Even though they are one of the biggest (no pun intended) names in the world of ecommerce, there can be numerous reasons why you may be looking for an alternative platform.
And that is why we created a list of the 5 best alternatives for Bigcommerce that could be the perfect platform for your ecommerce business.
Disclosure: Our site is reader supported, meaning we may earn a commission from purchases made through our links, to learn more, please see our Affiliate Disclosure.
1: Shopify
The first option and in our opinion the best alternative to Bigcommerce is non-other than their biggest rival Shopify.
This is because these two platforms are comparable in so many ways as they offer a similar:
- Range of packages for businesses from start-ups to enterprise-level stores
- Selection of standard features
- An app store (although Shopify’s is considerably larger)
- 24/7 Support
- Range of well-designed themes
But Shopify is much better when it comes to theme customization and due to the larger user base, Shopify has a much bigger community, which means it can be easier to find information online or developers who can assist you with your store.
One thing you may find is that you need to install an app or two for some features that are included as standard with Bigcommerce.
Pricing
Shopify offers three standard packages:
- Shopify Basic: $39/m
- Shopify Standard: $105/m
- Shopify Advanced: $399/m
For enterprise-level business, Shopify also have you covered with their Shopify Plus plan, which starts from $2,000 a month and is tailored to you and your business.
Shopify don’t have any turnover limits but do charge a transaction fee with all of their standard packages and the fee you are charged does depend on the package you are on:
- Basic: 2%
- Standard: 1%
- Advanced: 0.5%
This can make figuring out which is the best package to be on a bit more difficult but you can use our free Shopify fee calculator to figure out which is the best one to choose.
Pros and Cons
Who is Shopify Good For?
Shopify is a great option for businesses who want a platform that offers a similar offering to Bigcommerce in terms of features, size and infrastructure but don’t want to use Bigcommerce as they are the most comparable but Shopify does offer better design and theme customization.
2: Ecwid
The second choice on this list is a great option for small to medium-sized businesses, especially if you are finding Bigcommerce a bit too complicated.
Ecwid also offers the most flexible option on the list as it can be used to build simple, stand-alone ecommerce websites or can be used as a fully hosted shopping cart for popular website builders WordPress and Wix.
But even though Ecwid is aimed at smaller ecommerce stores than Bigcommerce, it still offers a good selection of standard features and offers a small app store and these should be more than enough for most small online stores.
Ecwid also includes a range of support options but it does depend on the package you are on as to what support channels you get access to but they don’t offer 24/7 support like Bigcommerce does.
Ecwid Pricing
One big advantage for small businesses on a budget is that Ecwid is quite a bit cheaper than Bigcommerce and they offer 4 packages:
- Ecwid Free: Free
- Ecwid Venture: $15/m
- Ecwid Business: $35/m
- Ecwid Unlimited: $99/m
The main difference between the three paid packages is the number of products you can list (100, 2,500 and Unlimited) and the features and support options you get access to.
And Eciwd doesn’t have annual turnover limits, meaning that you can choose which package you want to be on.
Ecwid Pros and Cons
Who is Ecwid best for?
Ecwid is a great option for users who want to still have a WordPress site but want the benefits and security of a fully hosted ecommerce platform as well. Website owners who also want less hassle when it comes to maintenance should also consider Ecwid as you only need 1 plugin and it also works with every WordPress theme.
3: WooCommerce
WooCommerce is another powerhouse in the world of ecommerce and the most popular ecommerce plugin for the WordPress CMS and can be a great alternative to Bigcommerce.
One of the main reasons why businesses might prefer WooCommerce to Bigcommerce is that you are not signed up to a subscription and this gives you more control over your online store.
The core WooCommerce plugin is very basic in terms of features but its huge popularity means that there are thousands of both free and paid plugins from numerous developers that allow you to add pretty much any ecommerce related functionality to your WooCommerce store.
And because WooCommerce is open source, it means that the possibilities are almost endless when it comes to customization and integrations but you may need to employ the services of WordPress/WooCommerce developer in order to achieve this.
It does also need to noted that there is no direct support from the team behind WooCommerce, this may require you to employ the services of a WooCommerce specialist, should you run into any issues that you can’t solve yourself.
WooCommerce Pricing
One of the things that makes WooCommerce so attractive to many online stores is that the plugin is free as is the WordPress CMS, which is required.
But you will need to pay for web hosting and in most cases, it is recommended that businesses opt for ecommerce quality hosting to maximize performance and uptime.
WooCommerce Pros and Cons
Who is WooCommerce best for?
WooCommerce can be a great option for businesses that don’t want to use a SaaS ecommerce platform. It can also be a good option for businesses with a strong content-driven marketing approach as the WordPress CMS is one of the best platforms for blogging.
4: Square Online
Square is another great option for smaller ecommerce businesses, especially ones who also have a physical store as they can manage all of their inventory and orders using one platform.
But even if you only sell online, Squares Online Store is still an option worth considering as it allows you to sell a variety of different types of products and comes with a good selection of features that are very good for small businesses.
Square also offers a selection of apps and integrations with third-party platforms to help you streamline your business.
In addition, they offer a website builder with a range of customization options to help you build a simple but effective online store.
Square Online Pricing
Square Online is a very cost-effective platform, with its monthly fees being considerably lower than those charged by Bigcommerce and they offer three paid packages:
- Square Professional: $16/m
- Square Performance: $29/m
- Square Premium: $79/m
Unlike Bigcommerce, Square doesn’t have annual turnover limits, meaning you can choose which plan you want to use and they also offer a free plan but this is limited in terms of branding options.
Square Online Pros and Cons
Who is Square Online Best For?
Square Online is a very good option for businesses that want a simple, easy to use online store which offers a nice selection of features and want to combine this with the POS system in a physical store as it can all be managed from a single dashboard at a cost-effective price.
5: Shift4Shop
Shift4Shop (formerly 3DCart) is another alternative to Bigcommerce for businesses of all sizes as they have options for everyone from start-ups to ecommerce businesses turning over in excess of $1 million a year.
And while Shift4Shop is the new name, the origins of the platform can be traced back to the late 90s, so they are what you could call a well-established ecommerce platform.
Shift4Shop also offer a range of features called modules and users can pick and choose which ones they want active on their store, giving a lot of flexibility along with a range of apps, which offer integrations with third-party platforms but some of these are paid options.
The same also applies to the themes as Shift4Shop offer over 100 free to use, mobile responsive themes but the theme customization isn’t as good as Bigcommerce but this can result in some savings when setting up and running your online store.
Shift4Shop Pricing
Shift4Shop offer three paid plans and as with Bigcommerce, all the paid plans have annual turnover limits:
- Shift4Shop Basic: $29/m (up to $100k annual sales)
- Shift4Shop Plus: $79/m (up to $250k annual sales)
- Shift4Shop Pro: $229/m (up to $1 million annual sales)
They also offer a completely free plan but you can only use Shift4Payments as your payment gateway.
Shift4Shop Pros and Cons
Who is Shift4Shop Best For?
Shift4Shop is best for businesses who are looking for an ecommerce platform that can cope with everything from start-ups to enterprise-level businesses but don’t want to use Bigcommerce or Shopify. If you already use Shift4Payments for your online store, then you could also save a lot of money on subscription fees.
Conclusion
There are some really good alternatives to Bigcommerce on the market for businesses of all sizes and whatever your reason for wanting to leave Bigcommerce, you can take some comfort in knowing that there are other options out there.
But before jumping headfirst into your next platform, spend some time trying out the alternatives and see what they are like to use and if they are missing any features that you use with Bigcommerce and if they are, can these be added with an app?
Moving ecommerce platforms is not the simplest or most straightforward of tasks, so make sure that you are moving to a platform that is right for you and your business.
Hi, I'm Paul, the Owner and Founder of EcommerceGold.
I ran my own Ecommerce Business for over 7 years and now help others start their own online retail empires!