BigCommerce vs WooCommerce
BigCommerce and WooCommerce are both chosen by merchants who want more room than a website builder's shop, and they solve the problem in opposite ways. BigCommerce is hosted: the platform runs the store, with no platform transaction fees and built-in B2B features. WooCommerce is a free, open-source WordPress plugin: you own the code and run everything around it.
Which should you choose?
Choose BigCommerce if
- Mid-sized merchants with larger catalogs and multiple sales channels
- B2B and wholesale sellers
- Agencies building headless or heavily customized storefronts
Choose WooCommerce if
- Existing WordPress sites that want to add a shop
- Developers and agencies building customized stores
- Sellers who want ownership of their data and code
- Content-first businesses selling alongside a blog
Cheapest to start
Not comparable
Free plan
WooCommerce
Highest editor rating
WooCommerce · 4.3
Key differences
- Listed for BigCommerce but not WooCommerce: Abandoned cart recovery, Custom domains and Templates.
- Listed for WooCommerce but not BigCommerce: Import & export and Self-hosting option.
- Only WooCommerce lists CLI among its platforms.
| Compare | BigCommerce |
|---|---|
| Free plan | No |
| Free trial | Yes |
| Starting price | From $29/mo |
| Editor rating | 4.1 |
| Ease of use | Moderate (3/5) |
| Category | Ecommerce |
| Pricing model | No free plan; a free trial is offered. Plans are capped by trailing-twelve-month sales and priced per month billed annually: Core $29 (up to $30K TTM GMV), Growth $79 (up to $100K), Scale $299 (with 0.9 percent on GMV above the cap) and Performance from $1,499. All quote a 25 percent saving against monthly billing, and Core auto-upgrades when a store outgrows its cap. |
| Plans |
|
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android, API |
| Integrations | Facebook & Instagram, Google Ads, Google Analytics, PayPal, Stripe, TikTok, WordPress |
| Best for |
|
| Pros |
|
| Cons |
|
| Abandoned cart recovery | Yes |
| API access | Yes |
| App marketplace | Yes |
| Custom domains | Yes |
| Discounts & coupons | Yes |
| Import & export | No |
| Inventory management | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes |
| Multi-currency | Yes |
| Payment processing | Yes |
| Reporting & dashboards | Yes |
| Self-hosting option | No |
| Templates | Yes |
| Webhooks | Yes |
Common questions
- Does BigCommerce or WooCommerce have a free plan?
- WooCommerce has a free plan. BigCommerce does not, though it offers a free trial.
- How long is the BigCommerce and WooCommerce free trial?
- BigCommerce offers a 15-day free trial. WooCommerce does not offer one.
- Which is easier to use, BigCommerce or WooCommerce?
- In VERILO's editorial assessment BigCommerce is the easier of the two, scoring 3 out of 5 against 2 for WooCommerce. That is a judgement about how quickly a new team gets productive, not a measured benchmark.
Our verdict
Choose BigCommerce if you want a hosted store for larger catalogs, multiple sales channels or wholesale selling without managing servers. Plans are priced per month billed annually and capped by trailing-twelve-month sales: Core is $29 up to $30K in sales, Growth $79 up to $100K, then Scale at $299 and Performance from $1,499. A store that outgrows its cap moves up a plan, and the theme and app ecosystem is smaller than Shopify's.
Choose WooCommerce if you already run WordPress or want full control of your data and code. The plugin is free with no platform transaction fees; the cost is what you assemble — hosting from about $25 to $350 a month for most stores and official extensions at $29 to $299 a year each — plus the time spent on updates, backups and security.
The trade is money against time. BigCommerce's fees buy uptime and support you do not have to arrange; WooCommerce's lower platform cost is paid back in technical work. In VERILO's assessment BigCommerce is the easier of the two to run, scoring 3 out of 5 for ease of use against WooCommerce's 2.
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