BigCommerce vs Shopify: Complete 2026 Comparison
BigCommerce and Shopify are both ecommerce platform providers, but they suit different priorities. Across our 6-category breakdown, BigCommerce comes out ahead, winning 2 of them — including Performance and Developers.
Data last updated June 2026
Overall Winner
BigCommerce
- Wins in 2 of 6 categories
- Top in: Best Performance, Best for Developers
- 3.9/5 overall rating
BigCommerce vs Shopify: Overview
BigCommerce's standout is no transaction fees with built-in features, multi-channel selling, and B2B capabilities — a natural fit for mid-size e-commerce business wanting to avoid transaction fees with built-in features and multi-channel selling. Shopify, by contrast, leans on market-leading hosted e-commerce platform powering 4, ideal for E-commerce business wanting all-in-one hosted solution with Shop Pay, POS, and multi-channel capabilities.
Category Winners
Best Value
Tie
Similar renewal pricing
Best Performance
BigCommerce
99.99% uptime, 3.9/5 rating
Best Support
Tie
Similar support options
Best for WordPress
Tie
Similar WordPress features
Best for Developers
BigCommerce
Staging
Best for Beginners
Shopify
Higher ease of use score (8.5/10)
Feature Comparison
| Feature | ||
|---|---|---|
| Essential Info | ||
| Hosting Type | eCommerce Platform | eCommerce Platform |
| Monthly Price | — | — |
| Renewal Price | — | — |
| Renewal Markup | 0% | 0% |
| Overall Rating | 3.9/5 | 3.7/5 |
| Uptime Guarantee | 99.99% | 99.99% |
| Trustpilot Rating | 2.5/5 | 1.3/5 |
| Trustpilot Reviews | 448 | 4,000 |
| Free SSL | ||
| Free Domain | ||
| Free Migration | ||
| Pricing Details | ||
| First Year Cost | $348.00 | $348.00 |
| Second Year Cost | $468.00 | $468.00 |
| Money Back Guarantee | 0 days | 0 days |
| Setup Fee | Free | Free |
| Monthly Billing | ||
| Minimum Contract | 1 months | 1 months |
| Technical Specs | ||
| Storage | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Storage Type | SSD | SSD |
| Bandwidth | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Max Websites | 1 | 1 |
| Max Databases | — | — |
| PHP Versions | — | — |
| SSH Access | ||
| Git Deployment | ||
| Staging Environment | ||
| Cron Jobs | ||
| Redis Available | ||
| Programming Languages | ||
| Node.js Support | ||
| Python Support | ||
| Ruby Support | ||
| WordPress Features | ||
| WordPress Optimized | ||
| WordPress Auto-Install | ||
| WordPress Auto-Updates | ||
| WordPress Staging | ||
| WooCommerce Optimized | ||
| LiteSpeed Cache | ||
| Object Caching | ||
| WP Multisite | ||
| WP-CLI Access | ||
| Security | ||
| DDoS Protection | ||
| DDoS Protection Level | Enterprise DDoS protection | Enterprise DDoS via Cloudflare |
| Malware Scanning | ||
| Malware Removal | ||
| Firewall Included | ||
| Backup Frequency | Automatic | Automatic |
| Backup Retention | — | — |
| Backup Restore Fee | Free | Free |
| On-Demand Backup | ||
| Two-Factor Auth | ||
| Wildcard SSL | ||
| Dedicated IP | ||
| Support | ||
| Support Channels | Live Chat, Phone, Email, Knowledge Base, Community Forum | Live Chat, Phone, Email, Knowledge Base, Community Forum |
| Live Chat | ||
| Live Chat Hours | 24/7 | 24/7 |
| Phone Support | ||
| Phone Support Hours | 24/7 | 24/7 |
| Ticket Support | ||
| Priority Support | ||
| Support Languages | English | English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Japanese |
| Knowledge Base Quality | 4.0/10 | 5.0/10 |
| Avg Support Wait | — | — |
| Email Accounts | ||
| Email Account Limit | 0 | 0 |
| Mailbox Size | — | — |
| Webmail Access | ||
| Spam Filter | ||
| Email Forwarding | ||
| Performance | ||
| CDN Included | ||
| CDN Provider | Akamai CDN | Cloudflare CDN |
| Server Locations | Global CDN | Global CDN (Cloudflare) |
| Server Location Count | — | — |
| Choose Server Location | ||
| HTTP/2 Support | ||
| Brotli Compression | ||
| Uptime SLA Credit | ||
| Platform Support | ||
| Drupal Support | ||
| Joomla Support | ||
| Magento Support | ||
| Laravel Support | ||
| Django Support | ||
| Next.js Support | ||
| Rails Support | ||
| Static Site Support | ||
| Control Panel | ||
| cPanel Included | ||
| Control Panel | BigCommerce Control Panel | Shopify Admin |
| Softaculous | ||
| Website Builder | ||
| Builder Name | BigCommerce Page Builder | Shopify Online Store Builder |
| Migration | ||
| Migration Websites Limit | 0 | 0 |
| Migration Turnaround | — | — |
| Paid Migration Cost | — | — |
| Migration Quality | — | — |
| Compliance | ||
| GDPR Compliant | ||
| PCI Compliant | ||
| HIPAA Compliant | ||
| Data Center Certs | PCI DSS Level 1, SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 | PCI DSS Level 1, SOC 2 Type II |
| Ratings | ||
| Value for Money | 3.5/10 | 3.0/10 |
| Performance Rating | 4.5/10 | 4.5/10 |
| Support Quality | 4.0/10 | 2.5/10 |
| Security Rating | 4.5/10 | 4.5/10 |
| Features Rating | 4.5/10 | 5.0/10 |
| Ease of Use | 3.5/10 | 4.5/10 |
| Transparency Rating | 3.0/10 | 2.5/10 |
| Suitability Scores | ||
| For Bloggers | 1.0/10 | 1.0/10 |
| For E-commerce | 5.0/10 | 5.0/10 |
| For Agencies | 3.0/10 | 3.0/10 |
| For Developers | 4.0/10 | 3.0/10 |
| For Beginners | 3.0/10 | 4.0/10 |
| For Enterprise | 4.0/10 | 4.0/10 |
| Policies | ||
| Bandwidth Overage | Unlimited bandwidth included | Unlimited bandwidth included |
| Storage Overage | Unlimited storage included | Unlimited storage included |
| Adult Content Allowed | ||
| Gambling Sites Allowed | ||
| Crypto Sites Allowed | ||
| Reseller Hosting | ||
| White Label | ||
| API Access | ||
| Company Info | ||
| Year Founded | 2009 | 2006 |
| Headquarters | United States | Canada |
| Parent Company | Independent (publicly traded NASDAQ: BIGC) | Independent (publicly traded NYSE: SHOP) |
| Green Hosting | ||
| Instant Activation | ||
| Managed WordPress | ||
| Managed WP Available | ||
| Pricing Model | — | — |
| Monthly Visit Limit | — | — |
| Visit Overage Cost | — | — |
| PHP Workers | — | — |
| Plugin Restrictions | — | — |
| Dev Environment | — | — |
| Dev Env Name | — | — |
| Regional Info | ||
| Best Countries | United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada | United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, France, Japan |
| Local Currencies | USD, GBP, AUD, CAD | USD, CAD, EUR, GBP, AUD, JPY |
| Support Languages | English | English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Japanese |
| Data Sovereignty | GDPR, PCI-DSS | GDPR, PCI-DSS |
| External Ratings | ||
| G2 Rating | 4.2/5 | 4.4/5 |
| BBB Rating | A+ | A+ |
| Advanced Technical | ||
| Inode Limit | — | — |
| Max DB Size | — | — |
| Max Upload Size | — | — |
| Database Type | — | — |
| Elasticsearch | ||
| Image Optimization | ||
| PHP Switching | ||
| Subdomains | — | — |
| FTP Accounts | — | — |
| Additional Pricing | ||
| Free Domain Duration | — | — |
| Money Back Exclusions | NO REFUNDS - 15-day free trial instead of money-back guarantee | NO REFUNDS - Shopify subscription charges are non-refundable; 3-day free trial + $1/mo for 3 months promo |
| Payment Methods | Credit Card, PayPal | Credit Card, PayPal, Shopify Payments |
| Auto Renewal Default | ||
| Domain Privacy Included | — | |
| Domain Privacy Cost | — | — |
| SSL Provider | BigCommerce SSL | Shopify SSL (256-bit) |
| Dedicated IP Cost | — | — |
| Additional Support | ||
| Phone Support Countries | Global | Global |
| Priority Support Cost | — | — |
| Community Forum | ||
| Support Outsourced | ||
| Object Cache Type | — | — |
| Business & Affiliate | ||
| Affiliate Program | ||
| Commission Type | Per sale | Per sale |
| Commission Amount | 200% of first monthly payment | Varies by merchant referral |
| Additional Policies | ||
| File Hosting Allowed | ||
| Proxy/VPN Allowed | ||
| Bandwidth Overage Cost | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Account Suspension Policy | Violation of ToS | Violation of ToS; payment issues |
| Malware Removal Cost | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Downloadable Backups | ||
| Additional Platforms | ||
| PrestaShop | ||
| Ghost | ||
| Shopify Migration | ||
| Wix Migration | ||
| Squarespace Migration | ||
| Webflow Export | ||
| Editorial Info | ||
| Best For | Mid-size e-commerce wanting no transaction fees; Multi-channel sellers; B2B e-commerce; Stores needing built-in SEO; Companies avoiding Shopify fees; Businesses needing headless commerce | E-commerce stores needing all-in-one solution; Dropshipping businesses; Multi-channel sellers; Businesses wanting Shop Pay; Stores needing POS integration; Scalable e-commerce |
| Avoid If | Revenue will exceed caps quickly; Need lots of free themes; Want maximum simplicity; Prefer Shopify's ecosystem; Need WordPress integration | Need WordPress; Want to avoid transaction fees; Budget-conscious (fees add up); Need granular control; Concerned about support quality; Need advanced customization |
| Known Issues | Revenue caps force expensive upgrades; Limited customization without developer; Few free themes; Feedonomics migration issues (CAPI); Learning curve for beginners; Design flexibility limited; Not as beginner-friendly as Shopify | Very poor Trustpilot (1.3) due to support and billing issues; Transaction fees unless using Shopify Payments; Apps add significant cost; Support quality declined (outsourced); Payment holds and disputes; Account security recovery issues; 86% of Trustpilot reviews 1-star |
| Unique Selling Point | No transaction fees with built-in features, multi-channel selling, and B2B capabilities | Market-leading hosted e-commerce platform powering 4.7M+ stores with Shop Pay and multi-channel selling |
| Ideal Customer | Mid-size e-commerce business wanting to avoid transaction fees with built-in features and multi-channel selling | E-commerce business wanting all-in-one hosted solution with Shop Pay, POS, and multi-channel capabilities |
| Best Alternative To | Shopify | WooCommerce |
| Primary Competitors | Shopify, WooCommerce, Adobe Commerce | BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Wix Stores |
We strive for accuracy, but pricing and features change frequently. Some data may be outdated. Report an error and we'll update it promptly.
Our Verdict
Choose BigCommerce if you...
- Want higher-rated hosting (3.9/5)
- Need staging environments
Choose Shopify if you...
- Are new to web hosting
BigCommerce vs Shopify: Frequently Asked Questions
Does BigCommerce or Shopify have better uptime?
BigCommerce edges out Shopify on performance with a 99.99% uptime guarantee and a 3.9/5 overall rating. For uptime-sensitive sites, it's the more dependable choice.
Is BigCommerce or Shopify better for beginners?
Shopify is friendlier for beginners, scoring higher on ease of use in our assessment. New users will generally find it quicker to get started.
Should I choose BigCommerce or Shopify?
For most users, BigCommerce is the better overall choice, winning 2 of our 6 categories (notably Performance and Developers). That said, the right host depends on your specific needs — check the category breakdown above for the factors that matter to you.