This is an excellent question, one that we could write pages on. So here’s the short answer: it depends on your needs. Let’s take a quick look at how they’re similar and how they differ:
What they have in common:
Subscription-based eCommerce platforms that can work for businesses of all sizes and configurations, from startups to enterprises. Core store necessities, like the number of products, bandwidth, file storage, online storefront, POS (points of sale), customer support, and gift card options, are all unlimited. Essential online sales features, including shipping tools, SSL certificate (for online payment protection), and omnichannel sales (i.e., different social media channels), are included. While subscription pricing depends on the customers’ needs (i.e., standard, plus, pro, enterprise), both platforms are similarly priced per month with a discount on annual plans.
Some essential differences:
BigCommerce has more native features, which are scalable — making it simple (and cost-effective over time) to evolve your store. Shopify has more free and paid third-party apps and scalability happens using those apps from the Shopify app store (which can become costly over time). BigCommerce has more robust built-in SEO. Shopify is not just an eCommerce platform; it also is focused on its proprietary services (i.e., payment gateway, shipping/fulfillment, email marketing). BigCommerce is solely focused on its eCommerce platform — and thanks to its Open SaaS and API-enabled openness, it provides merchants extra flexibility in customizing their stores and experiences and utilizing integrations.