Overview of both CMS's
Shopify and BigCommerce are online store builders that provide you the opportunity to sell digital and physical products. Typically these services are targeted at those starting a business without a lot of capital to use on web development. These services are aimed at those who are able to take a ‘do-it-yourself’ approach to creating their online store.
Both Shopify and BigCommerce run in a web browser so you do not have to install software on your computer, and you have the ability to manage your store from anywhere with an internet connection. The key factor in both of these tools is that you can create your online store without the need to code anything. You choose a template from those provided, upload your product information, choose your prices, and this should have you ready to launch.
Both tools, Shopify and BigCommerce are known as SaaS (software as a service.) Using a SaaS means you will be charged an ongoing cost to use them. Typically payments to a SaaS are on a monthly or annual fee to be given access to the software.
Shopify VS BigCommerce: Pricing, Features & More
One of the most asked questions regarding the differences between Shopify and BigCommerce is about the cost of these two tools. These prices explain those differences:
BigCommerce provides four plans on their pricing:
- The standard version is $29.95 a month
- The plus version is $79.95 a month
- The pro version is $299.95 a month
- The Enterprise version varies on monthly fees depending on your requirements
BigCommerce does offer a ten percent discount on fees if you pay upfront for a year and does allow a 15-day free trial.
Shopify provides five plans on their pricing:
- The starter version is $5 a month
- The basic version is $29 a month
- The Shopify version is $79 a month
- The Advanced version is $299 a month
- The Shopify Plus version varies on monthly fees depending on your requirements
The above prices are for those in the United States, however, Shopify fees can sometimes work out to be a bit higher outside of the U.S. There are significant discounts offered if you choose to pay upfront for a Shopify plan. This tool also offers a 14- day free trial.
The starter plan on Shopify is much cheaper at $5 a month. There is one drawback with this plan, however, because it does not give you a fully functional online store. This plan will also not allow you to take payment at the point of sale as it allows:
- You can make use of a “Shopify Button” that is an embeddable widget much like the “pay now” button on Paypal. Customers add their choice to a shopping cart to an online presence or existing website.
- You can use your Facebook site, other messaging apps, or social media channels to sell your product.
Both tools offer a plan that has varying fees based on your unique requirements. These plans on the platforms are targeted at large corporations or store owners who will have an extremely high volume of sales. Both Shopify and BigCommerce provide a lot of advanced features with these plans, such as:
- A dedicated IP/SSL address
- Guaranteed server uptime
- Advanced API support
- Advanced security features
In addition to these four features, there is also more account management and onboarding with these plans.
With the basic plan for these two tools, you will find BigCommerce provides more features out of the box, however, Shopify will not impose any sales limits on you and BigCommerce has a $50,000 sales limit per year.
In the end, these two tools are both powerful and popular eCommerce platforms. Which one you should choose will come down to your particular needs on your website. Shopify is typically better for large stores, and BigCommerce’s integrations will make it better if you are just looking to grow an online business.
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