify Basic/Grow/Advanced vs. BigCommerce Core/Growth/Scale). The difference is in fees and caps: Shopify charges 2%/1%/0.6% by tier when you skip Shopify Payments, BigCommerce charges the same 2%/1%/0.6% for non-embedded providers since June 2026, and BigCommerce auto-upgrades your plan once sales cross its $30,000 and $100,000 trailing-twelve-month thresholds.

Which platform is easier to use?

Shopify is generally easier for non-technical founders, thanks to its no-code store builder and simpler onboarding. BigCommerce has a steeper learning curve but ships with more advanced B2B and catalog features out of the box.

Does BigCommerce charge transaction fees?

It depends on your payment provider. Since June 1, 2026, BigCommerce charges an Open Payment Provider fee of 2% on Core, 1% on Growth, and 0.6% on Scale for orders processed through non-embedded providers. Around 20 embedded providers, including Stripe, PayPal Braintree, Klarna, and Amazon Pay, remain fee-free on every plan.

Can I switch between Shopify and BigCommerce?

Yes, both platforms support store migrations. Shopify is the platform Statista found BigCommerce merchants switch to most often, largely due to its lower total cost of ownership and larger app ecosystem.

How much does Shopify take from a $100 sale?

On the Basic plan with Shopify Payments, a $100 online sale costs $3.20 in processing (2.9% + 30¢), so you keep $96.80 before your subscription cost. Using a third-party gateway on Basic adds Shopify's 2% platform fee ($2) on top of that gateway's own processing rate.

Is Shopify still worth it in 2026?

For most merchants, yes. Shopify's sticker prices now match BigCommerce's exactly, it runs the largest app ecosystem in eCommerce at 16,000+ apps, and it has surpassed $1 trillion in cumulative merchant sales. The main reasons to look elsewhere are built-in B2B needs or a hard requirement for a specific outside payment processor.

Does either platform protect against chargebacks?

Neither platform automates chargeback recovery natively. Chargeflow integrates with both Shopify and BigCommerce to automate dispute evidence and representment, regardless of which platform you choose.

How Chargeflow Enhances Secure Digital Transactions

Whether you choose Shopify or BigCommerce, secure and efficient payment processing is critical to eCommerce success. This is where Chargeflow comes in. Chargeflow is a chargeback management solution that integrates directly with both platforms. It helps merchants reduce fraud, recover lost revenue, and streamline operations.

For Shopify Users:

Chargeflow syncs with Shopify Payments and third-party gateways to automate chargeback disputes end to end. It's AI-driven. So you get efficient dispute handling and insights for identifying fraud patterns and optimizing checkout security. As AI-driven checkout tools and agentic commerce grow, merchants should also watch for emerging AI agent chargeback liability and agentic commerce chargebacks risks.

Chargeflow naturally complements Shopify's encrypted checkout and abandoned cart recovery services.

For BigCommerce Users:

Chargeflow improves BigCommerce's customizable checkout with real-time fraud prevention and dispute resolution.

BigCommerce lacks a native payment gateway, so many merchants run an online payment gateway comparison before picking one. That means you may have to deal with multiple chargebacks from different payment service providers. Chargeflow bridges the gap. It protects merchants using any payment gateway, helping reduce fraud losses and saving you countless hours of manual work.

Chargeflow is a must-have tool for any eCommerce merchant aiming to safeguard profits and maintain customer trust. Sign up for Chargeflow to slash chargeback costs. It works with Shopify and BigCommerce. Here's how to get started.