BigCommerce
BigCommerce (Commerce.com, Inc.)
6.8
Overall Score / 10
WooCommerce
Automattic (WordPress)
7
Overall Score / 10
Our Verdict
Choose BigCommerce if:
- —Mid-market businesses wanting built-in features without app fees
- —B2B e-commerce with customer groups and price lists
- —Stores wanting zero transaction fees on all plans
Choose WooCommerce if:
- —Developers and technical teams wanting full code control
- —Businesses already on WordPress wanting to add e-commerce
- —Stores needing highly custom functionality
The biggest difference: BigCommerce is a hosted platform with zero transaction fees and strong B2B features out of the box. WooCommerce offers unlimited customization on WordPress but requires self-hosting and more maintenance.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Criteria | BigCommerce | WooCommerce |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest Paid Plan | $39/mo (Standard)Source: BigCommerce (Commerce.com, Inc.) pricing page → | $39/mo (WooExpress Essential)Source: Automattic (WordPress) pricing page → |
| Free Tier | No No free tier. 15-day free trial available. | Yes Core plugin is free. Requires self-managed WordPress hosting, domain, and SSL. |
| Value for Money | 7 | 8 |
| Ease of Use | 7 | 5 |
| Feature Power | 8 | 9 |
| Setup Ease | 7 | 4 |
| Migration Ease | 5 | 4 |
| Transparency | 6 | 8 |
| Deployment | cloud | self-hosted |
| API Available | Yes | Yes |
| Platforms | Web | Web |
| Compliance | PCI DSS Level 1, SOC 2, GDPR tools | PCI DSS (depends on hosting), GDPR tools available |
Feature Comparison
Feature Comparison Matrix
22 features compared · 21 differences
| Feature | BigCommerce | WooCommerce |
|---|---|---|
| Core | ||
| Abandoned cart saver (Plus+) | Full | None |
| B2B capabilities | Full | None |
| Built-in blog | Full | None |
| Coupon & discount system | None | Full |
| Extensions marketplace | None | Full |
| Gutenberg block editor | None | Full |
| Multi-channel selling | Full | None |
| Multi-language support | None | Full |
| Multi-storefront | Full | None |
| Real-time shipping quotes | Full | None |
| Shipping label printing | None | Full |
| Tax calculation | None | Full |
| Thousands of themes | None | Full |
| Unlimited products | None | Full |
| Unlimited products & bandwidth | Full | None |
| WooPayments (2.9% + $0.30) | None | Full |
| Zero transaction fees | Full | None |
| Advanced | ||
| Advanced product filtering | Full | None |
| Customer groups & segmentation | Full | None |
| Professional reporting | Full | None |
| Unlimited customization (open source) | None | Full |
| Integrations | ||
| REST API | Full | Full |
Pricing Comparison
BigCommerce Pricing
Up to $50k/yr in sales, unlimited products, 0% transaction fees
Up to $180k/yr in sales, customer groups, abandoned cart saver, persistent cart
Up to $400k/yr in sales, custom SSL, advanced product filtering
Custom pricing, unlimited sales, priority support, custom integrations
WooCommerce Pricing
Free & open source. Requires WordPress hosting ($7-40/mo+), domain, SSL
Managed WordPress hosting with WooCommerce pre-installed, support, backups
Higher performance hosting, premium extensions included
Who Should Choose Which?
Who should choose BigCommerce
Best for
- Mid-market businesses wanting built-in features without app fees
- B2B e-commerce with customer groups and price lists
- Stores wanting zero transaction fees on all plans
Avoid if
- You're very small (revenue thresholds force plan upgrades)
- You want the largest app ecosystem (Shopify has more)
- You want the simplest possible store setup
Who should choose WooCommerce
Best for
- Developers and technical teams wanting full code control
- Businesses already on WordPress wanting to add e-commerce
- Stores needing highly custom functionality
Avoid if
- You want a simple, hosted setup without technical management
- You don't want to deal with hosting, updates, and security
- You want built-in 24/7 support (WooCommerce is community-supported)
Switching Guidance
Switching from BigCommerce
Common triggers to leave:
- •Revenue-based mandatory plan upgrades
- •Fewer apps than Shopify
- •Smaller community and fewer themes
Potential blockers:
- •Product catalog and customer data
- •Multi-storefront configuration
- •B2B pricing rules and customer groups
Switching from WooCommerce
Common triggers to leave:
- •Hosting management burden
- •Security responsibility
- •Plugin conflicts and updates
- •Need for technical knowledge
Potential blockers:
- •Full codebase ownership
- •WordPress ecosystem investment
- •Custom plugin development
- •SEO rankings tied to WordPress site
Try BigCommerce
Plans from $39/mo
Try WooCommerce
Start free — no credit card required