BigCommerce
Ecommerce Verified May 2026
BigCommerce review: the open SaaS ecommerce platform built for scaling brands, B2B catalogs, and headless storefronts.
- Zero transaction fees on all plans — keeps 100% of payment processing fees versus Shopify's add-on fee
- Native B2B features include custom price lists, customer groups, quote management, and PO payment
- Open API and multi-storefront support makes BigCommerce the platform of choice for headless commerce builds
- No platform lock-in on payments — works with 65+ payment gateways without surcharges
How BigCommerce scored 63/100
6 weighted criteria, each scored out of 10 and published with its reasoning. Featured placements never move a score.
Deal Strength
3.0 /10No exclusive coupon or promo code comes with BigCommerce here; the real value is its standard 15-day free trial and the absence of transaction fees on every plan. Merchants pay the published rate, so this is straightforward access to the platform rather than a discounted deal.
Value for Money
8.0 /10BigCommerce delivers strong value by charging zero transaction fees on all plans, unlike Shopify, which adds fees unless you use Shopify Payments. Standard starts around $29/month billed annually, and higher tiers unlock B2B and headless features, keeping it competitive for growing and mid-market brands.
Capability
9.0 /10BigCommerce is one of the deepest hosted ecommerce platforms, combining open SaaS and headless APIs with multi-storefront management, a dedicated B2B Edition, 65+ payment gateways, and built-in Feedonomics feed optimization. It scales to complex catalogs and international commerce, powering merchants well into eight-figure GMV.
Time to Value
5.0 /10BigCommerce takes longer to master than lighter builders because its enterprise-grade feature set carries a steeper learning curve. The 15-day free trial and visual page builder help, but unlocking full value — B2B pricing, headless storefronts, ERP integrations — typically takes days of setup rather than an afternoon.
Trust & Reliability
8.0 /10BigCommerce is a publicly traded company (NASDAQ: BIGC) powering tens of thousands of stores, including recognized brands such as Ben & Jerry's and Sony. Its enterprise track record, PCI-compliant infrastructure, and operating history since 2009 make it a dependable platform for serious merchants.
Flexibility & Exit
6.0 /10BigCommerce offers reasonable exit freedom through open APIs and standard data export, so catalog and customer records stay portable. The catch is that the best pricing requires annual billing, and automatic tier upgrades once online sales cross a plan's threshold mean costs can climb as a store grows.
About BigCommerce
Quick answer
BigCommerce is a publicly-traded (NASDAQ: BIGC) open SaaS ecommerce platform built for brands that have outgrown basic storefronts. It charges no transaction fees on any tier, supports headless commerce, multi-storefront, and a full B2B Edition, and bundles Feedonomics for product feed optimization. Pricing starts around ~$29/month (Standard, annual) and scales to custom Enterprise contracts, with revenue thresholds per tier rather than per-order fees.
What is BigCommerce?
BigCommerce is an Austin-based ecommerce SaaS founded in 2009 and listed on the NASDAQ under the ticker BIGC since 2020. Unlike open-source platforms such as Magento/Adobe Commerce or WooCommerce, BigCommerce is fully hosted — you do not patch servers — but it exposes a deep REST and GraphQL API layer that lets developers decouple the front end from the back end. This is what the company calls open SaaS.
The platform powers tens of thousands of merchants globally, including recognizable brands like Ben & Jerry's, Skullcandy, Toyota, Sony, and Woolrich. BigCommerce is particularly strong in three segments that Shopify historically underserved: enterprise B2B, headless composable commerce, and international multi-storefront catalogs.
Key features that actually matter in 2026
Headless & composable
Build storefronts in Next.js, Nuxt, Gatsby, or any framework using BigCommerce's Catalog, Checkout, and Storefront APIs. The WordPress plugin keeps WP as a CMS while BigCommerce handles cart, checkout, and inventory.
Multi-Storefront
Run multiple brands, regions, or B2B/DTC channels from a single BigCommerce backend, each with its own domain, catalog, pricing, and currency.
B2B Edition
A dedicated bundle for wholesalers: company accounts, quote negotiations, purchase orders, net-30 terms, customer-specific pricing lists, and sales-rep portals.
Feedonomics (acquired 2021)
Enterprise-grade product feed management for Google Shopping, Meta, TikTok, Amazon, and 300+ channels, bundled with Pro and Enterprise plans.
Page Builder
Native drag-and-drop editor with theme sections, brand-consistent blocks, and version history — reducing reliance on developers for landing pages.
No transaction fees
Use Stripe, PayPal, Braintree, Adyen, Authorize.Net, Klarna, or any of 65+ gateways and keep 100% of revenue. Shopify charges extra unless you use Shopify Payments.
BigCommerce pricing in 2026
BigCommerce publishes a four-tier price ladder. Each tier has an annual GMV threshold — once you cross it, you are required to move up. There are no per-transaction fees, ever. Always verify current pricing on the official site before you buy.
| Plan | Indicative price (annual) | Annual GMV cap | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | From ~$29.95/mo | ~$50K | New DTC stores, SMB launches |
| Plus | From ~$79.95/mo | ~$180K | |
| Pro | From ~$249.95/mo | ~$400K | Brands scaling past 7 figures |
| Enterprise | Custom (typically $1K+/mo) | Unlimited | Mid-market, B2B, headless composable |
Compared with Shopify, the headline price is comparable, but BigCommerce's zero-transaction-fee policy and higher GMV caps on mid-tier plans often produce a better effective cost of ownership for fast-growing brands. A 15-day free trial is available with no credit card required.
BigCommerce vs the competition
| Capability | BigCommerce | Shopify (Advanced) | Adobe Commerce (Magento) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hosting model | Fully hosted SaaS | Fully hosted SaaS | Self-hosted (cloud or on-prem) |
| Transaction fees | 0% on every plan | 0.5%–2% unless using Shopify Payments | None (you pay gateway directly) |
| Headless / APIs | Native, first-class | Available via Hydrogen | Native, very mature |
| B2B features | Dedicated B2B Edition | Shopify B2B (newer, lighter) | Strong, custom-built |
| Time to launch | Days to weeks | Hours to days | Months |
| Total cost of ownership | Medium | Medium-high at scale | High (devops + license) |
Against Shopify, BigCommerce wins on flexibility, B2B, and zero transaction fees; Shopify wins on app ecosystem depth and beginner UX. Against Adobe Commerce, BigCommerce wins on time-to-value and predictability; Adobe wins on ultimate customizability for very large engineering teams.
Who should (and shouldn't) buy BigCommerce
✓ Use BigCommerce if you:
- Run a DTC brand doing $500K–$100M+ in annual revenue.
- Sell B2B and B2C from the same backend.
- Want headless commerce with Next.js, React, or Vue.
- Operate multiple international storefronts or currencies.
- Want to keep margins by avoiding per-transaction fees.
✗ Skip if you:
- Run a small hobby or side-hustle store under $10K/yr.
- Want the absolute simplest setup and a huge app marketplace (Shopify is friendlier).
- Need full control of the server stack (consider WooCommerce or Adobe Commerce).
- Your team is non-technical and you have no developer access.
What's included
- Multi-storefront support from one back-end for B2B and B2C channels
- Headless commerce API for custom front-end frameworks
- No transaction fees on any plan regardless of sales volume
- B2B Edition with customer-specific pricing, quote management, and net terms
- Checkout customization with SDK and embedded checkout options
- Multi-currency and multi-language support for international selling
- App Marketplace with 1,000+ integrations for payments, shipping, and marketing
- Native channel management for Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Facebook, and Instagram
- SaaSTweaks-verified affiliate deal
- Vendor-direct activation flow with editorial pros + cons review
BigCommerce pricing
Verified May 2026. Vendor's published rates at the time we checked — always confirm at checkout.
| Plan | Price | Term | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | $39/mo annual | annual | No transaction fees; unlimited staff accounts; 50K GMV/year threshold |
| Plus | $105/mo annual | annual | All Standard; customer groups, segmentation, cart abandonment; $180K GMV/year threshold |
| Pro | $399/mo annual | annual | All Plus; faceted search, Google reviews, custom SSL; $400K GMV/year threshold |
| Enterprise | Custom | custom | No GMV threshold; multi-storefront, B2B edition, priority support, SLA |
Getting started
4 steps. The last one is the part most people skip.
- 1
Open BigCommerce through the link on this page
It carries our referral tag. The price you pay is identical either way, and it never changes the score on this page.
- 2
Compare the tiers against what you actually use
The pricing table on this page lists what each plan includes. Match it to real usage rather than the tier the vendor highlights.
- 3
Start on the smallest plan that fits
Most vendors let you move up mid-cycle and bill the difference, so starting low costs you nothing but starting high does.
- 4
Check the renewal terms before you commit
Note the renewal date and the rate it reverts to, so the second invoice is not a surprise. Annual plans are usually cheaper per month but harder to exit.
Where BigCommerce wins and loses
What works
- Zero transaction fees on all plans — keeps 100% of payment processing fees versus Shopify's add-on fee
- Native B2B features include custom price lists, customer groups, quote management, and PO payment
- Open API and multi-storefront support makes BigCommerce the platform of choice for headless commerce builds
- No platform lock-in on payments — works with 65+ payment gateways without surcharges
What doesn't
- GMV thresholds force plan upgrades as revenue grows — can feel penalising for successful stores
- App ecosystem and theme marketplace are smaller than Shopify's 8,000+ apps
- Less intuitive admin interface for non-technical merchants compared to Shopify
- Some native features that require apps on Shopify require developer configuration on BigCommerce
The bottom line
BigCommerce is a powerful open SaaS platform for scaling, B2B, and headless brands, pairing deep multi-storefront capability with zero transaction fees on every plan. The lack of an exclusive discount and the annual-billing sales thresholds are the main trade-offs, but for growth-focused merchants it remains a solid Buy.
BigCommerce costs about $29/month for Standard, $79/month for Plus, and $299/month for Pro when billed annually, with Enterprise priced by custom quote. Monthly billing runs higher, near $39, $105, and $399. Every plan includes zero transaction fees, though each tier carries an annual online-sales threshold that triggers an automatic upgrade once exceeded.
Yes, BigCommerce offers a 15-day free trial with no credit card required, letting merchants build a store, add products, and test the page builder before paying. It is enough time to evaluate the admin, themes, and core apps, though fully configuring headless or B2B features usually needs longer than the trial window.
BigCommerce and Shopify are the two leading hosted platforms, but they differ on fees and flexibility. BigCommerce charges no transaction fees on any plan and bundles native B2B, multi-storefront, and headless APIs, whereas Shopify adds fees unless you use Shopify Payments. Shopify has a larger app store and gentler learning curve; BigCommerce suits complex, catalog-heavy brands.
No, BigCommerce charges zero transaction fees on every plan, including Standard, Plus, Pro, and Enterprise, regardless of which payment gateway you use. Merchants still pay their processor's card rates, such as roughly 2.59% + 49 cents on lower tiers, but BigCommerce itself takes no cut of sales, a real saving versus platforms that penalize third-party gateways.
BigCommerce ties each plan to an annual online-sales limit: roughly $50,000 for Standard, $180,000 for Plus, and $400,000 for Pro. When a store's trailing sales cross its threshold, BigCommerce automatically moves it to the next tier. Enterprise removes these caps with custom pricing, making it the choice for high-volume and fast-scaling merchants.
Yes, BigCommerce is built for B2B and headless commerce, offering a dedicated B2B Edition with customer groups, quotes, and price lists, plus open APIs for headless storefronts on frameworks like Next.js. Combined with multi-storefront management and Feedonomics feed optimization, it handles complex catalogs and wholesale workflows that lighter platforms struggle to support.
