BigCommerce vs Shopify: Which Is Best in 2026?

Thinking about starting a dropshipping store and not sure which platform is right for you? Don’t worry; you’ve probably heard of both BigCommerce and Shopify, and that’s because they’re two of the best platforms for this business model.

But which one has the edge in 2026? Which one offers better pricing, native features, SEO, and room to scale? 

Broadly speaking, Shopify leans on a massive app ecosystem to add functionality, while BigCommerce tends to ship more of that functionality natively, especially around B2B, multi-storefront, and enterprise-level features.

Let’s dig deeper, not just so you can figure out which platform is the more fertile ground to plant your business in, but so you walk away knowing the key criteria for choosing a dropshipping platform in general.

Shopify Honest Review

To put it one way: doing dropshipping without knowing Shopify is like being a musician who’s never heard of the Beatles.

Shopify is built around one job: selling online, and everything about the platform reflects that. Products, orders, checkout, payments, and fulfillment all live inside the same commerce-first dashboard, and most stores can be up and running within a day.

Where Shopify pulls ahead is its ecosystem. Whatever BigCommerce doesn’t include out of the box, there’s almost always a Shopify app to fill the gap. The trade-off is that those apps add up, both in complexity and in monthly cost.

🚀 Want to skip even that first day of setup? BuildYourStore builds a live, AI-optimized Shopify store, theme, products, and pages included, in under two minutes.

Key Features of Shopify

1. Full e-commerce storefront: Every plan includes a complete online store, responsive themes, custom domain support, SSL, and unlimited products.
2. Shopify Checkout & Shopify Payments: A proprietary checkout experience plus native payment processing, alongside support for PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Amazon Pay, depending on region.
3. Massive app ecosystem: Over 16,000 apps covering everything from subscriptions to advanced B2B, letting you build almost any feature BigCommerce includes natively — at the cost of extra subscriptions.
4. Multichannel selling: Native connections to marketplaces, social platforms, and in-person selling through Shopify POS.
5. Shopify Markets: Built-in tools for multi-currency, multi-language, and localized selling across countries.
6. Built-in marketing tools: Discount codes, abandoned checkout recovery, email campaigns, and customer segmentation, with depth varying by plan.

Pros and Cons of Shopify

Shopify Pros

• Easiest platform to start selling on, with a more polished, beginner-friendly interface than BigCommerce.
• An enormous app ecosystem covers nearly any feature you might need.
• Strong multichannel and POS support for stores selling in person or across marketplaces.
• Faster time-to-launch, especially for smaller catalogs.

Shopify Cons

• Native B2B and multi-storefront features are limited on standard plans and often require Shopify Plus or third-party apps.
• Third-party payment providers carry an extra fee unless you use Shopify Payments.
• App costs stack up fast once you’re replicating what BigCommerce includes by default.

Shopify Pricing Overview

Shopify currently lists four main plans for U.S. sellers:

• Basic: $39/month (billed monthly) or $29/month (billed annually). Best for solo sellers and new stores.
• Grow: $105/month or $79/month annually. Adds staff accounts and lower payment rates.
• Advanced: $399/month or $299/month annually. Best for larger or international operations.
• Plus: From $2,300/month. Built for complex, high-volume businesses.

BigCommerce Honest Review

BigCommerce takes a different approach from Shopify: it’s built to give merchants more enterprise-grade functionality without relying on a paid app for every feature. It calls itself an “Open SaaS” platform, fully hosted like Shopify, but with a more open, API-first architecture underneath.

What does that mean in practice? On Shopify, you’re customizing the “body” of the car, so to speak. On BigCommerce, you can actually change parts of the engine.

That native depth is the whole pitch. Multi-storefront management, B2B customer groups, tiered pricing, and headless commerce via API are things BigCommerce includes on its own plans, while competitors typically treat them as premium add-ons.

Key Features of BigCommerce

1. Multi-storefront management: Launch and manage multiple storefronts, different brands, regions, or customer segments from a single backend, without a separate app for each.
2. Native B2B tools: Customer groups, tiered and contract pricing, quote requests, and purchase order support are built into the platform rather than bolted on.
3. Headless & MACH architecture: BigCommerce offers deep API coverage and native support for headless builds (React, Next.js, and others), which makes it a common pick for custom storefront projects.
4. Multichannel selling: Native connections to Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Google Shopping.
5. No extra fee for third-party payment providers: Unlike Shopify, BigCommerce doesn’t charge a surcharge for using a payment gateway other than its own.
6. Unlimited staff accounts on every plan, along with unlimited products, bandwidth, and file storage.

Pros and Cons of BigCommerce

BigCommerce Pros

• More native functionality out of the box, especially for B2B, multi-storefront, and headless use cases.
• No transaction fee on third-party payment gateways, on any plan.
• Unlimited staff accounts, even on the entry-level plan.
• Strong fit for mid-market and enterprise merchants who want built-in depth instead of a stack of apps.

BigCommerce Cons

• Plans are capped by revenue (GMV), not just features — growing past your threshold triggers an automatic plan upgrade, whether you’re ready for it or not.
• Smaller app ecosystem than Shopify (1,000+ vs. 16,000+), so niche integrations can be harder to find.
• Fewer themes, with only around a dozen free options in the Theme Store.
• Steeper learning curve for merchants coming from a more visual, drag-and-drop experience.
• Basic blogging functionality, which matters if content marketing is part of your growth plan.

BigCommerce Pricing Overview

BigCommerce renamed its plans in mid-2026 and adjusted its revenue thresholds at the same time:

• Core: $39/month (billed monthly) or $29/month (billed annually). Supports up to $30,000 in trailing 12-month GMV.
• Growth: $105/month or $79/month annually. Supports up to $100,000 in GMV.
• Scale: $399/month or $299/month annually, with a 0.9% overage above $33,333 in monthly GMV.
• Performance: Custom pricing starting around $1,499/month (billed annually), for high-volume or enterprise sellers.

Unlike Shopify, BigCommerce doesn’t charge an extra fee when you use one of its embedded payment providers. If you use an Open Payment Provider on a self-service plan, though, BigCommerce can charge a fee of up to 2%.

BigCommerce vs Shopify: Side-By-Side Comparison Table 

Shopify vs BigCommerce: In-Depth Comparison

BigCommerce vs Shopify: Ease of Use

Shopify is generally the easier platform to pick up, especially for merchants without a technical background. The dashboard is built around a simpler workflow: products, orders, and channels. Most stores can go live within a day.

BigCommerce isn’t difficult, but it requires more upfront configuration, particularly for shipping rules, tax settings, and B2B features. That depth is useful when you need it, but it means a slightly longer ramp-up for less-experienced sellers.

The verdict:

🥇 Shopify wins for day-to-day ease of use, especially for smaller or newer stores.

🥈 BigCommerce asks a bit more of you upfront, but that complexity often pays off for larger or more complex catalogs.

🚀 If speed of setup matters to you, BuildYourStore skips even Shopify’s onboarding, building a fully live, AI-optimized store in under two minutes; themes, products, and pages included.

BigCommerce vs Shopify: Pricing

At the entry level, pricing is essentially identical: BigCommerce Core and Shopify Basic both start at $29/month billed annually ($39/month billed monthly).

The real difference shows up in how each platform limits growth. Shopify doesn’t cap you by revenue; you pay more as you choose a higher tier for features. BigCommerce ties plans to trailing 12-month GMV, so once you cross your plan’s threshold, you get automatically upgraded, whether or not you were planning on it.

BigCommerce doesn’t charge a fee for using a third-party payment provider, while Shopify adds one (2%, 1%, or 0.6% depending on plan) unless you stick with Shopify Payments.

The verdict:

🥇 BigCommerce wins on total processing costs if you use an external payment provider.

🥈 Shopify wins on pricing predictability, since your plan is based on features you choose, not sales you can’t fully control.

BigCommerce vs Shopify: Design & Templates

Shopify offers considerably more design choice: 1,200+ themes, free and paid, in its Theme Store, plus a more visual editing experience overall.

BigCommerce’s Stencil theme platform is more limited (around a dozen free themes, with the rest paid), and the editor tends to feel less flexible for pure design work. What you get instead is themes built with commerce and SEO structure already baked in.

The verdict:

🥇 Shopify wins for design variety and flexibility.

🥈 BigCommerce offers fewer choices but a more standardized, commerce-ready structure out of the box.

BigCommerce vs Shopify: eCommerce Features

This is where BigCommerce’s “native-first” philosophy really shows. Multi-storefront management, B2B customer groups, tiered pricing, and quote workflows are included in BigCommerce’s core plans, whereas Shopify typically requires Shopify Plus or a stack of apps to achieve the same functionality.

Shopify still covers the essentials well: inventory, POS, multichannel selling, and its checkout experience (plus Shop Pay) is arguably more polished. But if your store is scaling toward multiple brands, wholesale buyers, or a custom headless frontend, BigCommerce’s built-in depth reduces how much you need to add on top.

The verdict:

🥇 BigCommerce wins this round for stores that need B2B, multi-storefront, or headless capability without stacking third-party apps.

🥈 Shopify covers general e-commerce well, but leans more on its app ecosystem to match that depth.

BigCommerce vs Shopify: SEO & Marketing Tools

Both platforms handle SEO fundamentals well: editable title tags, meta descriptions, URLs, alt text, canonical tags, sitemaps, and structured data.

BigCommerce ships with strong technical SEO out of the box, including faceted search and real-time shipping calculators without extra apps, and its API-first structure makes advanced SEO customization more accessible for developers.

Shopify matches most of that, with a more streamlined setup process for non-technical users, plus a much larger selection of dedicated Shopify SEO apps if you need to go further.

On marketing, both offer email tools, discount codes, and abandoned-cart recovery. Shopify’s larger app ecosystem gives it an edge once you need something specialized.

The verdict:

👉 BigCommerce has a slight edge on built-in technical SEO depth for developers.

👉 Shopify is stronger for marketing extensibility, mostly thanks to its app ecosystem.

BigCommerce vs Shopify: Apps & Integrations

This is the clearest gap between the two. BigCommerce’s App Marketplace lists 1,000+ apps, with solid coverage of the essentials but noticeably thinner for niche needs.

Shopify’s App Store has 16,000+ apps, spanning nearly every category imaginable, from dropshipping automation to loyalty programs to highly specific workflow tools.

The catch: relying on Shopify’s ecosystem to match BigCommerce’s native B2B or multi-storefront capabilities usually means paying for multiple apps that BigCommerce would have included from the start.

The verdict:

🥇 Shopify wins on raw ecosystem size, by a wide margin.

🥈 BigCommerce has fewer apps but needs fewer to achieve the same functionality in specific areas, such as B2B.

BigCommerce vs Shopify: Customer Support

Shopify offers 24/7 chat support across all plans, with phone and email support expanding on higher tiers like Plus.

BigCommerce offers live chat and phone support, but exact availability and response times vary more by plan than they do at Shopify.

The verdict:

👉 Shopify offers a more consistent support experience across every plan.

👉 BigCommerce support is solid but less uniform, so it’s worth checking current availability for your specific plan before committing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better for large product catalogs?

Both platforms support large catalogs well, but BigCommerce tends to be the stronger fit for very large or complex catalogs thanks to its native multi-storefront and B2B tools, which reduce the need for extra apps as you scale.

Does BigCommerce charge transaction fees like Shopify?

No. BigCommerce doesn’t charge an extra fee for using an embedded third-party payment provider, while Shopify adds a surcharge (2%, 1%, or 0.6% depending on plan) unless you use Shopify Payments. BigCommerce can still charge a fee of up to 2% for Open Payment Providers on self-service plans.

Which platform has more built-in features out of the box?

BigCommerce generally ships with more native features, especially around B2B, multi-storefront management, and headless commerce. Shopify covers the core essentials natively but leans on its app ecosystem for anything beyond that.

Can I migrate from BigCommerce to Shopify?

Yes, you can migrate your existing BigCommerce to Shopify. Shopify supports migrating products, customers, and order history through CSV imports, migration apps, or a Shopify Partner.

Which is more scalable for a growing store?

It depends on what “scaling” means for your business. BigCommerce scales well for B2B, multi-brand, or multi-storefront growth without adding apps. Shopify scales well for stores that want to keep adding specialized functionality through its much larger app ecosystem.

Which is better for SEO, BigCommerce or Shopify?

Both handle core technical SEO well. BigCommerce has a slight edge in built-in technical depth for developers, while Shopify offers a larger selection of dedicated SEO apps for merchants who want extra tools without custom development.

Is BigCommerce or Shopify better for dropshipping?

Shopify is generally the better fit for dropshipping, thanks to its larger app ecosystem for supplier integrations, automation tools, and its overall easier setup for smaller, single-brand stores. BigCommerce can work for dropshipping too, but its strengths are better suited to B2B and multi-storefront operations than to typical dropshipping workflows.

Final Verdict: BigCommerce vs Shopify

BigCommerce and Shopify solve growth from two different directions. BigCommerce bets on native depth (B2B tools, multi-storefront management, and headless architecture built in), so you add fewer apps as you scale.

Shopify bets on ecosystem size, giving you an app for nearly anything BigCommerce includes by default, at the cost of extra subscriptions.

For most dropshippers and single-brand stores, Shopify’s ease of use and enormous app ecosystem make it the more practical choice. For B2B sellers, multi-brand operations, or stores approaching enterprise scale, BigCommerce’s native feature set can mean a leaner, cheaper stack in the long run.

🚀 If Shopify sounds like the right fit for where your store is headed, BuildYourStore can get you from zero to a live, AI-built Shopify store in minutes, with no need to configure the basics yourself.

Want to learn more about dropshipping platforms and how to run an online business? Check out these articles:

• BuildYourStore Q2 2026 Update: Your Store Is Already Built
• How To Start A Shopify Store Fast With BuildYourStore
• AI Store Builder Copy vs Human: Who Writes Better?

Written by:

Manuel Rivero

As an experienced online business owner since 2016, Manuel leverages his background in eCommerce, SEO, and journalism to deliver practical and educational content solutions for the challenges facing entrepreneurs. He is dedicated to supporting dropshippers around the globe with experience-based insights while utilizing his expertise in marketing and online retail to ensure accurate and reliable information.

Read more about the author