Written by
Annie Laukaitis09/10/2025
What you’ll learn:
How to match your ecommerce platform to your business goals, team resources, and product complexity
What to look for in a platform’s core functionality, including payment gateways, shipping tools, and real-time integrations
How to compare leading platforms like BigCommerce, Shopify, Adobe Commerce, and Salesforce based on features, flexibility, and support
Why platform scalability, security, and customisation options matter, and which tools help you future-proof your online store
How to reduce risk during migration and ensure a smooth transition with minimal disruption to your online shopping experience
Whether you're ready or not, ecommerce is here to stay. According to Statista, global retail ecommerce sales exceeded $6 trillion in 2024, and will climb past $7 trillion by 2027.
To stay competitive, your brand needs a strong ecommerce presence. But launching a successful online store starts with one key decision: choosing the right ecommerce platform.
The market is full of ecommerce software options. Finding the best fit means understanding your business needs and planning how you’ll buy and sell online.
Some of the best ecommerce platforms include:
Let’s explore what to consider when selecting an ecommerce solution, and how today’s top platforms compare.
Aligning business needs with an ecommerce platform
The foundation of a strong ecommerce presence starts with knowing what your business needs from a platform.
First, consider your customer base. Do you sell business-to-consumer (B2C), wholesale to other businesses (B2B), or both? Not every ecommerce platform supports all use cases equally, so knowing your model is key.
Next, define your ideal tech stack. Are you looking for native features and ready-to-use apps? Or do you need the flexibility to build custom solutions?
Platforms like BigCommerce offer both, empowering brands to launch fast with built-in tools or go custom with APIs and third-party integrations. That level of flexibility makes it easier to align your ecommerce platform with your business goals.
Must have functionality, integrations, and features.
Before choosing your ecommerce solution, consider how you’d like your online site to function and opportunities for growth.
This will help you determine the features you’re looking for in an ecommerce platform.
Basic functionality.
To run a successful online store, your ecommerce platform must cover the essentials.
At a minimum, look for:
Payment gateway support: Ensure the platform allows you to accept the payment methods your customers prefer, like credit cards, PayPal, and Apple Pay.
Shipping integrations: Confirm compatibility with carriers like UPS and FedEx, as well as third-party solutions like ShipStation to streamline fulfilment and reduce manual work.
These core features are critical for completing transactions and keeping operations efficient.
Complex functionality.
Once the basics are covered, assess whether your ecommerce software supports more advanced needs, especially if you sell across different customer segments.
If you offer wholesale pricing or operate multiple storefronts, your platform should support:
Customer groups: Segment buyers (e.g., B2B vs. B2C) to control access to products or discounts.
Price lists: Assign custom pricing to specific groups, ideal for managing wholesale customers or regional pricing.
Multi-Storefront: Manage multiple stores from a single backend, while offering unique pricing per storefront, even with shared inventory.
BigCommerce delivers these capabilities natively, giving brands the flexibility to scale while tailoring the shopping experience.
Budget.
While many ecommerce platforms offer competitive pricing, cost-efficiency depends on what your business actually needs.
Start by setting your budget:
Platform costs: Consider monthly vs. annual plans. Annual pricing can offer savings.
Additional expenses: Budget for premium themes, hosting, SSL certificates, and your domain.
Hidden fees: Some platforms charge extra. For example, Shopify applies a 2% fee for every sale made through a third-party payment provider.
BigCommerce stands out by charging zero additional transaction fees, letting you choose any payment provider without penalty.
If you're hiring an agency or outsourcing development, add that to your budget too. And be sure to factor in your Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) — the full cost to build, run, and maintain your ecommerce site over time.
A Forrester study found that BigCommerce customers see a 211% ROI by year three and break even in just eight months.
Timelines.
Your ecommerce site’s launch timeline depends on factors like inventory complexity and how custom your build is.
Native tools and out-of-the-box features = faster launch.
Custom coding = longer development cycle.
Most ecommerce sites take a few months to launch. BigCommerce Enterprise customers, for example, can go live in four months or less. Inhaven, a luxury hospitality marketplace, launched in just three to four months.
Planning ahead is key, especially if you're targeting high-volume periods like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Always include buffer time for testing and adjustments.
Identify potential complexities.
Certain features can add complexity to your ecommerce build, especially if you're managing:
Multiple brands or customer segments
International markets
Different pricing models
In these cases, look for Multi-Storefront functionality. Platforms like BigCommerce offer this natively, letting you run multiple storefronts from a single backend.
Brands like The Beer Bat use Multi-Storefront to expand into global markets, all from one account. Even if you’re not there yet, choosing a platform with this capability sets you up for future growth.
Determine who will execute on the project.
Who builds your ecommerce site directly impacts your timeline, effort, and outcome.
Consider your team:
In-house developers: Ideal if you have technical expertise internally.
Agency partners: Great if you need full-service support from concept to launch.
BigCommerce works with certified agency partners experienced in building on the platform. Plus, Enterprise customers can tap into our Professional Services team for hands-on support across the full ecommerce lifecycle.
Other platforms may offer less support:
Salesforce Commerce Cloud lacks key service teams.
Shopify has reduced in-house support, relying more on AI chatbots.
Need help getting started? Connect with a BigCommerce sales rep to see how we can partner with your team.
Ecommerce solution options
There are three main ecommerce platform options:
SaaS (software-as-a-service)
Composable
Open-source
Each of these options provides different levels of freedom and flexibility when it comes to building your site.
Before choosing a software to host your store, it’s essential to know which type of platform is best for you based on your budget, developmental needs, and team bandwidth.
SaaS.
Hosting environment: Cloud
SaaS ecommerce solutions simplify store management by handling the heavy lifting, like security, hosting, updates, and PCI compliance.
Rather than building and maintaining a custom or open-source solution, you essentially rent the ecommerce platform. This means:
Lower development costs
Faster time to market
Reduced maintenance
Marketing and growth teams often favour SaaS platforms for their speed and cost-efficiency. However, some worry about limited flexibility due to closed-source environments.
Platforms like BigCommerce address this concern by offering:
Open APIs for custom integrations
Non-proprietary coding environments
A low total cost of ownership
BigCommerce’s open architecture makes it a powerful choice for brands looking to grow fast without sacrificing flexibility.
Composable.
Hosting environment: Cloud
Composable commerce is a modular ecommerce architecture that replaces traditional, monolithic platforms. Introduced by Gartner in 2020, it allows brands to build and manage their tech stack with maximum flexibility.
Built on MACH principles (Microservices, API-first, Cloud-native SaaS, Headless), composable commerce enables:
Independent updates to site components
Seamless API-driven integrations
Use of best-in-breed technology
Scalable omnichannel strategies
Headless commerce is one form of composable, where the front end (e.g., CMS like WordPress or DXP like Bloomreach) is decoupled from the ecommerce engine.
BigCommerce supports a composable approach, empowering brands to:
Customise any part of their store
Integrate third-party systems
Build a future-proof, scalable ecommerce platform
For brands ready to move fast with composable commerce, Catalyst by BigCommerce provides a pre-composed solution with proven integrations, flexible architecture, and accelerated go-to-market capabilities.
Open-source.
Hosting environment: Cloud or self-hosted
Maintenance: Manual updates, patches, and security management
An open-source ecommerce platform gives you full access to the code, which is ideal for development-heavy teams that want total control.
But with that control comes responsibility. Brands using open-source ecommerce software must manage:
PCI compliance
Hosting, whether on-premise or in the cloud
Security and patching, including manual updates
QA for third-party integrations, such as:
ESPs, CRMs, CMSs, ERPs
Analytics and BI tools
Custom feature development, including:
Promotion engines, SEO tools, and email marketing
Drag-and-drop design builders
While open-source offers freedom, it also introduces complexity, risk, and cost. Each customisation can increase technical debt, requiring:
A full development or IT team
Ongoing agency support
Higher long-term costs and reduced ROI
Security is another concern. Open-source code is publicly available, which raises vulnerability risks.
That’s why many brands prefer SaaS or composable commerce solutions, which offer:
Faster go-to-market timelines
Lower total cost of ownership
Built-in hosting, security, and scalability
Open-source software may appear low-cost up front, but it often leads to higher expenses in the long run due to maintenance, licencing, and security demands.
Important features and offerings
Every online storefront has unique needs, and choosing the best ecommerce platform for your business is wholly dependant on the platform’s ability to solve the day-to-day challenges inherent within your organisation.
However, there are some basic things you should learn about prospective providers.
The platform’s ability to scale with your business.
Your ecommerce platform should support your growth, not limit it.
Look for a solution that can handle:
Traffic spikes during events like Black Friday
BigCommerce has delivered 100% uptime every Cyber Week since 2016.
Tech stack flexibility: start with native tools, then scale with advanced integrations (e.g., use BigCommerce’s native search, then upgrade with partners like Algolia)
Sales channel expansion: grow from B2C into B2B (or vice versa) and manage wholesale, international sales, and promotions from a single platform
Global growth: BigCommerce supports multi-currency and centralised management of international storefronts
Custom scalability: Open APIs let you build unique, scalable experiences that evolve with your business
No matter your growth stage, BigCommerce is built to scale alongside you.
Security.
Running an ecommerce site means handling sensitive customer data. That makes PCI compliance and site security non-negotiable.
Some platforms offer minimal security (e.g., just an SSL certificate). But BigCommerce includes Level 1 PCI compliance and undergoes regular audits to meet global privacy and security standards, giving your team peace of mind.
Software integrations.
Flexibility is key to scaling. Your ecommerce platform should support the tools you need, without added fees.
Shopify charges extra for using third-party gateways.
BigCommerce lets you integrate with providers like Stripe or Square with no transaction fees.
From order fulfilment tools like Advanced Shipping Manager to robust POS software, BigCommerce gives you the freedom to build the stack that works best for your brand.
APIs and customisation.
APIs are the backbone of ecommerce customisation. They connect your platform to your broader tech stack and enable automation.
BigCommerce offers robust, high-volume APIs, including:
GraphQL Storefront API: for custom storefronts
Checkout API: to tailor checkout flows
Payments API: for secure, flexible payment apps
Anti-fraud API: to flag suspicious activity
With these tools, you can build fast, flexible, and scalable solutions.
SEO.
A strong SEO strategy drives traffic and sales, and your ecommerce platform should support it.
BigCommerce’s built-in SEO tools include:
SEO-friendly, customisable URLs
Unique pages to avoid duplicate content
Rich product microdata
Auto 301 redirects during migrations
A global CDN for faster load times
Plus, the platform includes mobile optimisation, app integrations, analytics, and advanced catalogue tools to help you grow.
Sales and advertising channel compatibility.
To reach more shoppers, your ecommerce platform should support an omnichannel strategy.
With BigCommerce and Feedonomics, you can sell and advertise across:
Marketplaces like Amazon, eBay, and Google Shopping
Social platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest
Manage all channels from one back end, saving time and streamlining your marketing.
Product inventory complexity.
If you sell large or complex product catalogs, look for a platform that won’t limit growth.
BigCommerce supports up to 600 SKUs per product — ideal for high-SKU brands like SKDA with over 2,300 variants.
It also supports Buy Online, Pick Up in Store (BOPIS), giving customers flexible fulfillment options.
Platform customer service.
Fast, reliable support matters, especially when your site is live.
Unlike platforms that rely on chatbots or outsourced help, BigCommerce offers:
24/7 US-based live support
A full help centre and user community
Access to our Enterprise Professional Services team, including:
Project Managers
Technical Account Managers
Solution Architects
Launch Coaches
Data Migration Experts
We’re here to help from day one through every stage of growth.
Best ecommerce platforms to consider
Now that we’ve covered the key elements to look for in an ecommerce solution, it’s time to compare the best ecommerce platforms on the market.
As you evaluate, keep in mind that every platform has its benefits and shortcomings — the best thing you can do is choose the one that best suits your specific needs and use cases.
BigCommerce.
BigCommerce is a leading ecommerce platform built to support fast-growing B2C, B2B, and hybrid brands. With powerful built-in features and the flexibility to customise, it's especially well-suited for mid-market and enterprise businesses, though sophisticated small businesses also find value in its scalable structure.
Whether your team prefers a plug-and-play setup or wants to build a composable architecture, BigCommerce delivers both:
Use native tools for quick launch and simplified operations.
Leverage robust APIs, tech partner integrations, and Catalyst, our composable solution, for more tailored control.
For example:
Coco Republic, a luxury B2C furniture brand, takes advantage of native features and app integrations to build its storefront efficiently.
MKM, a B2B building supplier, uses BigCommerce’s headless capabilities to power a more custom, future-ready ecommerce experience.
BigCommerce offers:
Scalability with features like Multi-Storefront, B2B Edition, and Buy Online, Pick Up in Store (BOPIS)
Security, with Level 1 PCI compliance and ongoing audits
Support, including 24/7 customer service and dedicated Professional Services for Enterprise accounts
These benefits translate into measurable business impact: According to a Forrester study, the average BigCommerce customer breaks even in just eight months and achieves a 211% ROI within three years.
Pros.
Drag-and-drop Page Builder with customisable, mobile-friendly themes
Optimised one-page checkout and on-click integrations
Native integrations with Apple Pay, Stripe, PayPal, and Buy with Prime
99.99% annual uptime and 100% Cyber Week uptime since 2016
Advanced features like Multi-Storefront, B2B Edition, and BOPIS
70+ customisable promotion types in the Advanced Promotions Manager
Unified channel management with tools like Channel Manager and Feedonomics
Catalyst composable solution for faster, flexible site builds using pre-integrated technologies
Cons.
Platform can be too complex to navigate for small businesses with basic needs
May not be cost-effective for small businesses that don’t intend to take advantage of its robust selection of native features
Small selection of themes compared to some competing platforms
Pricing
BigCommerce offers four paid plans:
Standard: $39 per month
Plus: $105 per month
Pro: $399 per month
Enterprise: Custom pricing options dependant on company
Adobe Commerce (Magento).
Adobe Commerce, formerly Magento, is an open-source solution that can be hosted on-premise or cloud-hosted as a PaaS (Platform-as-a-Service) solution called Adobe Commerce Cloud.
Since this software is open-source, users have full access to the source code and data, meaning anyone can modify the platform to meet their specific needs. Thus, the platform is highly customisable, allowing customers to carefully fine-tune every step in the buyer journey.
While this freedom and flexibility means you have complete control over your site, it also means you will likely need to depend on outside resources to build and maintain it. This includes designers, developers, and support teams, which can make it difficult to calculate your total cost of ownership.
On top of this, Adobe Commerce users sometimes lack technical support to assist with the complexity of the site and instead have to depend on community forums, their agency partner, or in-house IT team. With no business consulting, project management, or proactive engagement, Adobe customers can be left feeling uninformed of product roadmaps and unsupported by customer success.
Comparison: BigCommerce vs Adobe Commerce
Pros.
Integrations with other Adobe products, such as Adobe Experience Manager and Adobe Stock
Freedom to fully customise to meet your business needs
Multi-store functionality that allows you to grow your business
Access to a robust partner network
Advanced B2B functionality to target this customer market
Cons.
Customers must install security patches
Requires a development and IT team to build and maintain
Expensive set up cost even for basic stores and requires ongoing maintenance costs
Limited technical support offered to customers
Updates can cause customisations to break and result in site downtime
Pricing.
Pricing for Adobe Commerce (on proem) starts at $22,000, while Adobe Commerce Cloud starts around $40,000.
Shopify.
Shopify is a widely used SaaS ecommerce platform with a strong presence in the market. Designed as an all-in-one solution, it combines ecommerce functionality with built-in tools for payments, shipping, fulfilment, and email marketing.
The platform handles PCI compliance and security, offers reliable uptime, and features mobile-friendly design themes and a customisable checkout. Its ease of use makes it especially appealing for small businesses and hobbyists looking to launch a basic online store.
However, Shopify’s push toward using its own tools can create friction. Businesses that opt out of Shopify Payments face additional transaction fees. Customisation is also limited, which may frustrate brands with more advanced needs.
For mid-market and enterprise businesses, Shopify presents scalability challenges. It lacks multi-storefront capabilities and offers only basic features for B2B sellers, making it harder to serve wholesale or multi-segment customers effectively.
Pros.
A leader in the market with significant experience, hosting over a million stores globally
More than 8,000 integrated apps to help you add additional features and functionality to your ecommerce store
Over 100 available premium and free themes to design your website
User-friendly interface that anyone can navigate
Cons.
Discourages customers from using non-Shopify solutions and charges a fee for those that don’t use Shopify Payments
Limited B2B features that make it difficult to target this customer market
No multi-storefront option to manage different stores from the same back-end account
Limited in-house customer support to assist with the site’s development or problems
Limited customisation options for product and content pages
Pricing.
Shopify offers four pricing options:
Basic: $39 per month
Grow: $105 per month
Advanced: $399 per month
Plus: starts at $2,300 per month
Comparison: BigCommerce vs Shopify
Salesforce Commerce Cloud (Demandware).
Salesforce Commerce Cloud is a scalable SaaS platform that helps businesses manage both digital and physical sales channels through a unified solution. It offers a broad suite of services that can be integrated into your ecommerce site — a key benefit for large global companies with complex operational needs.
However, despite its "unified platform" positioning, many Salesforce products, including Commerce Cloud, are acquired tools built outside the core Salesforce ecosystem. These tools often run on different architectures, which can create development challenges when trying to customise or extend the platform.
For developers, this fragmented structure can make it harder to build and maintain a seamless experience. And for businesses looking to integrate third-party tools outside of Salesforce, the ecosystem can feel limiting.
Another important consideration: cost.
Salesforce Commerce Cloud operates on a percentage-of-revenue pricing model, which can make it cost-prohibitive for smaller brands or those not operating at global enterprise scale.
Pros.
Offers options for B2B and B2C businesses
Provides automatic and seamless upgrades without disrupting business processes
Sophisticated AI technology helps to ensure in-depth and insightful data
Large selection of features that can be used to scale your business
Cons.
Licencing fees are a percent of annual GMV — an implementation can easily cost 250k
Customers discouraged from incorporating features outside of the Salesforce ecosystem
The platform itself is complex, which can make implementation challenging and time-consuming for beginners
Salesforce apps require configuration and customisation, which can add costs and slow go-to-market speed
Limited ability to take a composable approach
Pricing.
Salesforce Commerce Cloud offers pricing options for B2B, B2C, and order management:
B2B Commerce: Contact for pricing
Growth
Advanced
B2C Commerce: Contact for pricing
Growth
Plus
Premium
Order Management: Contact for pricing
Order visibility
Growth
Comparison: BigCommerce vs Salesforce Commerce Cloud
Commercetools.
Founded in Germany and now used worldwide, commercetools is a SaaS-based, headless ecommerce platform built on MACH architecture — Microservices, API-first, Cloud-native, and Headless.
The platform is engineer-focused and highly modular, offering full control to developers. In fact, commercetools co-founded the MACH Alliance in 2020 — an organisation that includes platforms like BigCommerce.
As an API-only solution, commercetools requires developers to assemble and manage the integration infrastructure. This makes it well-suited for large enterprises that want to build a fully customised ecommerce experience from the ground up.
However, this flexibility comes with trade-offs:
The platform’s open-ended nature can introduce technical debt, especially if development resources are stretched too thin.
Adding new features may be difficult and time-consuming, since maintaining existing infrastructure demands significant attention.
For these reasons, commercetools is best suited for companies with robust, experienced development teams capable of handling a build-heavy environment.
Pros
Allows users to create a completely custom experience to meet their needs
Offers services to target the B2B, B2C and DTC markets
Flexible pricing model
Mature solution with market recognition as a leader in the headless space
Cons
Building a product catalogue can be cumbersome and time consuming
Need a strong development team to build and maintain the site
Slow go-to-market time since features need to be custom built
Small ecosystem of partners to work with
Can be expensive to maintain and update
Pricing
Commercetools prices its product individually based on the customer.
Comparison: BigCommerce vs commercetools
WooCommerce.
WooCommerce is a free open-source WordPress plugin that customers can use to transform their websites and blogs into online storefronts. It offers SEO features, various payment processing selections, and multichannel options.
This integration is the primary ecommerce solution for sites powered by WordPress and allows brands to create an entirely custom experience at potentially no extra cost. However, unless you have a website building background, you’ll need to factor in the expense of a development team since it's an open-source tool.
On top of this, customers are responsible for installing security patches and fixing any customisations that break after an update. This can also add to the cost and level of effort required to manage the site — making it difficult to scale.
Pros.
Free to use and download
Fully built-out integration with WordPress which makes it easy to incorporate
Provides access to a large and growing application and extensions store
Ability to be fully customisable to fit the needs of your ecommerce site
Cons.
Store owners are responsible for their own PCI compliance
Limited payment options included
Your website has to be built with WordPress in order to incorporate the WooCommerce plugin
Requires a developer to build and maintain
Even though it’s a free plug-in, the open-source tool can end up being costly
Difficult to scale without slowing down live site
Pricing.
WooCommerce is a completely free plan to use and set up. However, there are fees for web hosting, which can be as little as $3.99 per month and as high as $5,000.
Comparison: BigCommerce vs WooCommerce
Wix.
Wix is a SaaS platform known for its user-friendly interface and can be used to build any type of website. While not designed with the primary goal of being an ecommerce platform, we continue to see more and more entrepreneurs, startups, and small business creatives use it as an ecommerce website builder.
Wix is a great choice for these types of users because it creates a simplified way to sell online. The platform's straightforward features and easy design capabilities make it a suitable solution for those looking for a low-maintenance yet professional store.
Wix even offers basic omnichannel selling features, abandoned cart recovery, dropshipping capabilities, and more. This platform is recommended for startups and brands looking to get their feet off the ground, and not established ecommerce businesses that require features designed to scale their store.
Pros.
User-friendly interface that can be used by anyone
Provides a fairly large app marketplace, with more than 300 applications
Extensive, modern design templates that create a professional look and feel
All Wix websites are hosted on their own servers, allowing for greater speed and security
Cons.
Operates as a website builder first and an ecommerce solution second, leaving customers with restrictions on storage and API call limits
Limited features for wholesale sellers that make it hard to target this customer base
Not adaptable and requires users to rebuild from scratch if they want to switch themes
Minimal SEO features
Pricing.
For business and ecommerce customers, Wix offers four pricing options:
Light: $17 per month
Core: $29 per month
Business: $39 per month
Business Elite: $159 per month
Comparison: BigCommerce vs Wix
PrestaShop.
PrestaShop is a free, open-source platform founded in Paris, France, that provides paid options for add-ons and plugins. PrestaShop uses the PHP programming language with support for the MySQL database management system.
Since it is open-source, the platform is highly customisable and allows brands to create a one-of-a-kind site. On top of this, it offers users the ability to scale by natively supporting multi-storefront, multi-inventory, multi-language, and multi-currency.
However, since PrestaShop is open-source, it comes with a variety of potential challenges that customers need to be aware of. For one, customers are responsible for patches, security, and hosting. On top of this, brands need to hire a team of developers to manage the site if they don’t already have one on deck. These factors alone can spike the cost of this free platform.
In addition, technical support is a service users need to pay for, and the support community is primarily in French and Spanish. This can make it difficult to find information if you’re not fluent in either language.
Pros.
Free to install and use
Highly customisable platform that lets you design a unique store
Provides access to a wide range of themes and pre-built modules
Supports multi-storefront, multi-inventory, multi-language, and multi-currency which helps brands tap into new markets
Cons.
Technical support staff is a paid service and the help community is primarily in French and Spanish
High cost of ownership after taking into account hosting, tech support, maintenance costs, development costs, and extension fees
Limited support for B2B and headless which makes it difficult to scale
Requires a developer to build and maintain
Pricing.
Classic: Free download
Hosted: about $28 USD (€24) per month
Enterprise: Custom quote
Comparison: BigCommerce vs PrestaShop
Volusion.
Founded in 1999 as a web design agency, Volusion became one of the earliest SaaS ecommerce platforms in the early 2000s. Today, it's primarily used by small and mid-sized businesses seeking a simplified way to sell online.
However, the platform has some notable usability challenges:
It’s less user-friendly than many modern SaaS competitors.
HTML or CSS knowledge is often required to customise themes.
It lacks a native blogging feature, requiring tools like WordPress for content publishing.
Despite its dated user experience and limited built-in functionality, Volusion does offer some flexibility:
Access to 1,000+ apps via Zapier enables external tool integrations.
A wide range of payment gateways is supported.
The platform allows for unlimited product options and variants, which is a plus for brands offering multiple colours, sizes, or configurations.
That said, there are serious concerns to consider:
In 2019, Volusion suffered a major data breach that affected thousands of online stores.
In 2020, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, though it continues to operate and support ecommerce merchants today.
Volusion may appeal to smaller brands looking for simple ecommerce functionality, but it lags behind in modern usability, extensibility, and long-term stability.
Pros.
Access to over 1,000 apps through Zapier integration that lets you create a robust tech stack
Ability to have unlimited product options and variants
Recognised as one of the first SaaS platforms
24/7 customer support provided alongside a streamlined onboarding process
Cons.
Known for not being a user-friendly platform to work on
Underwent a major security breach
Filed for bankruptcy in 2020
Limits the number of products you can sell and your GMV per year depending on the plan you select
Does not have a native blogging functionality
Pricing.
Personal plan: $29 per month
Professional plan: $79 per month
Startup plan: $179 per month
Business plan: $299 per month
Comparison: BigCommerce vs Volusion
Finalising your platform choice
There are a variety of other softwares available to build your business, such as Shopware, VTEX, Shift4Shop, Squarespace, Kibo, and Weebly. However, the ones mentioned above are some of the more popular ecommerce platforms among brands that sell online.
Once you’ve selected the ecommerce tool that best aligns with your business needs, it’s time to finalise your decision.
With BigCommerce, there are one of two options you can take to begin working on your ecommerce platform. You can begin the sales process to build a contract designed specifically for you, or you can purchase a plan directly from the platform.
Option 1: Begin the sales process.
For brands needing a tailored ecommerce solution, especially at the Enterprise level, working with a sales representative is the recommended path.
This process includes:
A custom contract and pricing based on your business needs
A 15-day free trial with access to a sandbox store
A personalised demo and support from a Solutions Engineer to answer technical questions
During this stage, you’ll:
Define your business goals
Explore what BigCommerce can offer
Evaluate pricing, ROI, and long-term fit
Once you’re aligned, it’s time to draught an RFP, finalise the scope, and complete a legal review with the BigCommerce team.
Option 2: Purchase the platform.
If you’re a smaller brand with standard ecommerce needs, you can purchase a plan directly through BigCommerce Essentials.
Available plans:
Standard
Plus
Pro
Choose a plan based on your sales volume and feature requirements. Once purchased, you can start building your store immediately — no sales contact required.
The final word
Finding the right ecommerce platform is critical to building, launching, and scaling your online business.
The best choice depends on your goals, team resources, tech stack, and growth plans. Some platforms offer simplicity, others offer flexibility, but only a few do both well.
BigCommerce offers a balance of ease and extensibility, making it a strong fit for growing B2C, B2B, and hybrid brands. With powerful native tools, composable flexibility through Catalyst, and expert support, it’s built to scale with you.
Ready to get started? Request a demo or start your free trial today.