BigCommerce Review

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BigCommerce is a SaaS e‑commerce platform built for ambitious sellers—no vendor lock‑in, no transaction fees, and a wealth of built‑in features. It’s not as beginner-friendly as Shopify, but if you’re scaling across stores or gearing up for enterprise-level complexity, BigCommerce delivers flexibility and power at a fair price.

Table of Contents

Quick Answers

1. What is BigCommerce? A powerful SaaS platform with enterprise-grade features, no transaction fees, and multi-store support.
2. Who’s it for? Scaling merchants, B2B/B2C brands, and multi-store operators who want flexibility and built-in capabilities.
3. Key features? Multi-storefronts, SEO-friendly checkout, real-time shipping, digital wallets, headless API support.
4. Compared to alternatives? Feature-rich out of the box—more flexible than Shopify, though with fewer app options.
5. Easy to set up? Core store setup is quick—advanced customizations and storefront edits are best handled by developers.
6. Integrations? Native ERP and marketplace integrations, headless APIs, app marketplace, plus popular tools via Zapier.
7. How much? Standard $29/mo; Plus $79/mo; Pro $299+/mo; Enterprise custom pricing.
8. Pros & cons? ✅ No transaction fees, multi-store & B2B features, SEO & checkout strength. ❌ Price tiers tied to sales volume, steeper learning curve, fewer apps.
9. Worth it? Yes—if you’re growing fast and need built-in tools without third-party fees.
10. Where to get it? Start your BigCommerce free trial →

1. Features & Capabilities

Powerful built-in tools accelerate your ecommerce growth.

BigCommerce comes packed with features: SEO-friendly URLs, one-page checkout, digital wallets, real-time quotes, 70+ discount types, and multi-currency support—across tiers. You don’t need expensive plugins to get core features many stores rely on.

Multi-storefront capability (up to 8 on Pro plan) allows you to manage B2B and B2C stores under one roof. Digital brand expansion or global storefronts? Covered.

API-first and headless-ready, BigCommerce lets you connect with ERP systems, marketplace platforms, custom frontends, and PIM. This level of flexibility beats Shopify’s rigid app-stack limitations.

Enterprise-grade security, PCI compliance, and zero transaction fees keep operations smooth and cost-effective as you scale.

2. Pricing & Value

Tiers are tied to sales volume: Standard ($29/mo, up to $50k GMV), Plus ($79/mo, up to $180k), Pro ($299+/mo, up to $400k+), and Enterprise (custom). As your store grows, so does your cost—but you’re not paying per-order fees.

Transaction savings alone can outweigh Shopify’s 2% fee on non-Shopify payments, especially at scale. You also get built-in features—no need to stack $50–$100/mo apps for shipping, reviews, or discounts.

The downside: hitting your volume threshold kicks you to the next tier—so budgeting needs to plan for predictable jumps rather than gradual scaling.

Growers have a 15‑day trial to test BigCommerce fully before committing—no card required upfront.

3. Ease of Use & Onboarding

A leader in one page checkout UX, industry leading payments, shipping and tax capabilities, customizability, and B2B functionality in ecommerce.

Getting started is straightforward: pick a theme, upload products, configure payment & shipping, and you’re live. But deeper customization—APIs, headless, multi-stores—generally needs developer support.

The drag-and-drop page editor is improving, but theme edits beyond basic tweaks involve knowledge of Stencil or headless frameworks.

BigCommerce provides 24/7 onboarding support, documentation, developer guides, and a partner ecosystem—so help is available if you’re not going it alone.

4. Case Studies & Reputation

BigCommerce powers brands like Toyota, Ben & Jerry’s, and Kodak—scaling globally with complex requirements.

Merchants rave about the no-fees structure and that all essential features come built in. One Reddit user noted “BigCommerce has a better ecosystem of team experts and flexibility than Shopify.”

Critics point out the smaller app library and steeper onboarding compared to Shopify, but most agree the trade-off favors performance and control.

5. Customer Support & Reliability

Support includes 24/7 live chat, email, and phone. Enterprise users gain priority response times and dedicated account management.

BigCommerce scores about 4.4/5 for support on Capterra—users highlight quick issue resolution and expert assistance during setup and scaling.

6. BigCommerce Review Summary & Final Rating

Pros

Cons

Final Rating: ★★★★☆ (4.3/5)

If you need a transaction-fee-free, enterprise-grade platform with built‑in tools and headless flexibility, BigCommerce is a stellar choice. Just budget for plan jumps and be ready to lean on technical support for deep customization.

Start your BigCommerce free trial →