1v1 Pricing Showdown
BigCommerce vs Shopify
Side-by-side pricing breakdown for E-commerce Platforms decision-makers
Prices in USD, verified from the United States. Regional pricing may vary.
When choosing between BigCommerce and Shopify for your e-commerce platforms stack, the right answer depends on three things: your budget, the specific features you actually use day-to-day, and your tolerance for renewal-price increases. Below we lay out the prices each vendor advertises today (verified against their live pricing pages), the plan limits that decide whether they'll fit your team, and the features that differ between them.
BigCommerce starts at $39/mo; Shopify starts at custom pricing. The cheaper headline price isn't always the cheaper total cost — renewal pricing, per-user fees, and overage charges can shift the math. Use the plan-by-plan tables below to model your actual spend.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | |  Shopify |
|---|---|---|
| zero platform transaction fees | Yes | — |
| multi storefront | Enterprise | — |
| unlimited api | Enterprise | — |
| 55 payment providers | Yes | — |
| multi currency | Yes | — |
| faceted search | Pro+ | — |
| abandoned cart | Plus+ | — |
| 24 7 priority support | Enterprise | — |
| pos | — | Yes |
| shopify payments | — | 0% platform fee |
| checkout | — | Industry-leading |
| app store | — | 8000+ apps |
| themes | — | Free + premium $180-350 |
| 24 7 support | — | Chat on all plans |
| trial | — | $1/mo for 3 months |
Visit Shopify Affiliate links — you pay the same price
Dive Deeper
About the e-commerce platforms category
E-commerce platform pricing in 2026 is the most deceptive in SaaS. Shopify Basic at $14/mo looks cheap — until you add transaction fees (2% if not using Shopify Payments) + apps ($30-100/mo typical) + themes ($180+ one-time). Real cost of a Shopify store: $80-200/mo for most businesses. Compare that to Ecwid at $5/mo with zero transaction fees, or WordPress.com Commerce at $45/mo annual with 0% transaction fees and included features. BigCommerce hides pricing behind sales for Enterprise and has Essentials tiers that compete directly with Shopify. The unit economics matter: at $50k/mo revenue, Shopify Basic's 2% fees = $1,000/mo extra vs Shopify Payments' 2.9% + $0.30 = effectively similar but only IF you use their payment processor.
How to choose between e-commerce platforms options
First: payment processor flexibility. If you must use a specific processor (Stripe direct, Square, PayPal), Shopify charges 2% penalty on Basic — that's $1,000/mo on $50k/mo revenue. WordPress.com Commerce and BigCommerce charge 0% regardless. Second: app dependency. Shopify's App Store has 8,000+ apps but most cost $20-100/mo each — budget accordingly. WordPress.com Business/Commerce uses WooCommerce + 60,000+ free/paid plugins. Third: global selling. WordPress.com Commerce explicitly supports 60 countries + 135 currencies at $45/mo. Shopify requires Markets Pro (included in Grow+) for multi-currency. Fourth: true cost of ownership at your revenue level. Calculate: base plan + transaction fees + apps + theme. Shopify is cheapest at entry but scales expensively.
Building Your Business Stack?
Decision-makers comparing tools often need more than one category. Here are related comparisons:
Frequently Asked Questions
- Which is better, BigCommerce or Shopify?
- Shopify scores 9/10 compared to BigCommerce's 8.5/10 in our analysis. Shopify ranks higher on features and value, but BigCommerce may suit specific use cases — see the feature comparison above.
- Are there other e-commerce platforms alternatives besides BigCommerce and Shopify?
- Yes. Our [E-commerce Platforms pricing comparison](/pricing/ecommerce-platforms/) page covers all major providers with daily-verified prices. You can also see the [cheapest e-commerce platforms](/pricing/ecommerce-platforms/cheapest/) for budget-focused options.