
So, you’re using BigCommerce. It’s a solid platform, packed with features right out of the box. But maybe you’re starting to feel a little… boxed in.
If you’ve ever winced at being forced into a pricier plan just because you had a good sales month, or felt frustrated that a simple design tweak requires a developer, you’re definitely not alone. It’s a common growing pain for many online store owners.
Choosing the right ecommerce home base is a huge decision for your store’s future. This guide cuts through the noise and explores the 8 best BigCommerce alternatives. We’ll break down who they’re for, what they do best, and what they cost, so you can find a platform that not only works for you today but grows with you tomorrow.
What is an ecommerce platform?
Let’s back up for a second. What even is an ecommerce platform? Think of it as the command center for your online business. It’s the software that lets you build your storefront, show off your products, take payments, and manage all the behind-the-scenes work. It’s basically the digital equivalent of a physical store’s foundation, walls, cash register, and stockroom all rolled into one.
Why look for BigCommerce alternatives?
BigCommerce gets a lot of things right, but no platform is perfect. For many growing businesses, a few common headaches start to pop up that make them wonder what else is out there.
Pricing that punishes your success: This is a big one. BigCommerce’s plans are tied to your annual sales. Once you cross a certain threshold, you’re bumped up to a much more expensive plan, automatically. This can make your costs unpredictable and feel like you’re getting penalized for growing.
Design changes mean calling a developer: While you can customize BigCommerce themes, getting a truly unique look often means digging into their Stencil code framework or hiring help. That’s a roadblock for marketing teams who just want to launch a new landing page or update the homepage quickly.
It can be a bit complicated: With so many built-in features, the dashboard can feel overwhelming if you’re not super technical. Figuring out where to find certain settings isn’t always as straightforward as it is on other platforms.
Your customer support is struggling to keep up.: More sales means more customer questions about orders, returns, and products. If your support setup can’t scale, your team gets swamped, leading to slow replies and unhappy customers.
How we chose the best BigCommerce alternatives
We didn’t just pull these names out of a hat. To find the best alternatives, we looked at the things that really matter when you’re trying to grow an online store and avoid the very issues that BigCommerce users often face.
Here’s what we looked for:
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Ease of use: How easy is it for someone without a computer science degree to run the store day-to-day?
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Pricing and real cost: Is the pricing clear and predictable? What about hidden costs for apps, themes, and transaction fees?
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Scalability: Can the platform grow with you without lagging or forcing you into outrageously expensive plans?
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Customization and design: How much creative freedom do you have to build a unique brand experience without writing code?
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App store: How good is the marketplace for third-party apps that add extra features you might need?
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Support automation: How well does it play with modern tools that can help you automate customer service as you grow?
Comparison of the top BigCommerce alternatives
Here’s a quick overview of our top picks to see how they stack up. Use this table for a bird’s-eye view before we get into the nitty-gritty of each one.
Platform | Best For | Starting Price (Monthly) | Key Features | Support Automation Potential |
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Shopify | All-in-one ease of use | $39 | Massive app store, POS integration, user-friendly | High (Integrates with eesel AI for Shopify) |
WooCommerce | WordPress users & high customization | Free (plus hosting costs) | Open-source, thousands of plugins, full ownership | High (Integrates with eesel AI) |
Adobe Commerce | Large enterprises with developers | Custom (high) | B2B features, extreme scalability, powerful | Very High (API-first approach) |
Squarespace | Design-focused small businesses | $36 (Business) | Beautiful templates, intuitive editor | Medium (Fewer direct integrations) |
Wix | Beginners and simple stores | $27 (Core) | Drag-and-drop builder, ADI setup | Medium (Depends on helpdesk integration) |
Salesforce Commerce | Enterprise brands in the Salesforce ecosystem | Custom (GMV-based) | CRM integration, AI personalization | Very High (Robust APIs) |
Shift4Shop | Budget-conscious merchants | Free (with Shift4 payments) | Unlimited products, built-in SEO tools | Medium |
PrestaShop | Cost-conscious international sellers | Free (plus hosting costs) | Open-source, strong multi-language support | Medium |
The 8 best BigCommerce alternatives in 2025
Alright, let’s get into the details. Here’s a closer look at each platform to help you figure out which one might be your store’s next home.
1. Shopify: A top choice among BigCommerce alternatives
You can’t really talk about ecommerce without someone mentioning Shopify. It’s the eight-hundred-pound gorilla in the room for a reason: it’s incredibly user-friendly and has an app for just about anything you can dream of. It’s a fully hosted platform, so you never have to think about technical stuff. It’s a great fit for almost anyone, from brand-new startups to massive brands.
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Pros: Super easy to use, a gigantic app store for adding any feature, great for selling across different channels (like social media or in-person with their POS).
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Cons: You’ll pay transaction fees if you don’t use their native Shopify Payments. Deeper customization often means you’ll need to edit code or use a page-builder app.
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Pricing: Basic plan starts at $39/month.
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Support Automation: This is where Shopify’s famous app store comes in handy. You can connect it to powerful automation tools. For instance, you can use a tool like eesel AI to add an AI chatbot to your Shopify store that answers product questions or checks order statuses for customers automatically.
2. WooCommerce: A flexible BigCommerce alternative
WooCommerce is a free, open-source plugin that transforms a WordPress website into a full-fledged online store. It’s the go-to choice for anyone who wants 100% control over their website and data. If you already know your way around WordPress or you want the freedom to build something completely custom, WooCommerce should be at the top of your list.
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Pros: The plugin itself is free (you just pay for hosting), you can customize literally anything with thousands of themes and plugins, and there are no sales limits imposed by the platform.
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Cons: You’re in charge of your own hosting, security, and maintenance. It has a bigger learning curve than Shopify and can get slow if it’s not set up and managed properly.
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Pricing: The plugin is free, but expect to pay for hosting, a domain, a theme, and any premium extensions, which can run anywhere from $15 to over $100 a month.
3. Adobe Commerce (formerly Magento): An enterprise BigCommerce alternative
Adobe Commerce is the enterprise heavyweight. This platform is built for huge, complex businesses with high sales volumes and unique needs. It’s packed with advanced features for B2B, international sales, and managing multiple storefronts from one dashboard. This is the ‘go big or go home’ option, best for companies with a dedicated team of developers or a hefty budget.
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Pros: Incredibly powerful and can handle massive scale, comes with strong B2B features built-in, and is extremely customizable for specific business requirements.
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Cons: It’s very expensive, complicated to set up and run, and you absolutely need technical experts to manage it.
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Pricing: It’s custom-quoted, but prices often start in the tens of thousands of dollars per year.
4. Squarespace: A design-focused BigCommerce alternative
Squarespace is famous for its beautiful, award-winning design templates and a super intuitive visual editor. It’s an amazing BigCommerce alternative for creative brands, artists, and small businesses who care more about stunning aesthetics and simplicity than having every possible ecommerce feature under the sun.
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Pros: Hands-down some of the best templates out there, a very easy-to-use drag-and-drop editor, and it’s an all-in-one solution with hosting included.
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Cons: Its ecommerce tools aren’t as deep as dedicated platforms like Shopify. It has fewer payment options and a smaller selection of app integrations.
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Pricing: Commerce plans start at $40/month (Basic) and go up to $72/month (Advanced).
5. Wix: A beginner-friendly BigCommerce alternative
Wix is known for being extremely beginner-friendly. It offers a simple drag-and-drop editor and even has an AI-powered tool called Wix ADI that can spin up a website for you in just a few minutes. It’s a great choice for small businesses or solo entrepreneurs who just need a good-looking, functional online store without the headache.
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Pros: Incredibly easy to get started, a huge library of templates, and a good set of built-in features for smaller stores.
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Cons: You can’t change your template once your site is live, it’s not as flexible for customization as WordPress, and it might struggle to keep up with very large product catalogs.
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Pricing: Ecommerce plans begin at $27/month for the Core plan.
6. Salesforce Commerce Cloud: An integrated BigCommerce alternative
If your business already runs on Salesforce, Salesforce Commerce Cloud is a bit of a no-brainer to consider. This is another enterprise-level platform, but its main advantage is its deep connection to the Salesforce CRM. This allows for incredibly powerful AI-driven personalization and a complete, unified view of every customer.
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Pros: Flawless integration with other Salesforce products, powerful personalization tools with its Einstein AI, and built to scale for global brands.
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Cons: It’s complex, very expensive, and you’ll need specialized developers to run it. It’s really only for large enterprise companies.
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Pricing: Pricing is based on a percentage of your Gross Merchandise Volume (GMV), so it’s a high-cost platform reserved for big players.
7. Shift4Shop (formerly 3dcart): A budget-friendly BigCommerce alternative
Shift4Shop has a really interesting offer: a feature-packed ecommerce platform that’s completely free, as long as you use their payment processor, Shift4 Payments. For store owners watching their budget, it’s a compelling alternative to BigCommerce that doesn’t skimp on features.
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Pros: A genuinely free end-to-end plan is available. It includes a lot of advanced features (like B2B tools) for free that others charge for, and there are no limits on products or bandwidth.
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Cons: The user interface can feel a bit dated compared to its sleeker competitors. The free plan locks you into using their payment processor.
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Pricing: Free if you use Shift4 Payments. If you want to use another payment gateway, paid plans start at $29.99/month.
8. PrestaShop: An open-source BigCommerce alternative
PrestaShop is another open-source ecommerce platform, with a big following in Europe and Latin America. Just like WooCommerce, you download it for free and install it on your own hosting, giving you full ownership. It’s a fantastic option for sellers needing strong multi-language and multi-currency capabilities right away.
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Pros: Free and open-source, excellent features for international selling, and a large community marketplace for add-on modules and themes.
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Cons: You’ll need some technical know-how to get it set up and maintain it. The interface isn’t as polished as hosted platforms, and getting support can be costly.
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Pricing: The software is free, but you’ll be paying for hosting, themes, and any premium modules you need.
How to choose the right BigCommerce alternatives for your store
Okay, that’s a lot of information to digest. So how do you actually pick the right one without getting stuck in analysis paralysis? Here’s a simple framework to guide your decision.
Look beyond the monthly price tag.
Don’t just look at the starting price. You need to calculate the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). Factor in transaction fees, the cost of must-have apps (like for subscriptions or loyalty programs), theme costs, and any potential developer fees. A platform that looks cheap at first can get expensive fast.
Think about your team, not just your customers.
Of course, you need a smooth, fast checkout for your customers. But your team also needs a backend that’s easy to manage. If it takes forever to update a product or create a simple discount code, your business won’t be able to move quickly.
Plan for growth (especially in customer questions).
As you grow, your support ticket volume will grow with you. Pick a platform with a good app ecosystem that lets you bring in automation. For example, an AI support agent like eesel AI can connect to your helpdesk (like Zendesk or Gorgias) to answer up to 80% of common questions about orders and products, freeing up your human agents for the tricky stuff.
Take it for a test drive.
Almost every platform on this list offers a free trial. Use it! Don’t just click around. Actually build a mini-store with a few of your products. Try to set up shipping, taxes, and a payment method. Get a real feel for it before you commit to a full migration.
Finding the right BigCommerce alternatives for you
At the end of the day, switching ecommerce platforms is a big move. But finding the right BigCommerce alternative isn’t about chasing a "perfect" solution. It’s about finding the platform that gets out of your way and lets you focus on what you do best: growing your business.
Whether you need the all-in-one simplicity of Shopify, the total creative control of WooCommerce, or the design-forward approach of Squarespace, there’s a platform out there that can handle your next phase of growth. As you scale, just remember that the platform is only one part of the equation. Building scalable systems for your marketing, operations, and especially your customer support is what will truly help you succeed.
Ready to grow your store without having to double your support team? See how eesel AI can automate up to 80% of your customer service questions on any ecommerce platform.
Frequently asked questions
Shopify is widely considered the leader for ease of use, with a very intuitive dashboard and setup process. Wix and Squarespace are also excellent choices, known for their simple drag-and-drop editors that let you build a store without needing any technical skills.
Shopify’s plans and massive app store scale well for most growing businesses. For total control over your growth without platform-imposed sales limits, a self-hosted option like WooCommerce is ideal, though it does require more hands-on technical management.
Squarespace is famous for its beautiful, design-forward templates and intuitive editor, making it a top choice for creative brands. For ultimate customization, WooCommerce on WordPress gives you complete freedom to build any design you can imagine, often with the help of page-builder plugins.
If you are comfortable managing your own hosting, open-source platforms like WooCommerce or PrestaShop are very cost-effective since the core software is free. For a hosted solution, Shift4Shop’s free plan is a fantastic value as long as you use their payment processor.
The difficulty varies, but it’s a very common and manageable process. Most major platforms like Shopify have dedicated apps or services to help import your products, customers, and order history, and many third-party services specialize in handling migrations for you.
The biggest trade-off is control versus convenience. Open-source platforms like WooCommerce give you total ownership and customization freedom, but you must manage your own hosting and security. Hosted platforms like Shopify handle all the technical work for you, offering simplicity in exchange for less flexibility and potentially higher long-term costs.