BigCommerce is a leading SaaS (Software as a Service) eCommerce platform designed to help businesses—small to enterprise-level—build, manage, and scale online stores with ease. Known for its robust features, headless commerce capabilities, and seamless third-party integrations, BigCommerce is a top choice for brands that want flexibility, scalability, and performance.
Whether you’re considering BigCommerce for your first online store or looking to migrate from another platform, this comprehensive review will cover everything you need to know.
⭐ What is BigCommerce?
BigCommerce is a fully hosted eCommerce platform that provides businesses with all the tools needed to run an online store. It caters to a wide range of industries and store sizes, making it a go-to solution for both B2C and B2B merchants.
Unlike some competitors, BigCommerce doesn’t lock users into limited templates or capabilities—it offers enterprise-level customization and freedom without requiring deep coding knowledge.
🔍 Key Features of BigCommerce
1. Intuitive Storefront Builder
BigCommerce includes a drag-and-drop page builder with responsive themes that are highly customizable. Users can design beautiful, mobile-optimized storefronts without any coding knowledge.
2. Headless Commerce Ready
BigCommerce enables headless commerce, meaning you can use any front-end framework (like React, Next.js, or Vue.js) while BigCommerce powers the backend.
3. Built-in SEO Tools
From customizable URLs to automatic sitemaps and structured data, BigCommerce is built with SEO in mind. It’s designed to help your products rank well on Google and drive organic traffic.
4. Multi-Channel Selling
Sell across Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok directly from your BigCommerce dashboard. Inventory and order management are unified.
5. Advanced Product Management
Support for unlimited products, variants (color, size, material), digital goods, and SKU-level inventory tracking make BigCommerce a versatile choice for large catalogs.
6. B2B Functionality
Features like customer groups, custom pricing, purchase orders, and quote management make BigCommerce a strong contender in the B2B space.
7. Secure and Scalable Hosting
With 99.99% uptime, Level 1 PCI compliance, and automatic updates, your store is hosted on secure, enterprise-grade infrastructure.
💰 BigCommerce Pricing Plans
BigCommerce offers four pricing tiers:
| Plan | Monthly Price | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | $39/month | Unlimited products, no transaction fees |
| Plus | $105/month | Abandoned cart recovery, customer segmentation |
| Pro | $399/month | Google customer reviews, product filtering |
| Enterprise | Custom pricing | Advanced API support, custom SLAs, priority support |
🔔 Note: BigCommerce doesn’t charge transaction fees, even if you use a third-party payment gateway.
✅ Pros of Using BigCommerce
- No transaction fees (unlike Shopify)
- Robust B2B features out of the box
- Superior SEO capabilities
- Multi-storefront capabilities for international brands
- Open API and headless support for developers
- Extensive app marketplace and integrations (Mailchimp, Klaviyo, ShipStation, etc.)
❌ Cons of BigCommerce
- Learning curve: More advanced than some beginner-friendly platforms like Wix or Squarespace.
- Annual sales limits: Each plan has a cap on yearly sales, after which you’re bumped to the next pricing tier.
- Fewer free themes: Many premium themes can be pricey compared to competitors.
🔄 BigCommerce vs Shopify
| Feature | BigCommerce | Shopify |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction Fees | None (regardless of gateway) | 0–2% depending on plan |
| Built-in SEO Tools | Strong | Good, but limited control |
| B2B Capabilities | Built-in | Requires apps |
| Headless Commerce | Native support | Requires Shopify Plus |
| Multi-Storefront | Native feature | Shopify Plus only |
While Shopify is often seen as easier to use, BigCommerce shines for businesses needing more control, scalability, and native enterprise features.
📦 Who Should Use BigCommerce?
- Mid-size to large businesses looking for growth and customization
- B2B brands that need personalized pricing and quoting
- Multi-channel retailers selling on various platforms
- Developers and agencies building headless commerce experiences
🧠 Final Verdict: Is BigCommerce Worth It?
If you’re looking for a powerful, flexible eCommerce platform that grows with your business, BigCommerce is absolutely worth considering. It’s best suited for businesses that want enterprise-grade tools without the enterprise-grade complexity or costs.
Whether you’re scaling a DTC brand or managing wholesale operations, BigCommerce delivers on performance, reliability, and customization.
