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E-commerce Platforms

BigCommerce vs Shopify: Which E-commerce Platform Fits Your Business in 2026?

Both start at the same $29/mo price, billed annually. The real difference is how each plan grows: BigCommerce’s Core plan auto-upgrades based on your trailing sales volume (GMV), while Shopify’s plans are flat regardless of how much you sell.

By Bill Belcamino · Last updated September 23, 2026 · Our methodologyResearched and fact-checked by the HelpCompare team
BigCommerce logoCore $29/mo (billed annually), up to $30K trailing-12-month GMV

BigCommerce

VS
Shopify logoFrom $29/mo

Shopify

Run the cost calculator Compare pricing tiers
BigCommerce vs ShopifyVerified Sep 23, 2026
Bottom line Editorial assessment

BigCommerce or Shopify, which is better?

Both start at an identical $29/mo (annual). Choose BigCommerce if you want no transaction fees on any payment gateway and multi-channel selling built in, though its plans auto-upgrade once trailing sales pass $30,000. Choose Shopify if you want a flat price regardless of sales volume and the largest app/theme ecosystem.

Quick verdict: BigCommerce Core and Shopify Basic both list at $29 a month, billed annually — identical at face value. The difference is what happens as you grow: BigCommerce’s Core plan auto-upgrades to its Growth tier once your trailing-12-month sales pass $30,000, regardless of your plan choice, while Shopify’s plan price stays flat no matter how much you sell (you upgrade by choice, for more features, not because a sales threshold forces it). BigCommerce also includes more built-in features at Core (multi-channel selling, no transaction fees on any payment gateway) that Shopify gates behind its app ecosystem or higher tiers.
Verified data

BigCommerce vs Shopify: quick facts

At a glanceBigCommerceShopify
CategoryE-commerce Platforms
Entry priceCore $29/mo (billed annually), up to $30K trailing-12-month GMVFrom $29/mo
Free planNo free plan — 15-day free trialNo free tier (3-day trial, then $1/mo for 3 months intro offer)

Is BigCommerce cheaper than Shopify?

Identical at the entry tier: both are $29 a month, billed annually. BigCommerce becomes the more expensive path once a store’s trailing 12-month sales exceed $30,000, since Core auto-upgrades to Growth; Shopify’s price does not change based on sales volume.

Verified data

BigCommerce vs Shopify at a glance

CategoryBigCommerceShopify
Entry priceCore $29/mo (annual)Basic $29/mo (annual)
Pricing basisPer store, gated by trailing 12-month GMVPer store, flat regardless of sales volume
Auto-upgrade triggerAt $30K trailing GMV (Core→Growth)None — upgrade by choice only
Free planNo — 15-day trialNo — 3-day trial, then $1/mo for 3 months
App/theme ecosystemSmaller than Shopify’sLargest in the e-commerce category
Built-in multi-channel sellingIncluded at CoreAvailable, partly via apps
Transaction fees on 3rd-party gatewaysNone, any tierApplies unless using Shopify Payments
G2 ratingNot recorded (fetch blocked)4.4/5 (5,143 reviews)

Verified September 23, 2026Prices recorded from each vendor’s own pricing page. See sources

Prices in USD from bigcommerce.com/pricing and shopify.com/pricing, both checked September 23, 2026. All three are priced per store/account, not per user — the figures above do not scale with the number of people entered, since none of these platforms charges by admin seat at these entry tiers. BigCommerce’s Core plan auto-upgrades to its next tier (Growth) once your trailing-12-month sales pass $30,000 — a real cost consideration for a growing store that a flat monthly price doesn’t show.

Editorial assessment

How they actually differ

Both are hosted e-commerce platforms with themes, apps and a checkout built in, starting at the identical $29 price — but they grow differently as a store scales.

Flat price vs GMV-gated tiers

BigCommerce’s Core plan auto-upgrades to its next tier (Growth) once your trailing-12-month sales pass $30,000 — a real cost consideration for a growing store that a flat monthly price doesn’t show. Shopify’s tiers are chosen by the merchant for more features (lower transaction fees on Shopify Payments, more staff accounts, better shipping rates), not forced by a sales-volume threshold the way BigCommerce’s are.

Ecosystem size

Shopify has by far the largest app and theme marketplace in e-commerce, reflected in its much larger G2 review base (5,143 reviews). BigCommerce includes more natively at Core — multi-channel selling and no third-party gateway transaction fees at any tier — rather than relying as heavily on paid apps for the same features.

Moving between them

Product catalogs, customer accounts and order history do not move automatically between platforms; each publishes CSV import/export tools for products and customers, but themes, apps and custom code are rebuilt by hand in the new platform’s own system.

Editorial assessment

Pros & cons

BigCommerce

Pros

  • No transaction fees on any payment gateway, any tier
  • Multi-channel selling included at Core
  • Flat feature set without needing many paid apps
  • Renamed plans (2026) still clearly tiered by GMV headroom

Cons

  • Auto-upgrades based on sales volume, not by choice
  • Smaller app and theme ecosystem than Shopify
  • No published G2 rating on this site (fetch was blocked)
  • Less mindshare/community than Shopify

Shopify

Pros

  • Price stays flat regardless of sales volume
  • Largest app and theme ecosystem in e-commerce
  • Very large, active review base (5,143 on G2)
  • Widely adopted, extensive documentation and community

Cons

  • Transaction fees apply on third-party payment gateways unless using Shopify Payments
  • Many features require paid apps rather than being built in
  • No permanent free tier
  • Multi-channel selling less complete out of the box than BigCommerce Core
Verified data

Cost calculator: what does your team actually pay?

BigCommerce

 
$0/mo

Shopify

 
$0/mo
 

List prices checked September 23, 2026. Both are priced per store, not per user, so this calculator shows the flat monthly price regardless of the number entered. BigCommerce Core auto-upgrades once trailing 12-month sales exceed $30,000. Promotions and taxes are not included.

Choose BigCommerce if…

You want no transaction fees on any payment gateway and multi-channel selling built in, and you’re comfortable with plan tiers gated by sales volume.

Choose Shopify if…

You want the largest app and theme ecosystem, a flat price regardless of sales volume, or the most widely adopted platform for hiring and documentation.

Total cost over time

Uses your selections above. Estimate excludes add-ons, overages, and negotiated discounts.

Ready to pick your e-commerce platform?

BigCommerce offers a 15-day trial; Shopify offers a 3-day trial plus a discounted intro period. Build a real product catalog in each before committing your store to one.

See BigCommerce pricing See Shopify pricing

Frequently Asked Questions

Is BigCommerce cheaper than Shopify?

At the entry tier, no — both are $29/mo, billed annually, identical. The difference shows up as a store grows: BigCommerce auto-upgrades past $30K trailing sales; Shopify’s price stays flat. Prices checked September 23, 2026.

Does BigCommerce charge transaction fees?

No, at any tier, on any payment gateway. Shopify charges transaction fees on third-party gateways unless you use Shopify Payments.

What happens when my BigCommerce store passes $30,000 in sales?

Core auto-upgrades to the Growth plan, BigCommerce’s next tier, regardless of which plan you originally chose.

Which has more apps and themes?

Shopify, by a wide margin — it has the largest ecosystem in the e-commerce category.

Migration Guides

Already decided? Here’s how to actually switch.

Step-by-step migration guides covering what transfers automatically, what doesn’t, and how to handle the gap — in both directions.

Switching from BigCommerce to Shopify Switching from Shopify to BigCommerce
Editorial assessment

When to Buy — and When to Walk Away

Every “best e-commerce platform” listicle tells you why to buy. Here’s the other half: the specific conditions under which BigCommerce or Shopify is the wrong purchase for your team.

BigCommerce

Buy BigCommerce if:

  • You want no transaction fees on any payment gateway
  • You want multi-channel selling built in, not bolted on with apps
  • You’re comfortable with GMV-gated plan tiers

Do NOT buy BigCommerce if:

  • You want a flat price regardless of sales growth
  • You want the largest app/theme ecosystem
  • You want the most widely documented, hired-for platform

Shopify

Buy Shopify if:

  • You want a flat price no matter how much you sell
  • You want the largest app and theme ecosystem
  • You want the most widely adopted platform for hiring and community support

Do NOT buy Shopify if:

  • You want zero transaction fees on any gateway
  • You want multi-channel selling included, not app-dependent
  • You want fewer paid apps to reach full feature parity

Canonical data for the tools on this page

Every pricing fact, rating, AI billing model and switching guide we hold on each tool, on one page, with the date each figure was last verified.

BigCommercePricing, free plan, AI cost & every comparison›ShopifyPricing, free plan, AI cost & every comparison›
BigCommerce vs WooCommerceHead-to-head comparisonShopify vs WooCommerceHead-to-head comparison

Sources

Prices on this page were recorded from each vendor’s own pricing page on the date shown at the top of the page. Vendors change pricing often — check the live source before you buy.

Every figure is also in our open dataset (JSON and CSV, CC BY 4.0), with its source page and verification date. See how we research pricing.

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01 · CompareWhich tool fits your team, side by side.101 comparisons 02 · Price & approveSourced, dated pricing and a one-page brief for sign-off.Decision brief 03 · SwitchWhat moves, what you rebuild, what it costs.202 guides 04 · ShareDownload and cite the data. CC BY 4.0.Open data
Bill Belcamino, founder of HelpCompare
About the author

Bill Belcamino

Founder and author, HelpCompare

Engineer by training, operator by experience, marketer by choice. Bill spent nine years as an engineer at HP, was COO of Auctiva (the number one third-party selling platform on eBay, past 200,000 users) and ran Google’s $70M/year search syndication partnership at Alot.com. Then he spent 13 years building his own web properties with his own money at stake. He has bought, trialled, integrated and cancelled more SaaS tools than he can count, and started HelpCompare because the real cost of switching tools is the part nobody covers.

“I’ve sat on both sides of the table: the agency recommending the tool and the client paying for it.”

Researched and fact-checked by the HelpCompare team. Pricing on this page was last verified on September 23, 2026. No paid sponsorships, no affiliate commissions.

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