Shopify vs BigCommerce: Which Platform Fits Your Brand?

Shopify is the better fit for most DTC-first brands that want a large app ecosystem and fast setup. BigCommerce is the better fit for brands with a heavy B2B or wholesale mix that want more built in. Their sticker prices are now nearly identical, so the decision comes down to payment fees, how you sell, and how well the platform connects to your fulfillment operation.

We are a 3PL, not a platform vendor. We ship orders for brands on both, so we see where each one helps and where it creates work. This guide covers pricing, fees, features, B2B, and what each choice means for inventory and shipping.

TL;DR

• Plan prices match in 2026. Shopify Basic and BigCommerce Core both start at $39 a month, or $29 billed annually. The difference is in fees and features.
• Shopify suits DTC brands that want a deep app library and rapid testing. BigCommerce suits merchants who need more native B2B and catalog tools.
• Neither platform fixes fulfillment. Inventory accuracy, cutoff times, and returns depend on your 3PL, so pick a platform your warehouse integrates with cleanly.
• If you run wholesale, EDI, or several storefronts on BigCommerce, confirm how your 3PL handles those order types before you sign.

Table of Contents

• Shopify vs BigCommerce at a glance
• Pricing and fees: where the real cost sits
• Features and ease of use
• B2B and wholesale
• What the platform means for fulfillment
• Which brands should pick which platform
• A note on the company behind BigCommerce
• Our perspective: pick the platform for how you sell, then pick the 3PL for margin
• What fulfillment costs once you pick a platform
• Where we fit
• Checklist before you decide
• FAQ
• Sources

Shopify vs BigCommerce at a glance

Plan prices are from the Shopify pricing page. Check each vendor’s pricing page before you buy, since both change terms often.

Pricing and fees: where the real cost sits

On the monthly plan price, there is no gap. The cost differences show up in three places: payment processing, transaction fees, and the apps you add.

Payment and transaction fees

Shopify charges a transaction fee, between 0.2% and 2% depending on plan, when you use a payment gateway other than Shopify Payments. Use Shopify Payments and that fee goes away, although you pay standard card processing rates.

BigCommerce used to be the clear winner here. It did not charge transaction fees on third-party gateways. That changed on June 1, 2026. According to one analysis of the 2026 changes, BigCommerce now charges 2%, 1%, and 0.6% on the Core, Growth, and Scale plans for orders settled through non-embedded payment providers. That is close to Shopify’s third-party gateway fees. BigCommerce’s own pricing page states that it charges a monthly fee on self-service plans for orders processed through Open Payment Providers.

Both fees can be avoided. On Shopify, use Shopify Payments. On BigCommerce, use one of its embedded payment providers. If you rely on a gateway outside those lists, model the fee on your real monthly revenue first.

Plan thresholds

BigCommerce ties its self-service plans to sales volume. Growing past a plan’s gross merchandise value cap can move you to the next plan. Reports on the June 2026 update say the caps were lowered, so a brand near a threshold should check its dashboard. Shopify does not tie plan tiers to revenue in the same way. You choose the plan by the features you need.

Apps

Shopify’s low-friction app store is its strength and its hidden cost. A store that needs subscriptions, reviews, advanced search, returns, and inventory sync can add several monthly app bills. BigCommerce builds more of that into the base platform, which can mean fewer subscriptions. Price your real stack, not just the plan.

Features and ease of use

Shopify is built to get a store live fast. Themes, checkout, and the admin are simple, and a non-technical founder can launch without a developer. The app ecosystem lets you test new ideas quickly, which is why many high-growth DTC brands start there.

BigCommerce gives you more out of the box for catalog management, product options, and multi-storefront setups. It rewards teams that have a developer or an agency and a catalog with real complexity. That flexibility comes with a steeper setup.

Shopify’s own comparison page claims higher checkout conversion and lower total cost of ownership than BigCommerce. Treat those as vendor claims. They come from a company comparing itself to a rival, so test checkout performance on your own traffic.

Quick decision criteria

Choose Shopify if:

• Most of your revenue is direct-to-consumer.
• You want to launch and iterate quickly.
• You expect to lean on apps for marketing, subscriptions, and retention.
• Your catalog is straightforward.

Choose BigCommerce if:

• You sell wholesale and DTC from the same catalog.
• You need customer-specific pricing or price lists without piling on apps.
• You run or plan multiple storefronts.
• You have development resources to configure it.

B2B and wholesale

This is the clearest split. Industry commentary, including Shopify’s own comparison, says BigCommerce is often chosen by merchants who want more native B2B functionality and less reliance on plugins. Shopify handles wholesale too, usually through its app ecosystem and its higher plans.

If your wholesale volume is small, either works. If wholesale price lists, customer-specific catalogs, and purchase-order workflows are central to how you sell, BigCommerce deserves a close look. Expect custom work in either case for complex workflows.

What the platform means for fulfillment

The platform does not ship your orders. Your warehouse does. Still, the choice affects how smoothly orders and inventory move.

Order flow

Both platforms are hosted and connect to a 3PL through native integrations or connectors, so orders can flow in without manual entry. For a DTC brand, the speed you promise at checkout depends on your cutoff time and your warehouse, not on the platform.

Inventory sync

Sync lag is the most common cause of oversells. When a 3PL updates stock after a sale, a gap between the warehouse count and the storefront count can let a customer buy something you cannot ship. This risk rises during promotions and flash sales. We cover it in more depth in our posts on event-driven ecommerce integrations and on why inventory apps fall short of outsourcing.

Whatever platform you use, ask your 3PL how stock counts are written back to the store and how often. On BigCommerce setups with several storefronts or complex catalogs, ask this twice.

Multiple locations

If you plan to ship from more than one warehouse, check how the platform routes orders. Shopify has native order routing rules. Our guide to Shopify order routing lists three tests to run before you add a second node. On BigCommerce, confirm whether routing happens in the platform or in your 3PL’s system.

Mixed-channel logistics

Brands that sell DTC, wholesale, and marketplaces from one inventory pool need a 3PL that can handle each order type. Ask about:

1. Wholesale and case-pick orders, and how they are billed.
2. EDI requirements from retail buyers.
3. Retail and marketplace prep, such as FBA and Walmart specs.
4. Returns handling for each channel.

That is true on Shopify as well. A Shopify brand adding Amazon and Walmart needs prep, labeling, and inbound shipping handled correctly from day one.

Which brands should pick which platform

Both platforms can scale. Brands also migrate, and moving platforms is far less painful when your inventory, warehouse, and 3PL sit independently of the storefront.

A note on the company behind BigCommerce

If you read recent coverage, you may see “Commerce” or “Commerce.com”. They are not separate companies. BigCommerce Holdings, Inc. changed its corporate name to Commerce.com, Inc. effective July 31, 2025. It is the parent of BigCommerce, Feedonomics, and Makeswift. The BigCommerce platform keeps its name.

Our perspective: pick the platform for how you sell, then pick the 3PL for margin

We work with small and mid-sized brands that have outgrown doing logistics themselves. Our view is simple. The platform decision gets the attention, but the margin decision happens in the warehouse.

A store can look healthy while individual SKUs lose money after storage, pick, pack, and returns costs. Brands that run several vendors for storage, prep, and shipping often cannot see this, because costs are spread across invoices. We built our model around live inventory data and SKU profitability analysis so you can see which products to scale and which to drop.

On the platform question, we do not push either side. We integrate with major e-commerce channels, and a DTC brand on Shopify and a mixed brand on BigCommerce both need the same things from us: accurate counts, a clear cutoff, and honest costs. Our same-day shipping applies to orders placed by 1 PM CST. We also work without long-term contracts, so a platform switch does not trap you in a warehouse agreement.

One practical tip: before you commit to a platform, send your 3PL your SKU count, order mix, and channel list. If wholesale or marketplace orders are in the plan, say so up front.

— Claudio Saenz

What fulfillment costs once you pick a platform

Platform fees are only part of your cost per order. Here are our published rates, so you can model a full order on either platform.

These are our fees for handling. Postage and materials are separate. Kitting and assembly, Amazon and Walmart prep, and SKU profitability analysis are quoted to your volume and complexity. See the full list on our services page.

A quick example: a brand storing 10 pallets on standard storage pays $250 a month for space, plus $1.65 for each DTC order handled. Add platform fees and card processing, and you have a real contribution margin per order.

Where we fit

If you sell on Shopify or WooCommerce, our DTC fulfillment page explains the setup. If you are adding Amazon and Walmart to your own store, our Amazon and Walmart prep service covers spec-compliant prep. For the full picture, see our 3PL fulfillment services and our Houston 1 PM cutoff details.

Ready for a quote? Send us your SKU count, monthly orders, and channels through our site and we will price it.

Checklist before you decide

1. List your channels: DTC, wholesale, Amazon, Walmart, retail.
2. Price your full app stack on Shopify, or your add-ons on BigCommerce.
3. Model payment fees on your real monthly revenue.
4. Check where you sit relative to BigCommerce plan caps.
5. Ask your 3PL how inventory writes back and how fast.
6. Confirm support for any wholesale, EDI, or custom order types.
7. Run a small pilot shipment before moving volume.

FAQ

Is Shopify or BigCommerce cheaper?

Plan prices are the same: $39 a month, or $29 billed annually, for the entry plan on each. Total cost depends on payment processing, third-party gateway fees, and apps. Model your own volume before you trust any general claim.

Does BigCommerce take a percentage of sales?

Not on plan fees alone, but since June 2026 it charges a fee on orders settled through non-embedded payment providers, reported at 2%, 1%, and 0.6% by plan. Using an embedded provider avoids it. Check BigCommerce’s pricing page for current terms.

Are Commerce and BigCommerce the same company?

Yes. Commerce.com, Inc. is the renamed parent company, formerly BigCommerce Holdings. BigCommerce is one of its product lines.

Which platform is better for B2B?

BigCommerce is often chosen for B2B because it has more native wholesale features. Shopify can handle B2B through apps and higher plans. Whichever you choose, confirm your 3PL supports your wholesale order types.

Does my 3PL work with both platforms?

We support major e-commerce channels, including Shopify. Send us your platform, SKU count, and order mix and we will confirm the integration and quote your setup.

Sources

• Shopify pricing
• BigCommerce pricing
• Shopify vs BigCommerce comparison
• Chargeflow: Shopify vs BigCommerce 2026
• No7 Software: BigCommerce 2026 pricing changes
• SEC filing: Commerce.com, Inc. name change

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• Best WMS Software for Brands: When a 3PL Beats Buying
• DTC Fulfillment for Shopify & WooCommerce
• DTCs: Avoid 2–3% Oversells, Outsource, Not Shopify Inventory Apps
• Scale Multi-Location Fulfillment with Shopify Order Routing: 3 Tests