Alternatives to BigCommerce: Shopify and more

Are you looking for an alternative to BigCommerce? Have a look at these other website-building platforms.

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Jason Loewenthal

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BigCommerce, as the name suggests, is an e-commerce platform. It’s especially useful if you have a large product catalogue and want to sell seamlessly across multiple marketplaces.

However, it’s not that easy to use if you’re a beginner or have low margins. In that case, you might want to consider alternative platforms to BigCommerce.

This guide has info on some of its main competitors and what they do differently.

Shopify

If you’re looking to build an online store then chances are you’ve come across Shopify. It comes with website-building tools, SEO and analytics, payment processing, inventory management and AI features. Shopify also helps you make sales and market using social media.

Pros

  • The biggest player in e-commerce platforms
  • No tech costs because it's included in the price
  • User friendly for you and the customers
  • Access to the Shop Pay ecosystem which can increase sales

Cons

  • You're limited by Shopify's templates
  • Monthly fees can increase quickly if you add lots of Shopify's paid apps
  • Using other payment methods can incur extra charges
  • Credit card fees aren't returned when you process a refund

WooCommerce

WooCommerce is a plugin that works within WordPress to make any site a functioning store. You can set up a store with flexible secure payments and manage orders. It has an app store so you can use add-ons if you want extra features. Hosting, updates and security would be your responsibility, so you need to consider this before committing.

Pros

  • No monthly platform fees
  • You can use any payment processor you like without being charged extra
  • It lives inside WordPress so SEO is front of mind
  • You own your own data, hosting environment and website

Cons

  • You have to pay for plug-ins
  • You're in charge of your own security and hosting
  • Plug-ins can cause issues with the website if one stops working
  • Can slow down significantly if traffic spikes

Squarespace

You can easily create a website that looks like it has been designed by a professional with Squarespace. Web hosting, software updates and security are included in the price, so you can focus on making your site perfect. Expect a sleek user experience if you choose this.

Pros

  • Designed so that anyone can create a good-looking website
  • All-in-one solution to build a website
  • Built-in marketing tools
  • Easy for beginners to use

Cons

  • Fees can add up if you need more features
  • Not as good for e-commerce as other platforms
  • Limited flexibility for complex or massive product inventories
  • Website editor can be difficult to use

Wix

You can build a website from scratch without needing any coding skills. It has lots of templates to choose from and its AI website builder can help you get started. Hosting is included in the price, so Wix handles tasks like software updates and security for you, which means you can focus on other things.

Pros

  • Has lots of templates
  • AI website builder is a useful tool so you don't need any coding skills
  • Hosting is included in the price
  • Automatically backs up your website so you can restore it if you need to

Cons

  • Advanced features will cost you extra
  • Navigation can be an issue if you have a larger product catalogue
  • Can sometimes have slower site speeds compared to competitors
  • Limited flexibility with the design

Bottom line

While website-building platforms all have the same outcome of building a website, every platform is different, so it’s important to find the right fit for you. You should see what tools are available, how quick a platform is to set up and how much you’re going to need to spend to get what you want.

If you don’t think BigCommerce is right for you then consider some of the other platforms on this list. Many platforms offer free trials, so that could help you make a decision without spending any money in the process.

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Senior writer

Jason is a writer and editor. He worked as a senior subeditor for Finder for 5 years and in that time became familiar with a wide range of financial products and services. Before that, he worked for Australian Associated Press. He has a BA from Macquarie University in Australia. Jason loves to help other people find new ways to save money. See full bio

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