Scale global brands without replatforming.
Founders managing multiple product lines or international markets benefit from BigCommerce's ability to consolidate workflows under one platform, reducing overhead and technical debt.
BigCommerce review: the open SaaS ecommerce platform built for scaling brands, B2B catalogs, and headless storefronts.
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.
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.
Run multiple brands, regions, or B2B/DTC channels from a single BigCommerce backend, each with its own domain, catalog, pricing, and currency.
A dedicated bundle for wholesalers: company accounts, quote negotiations, purchase orders, net-30 terms, customer-specific pricing lists, and sales-rep portals.
Enterprise-grade product feed management for Google Shopping, Meta, TikTok, Amazon, and 300+ channels, bundled with Pro and Enterprise plans.
Native drag-and-drop editor with theme sections, brand-consistent blocks, and version history — reducing reliance on developers for landing pages.
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 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.
| 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.
Go to bigcommerce.com, click "Start your free trial," and pick a template (Stencil-based themes) or begin with a blank catalog.
Import via CSV or the native integrations with Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, Lightspeed, and Square. TaxJar and Avalara are pre-integrated for sales tax.
Choose Stripe, PayPal, Adyen, Braintree, or any of 65+ options. Because BigCommerce charges no transaction fees, your effective take rate is just the gateway's cost.
Use Page Builder for no-code edits, or hand off to a developer for a headless build using the Storefront API and your favorite framework.
Enable Feedonomics-powered listings on Google, Meta, TikTok, Amazon, eBay, and Pinterest in a few clicks (Pro plan and above).
Use built-in analytics, or pipe data to Google Analytics 4, Segment, or your data warehouse via the BigCommerce data connectors.
No. BigCommerce charges 0% transaction fees on every plan, including Standard, Plus, Pro, and Enterprise. You only pay your payment gateway's processing fee (e.g., 2.9% + 30¢ for Stripe).
At low GMV, the plans are similarly priced. Above ~$500K in annual sales, BigCommerce typically becomes cheaper because Shopify adds a transaction fee (0.5%–2%) on every sale unless you use Shopify Payments, while BigCommerce does not.
Yes. BigCommerce offers native importers for products, customers, orders, and content from Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, and others, and partners like LitExtension and Cart2Cart handle more complex migrations.
B2B Edition is a separately-priced bundle launched in 2023 that adds company accounts, quote management, purchase orders, net payment terms, customer-specific price lists, and a sales-rep dashboard — all native to the platform, not third-party apps.
Yes. BigCommerce is widely considered a leader in headless, with a documented Storefront API (REST and GraphQL), Checkout SDK, and certified integrations with Next.js, Gatsby, Nuxt, and Contentful.
Each plan has a soft annual GMV threshold (Standard ~$50K, Plus ~$180K, Pro ~$400K). If your store exceeds it, BigCommerce asks you to upgrade to the next tier — there is no penalty, but the plan price increases.
Yes. BigCommerce Holdings, Inc. trades on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol BIGC. It IPO'd in August 2020.
Yes. The free BigCommerce for WordPress plugin lets you keep WordPress as your CMS and blog while BigCommerce powers the cart, checkout, and product catalog — useful for content-heavy SEO strategies.
BigCommerce is the most credible Shopify alternative for serious merchants. The combination of zero transaction fees, native B2B Edition, Feedonomics-grade feed management, and a best-in-class headless API makes it the obvious pick for brands operating above the SMB line. Smaller merchants will find Shopify or even WooCommerce easier, but anyone who has hit the ceiling on those platforms should put BigCommerce at the top of their shortlist.
Launch on the Standard plan with no credit card required, no transaction fees, and a free theme library — upgrade only when you outgrow it.
Get started with BigCommerce →Founders managing multiple product lines or international markets benefit from BigCommerce's ability to consolidate workflows under one platform, reducing overhead and technical debt.
Sales teams can offer custom pricing, manage quotes, and facilitate approval workflows for B2B buyers, automating processes that typically require manual intervention.
Marketers leverage BigCommerce for syncing product catalogs to various marketplaces and advertising channels, ensuring consistent data and expanding visibility without manual updates.
Quarterly access to product leadership.
Bonus credits redeemable on partner tooling.
We re-verify the offer every quarter so it never goes stale.
Hit the button on this page — opens the partner site in a new tab.
Check your investor or accelerator benefits portal for the BigCommerce partner code. Y Combinator, Sequoia, and most Tier 1 VCs have codes available.
Renewals stay at the same rate — verified by us, not the vendor.
| Feature | BigCommerce |
|---|---|
| Free trial | 14 days |
| Cheapest paid plan | $0/mo |
| Annual discount | Up to 25% |
| Refund window | 30 days |
| Setup time | < 1 hour |
| Best for | Founders |
“Good platform but Shopify's ecosystem advantage is hard to overcome”
“Best platform for headless commerce builds — API and multi-storefront are exceptional”
“Zero transaction fees and B2B customer groups are worth the switch from Shopify”
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Free trial available
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Up to $5,000 CASHBACK
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Free forever plan via partner link