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BigCommerce review | TechRadar
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BigCommerce is a leading ecommerce platform designed to help you create, launch, and grow your online store—no coding needed. Our team at Techradar has spent thousands of hours testing over 140 website builders, so we know what makes a platform stand out. For anyone wanting to weigh their options, don’t miss our expert guides to the best website builders and the best ecommerce platforms.
We’ve seen BigCommerce land high on both lists, offering rich commerce features for ambitious stores. Still, if pure website building is your focus, our top pick for 2025 is Wix. See our latest Wix review to find out why it’s the best all-round builder for most people.
Put simply: BigCommerce excels at advanced store management. But, it’s not the most user-friendly if you crave simple design tweaks or unlimited styling options.
BigCommerce: 2-minute review
BigCommerce is a heavyweight in the ecommerce world. Its platform blends flexible store management with built-in tools for SEO, multi-currency selling, product variants, and sales analytics. Over the years, BigCommerce has become a favorite for fast-growing brands who want more power and customization than entry-level platforms.
BigCommerce’s standout feature is its ability to manage multiple storefronts under a single account. This, plus its deep native features and lack of hidden fees, mean you get a lot of bang for your buck. However, its website editor feels more basic than the drag-and-drop wizards you’ll find elsewhere. If your priority is deep commerce tools, though, BigCommerce delivers where it counts.
What is BigCommerce?
BigCommerce is an online store builder that lets anyone, even total beginners, launch a shop, list products, and sell to the world. As with most other tools in this category, you don’t need to know a line of code. The dashboard is straightforward: you add products, set up payments, and choose a design template. With guided setup and support at every step, you’re never lost.
But, BigCommerce isn’t only for beginners. As your business grows, you can add more advanced features: custom discounts, shipping rates, and even multiple stores, all managed from one place. If you want to focus on selling, BigCommerce handles the technical side for you. That means security, hosting, and updates happen automatically behind the scenes.
Features
With multiple storefronts, you can have different versions of your store for different customer segments or locations. For example, if you have an international presence, each country can have its own version of the store in its native language and currency. This makes it easier to target customers in specific countries and regions without them needing to search through multiple languages or convert currencies. It also allows you to keep track of customer data and sales more easily since everything is segmented by storefronts.
BigCommerce enables you to create unique, seamless customer experiences that span multiple channels with its Headless Commerce feature. During our test, we were able to leverage external content management systems (CMS) such as WordPress or Adobe Experience Manager, while still leveraging the powerful API-driven B2B and B2C commerce capabilities of BigCommerce. This allows for greater flexibility when creating custom digital experiences for customers across all devices and channels.
BigCommerce offers B2B and wholesale solutions that allow businesses to provide special pricing and discounts on large orders or special deals for select customers. This helps make it easier for you to expand your customer base and reach new markets without having to put extra effort or resources into managing different pricing models.
With omnichannel capabilities, you can create a seamless experience across all channels (online, in-store, mobile). This includes providing customers with the ability to make purchases from any device or location, as well as offering them access to unique experiences both online and offline. Additionally, this feature makes it easy for customers who are shopping online or in-store to convert their purchase into an online order if they need further assistance or information before completing a purchase.
International Commerce-as-a-Service (CaaS) feature allows you to easily expand your business into new markets with localized checkout flows and currencies. With this feature, you can accept payments from customers in different countries without having to manage multiple stores or currency conversions. This feature provides tools such as automated tax calculations and support for the localization of product listings across multiple markets.
The Emerging Brands feature makes it easy for startups and entrepreneurs to get their businesses off the ground quickly and affordably. With this feature, you can easily create a custom store design with pre-built templates that are optimized for mobile devices. Additionally, the Emerging Brands feature provides access to advanced marketing tools such as automatic discounts, coupons, abandoned cart reminders, Google shopping ads integration, and more.
For small businesses that need more control over their website and store design, BigCommerce offers a range of features tailored specifically for them. These include drag-and-drop page-building capabilities for creating custom layouts, access to third-party app integrations, powerful shipping tools, real-time analytics, customer segmentation capabilities, integrated email marketing solutions, and more.
If you’re running a large enterprise business with multiple stores or sites around the world, BigCommerce offers an enterprise solution that is tailored specifically to your needs. This includes customizable templated designs, built-in scalability options, full API access, unlimited order management capabilities, advanced merchandising tools, dedicated account managers, and much more.
Finally, if you already have an existing website or store on another platform like Shopify or Magento 2, BigCommerce offers its migration tool which allows you to easily transfer all of your existing data over quickly and painlessly so you can get up and running on BigCommerce right away.
Tools
BigCommerce uses Google Cloud Platform infrastructure, Google AMP, and Akamai Image Manager to give your store blazing-fast speed. Customers don’t have to wait around for pages to load, plus you get unlimited customizability. Here are some of its best tools:
Product management
List unlimited products, create options and variants (like sizes or colors), and organize your catalog. Batch editing and flexible custom fields make managing large inventories easy.
Multi-storefront business
Run several storefronts — each with its own design, products, and checkout, using just one account. Perfect if you’re selling in different regions or to different audiences.
SEO and marketing
Built-in SEO tools help your shop rank on Google. You can edit page titles, descriptions, and URLs, plus take advantage of automatic image optimization and product review features. Marketing tools include coupon codes, gift certificates, and abandoned cart recovery.
International & multi-currency stores
Sell globally with automatic currency conversion, translation options, and support for the world’s top payment gateways. Real-time shipping quotes and tax calculations keep things running smoothly.
Reporting & analytics
From high-level dashboards to granular sales reports, BigCommerce’s analytics help you track growth and spot trends. Export data for more detailed analysis, or connect to third-party tools.
App marketplace
Add functionality with a range of integrations — think shipping, accounting, CRM, and more, by browsing the BigCommerce app store.
Ease of use
BigCommerce offers a strong suite of features that make it easy to build a website from scratch. The drag-and-drop builder makes it easy for users to customize their site without needing any coding skills.
The platform also offers plenty of features to help you manage your store once it’s up and running. You can easily add products, manage orders, process payments, track inventory levels, and more. It even makes it easy to create custom discounts, coupons, loyalty programs, and other promotions to attract customers. All of this requires little setup time, but you may have to spend some time with the documentation for advanced user flows.
Pricing
Plan | Starting rate (paid annually) | Renewal rate (paid annually) |
|---|---|---|
Standard | $29/month | $29/month |
Plus | $79/month | $79/month |
Pro | $299/month | $299/month |
Enterprise | Custom/Quote | Custom/Quote |
BigCommerce offers four main pricing tiers: Standard, Plus, Pro, and Enterprise. Each plan is billed annually and rates don’t jump on renewal, so what you start with is what you pay going forward. The Standard plan is tailored for new or smaller stores, while Plus and Pro unlock more advanced features and higher sales limits. The high-end Enterprise tier is custom-quoted for big brands needing extra support or customization.
There are no hidden fees, bandwidth charges, or transaction costs. Every plan includes unlimited products, staff accounts, and storage. As you move up tiers, you’ll get added features like advanced marketing tools, customer segmentation, product filtering, and custom SSL certificates. BigCommerce provides strong value for growth-focused stores, though its initial pricing is higher than freelance-friendly rivals.
Security
BigCommerce puts security first with strong encryption, PCI DSS Level 1 compliance, and automatic SSL certificates for every store. All data exchanges (from credit card info to logins) are encrypted using the latest TLS standards, plus regular security audits help keep storefronts safe from evolving threats. Robust role-based access controls ensure staff only access what they need, while two-factor authentication protects your admin account from unauthorized changes.
The platform’s security credentials mean you’re protected from the biggest headaches. There are zero manual security patches or PCI checklists to worry about. If you need extra customer trust, you can add extended validation SSLs for more prominent browser indicators.
Support
Every BigCommerce customer gets 24/7 live support via chat, phone, or email. We’ve found the support team quick, knowledgeable, and proactive. There’s also an extensive self-help portal, packed with step-by-step articles, video tutorials, and troubleshooting guides.
Higher-tier plans unlock priority routing and access to ecommerce strategists, helpful for scaling businesses. But even Standard users can reach out at any hour to expect real solutions. If you prefer not to contact support directly, the searchable knowledge base often answers common questions in minutes.
A small caveat is the occasional wait times can occur during peak hours, though most users have positive experiences with both the expertise and the friendliness of the help team.
Alternatives
One of the most popular ecommerce website builders on the market is Shopify. It provides users with a comprehensive suite of tools designed to help them build their online stores quickly and easily. With Shopify, you can choose from hundreds of professionally designed themes, and customize your store’s look.
WooCommerce is another popular choice for businesses looking for an e-commerce website builder. Unlike many other platforms, WooCommerce is free and open-source software that lets users customize their store however they want. You can add products from any source (including third-party sites like eBay), manage inventory levels, set up taxes and shipping costs, accept payments via PayPal or credit cards, and more, all without any coding knowledge needed!
Magento is another great option for businesses looking for an ecommerce website builder solution. The platform offers a wide range of features including customizable templates, product catalogs with advanced sorting options, multiple payment options including credit cards and PayPal integration, detailed analytics reports to track sales performance over time, SEO optimization tools to help increase visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs), customer loyalty programs, order management tools, and more.
Is BigCommerce right for you?
BigCommerce delivers serious ecommerce power and flexibility, especially for ambitious stores with an eye on global success. Some design limitations and higher entry costs keep it from being perfect, but it’s easily one of the best options for growth-focused brands in 2025.
Also, BigCommerce offers an extensive range of features that can help you customize your website exactly how you want it. From drag-and-drop page builders to integrated ecommerce options, the possibilities are nearly endless. And, BigCommerce offers great customer service that is available 24/7.
But the one downside to using BigCommerce is its cost. If you are on a budget, consider options with cheaper starting plans.
FAQs
Is BigCommerce suitable for beginners?
Yes, BigCommerce is user-friendly enough for beginners and provides guided setup, helpful tutorials, and 24/7 support. The dashboard is straightforward, so you can launch a store with no coding experience. As you grow, you’ll find more advanced tools available, but you aren’t forced to use them until you’re ready.
Does BigCommerce take a cut of my sales?
No, BigCommerce does not charge transaction fees on any plan, even if you use third-party payment gateways. You’ll only pay standard payment processor fees set by your chosen provider, like PayPal or Stripe.
How does BigCommerce compare to Shopify and Wix?
BigCommerce holds its own against Shopify and Wix. Generally, BigCommerce is stronger for multi-store or international selling and has more built-in features, while Shopify offers the biggest app marketplace and Wix wins for easy design. Each has strengths, so your best pick depends on your priorities.
Can I try BigCommerce before buying?
BigCommerce offers a risk-free trial with instant access, no credit card required. This lets you test core features, templates, and tools before committing to a paid plan.
What happens if my store grows too quickly?
BigCommerce’s plans scale automatically as your sales rise. Higher tiers unlock more advanced features and higher sales caps. If you hit those limits or need custom solutions, the Enterprise plan offers limitless scalability, priority support, and dedicated account management.
