Shopify Vs Bigcommerce: The best eCommerce Platform

Shopify and Bigcommerce are two big names when it comes to choosing the best eCommerce platform. As futuristic and compatible they may sound to you, they both come with their pros and cons.

Then which is the best eCommerce platform between them?

Well with this article you are going to find an exact answer to your question. PixelPhant is a product image editing service, helping eCommerceces to grow their business, and in this article, we are going to find out the best eCommerce platform that you can use.

Our two best picks are Shopify and Bigcommerce. But before we start dissecting each aspect of these two platforms, let us briefly go through the pros and cons you can expect from them.

 

Shopify: Pros and Cons

Pros

Cons

Better customer satisfaction services

Have its own transaction fees (if not using Shopify Payments)

Allows to easily sell across multi-channels including Facebook, Instagram, Amazon, and eBay

Content needs to be reformatted every time you switch to a new theme

Better inventory management system

  Bigcommerce: Pros and Cons

Pros

Cons

Easy to scale on this eCommerce platform

Hard for beginners to understand the complexity 

Fantastic SEO tools

No mobile app

Allows you to sell across multi-channels like Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest

 

As you see, Shopify and Bigcommerce are the two best eCommerce platforms, but in saying that, not everyone can easily differentiate which would work best for them. Hence here is a complete comparison based on the most important factors that matter the most while starting and running an eCommerce.

Best eCommerce Platform: Shopify vs Bigcommerce Ease of use

Between these two eCommerce platforms, there is no doubt that Shopify offers the most ease of interacting and running eCommerce. With plenty of visual cues, simple language, and consistent typography, Shopify offers its user a beginner’s experience.

 

On the other hand, Bigcommerce being such a powerful platform it can be really complex to understand to build your website.

 

Our pick for ease of use would be Shopify.

Flexibility of Design

Another major factor that can affect your sale is the way you present your storefront. As an eCommerce owner, you need to have compatible flexibility with the way you wish to make your store look.

 

Bigcommerce offers 12 free themes along with over 100 paid templates which range from $145. Whereas with Shopify, you get 10 free themes and 50 paid options that can cost you about $140 and $180. Moreover, at Shopify, you could find some of the best themes for almost any industry.

But the issue with Shopify is that, when you would switch a theme, you would also have to reformat your entire site which consumes additional time. Whereas Bigcommerce, which looks a bit expensive, back are you up and your business is more likely to succeed in the long run.

In the following scenario, the flexibility of working over a design is with Bigcommerce, but on the other hand, Shopify offers some of the most appealing themes that you can use.

 

Hence we would recommend you to go through the different themes that these eCommerce platforms are offering (According to your own eCommerce niche) and go with the most suitable one.

Customer Support

Running an eCommerce can turn out to be tricky and sometimes you may also need an external assistant. In that case you these platforms must be available to help you at any given time.

Luckily these both are among the best eCommerce platforms and offer commendable customer support to their customers 24/7. You can have a live chat as well as an email assistant to help you out along the journey.

Hence in this case there is a tie between both these competitors.

 

Build Time

How much time does it take to create your website after signing up for the platform? This is a must-answer the question as it clearly defines how well the interface is set-up.

As it can be tricky with Bigcommerce to actually go through the complex editing interface, it may take about a day or two to finish. Whereas with Shopify you can set up a store within just a few hours.

Here Shopify turns out to have an upper hand for quick building time.

Ecommerce Tools and Features

The reason why these two are considered the best eCommerce platform is due to the fact that both of them offer a range of tools to increase your sale.

With a commendable inventory system, and products like print-on-demand you can also print customizable shipping labels.

 

But in a side by side comparison, we would refer to Shopify, due to the fact that it has better marketing tools. Where Bigcommerce comes with the most built-in features for better eCommerce SEO only, Shopify relies on Social media Marketing.

 

Also, the multi-channel integration is much easier in Shopify that makes it easier for sellers to sell their products on different platforms.

Expanding in the Long-run

If you already have a well-established brand, or if you know that your business is all set to attract customers then you need a platform with which you have a long run. In the following scenario, we see no better eCommerce platform than Bigcommerce.

 

Even though we have talked about the complexity of this platform, there is no doubt that Bigcommerce offers some great tools and support to expand in the long run.

Pricing and Value for Money

Now, this is a part where most of our choices depend on. It’s not just about how much we are paying but is actually the value we are getting in return for the price that we pay.

Where Shopify offers some of the brilliant tools, ability to sell unlimited products on its platform, Bigcommerce gives you unlimited bandwidth and a zero transition fee.

Moreover, both Bigcommerce and Shopify offer a free trial of 15 and 14 days respectively where you use all the features and explore the respective platforms before you pay anything.

The plan for Shopify ranges from $29/month to $299/month and the plan for BigCommerce ranges from $29.95/month to $299.95/month.

In the following scenario where there is such a competitive price, you need to choose according to your eCommerce.

As we said, Bigcommece is a complex eCommerce platform but offers better longevity. Hence if you are a team of 2-3 people with a little experience, wanting to start an eCommerce, Bigcommerce can be your go too.

Whereas if you are just 1 or 2  people with no or less experience with online selling you can choose Shopify for ease of starting and running a business.

 

Our Recommendation

With the above comparison to find the best eCommerce platform, you know that picking one could be a tough call. But still, as per the past experiences and reviews, we would lean a bit more towards Shopify.

 

There is no doubt that Bigcommerce can turn out to be the best eCommerce platform in upcoming years, but with such complexity and lesser tools to market and integrate features, it has a long way to go.