As two of the biggest names in the ecommerce industry, you will likely have already heard of at least one of the names Shopify and BigCommerce if you have some sort of connection to the ecommerce market. Both platforms pack in the best sales features that we've seen from many ecommerce services, and all Shopify and BigCommerce plans include unlimited products, bandwidth usage, and 24/7 customer support. But there are key differences that users need to consider when selecting an ecommerce platform, and in this case Shopify has a different pricing strategy to BigCommerce.
Features |
Shopify |
BigCommerce |
Logo | ||
Rating | ||
Reviews | Reviews | Reviews |
Visit | Visit Site | Visit Site |
Free Versions | Free Versions | Free Versions |
Coupons | Coupons | Coupons |
Design Options |
Shopify |
BigCommerce |
Free Templates | 10 | 7 |
Mobile Ready | ||
Customize Checkout | ||
Customizable Themes |
Business Options |
Shopify |
BigCommerce |
Multichannel Integration | ||
Inventory | ||
Transaction Fee | ||
Abandoned Cart Recovery | ||
Promotions | ||
Blogging Platform | ||
Domain Name | ||
Reporting Tools | ||
Sales Tickets | ||
HTTPS | ||
Secure Checkout | ||
Unlimited File Storage | ||
Navigation Link | ||
Page Titles |
SEO Features |
Shopify |
BigCommerce |
Custom URL | ||
Meta Description |
Payment Gateways |
Shopify |
BigCommerce |
# Payment Processors | 100 | 39 |
PayPal | ||
Apple Pay | ||
Amazon Pay | ||
Google Pay | ||
Stripe | ||
Square |
Lowest Subscription Price |
Shopify |
BigCommerce |
Price | $9/mo | $29.95/mo |
Free Trial | 14 days | 15 days |
Money-Back Guarantee | 14 days | N/A |
Accepted Payment Methods |
Shopify |
BigCommerce |
Visa |
PayPal | ||
MasterCard | ||
American Express | ||
Wire Transfer | ||
Discover |
Customer Service |
Shopify |
BigCommerce |
24/7 | ||
Live Chat | ||
On Call |
Shopify
Before you even start thinking about accessing Shopify’s ‘premium features’, you should know that they are served up as soon as the trial account is activated. During the 14 days of testing, Shopify won't limit amazing users at any level, coding-wise. The clean and easy-to-use interface makes creating an online store an easy task, and should any questions arise during store creation then every possible communication channel is available to get assistance through. Still, compared to its main competitor, Shopify is a great ecommerce platform with basic services.
What makes it unique is the number of apps available in the app store and its ease of use. In fact, Shopify packs an intuitive user interface and handy on-screen instructions that make setting up a store a simple task. The platform includes a few more free templates than BigCommerce, but Shopify falls a bit short when it comes to sales features because users need to download apps to customize their settings. BigCommerce, on the other hand, includes the majority of features a business user needs in its core ecommerce package, which means you don't need to install any new apps to have a specific feature on board.
At $29 per month and a 2% cut per transaction when not using Shopify Payments as your payment gateway, Shopify becomes a bit expensive, especially if you add the additional cost of the various third-party services that expand the platform's abilities.
BigCommerce
Compared to Shopify, the trial period at BigCommerce is much longer. The platform gives users 15 days of free testing, which is extended by a further seven days if the user cannot make a decision on which plan to use. In fact, there are a few reasons why those extra days of free trial might be needed, such as the sales-capped plans included and the credit card rates you get from using the recommended payment processor, Braintree.
Unlike Shopify, which doesn't include any sales or storage caps, BigCommerce's plans come with caps calculated on a trailing 12-month basis. This means that for $29.95 per month, you'll get the best ecommerce platform sales features so long as your annual sales do not exceed $50,000. If they do, the plan is automatically upgraded to the higher-priced Plus plan, but even so this may well worth it because the sales cap is much higher and the credit card rates are friendlier for businesses.
On the app store side of things BigCommerce lags behind a bit, though you won't likely notice because you'll have all the features needed out of the box with BigCommerce, unlike with Shopify. That's a major advantage, counterbalanced by the abundance of information available in the dashboard that means at first glance you could easily become overwhelmed.
Conclusion
No matter which ecommerce platform you pick, you can rest assured that your business has been seeded in fertile ground. It's hard to pick a winner in this case because both platforms excel in all important areas, from the number of templates provided, sales features, and their respective customer services. Both provide 24/7 phone support and live chat, free templates to customize, and the best sales features available. The main difference between the two is the services that are available in the core package. While BigCommerce provides all the key services from the get-go, with Shopify they’re only available by installing apps.
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