eCommerce is booming, with two giants vying for the top spot in the online store space: WooCommerce and BigCommerce.
WooCommerce, the juggernaut on WordPress, has been the preferred platform for millions of businesses online for its flexibility and giant ecosystem. Meanwhile, BigCommerce has been emerging as a powerful, standalone, feature-rich, all-in-one solution for businesses as they scale.
In this blog, we will take an in-depth look into the key differences between BigCommerce and WooCommerce, comparing features such as ease of use, customization options, pricing, and scalability, among others. By the end of this article, you will know exactly the right platform for your business, and we will help you make an informed decision of the right one for your eCommerce journey.
BigCommerce vs. WooCommerce: Overview
BigCommerce vs WooCommerce: Which is the Right eCommerce Platform? They each have their advantages and serve different types of businesses, but what’s best for your business?
What is BigCommerce?
BigCommerce is a fully hosted, all-in-one eCommerce platform for all business sizes that includes tools for store management, inventory, scalability, etc.
Source: Style Factory
- Founded in 2009, BigCommerce powers more than 60,000 online stores globally, favored by businesses seeking a feature-rich, user-friendly platform that requires little technical configuration.
- It has flexible plans, so it’s well-suited to growing businesses as well as large enterprises.
- BigCommerce is a powerful beast, with its powerful platform, it offers multi-channel selling, customizable templates, and strong SEO tools.
- According to recent statistics, BigCommerce holds about 0.79% of the global eCommerce market, with notable brands like Ben & Jerry’s, Toyota, and Nautica choosing it as their platform of choice.
It appeals to businesses seeking a robust, scalable solution with minimal dependency on third-party apps or plugins.
What is WooCommerce?
WooCommerce, on the other hand, is an open-source plugin for WordPress that transforms your website into a fully functional online store.
Source: Enlyft
- Launched in 2011, WooCommerce is the most popular eCommerce platform worldwide, powering over 25% of all online stores.
- It’s ideal for users who are already on WordPress and want complete control over customization and flexibility.
- WooCommerce has a massive user base, with over 6 million active installations.
- It’s incredibly popular with small to medium-sized businesses and entrepreneurs, but it can scale with growing companies as well.
Since WooCommerce integrates directly with WordPress, it provides a seamless content and store management experience.
Many businesses, like Blue Start Coffee, All Black Store, and Airstream, use WooCommerce because of its open-source nature, allowing for deep customization and control over their online presence.
BigCommerce vs. WooCommerce: Detailed Comparison
When choosing the best platform for your online store, BigCommerce and WordPress (with WooCommerce) are two of the most powerful options available. Each has its strength, but they cater to different needs and offer unique features.
In this section, we will compare them based on various important factors to help you make an informed decision.
| Parameter | BigCommerce | WordPress (WooCommerce) |
|---|---|---|
| Type of Platform | Hosted Ecommerce Solution | Open-Source Content Management System (CMS) |
| Ease of Use | User-friendly, all-in-one solution | Requires WordPress and plugin setup for full functionality |
| Customization | Limited customization, but offers many templates | Highly customizable through themes and plugins |
| Pricing | Subscription-based with different plans | Free to use, but requires hosting and plugin costs |
| Hosting | Managed hosting included | Requires external hosting setup |
| Support | 24/7 customer support | Community-driven support with paid options |
| Scalability | Highly scalable for growing businesses | Scalable with proper hosting, but may require more management |
| Security | Built-in security features | Dependent on plugins and hosting for security |
| Best for | Businesses looking for an all-in-one e-commerce solution | Small to large businesses wanting flexibility and control |
| SEO Capabilities | Strong SEO tools and features | Excellent SEO control via plugins and settings |
| Payment Gateways | Built-in support for multiple gateways | Supports various gateways through plugins |
When comparing BigCommerce and WordPress (WooCommerce), it’s essential to look beyond just the basics. Both platforms have distinct advantages depending on your needs. Let’s dive deeper into each parameter and understand how they compare on a more detailed level.
BigCommerce is a fully hosted solution, which means it handles hosting, security, and maintenance for you. If you want a platform and don’t want to worry about the technical part of it, this makes it easy.
WooCommerce, on the other hand, is an open-source CMS, giving you the freedom to pick your hosting, install themes, and customize your website to your heart’s content. However, this also means that it takes more work up front to get everything setup.
Verdict: For absolute freedom in customization, WordPress (WooCommerce) is the clear winner. |
If you’re a novice or just don’t want to get a lot into technical stuff, BigCommerce is extremely simple to use. The drag-and-drop interface allows you to easily organize your store, add products and launch your site in one easy platform. You’ll not need to know anything about coding.
On the other hand, WordPress with WooCommerce is a bit complicated to use. Yes, it’s powerful and customizable, but setting up your site means installing WordPress, picking the right hosting, and adding plugins to enhance functionality.
Verdict: BigCommerce wins here for ease of use, especially if you’re new to eCommerce or prefer an all-in-one setup without much technical involvement. |
While BigCommerce offers a variety of templates, it’s not as flexible as WordPress. The platform is more streamlined, which can be a pro or con depending on how much customization you’re looking for.
When it comes to customization, WordPress (WooCommerce) wins hands down. Since it’s open-source, you have access to thousands of themes and plugins, giving you complete control over how your store looks and functions. If you want to add a unique feature or tweak your store’s design, WordPress allows you to dive deep into the customization process.
Verdict: For absolute freedom in customization, WordPress (WooCommerce) is the clear winner. |
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Pricing
With BigCommerce’s pricing plans, you can try features and functionalities before you choose any plan on its 15-day free trial. BiCommerce operates on a subscription-based model with four pricing tiers:
- Standard: $29/month
- Plus: $79/ month
- Pro: $299/ month
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
These plans are based on your store’s annual sales volume, so higher sales means higher cost. While BigCommerce includes hosting, security, and customer support in the subscription, it can get pricey for larger businesses.
On the other hand, WordPress with WooCommerce is technically free, but you will need to pay for hosting (typically $3 to $30/month), a domain ($10 to $15/year), and possibly premium plugins (around $50 to $200/year). So, while WooCommerce starts cheaper, costs can add up with additional features and hosting.
Verdict: WooCommerce is cost-effective upfront, but BigCommerce offers better value for those who need an all-in-one, secure and managed platform, especially for growing businesses.
Hosting
BigCommerce includes managed hosting as part of its subscription, which means you don’t have to worry about finding a separate hosting provider. It’s built to handle heavy traffic and comes with built-in security, making your life much easier.
With WordPress (WooCommerce), you’re responsible for finding and paying for your hosting. Popular hosting providers for WooCommerce include SiteGround (starting at $3.99/month) and Bluehost ($2.95/month), but you’ll need to ensure your hosting is optimized for WooCommerce, especially as your store grows.
Verdict: BigCommerce wins for convenience, as it handles everything from hosting to security, while WordPress (WooCommerce) requires more setup and ongoing management.
Scalability
BigCommerce is made for growing businesses. BigCommerce scales easily, whether you are a small business owner or an established brand processing thousands of transactions a day.
Given that BigCommerce is a fully hosted SaaS (Software-as-a-service) platform, it handles
- Free Hosting — Don’t monitor server performance
- Updates automatically — Your site remains robust and secure
- Traffic Management – Handle sudden spikes in visitors with ease
It also provides multi-channel selling – you can integrate Amazon, eBay, Facebook, and Instagram, straight from your dashboard. When your store grows bigger, you don’t have to think of bringing in developers or upgrading servers.
Conversely, WooCommerce is an open-source plugin for WordPress, which means scalability largely depends on your hosting provider. You start small with shared hosting, but you will outgrow it, and at some point, your traffic is going to force you to VPS or dedicated hosting.
Scaling with WooCommerce will require you to:
- Never lose a file with cloud storage.
- Caching plugin: Use WP Rocket or W3 Total Cache
- Configure a CDN- Reduces the page upload timing for worldwide clients.
This enables total performance control, but it also requires technical understanding or a developer to keep things afloat alongside your store growth.
Verdict: BigCommerce wins if you want effortless, automatic scalability without technical work.
Security
Security is fully handled by BigCommerce. Since it’s a hosted platform, it comes with:
- Built in SSL certificates (for encrypted transactions)
- PCI DSS compliance (protects payment data)
- Automatic security updates and DDoS protection
You don’t have to worry about hacks, malware or data breaches- BigCommerce takes care of it.
While with WooCommerce, security depends on you. You will need to :
- Choose a secure hosting provider
- Install SSL certificates manually
- Use security plugins like Wordfence or Sucuri
- Keep WordPress, themes, and plugins updated
If you forget updates or pick a weak hosting provider, your store is at risk of cyberattacks.
Verdict: BigCommerce wins because security is built-in -no manual setup required. With WooCommerce, security is your responsibility, which can be a hassle.
SEO Capabilities
BigCommerce includes SEO-friendly features, such as:
- Customizable URLs and meta description
- Automatic sitemaps for search engine indexing
- Fast page load speed (important for rankings)
However, URL structures are not fully customizable, and some advanced SEO settings require workarounds.
WooCommerce is built on WordPress, the most friendly platform. With plugins like Yoast SEO or Rank Math, you can:
- Fully customizable URLs, meta tags, and redirects
- Optimize on-page SEO with rich schema markup
- Leverage content marketing (blogs) to improve rankings
Because WooCommerce integrates seamlessly with WordPress’s blogging capabilities, it has a major SEO advantage.
Verdict: WooCommerce wins because it offers deeper SEO control and better content marketing integration. BigCommerce is good, but not as flexible. |
Payment Gateways
BigCommerce supports 65+ payment gateways, including:
- PayPal, Stripe, Square, Apple Pay, Amazon Pay
- No additional transaction fees (unlike Shopify)
- Multi-currency support for global selling
However, some payment options are restricted on lower-tier plans. To access advanced payment features, you may need to upgrade.
WooCommerce supports hundreds of payment gateways, including:
- PayPal, Stripe, Authorize.net, Klarna
- Bitcoin & cryptocurrency payments
Regional providers like Razorpay (India), Paystack (Africa), etc. Since WooCommerce is open-source, you can integrate any payment provider you want – without restriction.
Verdict: WooCommerce wins because it offers maximum flexibility. BigCommerce is great, but some gateways require a high-tier plan, while WooCommerce lets you use any provider without limits. |
BigCommerce or WooCommerce? Find the Best Fit for Your Needs
BigCommerce is best for:
- Businesses that want a fully hosted, hassle-free solution
- Brands that plan to scale quickly
- Sellers who don’t want to manage security, hosting, or updates
- Multi-channel sellers (Amazon, eBay, Facebook, etc. )
WooCommerce is best for:
- Entrepreneurs who love customization and full control
- Small to mid-sized businesses comfortable with hosting and security
- SEO-driven stores that rely on content marketing
- Developers and tech-savvy users who want an open-source platform
Final Takeaway
The best eCommerce platform for all your business needs will be, without a second choice, WooCommerce.
BigCommerce is a close second for keeping things simple. You need an eCommerce solution that can handle all of your business requirements. It’s easy to use, cost-effective and comes with features that automate shipping labels, inventory management and more.
Conclusion
So, are you caught up in this BigCommerce vs WooCommerce dilemma? What’s your take on it?
We hope our comparison of the top eCommerce platforms helped you choose which one is right for your business. Since there are too many options available in the market, it can often get confusing to try to decide which platform would be great.
In this blog, we have explained how these platforms differ, from their scalability, features, to pricing, to security, and how user-friendly they are. Now, with this information in your hand, you are better equipped to choose the one that fits your business best.
If you are considering a move from BigCommerce to WooCommerce or vice versa, or to develop an online store from scratch, WebyKing can help you complete the task. With more than a decade of experience dealing with different eCommerce platforms and having completed 10,000 + online store development and migrations, we can help you build a more robust place seamlessly, with top-notch security.
By partnering with us, you will be free to focus on what matters – bring revenues!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better for beginners: BigCommerce or WooCommerce?
BigCommerce is better for beginners since it’s a fully hosted platform, handling security, hosting, and updates automatically. WooCommerce requires manual setup, including hosting, security, and performance optimization.
If you want an easy, hassle-free start, go with BigCommerce.
Can I switch from WooCommerce to BigCommerce (or vice versa ), later?
Yes, but migration isn’t automatic. You will need to export/import products, customers, and orders using tools like Cart2Cart or LitExtension.
It’s best to work with an experienced migration service provider to avoid data loss.
Which platform is more cost-effective: BigCommerce or WooCommerce?
WooCommerce is free to install, but you’ll pay for hosting, security, and premium plugins. BigCommerce has a monthly fee, but it includes hosting, security, and support. If you want predictable pricing, BigCommerce is better, for more control and lower upfront costs, WooCommerce wins.
