Shopify vs BigCommerce: The Honest Comparison
Two hosted ecommerce platforms with one notable difference: BigCommerce charges no extra transaction fees, Shopify does unless you use Shopify Payments.
What is the real difference between Shopify and BigCommerce?
Both are hosted SaaS platforms. You pay a monthly subscription, and the company runs the servers, the security, and the software updates so you do not have to. That shared model is why the two feel similar to use, and why the comparison comes down to a handful of specific differences rather than a fundamentally different way of working.
The differences that actually decide it cluster in three places.
- Transaction fees: BigCommerce does not add a fee on top of payment processing. Shopify does, unless you use Shopify Payments.
- Built-in features versus apps: BigCommerce includes more natively, Shopify leans on a larger third-party app ecosystem.
- Plan thresholds: both use tiered plans, and BigCommerce ties some tiers to annual sales volume.
Does BigCommerce really charge no transaction fees?
Yes, and this is the cleanest factual difference between the two. BigCommerce does not add an extra transaction fee on top of whatever your payment processor charges. Shopify does add a transaction fee, and the standard way to avoid it is to use Shopify Payments, its own built-in processor. If you have a reason to use a different processor on Shopify, that added fee follows you.
Whether this matters depends on your processor of choice. If you were always going to use Shopify Payments, the fee is moot. If you need a specific outside processor, BigCommerce is the more neutral home.
Which platform has more features built in?
BigCommerce tends to include more capability natively, where Shopify expects you to add an app for the same job. That cuts both ways. More built in can mean fewer monthly app bills and fewer moving parts. A larger app ecosystem, which is where Shopify leads clearly, means that when you need something specific, an app for it almost certainly exists and is likely more polished. Neither is strictly better. A store with simple needs may pay for Shopify apps it would have gotten free on BigCommerce, while a store with an unusual requirement may find only Shopify has a mature tool for it.
How do the plans and pricing tiers compare?
Both platforms use tiered monthly plans, and both raise the ceiling on features as you move up. The structural quirk worth knowing is that BigCommerce historically gates some tiers by annual online sales volume, so crossing a revenue threshold can move you to a higher plan whether or not you wanted the extra features. Shopify tiers more by feature and by per-order rates. Pricing on both platforms changes regularly, so treat every number you see, including ours, as something to verify on the current pricing page before you decide. Do not commit based on a figure from any guide, this one included.
Who should choose Shopify and who should choose BigCommerce?
The honest split: Shopify rewards stores that value the largest app ecosystem and the smoothest day-to-day experience, especially if they are happy on Shopify Payments. BigCommerce rewards stores that want more in the box, that need a specific outside payment processor, or that simply do not want an extra transaction fee in the mix. Once a store is live on either platform, getting its reviews readable and quotable by search and AI is a separate gap, and the one BetterReviews closes.
- Choose Shopify if: you want the biggest app library, the simplest setup, and you plan to use Shopify Payments.
- Choose BigCommerce if: you want more features native, you need a non-default processor, or you want to avoid added transaction fees.
- Either works if: your needs are mainstream and you mostly care about reliability and ease, which both deliver.
Where does BigCommerce plainly win?
On transaction-fee neutrality, BigCommerce wins outright: no added fee, whatever processor you choose. On native features, it tends to give you more without reaching for an app, which can lower your effective monthly cost for a feature-hungry store. Conceding this matters, because the easy mistake is to assume the platform with the bigger app store is automatically the stronger product. For a merchant who wants capability built in and processor freedom, BigCommerce is the better fit, and pretending otherwise would not serve you.
What this adds up to
These are two capable hosted platforms with a small set of real differences. BigCommerce leads on transaction-fee neutrality and native features. Shopify leads on app-ecosystem breadth and everyday simplicity. Both use tiered plans whose prices move often, so verify current pricing before committing. Pick the one whose trade-offs match how you actually want to run the store, not the one with the louder reputation.
- Is BigCommerce cheaper than Shopify?
- It depends on your setup, not on a single sticker price. BigCommerce adds no extra transaction fee, which can lower your effective cost, and it bundles more features that you might otherwise pay for as Shopify apps. But both use tiered plans whose prices change often, so compare the current pricing pages and factor in apps and processing before deciding.
- Does Shopify charge transaction fees?
- Yes, Shopify adds a transaction fee unless you use Shopify Payments, its built-in processor. If you use a different processor, the added fee applies. BigCommerce does not add this fee regardless of processor, which is one of the clearest differences between the two platforms.
- Does BigCommerce have fewer apps than Shopify?
- Yes, Shopify has the larger third-party app ecosystem. BigCommerce offsets this by including more features natively, so you may need fewer apps in the first place. If you have an unusual requirement, Shopify is more likely to have a mature app for it; if your needs are mainstream, the difference matters less.
- Can I switch from one to the other later?
- Yes, both are hosted platforms you can migrate to or from, though a migration takes real effort to move products, content, and customers, and to rebuild integrations. Because both share the hosted model, the daily experience after switching feels broadly similar, but plan for the migration work rather than assuming it is trivial.