Shopify Plus vs. BigCommerce: How Do They Compare?

Shopify Plus is a more powerful and feature-rich eCommerce platform that’s designed for larger businesses. It offers a number of features that are not available in BigCommerce, including:

• Increased transaction volume 
• Dedicated account manager 
• Advanced reporting and analytics 
• Customisation options 
• Multi-currency is a more expensive eCommerce option than BigCommerce, but it can be good value for businesses that need extra sales features and functionality.

BigCommerce is a more affordable option than Shopify Plus, but it may not be as suitable for businesses with complex needs. It offers a wide range of features and functionality, including:

• A user-friendly interface 
• A powerful admin dashboard 
• A wide range of themes and apps 
• Secure payments 
• 24/7 customer support

• What are the Key Differences Between BigCommerce Enterprise and Shopify Plus?
• Pros and Cons of BigCommerce
• Pros and Cons of Shopify Plus
• Shopify Plus vs. BigCommerce: Which is Better for Your Business?
• Choosing Shopify Plus: how Absolute Can Help

Pricing

BigCommerce Enterprise offers a transparent pricing model based on annual sales volume, providing more predictability. The Shopify pricing model is variable and includes monthly fees and transaction fees, which can be advantageous for businesses with fluctuating sales volumes. 

B2B Functionality

BigCommerce Enterprise has robust built-in B2B features such as customer groups, price lists, quote management, and custom catalogues. Shopify Plus, while it offers some B2B capabilities, relies more on third-party apps and custom development to achieve similar functionality. 

Flexibility

BigCommerce Enterprise provides more flexibility in terms of design customisation, as it offers direct access to the platform's code. Shopify Plus offers customisation through its theme editor and liquid templating language, along with a large community of developers for additional customisation needs. 

Support

Both platforms offer dedicated account management and support, but the level of support can differ. BigCommerce Enterprise provides 24/7 priority support with access to a team of experts. Shopify Plus offers a dedicated Merchant Success Manager and 24/7 priority support, with additional access to Shopify Plus Experts for technical assistance. 

SEO Features

Both platforms have SEO-friendly features, but there are some differences. BigCommerce Enterprise offers built-in features like customisable URLs, automatic sitemaps, and SEO-friendly themes. Shopify Plus also has SEO-friendly features, but it relies more on third-party apps and integrations for advanced SEO functionalities. 

Suitability

BigCommerce Enterprise is well-suited for businesses looking for comprehensive out-of-the-box sales features, strong B2B functionality, and scalability. It caters well to larger catalogues, high transaction volumes, and complex product configurations. Shopify Plus is known for its extensive app ecosystem, making it suitable for businesses that value flexibility, customisation, and seamless integrations. 

Multi-store Management

Both platforms support multi-store management, but the approach may differ. BigCommerce Enterprise offers multi-store functionality out-of-the-box, allowing you to manage multiple storefronts from a single control panel. Shopify Plus supports multi-store management through its Shopify organization feature, but it may require additional app integrations for certain advanced functionalities. 

Conclusion

The choice between BigCommerce Enterprise and Shopify Plus depends on your business's specific needs and priorities. BigCommerce Enterprise excels in robust out-of-the-box features and B2B functionality, while Shopify Plus offers extensive customization options and a vibrant app ecosystem. Consider factors like pricing, B2B needs, flexibility, support, SEO features, suitability, and multi-store management to determine which platform aligns best with your business goals.

To find out more about Shopify Plus development and migration, get in touch with our experts today. 

Pros:

• Ease of use for beginners: BigCommerce is a very user-friendly platform, even for those with no prior experience with eCommerce platforms. The interface is simple and straightforward, and there are plenty of resources available to help users get started.  
• Great support: BigCommerce offers excellent customer support, 24/7 via phone, email, and chat. The support team is knowledgeable and helpful, and they are always willing to go the extra mile to help users resolve their issues.
• No transaction fee: BigCommerce does not charge any transaction fees, which can save businesses money on their online sales. 

Cons:

• “Complicated” pricing structure: The BigCommerce pricing structure can be a bit complicated, with multiple plans and add-ons to choose from. This can make it difficult for businesses to choose the right plan for their needs.
• Theme editor can be quite hard to navigate: BigCommerce's theme editor can be quite difficult to navigate, especially for those with no experience with coding. This can make it difficult to customize the look and feel of a store.
• No shipping discounts on any plan: BigCommerce does not offer any shipping discounts on any of its plans. This can add up to a significant cost for businesses that ship a lot of products. 

Pros:

• Impressive flexibility: Shopify Plus is a very flexible platform, which allows businesses to customize their stores to meet their specific needs. This includes the ability to add custom features, change the look and feel of the store, and integrate with third-party applications.
• Reliable store uptime: Shopify Plus has a very reliable uptime record, with less than 0.1% of downtime per year. This means that businesses can be confident that their online stores will be up and running when customers want to shop.
• Fast, smooth performance on any device: Shopify Plus stores are fast and responsive, even on mobile devices. This ensures that customers have a positive shopping experience no matter how they choose to shop. 

Cons:

• Payment gateways not available in every country: Shopify Plus does not offer all payment gateways in every country. This can limit the payment options available to businesses that sell to customers in multiple countries.
• Reported customisation issues with coding: Some users have reported issues with customizing Shopify Plus stores with code. This can be a challenge for businesses that need to make extensive changes to their online stores.

You can find out more about our Shopify Plus integrations here.

BigCommerce and Shopify Plus are two of the most popular eCommerce platforms on the market. Both platforms offer a wide range of features and functionality, making them a good choice for businesses of all sizes. However, there are some key differences between the two platforms that may make one a better fit for your business than the other. 

BigCommerce

BigCommerce is a good choice for businesses that are looking for a user-friendly platform with a wide range of sales features and functionality. BigCommerce is easy to set up and use, and it offers a wide range of features that can help businesses sell more products, including:

• A powerful admin dashboard that allows businesses to manage their store operations from a single location.
• A wide range of themes and templates that can be customised to create a unique and professional-looking store.
• A variety of payment gateways that can be used to accept payments from customers around the world.
• A robust reporting system that can be used to track sales, inventory, and customer behaviour.

Shopify Plus

Shopify Plus is a good choice for businesses that need a more scalable and customizable platform. Shopify Plus is designed for businesses that are experiencing high levels of growth or that need a platform that can handle a large volume of traffic. Shopify Plus offers a number of features that are not available on BigCommerce, including: 

• The ability to handle up to 800,000 transactions per day.
• Preferential card rates via Shopify Payments.
• The ability to create custom themes and extensions.
• The ability to integrate with a wider range of third-party applications.
• A dedicated account manager who can provide support and guidance.

We’re experts in Shopify (including Shopify Basic and Advanced Shopify) and can offer you our services to help you decide which platform would suit your needs best. Please get in touch with our Shopify experts for more information. 

Expert advice: We have a team of experts who can provide advice on how to set up and use Shopify Plus. This can help you avoid making costly mistakes. 

Customisation services: We can provide customisation services for Shopify Plus stores. This can help you create an online store that looks and feels exactly the way you want it to. 

Technical support: We can provide technical and customer support for Shopify Plus stores. This can help you resolve any issues that they may encounter.