BigCommerce review
Scalable SaaS with no transaction fees
Editor's rating
4.3/5
In short
A hosted platform that competes with Shopify on power while never charging transaction fees. Rich built-in features mean fewer paid apps, but the admin is less polished.
The full review
Our BigCommerce review
BigCommerce occupies an interesting niche: a hosted SaaS platform with Shopify-class reliability that refuses to charge transaction fees on any plan. For merchants moving real volume, that single policy can be worth thousands of dollars a year, and it reframes the whole pricing conversation.
The platform's philosophy is to build features in rather than push you toward paid apps. Faceted search, multi-currency, customer groups, and genuinely capable B2B tooling ship natively, which keeps the long-term app bill lower than rivals. Its open architecture and strong APIs also make it a popular choice for headless builds.
The catch is a steeper learning curve and a smaller app marketplace. The admin is denser than Shopify's, and BigCommerce enforces annual sales thresholds that automatically bump you to a higher plan once you cross them — a fair model, but one worth modeling before you commit.
What stands out
Zero transaction fees
No platform fees on any plan, on any payment gateway you choose.
Native B2B
Customer groups, price lists, and quotes built in rather than bolted on.
Feature-rich core
More functionality out of the box means fewer paid app dependencies.
Headless-ready
Robust APIs and an open architecture for custom front ends.
What we liked
- Zero transaction fees on all plans
- Most features built-in (less app reliance)
- Strong native B2B tools
- Flexible headless options
Where it falls short
- Annual sales thresholds force upgrades
- Smaller app marketplace
- Steeper learning curve than Shopify
The scorecard
How BigCommerce scores
What it costs
BigCommerce pricing plans
Representative plans and entry prices. Always confirm current rates on the provider's site before you buy.
Standard
$39/mo
Full feature set with a $50k annual online sales cap.
Plus
$105/mo
Adds abandoned cart saver and customer segmentation; $180k sales cap.
Pro
$399/mo
Advanced filtering and higher API limits; $400k sales cap.
Enterprise
Custom
Negotiated pricing, premium support, and unlimited API throughput.
BigCommerce is ideal for
- High-volume stores allergic to transaction fees
- B2B and wholesale sellers needing native tooling
- Brands that prefer built-in features over many apps
- Teams planning a headless storefront
Consider alternatives if
- Absolute beginners who want the simplest possible editor
- Stores that rely on a huge third-party app catalog
- Sellers who dislike sales-threshold plan upgrades
The details
Full specifications
Pricing
- Starting price
- $39/mo
- Transaction fees
- 0% on every plan
- Free trial
- 15-day free trial
- Best value score
- 4.24.2 out of 5
Overview
- Overall rating
- 4.34.3 out of 5
- Category
- Hosted SaaS
- Hosting
- Fully hosted
- Best for
- High-volume & B2B sellers
- Founded
- 2009
Capabilities
- Ease of use
- 4.04.0 out of 5
- Customization
- 4.34.3 out of 5
- Scalability
- 4.64.6 out of 5
- SEO
- 4.44.4 out of 5
- Support quality
- 4.34.3 out of 5
Features
- App marketplace
- 1,000+ apps
- Payment gateways
- 65+ gateways
- Staff accounts
- Unlimited
- Point of sale (POS)
- Yes
- Multi-currency
- Yes
- Multilingual
- Yes
- Abandoned cart recovery
- Yes
- Built-in blog
- Yes
- Headless / API
- Yes
- 24/7 support
- Yes
The verdict
BigCommerce is the smart choice for growing and B2B merchants who want hosted convenience without the transaction-fee tax. You trade a little polish and app variety for more built-in power and a friendlier total cost of ownership at scale.
BigCommerce
4.3 / 5 · Ranked #3 of 6
Before you buy
BigCommerce FAQ
- Why does my plan upgrade automatically?
- Each tier has an annual online-sales threshold. Cross it and BigCommerce moves you up a plan — model your revenue to anticipate the jump.
- Does BigCommerce support B2B?
- Yes. Customer groups, custom price lists, and quote workflows are native, making it strong for wholesale alongside retail.
- Can I go headless?
- Absolutely. Its APIs are mature, and many brands pair BigCommerce as the backend with a custom React or Next.js front end.