Shopify vs. BigCommerce

Shopify has lower costs and faster implementation than BigCommerce

Between strong conversion, cost efficiency, and first to market innovation, the data all points to one conclusion: Shopify is leading the commerce race.

Join the movement from big to better

Make the switch to the world's best-converting checkout and commerce tools—only available on Shopify's unified commerce platform.
  • Skullcandy
  • Natori
  • Larq
  • Spiceology
  • Face to Face Games
  • Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams
  • Savannah Bee Company
  • Lull
  • Young Nails
  • Liard Superfood
  • Crossrope
  • Grace & Lace
  • Revel Nail
  • Revelry
  • True Linkswear
  • Diamond Tool Store
  • Positive Grid

Why Shopify

Four reasons brands are switching

  1. 1
    More than 14% US ecommerce market share

    In over 175 countries, millions of businesses trust Shopify to take their business to soaring heights.

  2. 2
    Up to 12% better checkout conversion than BigCommerce

    Shopify’s checkout converts 12% better than BigCommerce's.

  3. 3
    88% higher implementation costs on BigCommerce, on average

    Shopify's total cost of ownership (TCO) is 31% better than BigCommerce.

  4. 4
    150+ updates every six months

    Shopify ships faster than anyone, introducing trailblazing features, consistently at a high frequency.

More than 14% US ecommerce market share

Shopify has become the standard

From a vast partner ecosystem to far-reaching investments in global commerce, Shopify is leading the commerce race. Shopify has more than 14% of the US ecommerce market and millions of merchants in more than 175 countries.⁸

Investment for the future

Commerce that’s built to last

Businesses powered by Shopify trust in our long-term sustainability, massive ecosystem, and investment in the future of commerce. Shopify is the market leader, offering unparalleled support and growth for brands across the globe.
Shopify
2 380
BigCommerce
1 237

Partner ecosystem*

Our network of partners is second to none.
Shopify
21 000+
BigCommerce
1 208

App ecosystem

We help our customers do more, go bigger, and sell wider.
Shopify
8 300+
BigCommerce
1 000+

Employees†

We have the power to fuel commerce for years to come.
Shopify
Millions
BigCommerce
Tens of Thousands

Merchants†

More merchants around the world trust Shopify.

*Partner count as of April 24 2024. Sources are based on the BigCommerce partner directory and the Shopify partner directory (including Plus Partners and non-Plus Service Partners).

†Employee and merchant count as of April 24 2024. Sources are based on BigCommerce and Shopify websites.

Economic forefront

The numbers speak for themselves

With millions of customers and steady market growth, Shopify comes out on top in market share.

Get your personalized site speed audit

On average, Shopify storefronts render 1.4 times faster than BigCommerce storefronts, and Shopify’s server speed is 1.9 times faster. More Shopify stores are rated fast, too: 93%, compared with 80% of BigCommerce stores. Get a personalized report that compares your site’s speed and server speed with industry benchmarks and competitors.

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Site speed comparison graph

Shopify isn’t just a platform. It is a trusted partner on Lull's journey to take the lead in the mattress market, and a transformation that continues to drive cost savings and growth.

21,000+ apps in the Shopify App Store

Engineering with the experts

Extending your commerce platform’s capabilities is crucial; our leading tech and app ecosystem makes it easier for brands to achieve that. Choosing Shopify means gaining access to a network of world-class engineers dedicated to building for your business’ unique needs, renowned for both its size and experience. 

21,000+ apps to help you build

Shopify features almost 6 times the number of apps, providing brands with more options as they expand beyond the native functionality. Additionally, Shopify was first to market over BigCommerce when it came to new app and channel integrations such as TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube Selling, Microsoft Advertising, and more.

International selling

Don’t just go big—go global

Shopify helps large businesses effortlessly expand their reach in over 150 countries with Markets. This is a native feature with Shopify, helping you sell internationally with capabilities to cover processes like shipping, collecting duties, local payment methods, and fraud protection. An equivalent functionality on BigCommerce requires third-party apps.

Up to 12% better checkout conversion than BigCommerce

Shopify converts better than BigCommerce

Shopify's checkout has a 12% higher conversion rate compared to BigCommerce's, on average. But it’s our customer outcomes that tell the real story—like Crossrope. They reported a conversion rate increase of 24% after switching from BigCommerce to Shopify. Lull, also formerly with BigCommerce, reported a 14% conversion lift during Black Friday Cyber Monday alone.

+12%

Shopify converts 12% better than BigCommerce

Checkout conversion

Shopify’s checkout checks out

Brands that switch to Shopify from BigCommerce have the opportunity to create a customisable, one-click checkout experience. And with the world's quickest checkout that converts 12% more than BigCommerce does, making the switch to Shopify is a no-brainer.

Shop Pay lifts conversion up to 50% over guest checkout

Shopify accelerates your revenue growth

Shopify is built to help you grow faster than ever. Shopify natively includes advanced growth tools for revenue acceleration like Shop Pay and the Shop App which are only available exclusively on Shopify’s platform.

20%YoY growth for Grace and Lace after migrating from BigCommerce to Shopify

Read case study 

90%Increase in revenue for Crossrope after switching to Shopify

Read case study 

When there’s Shop Pay, customers pay

Shop Pay can also boost conversion by up to 50% over guest checkout. In fact, 2 out of 3 buyers choose Shop Pay at checkout. And inconveniently—it’s not available with BigCommerce.

Revenue expansion

With Shopify, there’s always a new revenue stream to unlock—seamlessly

Shopify’s commerce solutions lets you do it all from a unified platform. So no matter how you choose to sell to your customer base—B2B, physical retail, social selling, and other sales channels—Shopify has you all covered.

550%Quarter-over-quarter sales growth for Laird Superfood

Read case study 

$50K+Annual B2B savings for Laird Superfood after switching to Shopify

Read case study 

Unify your D2C, retail, and B2B selling

Shopify POS and Shopify B2B seamlessly combine online, physical retail, and wholesale—so you can access customer records, and keep inventory up to date in real time—no matter where you’re selling from. In contrast, BigCommerce relies on apps and third-party systems for B2B and POS, potentially leading to challenges in back-end management and fragmented user experience.

Shop Pay’s instalment plan alone led to a 25% reduction in processing fees. Shop Pay now makes up more than 80% of our express checkout mix.

88% higher implementation costs on BigCommerce, on average

Get more value with Shopify

Shopify’s total cost of ownership (TCO) is 31% better than BigCommerce’s, on average. From robust native enterprise capabilities to the front-end and back-end simplicity of our platform, Shopify is the platform of choice for businesses looking to improve their operational efficiency.

See your TCO savings with Shopify

Use our TCO calculator to get a detailed view of your costs compared to Shopify’s.
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Shopify's TCO is 31% better than BigCommerce

Compared to Shopify, BigCommerce has:

88%Higher implementation and setup costs, on average

32%Higher platform fees and ecommerce stack costs, on average

21%Higher operational and support costs, on average

More out-of-the-box capabilities

Spend less to meet business requirements

Our customers have essential features readily available to them like promotions, merchandising, and analytics. This means that with Shopify, you don’t have to worry about customisations that require additional developer support. What’s more, you won’t need to pay more for third-party applications, plugins, or integrations to keep your business running.

Seamless implementation

Get the most out of your commerce instance

When it comes to implementation, having an available, skilled team is crucial to saving time and money. Shopify customers benefit from a developer-friendly back-end system and access to a large developer talent pool to meet their unique needs. This is a primary reason why setting up a new storefront is 36% faster on Shopify than on BigCommerce, and also why implementation costs are better on Shopify on average.

Convert more

Capture more revenue

Shopify's conversion rate is 12% higher than BigCommerce, on average. This is value you could be missing out on by choosing BigCommerce instead of Shopify.

We started on Shopify but got to a point where people told us we were too big for Shopify, so we moved to BigCommerce and our business absolutely plummeted. Everything we were able to do ourselves on Shopify, even simple stuff, we now had to run through developers. We had to hire a huge development team.

150+ updates every six months

Shopify's pace of innovation is unmatched

If you want to innovate, you’ll need to be on the world’s most flexible—and best-performing—commerce platform. You’ll get first access to the most innovative commerce products in the world when you build on Shopify.

1stTo market with original products, features, and integrations

200+Product enhancements and updates

Explore Shopify Editions 

All-in-one commerce

A commerce focus with massive scale

Scale matters to growing brands, and Shopify’s agile platform covers ecommerce sales, worldwide. With Shopify's checkout handling 40,000 checkouts per minute flawlessly, your store can effortlessly manage any surge in customer traffic.

Shopify’s investment in R&D

We’re standing by our mission of making commerce better for everyone. Shopify has invested billions on research and development (R&D), while BigCommerce has spent millions. Our commitment to innovation is why large companies place their trust in Shopify.

Shopify Plus has really become a unicorn. We've found it's very easy to add on, and it integrates with every single relevant platform, which is incredible. This has provided quick wins, but actually allowed us to refocus on our development roadmap. Shopify Plus is really stretching us as a business.

Billions vs. millionsShopify invested billions in R&D to improve our customer-focused platform, whereas BigCommerce only invested millions.

Explore Annual Shopify investment 

Rate of iteration

Shopify is changing the pace of innovation

We never stop shipping.
150+ updates unpacked every six months.

Explore Shopify Editions

Get to market faster using native growth tools

Shopify is quick to innovate with native products that live on the platform like Shop Pay, the Shop app, Collabs, and features like buy now, pay later—all designed with the goal of improving conversion rates and generating more revenue for your business.

On Shopify, products are always being improved

Improvement is the name of the game at Shopify, thanks to thousands of engineers optimising existing features. Since 2020, Shopify has released more than 800 significant features and improvements—all of which are documented in the developer changelog.

Intuitively designed

Powerful automations and workflows at your fingertips

Shopify empowers your users with the tools to optimise your business’s back end through Shopify Flow and Shopify Launchpad. These tools are designed to automate workflows tailored to your unique needs and easily schedule sales campaigns, product releases, or sales.

Analyse it all without the red tape

Shopify’s advanced analytics lets you see your analytics in real time. This includes a built-in query tool within the admin controls that helps developers build out custom queries, which can be used by your team to fulfill data-driven tasks. Tracking is made simple with prebuilt reports from ShopifyQL Notebooks or Google Analytics, right on the Shopify dashboard.

Analyst validation

The experts have spoken—and they choose Shopify

2025 Leader in Gartner® Magic Quadrant™
2025 Leader in Gartner® Magic Quadrant™
GARTNER® MAGIC QUADRANT™ logo

Gartner® Magic Quadrant™

Shopify is a Leader in the 2025 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Digital Commerce

Shopify is named a Leader for the third consecutive year in the 2025 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Digital Commerce, and is positioned highest for Ability to Execute.
Read the report 

November 3, 2025

Forrester logo

Forrester

Shopify is a Leader in the 2024 Forrester Wave™: Commerce Solutions for B2B

Shopify received the highest possible scores in criteria including Innovation, Market Presence, and Partner Ecosystem.
Read the report 

May 6, 2024

IDC logo

IDC

Shopify named a Leader in IDC MarketScape: Worldwide B2C Digital Commerce Platforms for Mid-market Growth 2023-2024 Vendor Assessment

This is an evaluation of commerce solutions for retailers from $100 million to $500 million and beyond. The report noted that “Shopify will be particularly attractive to buyers looking for a multitenant SaaS digital commerce platform with a proven track record in DTC, a vast 3P ecosystem, low TCO, and built-in payments.”
Read the excerpt 

January 31, 2024

Migration partners

The migration support you need from the largest partner ecosystem around

Looking to migrate from BigCommerce? Shopify Partners can help. We have more global partners than any competitor—many of them specialise in helping BigCommerce customers make the switch to Shopify.

21,000+Apps in the Shopify App Store

100+Shopify Plus Certified App Partners

Featured BigCommerce migration partners

Shopify vs. BigCommerce comparison

How Shopify and BigCommerce compare on price, payment fees, checkout, apps, costs, implementation, in-store selling, and international selling. BigCommerce figures are for its US plans, in USD, as of October 2026.
Comparison of Shopify and BigCommerce on starting price, payment provider fees, checkout conversion, apps, platform and operating costs, implementation, in-store selling, and international selling
Buyer concernShopifyBigCommerce
Starting price
Shopify
From $19.00 USD/month, billed yearly¹
BigCommerce
From $29/month billed annually, or $39 monthly²
Payment provider fees
Shopify
No third-party fee with Shopify Payments; 0.2% to 2% with other providers¹
BigCommerce
No fee with embedded providers; 0.6% to 2% with other providers²
Checkout conversion
Shopify
Converts up to 12% better than BigCommerce’s checkout³
BigCommerce
Single-page checkout with Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Amazon Pay²
Apps
Shopify
More than 21,000 apps in the Shopify App Store⁴
BigCommerce
More than 1,200 apps and integrations²
Platform and operating costs
Shopify
Up to 33% better total cost of ownership than competing platforms⁵
BigCommerce
Platform costs 32% and operating costs 21% higher than Shopify’s, on average⁵
Implementation
Shopify
10% faster to implement than a move to BigCommerce, on average⁶
BigCommerce
Implementation and setup costs 88% higher than Shopify’s, on average⁵
In-store selling
Shopify
Shopify POS syncs inventory, payments, and customer data with your online store⁷
BigCommerce
Connects to third-party POS systems such as Square, Clover, and Heartland Retail²
International selling
Shopify
Local languages and currencies for multiple markets from a single store⁷
BigCommerce
More than 100 currencies through your payment provider; extra storefronts cost $30 to $100/month each²

Sources: footnotes 1 to 7, listed below the FAQ.

FAQ on Shopify vs BigCommerce

¹ Shopify pricing, shopify.com/pricing, accessed October 13, 2026. Plan prices vary by region and offer; see shopify.com/pricing for current pricing. Third-party transaction fees apply when you use a payment provider other than Shopify Payments, which is available in certain countries.

² BigCommerce, “Pricing” and “Apps & Integrations,” bigcommerce.com/pricing and bigcommerce.com/apps, US plans in USD, accessed October 13, 2026.

³ Shopify, “Shopify Checkout is the best-converting in the world,” shopify.com/enterprise/blog/shopify-checkout. Study completed in April 2023 in partnership with a Big Three global management consulting company.

⁴ Shopify App Store app count as of December 31, 2025.

⁵ Shopify, “Total cost of ownership,” shopify.com/compare/tco. Research commissioned by Shopify from a leading independent consulting firm, December 2023 to January 2024, based on a survey of 250 enterprises with revenue of $10 million or more. All values are averages.

⁶ Shopify, Time to Value report, shopify.com/compare/time-to-value. Study completed in partnership with a leading consulting firm. All values are averages.

⁷ Shopify POS and Shopify Markets pages, shopify.com/pos and shopify.com/markets, accessed October 13, 2026.

⁸ Shopify investor relations. The US ecommerce market is based on a combination of US Census Bureau data (Quarterly Retail E-Commerce Sales, not adjusted) and internal estimates.

Shopify vs. BigCommerce

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