BigCommerce vs WooCommerce

When it comes to building and managing an online store, choosing the right e-commerce platform is crucial for your business’s success.

Two of the most popular platforms, BigCommerce and WooCommerce, offer powerful tools, flexibility, and scalability.

However, each platform comes with its own strengths and limitations. In this comparison, we’ll review BigCommerce vs WooCommerce across key factors like ease of use, features, scalability, and pricing to help you decide which platform is right for your e-commerce business.

BigCommerce vs WooCommerce: A Comparison

Feature	BigCommerce	WooCommerce
Ease of Use	User-friendly with no technical management needed	More complex setup, requires technical knowledge
Customization	Limited but enough for most businesses	Highly customizable with full control
Scalability	Built for seamless scaling without performance loss	Scalable but depends on hosting and custom management
Pricing	Starts at $39/month with transparent costs	Free plugin but requires additional costs for hosting, themes, and plugins
Security	Managed security, SSL, PCI compliance included	Requires manual management of security and updates
Customer Support	24/7 support via phone, chat, and email	Community-driven support, no centralized help

1. Overview of BigCommerce and WooCommerce

Before diving into the comparison, it’s important to understand what these platforms are and how they differ fundamentally.

BigCommerce is an all-in-one, fully hosted e-commerce solution that offers a comprehensive set of tools out of the box.

It’s designed for businesses looking for a platform that requires minimal technical management, allowing you to focus on growing your store without worrying about hosting, security, or maintenance.

WooCommerce, on the other hand, is an open-source e-commerce plugin for WordPress. It’s incredibly flexible and customizable, but it requires more hands-on management.

With WooCommerce, you need to handle hosting, security, and additional plugins to extend your store’s functionality.

2. Ease of Use

BigCommerce:
BigCommerce is designed with ease of use in mind, particularly for users who don’t have extensive technical experience.

The platform provides a simple, intuitive dashboard where you can manage everything from adding products to setting up payment gateways and marketing campaigns.

Since it’s fully hosted, you don’t need to worry about technical aspects like server management or security updates.

WooCommerce:
WooCommerce offers more flexibility but comes with a steeper learning curve. Because it’s a WordPress plugin, you’ll need some experience managing a WordPress site.

Setting up WooCommerce involves choosing your own hosting provider, installing the plugin, and configuring various plugins and themes. You’ll also need to handle regular updates, backups, and security measures yourself.

Winner:
BigCommerce is the better choice if you’re looking for a user-friendly platform that handles most of the technical work for you. WooCommerce offers more flexibility, but it requires more hands-on management.

3. Features and Customization

BigCommerce:
BigCommerce comes packed with built-in features that cater to a wide range of business needs, including:

• SEO tools
• Multi-channel selling (Amazon, eBay, Facebook, Instagram)
• Integrated payment gateways
• Abandoned cart recovery
• Advanced reporting and analytics
• Mobile-responsive themes

The platform’s strength lies in its comprehensive feature set, which allows businesses to scale easily without needing many third-party plugins.

BigCommerce’s customization options are available through a simple interface, but for more advanced customization, you’ll need to use BigCommerce’s APIs or hire a developer.

WooCommerce:
WooCommerce is highly customizable, making it a great option for businesses that want full control over their store’s design and functionality.

Since it’s an open-source platform, you can customize every aspect of your store if you have coding knowledge or hire a developer.

WooCommerce also benefits from a large library of plugins that extend its functionality, allowing you to add features like advanced shipping options, SEO tools, and marketing automation.

Winner:
WooCommerce wins in terms of flexibility and customization. If you need extensive control over your store’s functionality and design, WooCommerce is ideal. However, BigCommerce is better suited for businesses that want a robust, feature-rich platform without the need for extensive customization.

4. Scalability

BigCommerce:
BigCommerce is built for scalability. As your business grows, you can easily handle increased traffic, more products, and higher sales volumes without needing to worry about performance or technical limitations.

The platform offers unlimited products, bandwidth, and file storage, making it a great option for businesses that anticipate significant growth.

BigCommerce’s enterprise-level features are particularly appealing for large businesses that need advanced tools for managing high-volume sales.

WooCommerce:
WooCommerce is scalable, but since it’s self-hosted, the scalability depends largely on your hosting provider.

As your business grows, you may need to upgrade your hosting plan or invest in better server management to handle increased traffic and order volume.

WooCommerce’s open-source nature means that you can customize it to scale, but this requires technical know-how or a developer to ensure your store performs well as it grows.

Winner:
BigCommerce is the better option for businesses that want a seamless scaling process without worrying about hosting limitations or performance issues. WooCommerce offers scalability, but it requires more effort and resources to scale effectively.

5. Pricing

BigCommerce:
BigCommerce offers transparent pricing plans based on your store’s annual revenue. Its pricing tiers are:

• Standard Plan: $39/month
• Plus Plan: $105/month
• Pro Plan: $399/month

All BigCommerce plans include hosting, security, and access to a wide range of built-in features. However, BigCommerce has sales limits based on each pricing plan.

For example, the Standard Plan is designed for stores with annual sales of up to $50,000, while the Pro Plan is for stores with sales up to $400,000 per year.

WooCommerce:
WooCommerce is a free plugin, but running a WooCommerce store comes with various costs. You’ll need to pay for:

• Web hosting (typically $5 to $30 per month for small stores)
• Domain name (around $10 to $20 per year)
• SSL certificate (sometimes included with hosting or around $50 per year)
• Premium themes or plugins (depending on your needs)

While WooCommerce itself is free, the total cost of running a WooCommerce store can vary significantly depending on your hosting plan, theme, and plugin choices.

Winner:
WooCommerce may offer a lower initial cost for small stores, especially if you’re already using WordPress.

However, BigCommerce offers more predictable pricing and includes hosting, security, and support in its pricing plans, making it a more straightforward option for budgeting.

6. Security

BigCommerce:
BigCommerce takes care of all your security measures, offering PCI DSS Level 1 compliance, SSL certificates, and regular security updates.

Since it’s a fully hosted platform, BigCommerce ensures that your store is protected from potential threats without requiring you to handle security yourself.

WooCommerce:
WooCommerce, as a self-hosted solution, places security in your hands.

You’ll need to install SSL certificates, ensure your hosting provider is secure, and manage updates to your WordPress and WooCommerce plugins.

While WooCommerce itself is secure, the open-source nature of WordPress can introduce vulnerabilities if not properly managed.

Winner:
BigCommerce wins when it comes to security. The platform takes care of all security concerns, making it the better option for users who don’t want to manage these aspects manually. WooCommerce offers security, but you’ll need to be proactive in maintaining it.

7. Customer Support

BigCommerce:
BigCommerce offers 24/7 customer support via phone, live chat, and email. Users also have access to a comprehensive knowledge base, community forums, and BigCommerce University for tutorials and guides.

WooCommerce:
WooCommerce’s support largely depends on the hosting provider you choose, as well as the developers of any themes or plugins you use.

While WooCommerce itself offers community support and documentation, there is no central support system like BigCommerce’s.

For more personalized support, you’ll likely need to hire a developer.

Winner:
BigCommerce takes the lead in customer support with 24/7 access to dedicated support staff. WooCommerce offers community-driven support, but users may need to seek external help for more complex issues.

Final Thoughts: Which Platform Should You Choose?

Both BigCommerce and WooCommerce are excellent platforms, but the right choice depends on your business’s needs and your level of technical expertise.

• Choose BigCommerce if you’re looking for an all-in-one platform that handles hosting, security, and scaling for you. It’s ideal for businesses that want to focus on growing their store without worrying about the technical side.
• Choose WooCommerce if you need complete control over your store’s design and functionality and have the technical know-how (or resources) to manage hosting, security, and customization. WooCommerce is perfect for businesses that prioritize flexibility and customization over ease of use.

Ultimately, your choice should reflect your business goals, budget, and technical capabilities.

Both platforms offer powerful tools, but they serve different types of e-commerce businesses with unique needs.

Read our review on the best ecommerce platforms

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. Which platform is better for beginners, BigCommerce or WooCommerce?
BigCommerce is better suited for beginners because it is a fully hosted platform that handles all technical aspects like hosting, security, and updates for you.

WooCommerce, while flexible, requires more technical knowledge to set up and maintain, making it more challenging for users who are not familiar with WordPress.

2. Can I migrate from WooCommerce to BigCommerce or vice versa?
Yes, you can migrate between the two platforms, but it may require the use of migration tools or the assistance of a developer, especially if you have a large store with many products, customer data, and orders.

Platforms like Cart2Cart or LitExtension can help facilitate the migration process.

3. What are the main advantages of WooCommerce over BigCommerce?
WooCommerce’s biggest advantage is its flexibility. Being open-source, it allows for extensive customization, letting you build a store that fits your exact needs.

You can integrate custom features, design elements, and third-party plugins to achieve virtually any functionality.

4. Does BigCommerce or WooCommerce offer better customer support?
BigCommerce provides 24/7 customer support via phone, live chat, and email. WooCommerce, being open-source, relies more on community forums, documentation, and third-party resources for support.

If you prefer direct, centralized support, BigCommerce is a better option.

5. Is WooCommerce cheaper than BigCommerce?
WooCommerce is technically free as a plugin, but there are additional costs for hosting, domain, SSL certificates, and premium plugins or themes.

BigCommerce has a more transparent pricing structure, with hosting, security, and most essential features included in the plan.

Depending on your needs, WooCommerce can be cheaper for small stores but might become more expensive as your business grows.

6. Which platform is better for scaling my e-commerce business?
BigCommerce is designed to scale seamlessly as your business grows, with unlimited products, bandwidth, and enterprise-level features available.

WooCommerce can also scale, but it depends heavily on your hosting provider and technical management.

For larger stores or rapid scaling, BigCommerce may be the more reliable option.

7. Can I use both BigCommerce and WooCommerce for multi-channel selling?
Yes, both platforms support multi-channel selling, but BigCommerce makes it easier with built-in integrations for selling on Amazon, eBay, Facebook, Instagram, and more.

WooCommerce also supports multi-channel selling, but you may need additional plugins to set it up.

8. Which platform offers better SEO capabilities?
Both BigCommerce and WooCommerce provide excellent SEO tools, but WooCommerce’s integration with WordPress, known for being SEO-friendly, gives it an edge in terms of content-driven SEO.

BigCommerce, however, comes with built-in SEO features like customizable URLs and meta descriptions, making it effective for e-commerce SEO.

9. How secure are BigCommerce and WooCommerce?
BigCommerce offers built-in security features like PCI compliance and SSL certificates, making it a secure option out of the box. WooCommerce can also be highly secure, but you are responsible for managing security measures like SSL certificates and plugin updates.

For users who prefer not to handle security themselves, BigCommerce is the better option.

10. Can I customize my store more with BigCommerce or WooCommerce?
WooCommerce allows for more customization since it’s open-source, giving you full control over your store’s design and functionality.

With WooCommerce, you can modify the code and integrate a wide range of third-party plugins.

BigCommerce offers customization through themes and APIs, but it’s more limited compared to WooCommerce.