The Bottom Line
BigCommerce is built for selling online, so its plans come packed with the features retailers need to foster leads and land sales. Plans start at $29.95 per month and include unlimited storage, bandwidth and products. It offers flexible selling with multiple currencies for international sales, as well as many ways for customers to pay, such as Apple Pay, Google Pay and Amazon Pay.
Similar to Squarespace and Shopify, building an online store with BigCommerce is considered fairly easy and involves only a small learning curve. Unlike Squarespace, plans do not include a domain name and not all themes are free.
Another difference is that BigCommerce plans have a limit on the amount of sales you make per year, so its entry-level plan has a cap of $50,000 in annual sales. If you earn more than that, you’ll need to choose a higher plan, such as the Plus plan for $79.95 per month for up to $180,000 in annual sales. This can make BigCommerce less affordable to grow with, though its built-in sales and marketing tools can help you drive more sales—making it a good value for many.
BigCommerce Pros & Cons 2022
Who should use it？
BigCommerce is best for online retailers that are looking to utilize built-in sales and marketing tools to more effectively foster leads and increase sales.
BigCommerce at a Glance
As mentioned above, BigCommerce offers a big bang for your buck, especially for small businesses and new shop owners. Here’s how the plans break down.
| Standard | Plus | Pro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | $29.95 | $79.95 | $299.95 |
| Monthly price if paid annually | $29.95 | $71.95 | $269.96 |
| Best for | Individuals | Small businesses | Growing businesses |
| Abandoned cart saver | X | ✔ | ✔ |
| Google customer reviews | X | X | ✔ |
| Multi-storefront support | X | X | X |
| Annual sales limit | Up to $50k | Up to $180k | Up to $400k |
| Customer support | Available 24/7 | Available 24/7 | Available 24/7 |
Pricing
BigCommerce offers three plans for small businesses, with pricing that scales with the additional features. BigCommerce’s typical plans range from $29.95 to $299.95 per month. There is also an Enterprise option available for companies that want to manage multiple storefronts and access to the software’s API. Contact the BigCommerce sales department for more details on this option.
Features
Features vary depending on the plan you choose, but the following are a few of the core features that are included in every plan:
- 12 free templates
- Default integration with PayPal
- Unlimited goods and services
- Unlimited accounts for staff
- Blogging and SEO tools
- Reporting functions
The abandoned cart feature—which allows you to email reminders to customers who haven’t completed their sale—isn’t available with the Standard plan. If you want this feature, you’ll need to purchase the Plus or Pro plan.
Fees and Currencies
BigCommerce doesn’t charge transaction fees. Instead, you will need to pay credit card processing fees to your chosen provider. Square and Stripe are two of the biggest names in the business, and neither of them charges a monthly fee. Instead, you pay a flat rate + percentage on each transaction.
BigCommerce also supports multiple currencies, which is helpful if you plan to process sales internationally.
Reporting Functionality
BigCommerce offers a number of key reports in every plan, including customer reports, sales reports, finance reports and marketing reports. There are also tools to improve your SEO with Google AMP, which helps optimize your website for mobile users. And if BigCommerce doesn’t natively cover a dataset that you want information on, there is a vast app library that will allow you to integrate with third-party software that does.
How BigCommerce Stacks Up
| BigCommerce | Shopify | Squarespace | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | $29.95 to $299.95 per month | $29 to $299 per month | $19 to $49 per month for Advanced Commerce |
| Features | Unlimited number of products and servicesUnlimited bandwidthUnlimited accounts for staffMulticurrency salesPoint-of-sale functionalityDrag-and-drop interfaceReport functionality24/7 tech support | Unlimited number of products and servicesUnlimited bandwidthUnlimited accounts for staffMulticurrency salesPoint-of-sale functionalityDrag-and-drop interface | Unlimited number of products and servicesUnlimited bandwidthUnlimited accounts for staffMulticurrency salesDrop-and-drag interface |
| Additional Fees | No transaction fee | Up to 2% transaction fee | No additional transaction fees on Commerce plans |
A key differentiator between BigCommerce and two of its main competitors—Shopify and Squarespace—is that BigCommerce lacks the abandoned cart feature with its entry-level plan and it offers a limited number of free templates to build your site. If you want additional templates, they can cost between $150 and $400. Shopify and Squarespace, in contrast, offer a wide array of free templates to build your website with.
BigCommerce doesn’t natively charge transaction fees and it has advanced reporting functions with its Standard plan, whereas Shopify charges a 0.5% to 2% transaction fee if you use a third-party payment processor and requires a more expensive plan to create detailed reports. Squarespace doesn’t offer advanced analytics on its most basic plan.
All three platforms are user-friendly, with a straightforward interface and a drag-and-drop website builder.
Is BigCommerce Right for You or Your Business?
With an affordable entry-level plan that’s packed with features, BigCommerce is a great option for small businesses and new shop owners. It’s an excellent choice for those that already use a third-party payment processor and want to keep it.
