Shopify vs BigCommerce
This is the closest comparison on this site. Both are strong hosted platforms and the decision usually comes down to two things: the app ecosystem, and whether BigCommerce's native B2B features save you a subscription stack.
Choose Shopify for the ecosystem, the checkout and the depth of available talent. Choose BigCommerce if you need strong native B2B and multi-storefront without add-ons, or if you are at a volume where its no-transaction-fee position genuinely matters.
Side by side
| Shopify | BigCommerce | |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction fees | None on Shopify Payments. A fee applies if you use an external gateway. | None on any gateway — a real advantage where a specific gateway is required. |
| App ecosystem | Much larger and deeper. Usually there is already an app for it. | Smaller. More often you need a developer where Shopify would have had an app. |
| Native B2B | Strong on Plus, thinner below. | Good natively on lower tiers — price lists, customer groups, quotes. |
| Checkout | Shop Pay is a genuine conversion advantage at scale. | Solid and more customisable at lower tiers, without the accelerated-checkout network. |
| Multi-storefront | Available on Plus. | Available lower down the pricing tiers. |
| API limits | Generous, well-documented, very widely known. | Also generous. Some enterprise API limits are more permissive. |
| Talent pool | Very large. Easy to find and replace developers. | Much smaller. Harder to hire for and harder to hand over. |
| Themes | Large marketplace, high design quality. | Smaller marketplace, more functional than expressive. |
Which one is actually right for you
Pick Shopify if…
- You want the largest app ecosystem and the shortest path to any given feature
- Checkout conversion matters and Shop Pay's returning-customer base is worth having
- You expect to hire or change agencies and want a deep talent pool
- Design and brand expression are central to how you sell
- You are running international markets and want Shopify Markets to handle it
Pick BigCommerce if…
- You need B2B price lists and customer groups without paying for Plus
- You are contractually tied to a payment gateway Shopify would charge extra for
- You want multiple storefronts without an enterprise-tier jump
- Your requirements are functional rather than design-led
- You are comparing enterprise quotes and BigCommerce came in materially lower
If your situation is in the right-hand column, we will tell you so on the call. We would rather lose the project than move you onto the wrong platform.
Moving between the two
We migrate in both directions and the mechanics are similar: catalogue, customers and orders transfer cleanly, and the work that matters is the URL map, the redirect plan and rebuilding whatever the old platform did natively that the new one needs an app for. That last point is the one worth scoping carefully in either direction.
How our migrations workQuestions we get asked
Which is genuinely cheaper?
It depends almost entirely on your gateway and your app stack. BigCommerce charges no transaction fee on any gateway, which is worth real money if you are tied to one Shopify would surcharge. Shopify is usually cheaper in practice if you use Shopify Payments, because the app ecosystem means you buy a subscription instead of commissioning development. We would work out the actual number for your setup rather than assert one.
Is BigCommerce better for B2B?
At the lower pricing tiers, yes — price lists, customer groups and quoting are native where Shopify wants Plus or an app. At the top, Shopify Plus's B2B has closed most of that gap and brings a stronger ecosystem with it. If B2B is your whole business and you are not at Plus scale, BigCommerce deserves a serious look.
Why do most agencies push Shopify?
Partly ecosystem and partly economics — most agencies, including us, do more Shopify work, so they know it better and can deliver faster on it. That is a real advantage to you, not just to them, but it is worth naming rather than pretending the recommendation is purely neutral. Where BigCommerce is the better fit, we would rather tell you than take the project on the wrong platform.
We're on BigCommerce. Is it worth moving?
Usually not on platform quality alone — it is a good platform and replatforming is expensive and risky. Reasons that do justify it: you keep needing custom development for things Shopify has apps for, you cannot hire or retain BigCommerce developers, or checkout conversion is materially behind and Shop Pay would close the gap. Wanting a nicer theme is not a good enough reason.
Not sure which fits your business?
Send us your store URL or your brief. We will come back with a written view — including which platform we would actually put you on and why.