So, you’re building an online store. That’s fantastic. Now comes the tricky part: picking the platform that will be the home base for your entire business. It’s a huge decision because it dictates everything from sales to marketing. Choose well, and you’re setting yourself up for success. Choose poorly, and you might be looking at a massive headache (and a costly migration) down the road.
You’ve probably heard the two big names thrown around: Shopify and BigCommerce. Both are heavyweights in the eCommerce world, but they aren’t interchangeable.
The thing is, just looking at a list of features doesn’t really help. The best platform for you isn’t just about what it does out of the box. It’s about how it helps you build a modern business that can actually scale, especially when it comes to must-haves like customer support.
This guide is a straightforward, no-fluff comparison of Shopify vs. BigCommerce. We’ll get into the weeds on features, pricing, and how far you can grow on each. But we’ll also look at how they handle the kind of AI-driven automation that’s quickly becoming non-negotiable for anyone serious about growth.
Understanding the Shopify vs. BigCommerce platforms
At their heart, both are tools for building and running an online store, but they were built with slightly different ideas in mind.
Shopify is pretty much the definition of an all-in-one eCommerce platform. It’s known for being incredibly easy to get started with, it has a gigantic app store, and it can grow with you. It’s the default choice for millions of businesses, from people just starting out in their garage to massive global brands. Its popularity means there’s a huge community and an endless supply of themes and apps.
BigCommerce takes a different tack. It’s what’s known as an "open SaaS" platform, which is a fancy way of saying it packs more heavy-duty features right into its core product. It tends to appeal to more established businesses or those with complex setups, like B2B sales or enormous product catalogs. Its main selling point is giving you a ton of power from day one, without having to install a bunch of apps.
A glance of Shopify vs. BigCommerce
While both get your products online, they have their own strengths. You can think of Shopify as a super solid and user-friendly starting point that you customize with apps, while BigCommerce is more like a feature-packed toolkit you get from the get-go.
Here’s a quick side-by-side to see what I mean.
| Feature | Shopify | BigCommerce |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Beginners, direct-to-consumer brands, and anyone who wants maximum customization through apps. | Stores with large or complex product catalogs, B2B sellers, and folks who want more features built-in. |
| Ease of Use | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Super intuitive; you can get started in an afternoon) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (A bit more of a learning curve since there are more built-in settings to explore) |
| Pricing Model | Monthly fee. You’ll pay transaction fees unless you use their native Shopify Payments. | Monthly fee with sales-based tiers. No extra transaction fees. |
| App Ecosystem | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (The biggest in the business, with over 15,000 apps) | ⭐⭐⭐ (A solid selection with around 1,300+ apps) |
| Built-in AI | Pretty good (Shopify Magic helps write content, and Sidekick is a helpful admin assistant) | Basic (BigAI Copywriter is handy, but most advanced AI is for enterprise clients) |
| Support Automation | You’ll need to connect to a help desk and specialized AI tools. | Same here, you’ll rely on help desk integrations and third-party AI tools. |
A detailed Shopify vs. BigCommerce comparison
Alright, let’s get into the details that really matter when you’re trying to build a business that lasts.
Features and scalability
This is where the two platforms really show their different personalities.
BigCommerce’s built-in advantage: BigCommerce is proud of the fact that it includes a lot of advanced features without making you pay extra for an app. For example, you get unlimited staff accounts on every single plan, which is a huge perk for growing teams.
But its most famous feature is the product variant limit. BigCommerce lets you have up to 600 variants (like size, color, material) for a single product. For stores selling clothes, furniture, or anything with tons of options, this is an absolute lifesaver. It also has built-in tools for managing multiple storefronts from one dashboard, which is great if you run different brands or regional sites.
Shopify’s app-centric model: Shopify’s whole philosophy is to give you a clean, simple, and powerful core product, then let you customize it to your heart’s content with its app store. And with over 15,000 apps available, you can find a tool for pretty much anything you can dream up, from customer loyalty programs to super-detailed analytics.
This gives you amazing flexibility to create a setup that’s perfect for your business. But there’s a catch. The monthly cost of all those app subscriptions can start to creep up, and keeping track of dozens of different tools can get complicated. And for years, Shopify’s 100-variant limit has been a major pain point for sellers with complex inventory, forcing them to find app-based workarounds.
Scalability Verdict: Both platforms can handle massive scale, but they get you there in different ways. BigCommerce gives you more power for complexity from the start. Shopify grows with you by letting you tap into its enormous ecosystem. The right choice depends on whether you prefer features to be included from the start or you want the freedom to pick and choose your own tools.
Shopify vs. BigCommerce: Pricing and total cost of ownership (TCO)
At first glance, the pricing plans look almost identical, with both platforms starting at around $39 a month. But the real story is in the fine print, and what you actually end up paying, your total cost of ownership, can be very different.
Key Pricing Differentiators:
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Transaction Fees: This is a big one. BigCommerce doesn’t charge any transaction fees, no matter which payment gateway you use (like Stripe or PayPal). This makes your costs more predictable. Shopify, however, charges an extra fee (from 0.5% to 2%) if you don’t use their in-house Shopify Payments. They really, really want you to use their payment system.
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Upgrade Triggers: How you get bumped up to a more expensive plan is also different. BigCommerce automatically moves you to a higher plan based on your annual sales. So if your store takes off, you might get hit with a surprise price hike. With Shopify, you usually upgrade because you need more features or more staff accounts, which gives you a bit more control over when your bill goes up.
Hidden Costs: On Shopify, your total cost can climb as you add paid apps for things BigCommerce might include for free. On the flip side, BigCommerce’s sales-based upgrades can make it harder to predict your expenses if you’re growing fast.
| Plan Tier | Shopify (Monthly) | BigCommerce (Monthly) | Key Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard/Basic | $39 | $39 | Shopify gives you abandoned cart recovery; BigCommerce gives you unlimited staff accounts. |
| Plus/Shopify | $105 | $105 | BigCommerce’s Plus plan adds abandoned cart recovery; Shopify gives you more staff seats and lower fees. |
| Advanced/Pro | $399 | $399 | Both unlock advanced reports. BigCommerce’s Pro plan has a sales limit (around $400k/year) before you have to go Enterprise. |
Pro Tip: Don’t just look at the monthly price. Try to map out the cost of apps you’ll need on Shopify, and be honest about your growth projections to see if you’ll hit BigCommerce’s sales limits.
Shopify vs. BigCommerce: AI capabilities
Both platforms are getting into AI, but they’re using it for very different things.
Shopify’s AI – Shopify Magic:
Shopify has been rolling out a bunch of AI tools under the "Shopify Magic" brand. It can help you write product descriptions, offers an internal assistant called Sidekick to help you find things in your admin panel, and has some simple image editing tools. They’re nice little helpers for speeding up content creation and making daily tasks a bit easier.
BigCommerce’s AI – BigAI:
BigCommerce’s AI offering is a bit newer, especially on the standard plans. The main tool most users get is the BigAI Copywriter for, you guessed it, writing copy. Its more powerful AI features, like predictive analytics, are mostly kept for its high-end BigCommerce Enterprise clients.
The big gap in native AI:
Here’s the reality check for any ambitious eCommerce store: neither platform’s built-in AI is designed to handle real, complex customer support. They can’t answer "Where is my order?", process a return, or answer a nuanced product question by looking at your inventory, help docs, and order system all at once. They’re content assistants, not support agents.
For any growing store on either Shopify or BigCommerce, the real AI advantage comes from adding a specialized tool on top. An AI platform like eesel AI connects directly to your Shopify or BigCommerce store to create an AI agent that can do so much more. It can access live order info, product data, and your help center to give customers complete answers instantly. That’s a level of help the native AIs just can’t touch.
Shopify vs. BigCommerce: Customer Support Automation
The moment your store starts doing well, you’ll be hit with a wave of the same customer questions over and over. "Where is my order?", "How do I make a return?", "Do you ship to Australia?", "Is the blue one in stock?", it never ends.
Trying to handle that manually is a recipe for disaster. As you grow, you have to hire more support staff, which gets expensive fast and doesn’t actually make the customer experience any better. This is where a smart automation tool completely changes the game.
Here’s what that looks like with a tool like eesel AI in the mix:
This isn’t your average chatbot. The eesel AI Agent integrates with your help desk and uses AI Actions to actually connect to your Shopify or BigCommerce store’s backend. This allows it to look up live data and perform tasks, not just spit out pre-written answers. This is what modern eCommerce support looks like, and it works perfectly on either platform.
Which is better, Shopify or BigCommerce?
After all that, here’s the bottom line to help you make a call.
Go with Shopify if: You want something that’s simple, famously easy to use, and gives you access to the biggest selection of apps and themes on the planet. It’s the best choice for most direct-to-consumer brands that want a flexible starting point to build on. The giant community also means you can always find help.
Go with BigCommerce if: Your business has a big, complicated catalog with tons of variants. It’s also the stronger option if you do a lot of B2B sales or if your main goal is to use as few third-party apps as possible for your core features.
Beyond Shopify vs. BigCommerce
Picking between Shopify vs. BigCommerce is just the first decision. The real work is building an efficient business on top of that choice.
This is where a smart automation layer like eesel AI becomes your secret weapon. Because eesel works with both platforms, you aren’t stuck with the limited AI tools built into just one of them. You can create a powerhouse support system that slashes costs, makes customers happier with instant 24/7 answers, and frees up your team to focus on work that actually grows your brand. With one-click integrations and a setup so easy you can do it yourself, you can have powerful AI working for you in minutes.
Which one would you pick?
The showdown between Shopify and BigCommerce doesn’t really have one clear winner for everyone. Shopify is the king of flexibility, ease of use, and app selection, making it the go-to for most modern brands. BigCommerce is the champ of powerful, built-in features, perfect for stores with complex needs.
The right platform is the one that fits your business model. But no matter which one you land on, adding intelligent automation on top is the real key to scaling successfully and staying sane while you do it.
Ready to automate your customer support and grow your business? Explore how eesel AI can work for you today.
Frequently asked questions
Shopify is generally considered the winner for ease of use. Its interface is incredibly intuitive and designed for beginners to launch a store quickly without needing to code. BigCommerce is also user-friendly but has a slightly steeper learning curve due to its extensive built-in features.
It depends on your business. BigCommerce can be cheaper if you want to avoid transaction fees and need lots of features built-in, but its plans upgrade automatically with sales. Shopify’s costs can climb if you add many paid apps, but you have more control over when you upgrade.
Yes, it often does. BigCommerce is the clear frontrunner here, allowing up to 600 variants per product out of the box. Shopify has a native limit of 100 variants, which often requires you to use third-party apps for more complex inventories.
Both platforms can handle massive growth, so you can’t go wrong. The choice comes down to how you want to scale: choose Shopify if you prefer scaling through a vast ecosystem of apps for flexibility, or pick BigCommerce if you prefer having powerful features built-in from the start.
Neither platform has a built-in advantage for advanced support automation; they both require extra tools for that. Their native AI is mainly for content creation, so for true automation like handling order inquiries, you’ll need to integrate a specialized AI agent on either platform.
For B2B, BigCommerce often has the edge because it includes more native features tailored for B2B sales, like custom price lists and bulk pricing rules. While you can add these features to Shopify via apps, BigCommerce provides a more integrated B2B toolkit right from the start.
