Choosing an eCommerce platform is one of those decisions that feels simple at first but quickly becomes confusing once you start comparing options. Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce are three of the most popular platforms in the market, and each one promises to help you build, manage, and grow an online store. The problem is, they’re built very differently, and what works perfectly for one business can be a poor fit for another.
If you’re trying to figure out which platform is right for your business, you’re probably asking practical questions:
- How much will it really cost?
- How easy is it to manage day to day?
- Will it scale as my business grows?
- And how much control will I actually have over my store?
This comparison isn’t about declaring one platform “the best” overall. Instead, it’s about helping you understand how Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce differ, what each one does well, and where each one has limitations so you can make a confident decision based on your goals, budget, and technical comfort level.
By the end of this guide, you’ll have a clear picture of which platform makes the most sense for your business today and which one will support you best in the long run.
Understanding of Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce
Before comparing features, pricing, or performance, it’s important to understand what each platform actually is at its core. While Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce all help you sell online, they’re built on very different foundations, and that affects how much control you have, how much setup is involved, and how your store grows over time.
What is Shopify?
Shopify is a fully hosted eCommerce platform designed to make selling online as simple as possible. Everything from hosting and security to software updates is handled for you. You sign up, choose a plan, and start building your store right away.
Because Shopify manages the technical side, it’s especially popular with beginners and business owners who don’t want to worry about servers, performance issues, or maintenance. The dashboard is clean, the setup process is guided, and most features work out of the box.
That said, Shopify operates on a subscription model and works within its own system. While it offers plenty of apps and themes, customization has limits unless you’re comfortable working with Shopify’s specific tools and pricing structure. In short, Shopify trades flexibility for convenience.
What is WooCommerce?
WooCommerce is not a standalone platform it’s an open-source eCommerce plugin built for WordPress. This means you start with a WordPress website and then add WooCommerce to turn it into an online store.
The biggest advantage of WooCommerce is control. You own your website, choose your hosting, and can customize almost every part of your store. There are thousands of themes and plugins available, making WooCommerce a strong choice for businesses that want flexibility and long-term independence.
However, that freedom comes with responsibility. You’re in charge of hosting, security, updates, backups, and performance optimization. For users without technical experience, setup and ongoing management can feel overwhelming unless they work with a developer or managed hosting provider.
What is BigCommerce?
BigCommerce is also a hosted eCommerce platform, similar to Shopify, but it’s built with scalability in mind. It comes with many advanced features already included features that often require paid apps on other platforms.
BigCommerce is often chosen by businesses that expect to grow quickly or already have a large product catalog. It supports complex product rules, multi-channel selling, and built-in marketing tools without relying heavily on third-party apps.
On the downside, BigCommerce can feel less intuitive than Shopify, especially for beginners. While it’s powerful, the learning curve is steeper, and design flexibility may feel more limited unless you’re working with a developer.
Pricing Comparison: Shopify vs WooCommerce vs BigCommerce
Pricing is often the deciding factor when choosing an eCommerce platform but this is also where things can get misleading. Some platforms look affordable upfront but add costs later, while others bundle features into higher monthly plans. To make a fair comparison, it’s important to look beyond just the starting price.
Let’s break down what you can realistically expect to spend on each platform.
1. Shopify Pricing Overview
Shopify follows a monthly subscription model, which means you pay a fixed amount every month to use the platform. The plans are straightforward and include hosting, security, and basic eCommerce features.
Approximate global pricing for Shopify plans:
- Basic plan: around $30 per month
- Mid-level plan: around $80 per month
- Advanced plan: around $400 per month
In addition to the monthly fee, there are a few other costs to consider:
- Transaction fees if you don’t use Shopify’s own payment system
- Paid apps for advanced features like subscriptions, upselling, or custom reporting
- Premium themes if you don’t want to use free designs
Shopify’s pricing is predictable, which many businesses like. You know roughly what you’ll pay each month, but costs can increase as your store grows and relies on more apps.
2. WooCommerce Cost Breakdown
WooCommerce itself is free to install, which is why many people assume it’s the cheapest option. In reality, WooCommerce shifts costs to other areas instead of charging a monthly platform fee.
Typical expenses for a WooCommerce store include:
- Hosting: approximately $10 to $40 per month, depending on performance and traffic
- Domain name: around $10 to $15 per year
- Premium themes or plugins: can range from $30 to $300 per year, per tool
- Optional developer or maintenance costs if you need technical help
The advantage of WooCommerce is the flexibility; you only pay for what you need. The downside is unpredictability. As your store grows, plugin costs, hosting upgrades, and maintenance can add up, especially for non-technical users.
3. BigCommerce Pricing Snapshot
BigCommerce also uses a subscription-based pricing model, similar to Shopify, but includes more built-in features in its plans.
Approximate global pricing:
- Standard plan: around $30 per month
- Plus plan: around $80 per month
- Pro plan: around $300 to $400 per month
One important thing to note is that BigCommerce does not charge additional transaction fees. This can make it more cost-effective for stores with higher sales volumes.
However, BigCommerce plans are tied to annual revenue limits. As your sales grow, you may be required to upgrade to a higher plan, which can increase costs over time.
Pricing is often the deciding factor when choosing an eCommerce platform—but this is also where things can get misleading. If you want a detailed breakdown of an ecommerce website cost, check out our guide to understand what you’re likely to spend building and running your store.
Which Platform Offers Better Value?
There’s no single winner when it comes to pricing; it depends on how you plan to run your store.
- Shopify works well if you want predictable monthly costs and minimal technical effort
- WooCommerce can be more affordable for small stores, but it may become costly with growth and complexity
- BigCommerce offers strong value for growing businesses that need advanced features without many paid add-ons
Ease of Use and Setup: Which Platform Is the Easiest to Manage?
No matter how powerful an eCommerce platform is, it won’t help much if it’s difficult to use. Ease of setup and day-to-day management play a huge role, especially if you’re running the business yourself or don’t have a technical team.
Let’s look at how Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce compare when it comes to getting started and managing your store over time.
Shopify: Built for Simplicity
Shopify is widely known for being beginner-friendly, and for good reason. From the moment you sign up, the platform walks you through the entire setup process—choosing a theme, adding products, setting up payments, and launching your store.
You don’t need to worry about hosting, software updates, or security. Everything runs inside Shopify’s system, and the dashboard is clean and easy to understand. Tasks like managing orders, updating products, or tracking sales can be done without technical knowledge.
This simplicity makes Shopify a strong choice if:
- You want to launch quickly
- You prefer an all-in-one system
- You don’t want to deal with technical maintenance
The trade-off is control. Since Shopify manages everything behind the scenes, you work within its rules and limitations.
WooCommerce: Powerful but Hands-On
WooCommerce gives you much more control, but it also asks more from you in return. Setup involves installing WordPress, choosing a hosting provider, installing WooCommerce, and configuring multiple settings before your store is ready.
Once set up, managing a WooCommerce store can be very smooth, especially if you’re already familiar with WordPress. However, you are responsible for:
- Website updates
- Plugin compatibility
- Security and backups
- Performance optimization
For non-technical users, this can feel overwhelming without support. For experienced users or businesses working with a developer, WooCommerce offers unmatched flexibility.
WooCommerce works best if:
- You want full ownership of your website
- You’re comfortable managing technical details (or have help)
- You need custom functionality beyond standard tools
BigCommerce: Structured but Powerful
BigCommerce sits somewhere between Shopify and WooCommerce. Like Shopify, it’s a hosted platform, so you don’t need to worry about hosting or security. But the setup process is more detailed, and the interface can feel less intuitive at first.
BigCommerce includes many advanced features by default, which is great, but it also means more settings to configure. New users may need time to understand how everything works.
BigCommerce is a good fit if:
- You plan to scale quickly
- You need advanced features without many third-party apps
- You’re comfortable learning a more complex system
Design and Customisation Options
Your store’s design isn’t just about looks; it affects how users navigate your site, how long they stay, and whether they trust your brand enough to buy. The level of design flexibility you need will depend on whether you want a simple, polished storefront or a fully custom shopping experience.
Here’s how Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce compare when it comes to design and customisation.
Shopify Design and Theme Flexibility
Shopify offers a well-curated theme store with both free and paid options. The themes are modern, mobile-friendly, and built specifically for eCommerce, which means they work well right out of the box.
Most users can customise their store using Shopify’s visual editor, changing colours, fonts, layouts, and sections without touching code. This makes it easy to create a professional-looking store quickly.
However, deeper customisation has limits. If you want to make major layout changes or custom features, you may need to work with Shopify’s template language or install paid apps.
Shopify design works best if:
- You want a clean, professional look with minimal effort
- You don’t need heavy customisation
- You prefer stability over flexibility
WooCommerce Design and Customisation
WooCommerce offers the highest level of design freedom. Since it runs on WordPress, you can choose from thousands of themes and fully customise your site’s layout, structure, and functionality.
You’re not limited to predefined sections or layouts. With the right theme and plugins, you can build anything from a simple store to a highly customised eCommerce experience.
That flexibility does come with responsibility. Poorly coded themes or too many plugins can negatively impact performance, and customisation often requires technical expertise.
WooCommerce design is ideal if:
- You want full creative control
- You plan to customise the user experience heavily
- You’re comfortable managing themes and plugins
BigCommerce Design and Customisation
BigCommerce offers more built-in design flexibility than Shopify but less freedom than WooCommerce. It comes with a solid selection of modern, responsive themes designed for growing eCommerce stores.
The platform allows customisation through its theme editor, and developers can make deeper changes using HTML, CSS, and Stencil (BigCommerce’s theme framework). Many advanced eCommerce features are already built in, which reduces the need for extra apps but also means working within a structured system.
Compared to Shopify, BigCommerce gives you more control over layouts and checkout customisation. Compared to WooCommerce, it limits complete creative freedom but offers better stability and performance out of the box.
BigCommerce design is a good choice if:
- You want more flexibility than Shopify without full WordPress complexity
- You need built-in features with fewer third-party dependencies
- You’re comfortable working within a structured but scalable system
Features and Tools Comparison
Features are where the real differences between Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce become apparent. While all three platforms cover the basic products, carts, checkout, and payments, the way they deliver advanced tools can impact your daily operations and long-term growth.
Let’s break down how each platform handles essential eCommerce features.
Product and Inventory Management
All three platforms support physical and digital products, variations, and inventory tracking. The difference lies in how advanced these tools are out of the box.
Shopify offers clean and simple product management. It works well for small to mid-sized catalogues but often requires apps for advanced inventory rules or bulk management.
WooCommerce provides flexible product setups through plugins. You can customise almost anything, but advanced features depend on third-party tools.
BigCommerce stands out with built-in support for complex product rules, bulk pricing, and large catalogues without extra apps.
BigCommerce is often preferred by stores with thousands of products or complex pricing structures.
Payment Gateways and Checkout Experience
Checkout is one of the most critical parts of any eCommerce store.
Shopify supports many global payment gateways and offers its own payment system. However, using third-party gateways can add transaction fees.
WooCommerce supports almost every payment gateway available, with no platform-level transaction fees.
BigCommerce also supports multiple gateways and does not charge extra transaction fees, which can help reduce costs as sales grow.
Customisation of checkout is easiest with WooCommerce, while Shopify offers a smoother default experience.
App, Plugin, and Extension Ecosystem
No platform does everything perfectly on its own. Extensions fill the gaps.
Shopify has a large app store with easy installation, but many useful apps come with monthly fees.
WooCommerce has thousands of plugins, both free and paid, giving you more control over cost and functionality.
BigCommerce relies less on apps because many features are built in, but its app marketplace is smaller.
If you prefer fewer add-ons, BigCommerce has an advantage. If you want maximum choice, WooCommerce leads.
Built-in Marketing and Sales Tools
Marketing tools help you drive traffic and convert visitors.
Shopify supports multichannel selling through social platforms and marketplaces, often through apps.
WooCommerce allows deep integration with marketing tools, but usually requires plugins.
BigCommerce includes strong built-in tools like discount rules, email integrations, and marketplace connections.
BigCommerce reduces reliance on third-party tools for marketing, which can simplify management.
When it comes to design flexibility, WooCommerce stands out as the most customisable option, giving you full control over layouts and functionality. Shopify is the fastest to design and launch, thanks to its polished themes and simple editor. BigCommerce works best for large product catalogues, offering structured designs that stay stable as your store scales.
Support and Community
No matter how capable a platform is, having reliable support and an active community can make a huge difference, especially if you run into technical issues or need guidance growing your store.
Shopify Support
Shopify offers 24/7 support via chat, email, and phone. Their support team is generally quick to respond and very familiar with common store setups and issues. Additionally, Shopify provides a rich knowledge base, tutorials, and an active community forum for troubleshooting, learning, and exchanging tips with other store owners.
This makes Shopify ideal for users who want a hands-on support system without needing a developer.
WooCommerce Community & Support
WooCommerce relies heavily on its community and documentation for support. While there is no centralised 24/7 support included by default, many hosting providers offer managed WooCommerce support. The platform has extensive guides, forums, and third-party resources. Developers and experienced users can get nearly unlimited help, but beginners may find it more challenging to troubleshoot complex issues alone.
WooCommerce works best if you’re comfortable seeking support through forums or managed hosting.
BigCommerce Support Options
BigCommerce provides 24/7 live chat, phone, and email support, along with detailed documentation and tutorials. Their support is especially strong for growing or enterprise-level businesses that need guidance with scaling, integrations, and complex store setups. Community forums exist, but they’re not as large or active as WooCommerce’s ecosystem.
BigCommerce is a solid choice if you want robust support for growing stores without relying too heavily on external developers.
Summary of Support
- Best for beginners needing immediate help: Shopify
- Best for technical users who like community resources: WooCommerce
- Best for growing or enterprise stores needing structured support: BigCommerce
Scalability and Business Types
Choosing a platform isn’t just about today, it’s about how well it can grow with your business.
Shopify is perfect for small businesses and startups that want a fast, easy setup without technical hassles.
WooCommerce is ideal for stores needing flexibility and full customization, especially if you’re comfortable with WordPress.
BigCommerce works best for large or fast-growing stores, handling big catalogs and high traffic with built-in features.
In short, Shopify is easy to start, WooCommerce is highly flexible, and BigCommerce is built to scale.
Pros and Cons of Each Platform
Understanding the strengths and limitations of each platform helps you decide which fits your business best.
Shopify
Shopify is a fully hosted eCommerce platform designed to make selling online as simple as possible. Everything—from hosting and security to software updates—is handled for you. You sign up, choose a plan, and start building your store right away.
Because Shopify manages the technical side, it’s especially popular with beginners and business owners who don’t want to worry about servers, performance issues, or maintenance. The dashboard is clean, the setup process is guided, and most features work out of the box.
Pros:
- Very easy to set up and use
- Fully hosted with fast performance
- Large app store for extra features
Cons:
- Limited deep customisation without code
- Transaction fees if you don’t use Shopify Payments
- Costs can add up with paid apps
That said, Shopify operates on a subscription model and works within its own system. While it offers plenty of apps and themes, customization has limits unless you’re comfortable working with Shopify’s specific tools and pricing structure. In short, Shopify trades flexibility for convenience.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce is not a standalone platform—it’s an open-source eCommerce plugin built for WordPress. This means you start with a WordPress website and then add WooCommerce to turn it into an online store.
The biggest advantage of WooCommerce is control. You own your website, choose your hosting, and can customize almost every part of your store. There are thousands of themes and plugins available, making WooCommerce a strong choice for businesses that want flexibility and long-term independence.
Pros:
- Fully customizable and flexible
- No platform-level transaction fees
- Huge plugin and theme ecosystem
Cons:
- Requires hosting, maintenance, and security management
- Setup can be technical for beginners
- Costs can vary depending on plugins and hosting
However, that freedom comes with responsibility. You’re in charge of hosting, security, updates, backups, and performance optimisation. For users without technical experience, setup and ongoing management can feel overwhelming unless they work with a developer or managed hosting provider.
BigCommerce
BigCommerce is also a hosted eCommerce platform, similar to Shopify, but it’s built with scalability in mind. It comes with many advanced features already included—features that often require paid apps on other platforms.
BigCommerce is often chosen by businesses that expect to grow quickly or already have a large product catalog. It supports complex product rules, multi-channel selling, and built-in marketing tools without relying heavily on third-party apps.
Pros:
- Built-in features reduce the need for apps
- Handles large catalogs and complex stores well
- No extra transaction fees
Cons:
- Steeper learning curve than Shopify
- Design flexibility is somewhat limited
- Annual sales limits may require plan upgrades
On the downside, BigCommerce can feel less intuitive than Shopify, especially for beginners. While it’s powerful, the learning curve is steeper, and design flexibility may feel more limited unless you’re working with a developer.
How to Choose Based on Your Business Needs
Choosing the right platform depends on your goals, technical comfort, and business size. Here’s a simple guide:
If you want simplicity and a fast setup, go with Shopify. It’s ideal for startups or small businesses that want a polished store without technical hassles.
If you need full customisation and control: Choose WooCommerce. Best for businesses that want flexibility, unique features, or plan to scale with a custom setup.
If you expect rapid growth or have a large catalogue, BigCommerce is built for scalability, with strong built-in tools and the ability to handle complex stores efficiently.
Think about your budget, technical skills, product size, and growth plans. Matching these to the right platform will save headaches and ensure your store can grow with your business.
Conclusion
Choosing between Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce comes down to your business needs, technical comfort, and growth plans.
- Shopify is best if you want a quick, easy-to-manage store with reliable hosting and support.
- WooCommerce is ideal for businesses that need full control, flexibility, and advanced customisation.
- BigCommerce works well for larger stores or rapidly growing businesses that need built-in features and scalability.
Choosing the right platform is crucial for your store’s success. Whether you’re a startup or scaling rapidly, Webyking helps businesses decide whether Shopify, WooCommerce, or BigCommerce is the best fit.
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