Choosing the right eCommerce platform is one of the first and most critical decisions you’ll make as an online seller. 

It affects everything from how quickly you can launch to the level of customization you’ll have to how easily you can scale as your business grows. 

I’ve seen many entrepreneurs get stuck in analysis paralysis, comparing features, prices, and plugins without a clear understanding of their own needs.

That’s exactly why I’ve put together this comparison to give you a clear, practical view of Shopify vs WooCommerce vs BigCommerce. 

By the end, you’ll understand the strengths and limitations of each platform, know which is best suited for your skill level and business type, and have a roadmap for deciding on what platform is best for your online business. 

Key Takeaways:

• Shopify offers the easiest setup and best all-in-one experience for beginners
• WooCommerce provides maximum customization freedom but requires technical knowledge
• BigCommerce delivers powerful built-in features without transaction fees, ideal for growing stores
• Your choice depends on your technical comfort, budget, and long-term growth plans

Overview of Shopify vs WooCommerce vs BigCommerce

Before we dive into the details, let’s get clear on what each platform actually is.

Shopify at a glance

Shopify is a fully hosted, all-in-one ecommerce platform. Think of it as renting a complete store—hosting, security, design, and software updates are all handled for you. You pay a monthly subscription, pick a theme, add your products, and you’re ready to sell.

The platform currently powers over 4.8 million stores globally and holds about 10% of the ecommerce platform market share. It’s particularly reputable among small- to medium-sized businesses in the United States, where it commands roughly 29% of the market.

Shopify targets entrepreneurs and business owners who want to focus on selling rather than managing technical infrastructure. If you’re not interested in dealing with hosting providers, security certificates, or software updates, Shopify handles all of that.

WooCommerce at a glance

Unlike Shopify, WooCommerce is not a standalone platform but a free WordPress plugin that transforms your WordPress site into an online store. You’ll need a WordPress website first, then you install WooCommerce to add e-commerce functionality.

With 20.1% market share, it is actually the most widely used e-commerce platform globally. Over 3 million live websites currently use it.

And its biggest selling point is the complete control it offers. You own everything, customize anything, and aren’t locked into a single company’s ecosystem. But this flexibility comes with responsibility. You’ll need to handle your own hosting, security, backups, and technical maintenance.

WooCommerce works best for business owners with some technical skills or the budget to hire developers. It’s also ideal if you already have a WordPress site and want to add a store without migrating to a new platform.

BigCommerce at a glance

BigCommerce is a hosted platform that removes the technical workload you’d deal with on WooCommerce while offering more built-in features than Shopify so you rely less on third-party apps.

The platform serves over 130,000 online stores and has attracted significant investment from venture capital firms like GGV and General Catalyst. Major brands using BigCommerce include Toyota, Martha Stewart, and Original Moxie.

BigCommerce targets growing businesses that need robust features without building everything from scratch. It’s ideal for stores with large inventories or high sales volumes because it includes advanced features like customer segmentation and abandoned cart recovery in lower-tier plans.

The platform also offers an “open SaaS” model, which means that while they host your store, you get more flexibility to customize and integrate with other systems compared to traditional SaaS platforms.

Shopify vs WooCommerce vs BigCommerce: Ease of Use and Setup

Let’s be honest—some platforms are easier to learn than others. Here’s how Shopify vs. WooCommerce vs. BigCommerce stack up against each other when you’re getting started.

Shopify: Easiest for Beginners

Based on experience, Shopify is the simplest of the three to use. When you sign up, you’ll get straightforward onboarding questions and a setup checklist that guides you through every step.

The drag-and-drop interface allows you to build your store visually without any coding knowledge, and most users can have a basic store up and running within a few hours.

BigCommerce: Moderate Learning Curve

BigCommerce is relatively easy to use with clear onboarding. However, it has a slightly steeper learning curve than Shopify because it offers more features upfront.

The admin dashboard is packed with tools and settings—great once you know what you’re doing, but overwhelming initially. So, expect to spend more time exploring the interface.

WooCommerce: Technical Knowledge Required

WooCommerce has the steepest learning curve. Before building your store, you need to purchase web hosting, install WordPress, configure the WooCommerce plugin, set up payment gateways, configure shipping, and install SSL certificates.

If you already have a WordPress site, setup is simpler. But starting from scratch requires managing multiple technical components. Tasks that are one-click in Shopify often require installing plugins and adjusting settings in WooCommerce, which can be time-consuming. 

Shopify vs WooCommerce vs BigCommerce: Pricing and Costs

Understanding the true cost of each platform is crucial for budgeting your startup costs effectively. Let’s break down what you’ll actually pay.

Shopify pricing

Shopify uses a straightforward monthly subscription model with three main plans:

Basic Plan: $39/month (or $29/month paid annually)

• Unlimited products
• 2 staff accounts
• Online credit card rates: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
• If you use a third-party payment gateway: additional 2% transaction fee

Shopify Plan: $105/month (or $79/month paid annually)

• Everything in Basic
• 5 staff accounts
• Lower credit card rates: 2.6% + $0.30
• Professional reports
• Third-party transaction fee: 1%

Advanced Plan: $399/month (or $299/month paid annually)

• Everything in Shopify
• 15 staff accounts
• Lowest credit card rates: 2.4% + $0.30
• Advanced report builder
• Third-party transaction fee: 0.6%

The key to understanding Shopify’s actual costs is recognizing that transaction fees add up quickly. On the Basic plan, if you sell $10,000 worth of products using PayPal instead of Shopify Payments, you’ll pay $200 in additional transaction fees plus PayPal’s standard processing fees.

You’ll also want to budget for:

• Premium themes: $180-$350 one-time
• Apps: $0-$800/month depending on your needs
• Domain name: ~$14/year

WooCommerce pricing

WooCommerce itself is free, but running a store costs money. Here’s what you’ll actually spend:

Essential costs for a small store:

• Web hosting: $7-$25/month (basic shared hosting)
• Domain name: $9-$20/year
• SSL certificate: Usually free with hosting
• Basic security plugin: $0-$200/year
• Total: Roughly $150-$500/year minimum

Mid-sized store with more features:

• Better hosting: $20-$100/month
• Premium theme: $50-$200 one-time
• Essential plugins: $100-$500/year
• Security suite: $100-$300/year
• Payment gateway: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction (typical)
• Total: Roughly $1,400-$6,500/year

Large-scale store:

• VPS or dedicated hosting: $100-$500/month
• Custom development: $2,000-$20,000+
• Advanced plugins: $500-$2,000/year
• Premium support: $500-$3,000/year
• Total: $6,500-$30,000+/year

The tricky part with WooCommerce is that costs vary wildly based on your specific needs. You have complete control over what you spend, but you also need to manage each expense separately.

BigCommerce pricing

BigCommerce uses a tiered monthly subscription model with automatic upgrades based on sales volume:

Standard Plan: $39/month (or $29/month paid annually)

• Up to $50,000 in annual online sales
• Unlimited products, file storage, and bandwidth
• Credit card rates: 2.59% + $0.49 per transaction
• 0% transaction fees (regardless of payment gateway)

Plus Plan: $105/month (or $79/month paid annually)

• Up to $180,000 in annual online sales
• Customer groups and segmentation
• Abandoned cart saver
• Persistent cart

Pro Plan: $399/month (or $299/month paid annually)

• Up to $400,000 in annual online sales
• Google customer reviews
• Advanced product filtering
• Custom SSL

Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing (starts around $1,000/month)

• Unlimited annual sales
• Custom pricing for customer groups
• Unlimited API calls
• Dedicated account manager

Here’s what’s important: BigCommerce automatically upgrades you to the next plan when you exceed your sales threshold. If you’re on the Standard plan and hit $50,000 in sales, you’ll move to Plus at $105/month. Above $400,000, you’ll pay an additional $150/month for every $200,000 in sales.

The big advantage? No transaction fees, ever. This becomes huge as your sales volume grows. Selling $100,000 worth of products? On Shopify’s Basic plan using external payment, you’d pay $2,000 in transaction fees. On BigCommerce, you’d pay $0.

Shopify vs WooCommerce vs BigCommerce: Cost comparison table

Shopify vs WooCommerce vs BigCommerce: Design and Customization

Your store’s look and feel directly affect customer trust and sales. Here’s how your design options compare.

Shopify: Easy themes, limited deep customization

Shopify offers over 100 professional themes—about 10 free and the rest ranging from $180 to $350. The themes are well-designed, mobile-responsive, and easy to customize using their visual editor.

You can change colors, fonts, and layout sections and add your logo without touching code. For most businesses, this is more than enough.

The limitation? If you want changes beyond theme settings, you’ll need to edit Liquid code or hire a developer. Customizations don’t transfer when switching themes.

WooCommerce: Ultimate flexibility, requires expertise

WooCommerce gives you access to thousands of free and premium themes ($50-$200). Because it’s open-source, you can customize anything literally.

The tradeoff is that this freedom requires technical knowledge, including HTML, CSS, and potentially PHP, for design and customization. For complex customizations, you’ll need a developer. But unlike Shopify, there are no artificial limitations.

BigCommerce: Robust templates, middle-ground flexibility

BigCommerce provides around 12 free themes and over 100 premium themes ($150-$400). You can customize using their visual editor for basic changes or dig into code for deeper modifications.

The advantage over Shopify? More control without needing apps. Advanced product options, custom fields, and complex variants come built into themes.

Shopify vs WooCommerce vs BigCommerce: Features and Integrations

Let’s talk about what each platform can actually do for your business.

Built-in features comparison

Shopify excels at: Multi-channel selling (Facebook, Instagram, Amazon), built-in abandoned cart recovery, AI tools, integrated POS, and automatic inventory syncing.

WooCommerce excels at: Content management through WordPress, SEO capabilities, selling any product type (physical, digital, or subscriptions), complete checkout control, and no functionality restrictions.

BigCommerce excels at: Advanced product options (250 SKU combinations), built-in customer segmentation, multi-storefront management, a powerful API, and native B2B features.

App and plugin ecosystems

Shopify dominates with over 6,000 apps. The downside? Apps typically cost $10-$80 monthly each, adding $300-$400 to costs if you stack multiple apps.

WooCommerce offers thousands of free plugins through WordPress, plus premium extensions. Quality varies widely, requiring careful vetting for security and compatibility.

BigCommerce has fewer apps (under 1,000), but most core functionality is built in, reducing costs and potential conflicts.

Shopify vs WooCommerce vs BigCommerce: Payment Options and Transaction Fees

How you accept payments directly affects your profit margins.

Shopify: Payments vs. external gateways

Shopify Payments (powered by Stripe) is the easiest option. You get competitive credit card rates and zero transaction fees:

• Basic: 2.9% + $0.30
• Shopify: 2.6% + $0.30
• Advanced: 2.4% + $0.30

But here’s the catch: if you choose a different payment processor like PayPal, Stripe directly, or Authorize.net, Shopify charges an additional transaction fee on top of the gateway’s fees:

• Basic: 2.0%
• Shopify: 1.0%
• Advanced: 0.6%

These fees add up fast. On $10,000 in monthly sales using PayPal on the Basic plan, you’d pay $200 to Shopify plus PayPal’s standard 2.9% + $0.30 ($320). Total: $520 in fees, or 5.2% of revenue.

WooCommerce: Maximum gateway flexibility

WooCommerce works with virtually any payment gateway—over 100 options globally. Popular choices include:

• WooPayments (2.9% + $0.30 for U.S. cards)
• Stripe (2.9% + $0.30)
• PayPal (2.9% + $0.30)
• Authorize.net
• Square

A major advantage WooCommerce offers is no platform transaction fees, ever. You only pay your gateway’s processing fees. This gives you the freedom to choose the right payment processor for your business without penalty.

Though the setup can be more technical. You’ll need to install plugins, configure settings, and handle any issues yourself. But the savings can be significant if you’re processing large volumes.

BigCommerce: No transaction fees, period

BigCommerce never charges transaction fees, regardless of which payment gateway you use. This is a massive advantage for high-volume stores.

For their native PayPal Braintree integration, rates vary by plan:

• Standard: 2.59% + $0.49
• Plus: 2.49% + $0.49
• Pro: 2.35% + $0.49

You can also use Stripe, Square, PayPal Standard, or any of 55+ other gateways at their standard rates without BigCommerce taking a cut.

As sales grow, the savings from avoiding transaction fees become substantial.

Shopify vs WooCommerce vs BigCommerce: SEO and Marketing Capabilities

Getting found online is crucial. Here’s how these platforms handle search engine optimization and marketing.

WooCommerce has the edge for SEO because it runs on WordPress. Plugins like Yoast SEO give advanced control, and you can create content-rich blogs and implement schema markup easily.

Shopify offers solid but limited SEO. Basics are covered, and the platform is fast, but URL structures include “/products/” that can’t be changed. Blog functionality is basic.

BigCommerce balances capability and ease. Strong SEO tools without needing plugins, including automatic sitemaps, customizable URLs, and AMP support.

Marketing tools

Shopify: Built-in abandoned cart recovery, email campaigns through Shopify Email, discount codes, multi-channel selling, and AI-generated marketing content.

WooCommerce: Email marketing through integrations (Mailchimp, Klaviyo), extensive coupon options, abandoned cart via plugins, content marketing through WordPress, and complete customer data control.

BigCommerce: Abandoned cart recovery included (above Standard plan), customer segmentation, 70+ discount options built-in, product reviews, and newsletter forms.

Trade-off: Shopify makes marketing easy but limits control. WooCommerce gives unlimited power but requires setup. BigCommerce includes more features natively but less flexibility than WooCommerce.

What Are the Best Platforms for Different Business Sizes?

Scalability matters as your business grows. Here’s how each platform handles growth.

Shopify: Rock-solid infrastructure handles hosting, security, and performance automatically. You won’t face downtime during big sales. 

The system manages sudden traffic spikes and growing order volumes without manual intervention. For very large enterprises, Shopify Plus (starting at $2,300/month) offers advanced customization.

WooCommerce: Scalability depends on your hosting setup. Basic shared hosting struggles with 1,000 daily visitors. Properly configured VPS or dedicated hosting powers stores processing millions. 

You control optimization—caching, CDN, database tuning—but scaling requires technical knowledge and potentially hiring developers.

BigCommerce: Designed specifically for high-volume sales. The platform handles thousands of SKUs without performance issues and includes automatic traffic management. 

Multi-storefront capabilities support different brands or regions. No sales volume penalties that slow down high-traffic stores.

Security and Maintenance

Security breaches cost money and reputation. Here’s what you need to know.

Shopify: Level 1 PCI DSS compliant with automatic SSL certificates, security patches, server monitoring, fraud detection, and backups. You don’t manage anything—Shopify handles security as part of your subscription.

WooCommerce: Security is your responsibility. You’ll install SSL certificates, keep WordPress and plugins updated, use security plugins (Wordfence, Sucuri), monitor for malware, manage backups, and ensure PCI compliance. This requires ongoing attention and typically costs $100-$500/year.

BigCommerce: Like Shopify, BigCommerce manages Level 1 PCI DSS compliance, free SSL certificates, automatic updates, DDoS protection, and hosting security. Their open SaaS model lets you implement additional security layers while they handle the foundation.

Shopify vs WooCommerce vs BigCommerce: Pros and Cons Summary

Let’s make this simple. Here’s what each platform does well and where it falls short.

Shopify

• ✅ Easiest to use—minimal learning curve
• ✅ All-in-one solution with managed hosting and security
• ✅ Best multi-channel selling tools
• ✅ Extensive app ecosystem (6,000+ apps)
• ✅ Strong customer support 24/7
• ❌ Transaction fees on external payment gateways (0.6-2%)
• ❌ Apps add up quickly in monthly costs
• ❌ Limited design customization without coding
• ❌ Less flexibility for advanced features

WooCommerce

• ✅ Free plugin—only pay for hosting and extensions
• ✅ Maximum customization and control
• ✅ Best for content marketing and SEO
• ✅ Own your data completely
• ✅ Thousands of free plugins available
• ❌ Steep learning curve for beginners
• ❌ You manage hosting, security, and updates
• ❌ Technical knowledge required
• ❌ Support is fragmented across different providers

BigCommerce

• ✅ No transaction fees ever
• ✅ More built-in features than competitors
• ✅ Handles high-volume stores well
• ✅ Strong B2B capabilities on Enterprise
• ✅ Good balance of ease and flexibility
• ❌ Forced plan upgrades based on sales volume
• ❌ Smaller app ecosystem than Shopify
• ❌ Steeper learning curve than Shopify
• ❌ Premium themes are expensive

Who Should Choose Which Platform?

Here’s the honest truth: the “best” platform depends on your specific situation.

Shopify is best for…

Choose Shopify if:

• You’re building your first online store
• You want to launch quickly without technical hassles
• You prefer predictable monthly fees for an all-in-one solution
• You plan multi-channel selling (Instagram, TikTok, Amazon)
• You value ease of use over deep customization

Perfect for: New entrepreneurs, small businesses, creative sellers, dropshippers

WooCommerce is best for…

Choose WooCommerce if:

• You already have a WordPress website
• You’re comfortable with technology or have a developer
• You want complete control over functionality and data
• SEO and content marketing are crucial
• You prefer managing costs instead of fixed fees

Perfect for: WordPress users, businesses with technical resources, content-driven brands

BigCommerce is best for…

Choose BigCommerce if:

• You’re processing high sales volumes ($50,000+/year)
• You need robust built-in features without dozens of apps
• Avoiding transaction fees matters for margins
• You have a large product catalog with complex variants
• You plan B2B and B2C selling

Perfect for: Growing businesses, high-volume stores, large inventory retailers, B2B sellers

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Choosing a Platform

Don’t make these costly errors when starting your online business.

• Assuming “free” means cheap: WooCommerce is free, but professional stores cost hundreds to thousands annually in hosting, themes, plugins, and security. Calculate total costs before committing.

• Ignoring long-term costs: A $39/month platform sounds affordable until you add apps, themes, and transaction fees. Calculate realistic costs at your target sales volume. What’s cheap today might be expensive at $100,000 in annual sales.

• Choosing the wrong platform for your skills: If you’re not tech-savvy and choose WooCommerce, you’ll pay developers for tasks that would be one-click on Shopify. Be honest about your abilities. The “best” platform is the one you can actually use.

• Underestimating scalability needs: Validate your business idea first. Migrating platforms later is painful and expensive. Think 2-3 years ahead—if you plan aggressive growth, start with a platform that scales easily.

• Forgetting marketing tools: Your platform should support your marketing strategy. Missing tools mean more third-party services, increasing complexity and cost.

• Not testing before committing: Use free trials. Build product pages, test checkout, and explore the admin interface. Hands-on experience beats reading reviews.

Conclusion

Choosing between Shopify vs. WooCommerce vs. BigCommerce comes down to your needs, technical comfort, and business goals.

The right choice depends on where you are now and where you’ll be in 2-3 years. Consider your startup costs, technical abilities, and growth trajectory when choosing any of these platforms. All three platforms power successful businesses, so pick the one that fits your situation.

Ready to start building? Take advantage of free trials and choose the platform that feels right.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to start on each platform?

Shopify starts at $39/month ($29 annually), plus $50-$200 for themes/apps initially.

WooCommerce is free to download but needs hosting ($7-$25/month), a domain ($10-$20/year), and extensions. Minimum realistic cost: $150-$500 the first year.

BigCommerce starts at $39/month ($29 annually), plus $50-$150 for premium themes if desired.

Can I switch platforms later without losing data?

Yes, but it’s complicated. You can migrate products, customers, and orders using migration apps or services ($200-$2,000). However, you’ll lose custom code, app integrations, and SEO rankings temporarily. Customer passwords need resetting. Choosing right initially saves massive headaches.

Which platform is best for beginners?

Shopify, hands down. The interface is intuitive, setup is guided, and no technical knowledge is needed. You can launch within hours. WooCommerce requires WordPress familiarity. BigCommerce is easier than WooCommerce but more complex than Shopify.

Which platform is most SEO-friendly?

WooCommerce offers the best SEO because it’s built on WordPress. Complete control, powerful plugins like Yoast SEO, and unlimited content marketing. BigCommerce comes second with strong built-in features. Shopify works but has URL and content limitations. For most businesses, any platform can rank well with proper optimization.

Can I integrate my existing WordPress site with WooCommerce?

Yes, exactly. WooCommerce is designed for this. Install the free plugin on your WordPress site to add e-commerce functionality. Your existing content stays intact—you’re just adding store capabilities. This makes WooCommerce perfect for content creators or businesses with established WordPress sites who want to start selling.