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
"I signed up to Shopify to see how difficult it was to get started for a beginner and was pleasantly surprised. After accepting a £1 trial, I went into the dashboard and was ready to start building my store in under 5 minutes. No demos, no sales calls, and no complicated software installation.I had a look around the dashboard and was impressed with the analytics setup. Having run my own websites before, I know you can gain a lot of knowledge from data and reporting, so it was nice to see this already built out for me without any extra work.I liked the new AI feature called Sidekick. I started up a quick conversation and had a bit of back and forth, and it seemed capable of directing me to the right place. I can imagine this is a big win for people who don't have the resources to hire their own developers or designers. "
Matt Boyle
Publisher at Finder
Shopify: Complete platform breakdown
Feature
Shopify Data
Target audience
UK side hustlers to enterprise
Setup type
SaaS hosted
Google Play rating
4.2
iOS app rating
4.7
Mobile app utility
Full store management & order fulfilling
Base monthly price (GBP)
£25/mo + VAT
Turnover caps / hidden limits
None on basic tiers
Gateway transaction fee (native)
1.5% to 2.0% + 25p
3rd party transaction fee
2.0% penalty if not on Shopify payments
UK VAT & invoice ready
Yes (automated tax zones)
GDPR/Cookie compliance
Built-in basic setup (requires app for deep compliance)
Royal Mail integration
Excellent (native & app options)
Evri/DPD/UK carrier options
Excellent via ShipStation/Packlink
Inventory sync (POS)
Strong (native Shopify POS integration)
Editor style
Section-based block theme editor
Free templates count
12
UK timezone availability
24/7 global live chat & email
Contact channels
Chat / email / community forums
App store size
Massive (8000+ apps)
UK entrepreneur rating (1-5)
4.5
Ease of use (1-5)
4.5
Learning curve level
Moderate
Best suited for
Rapid scaling & app-heavy businesses
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.
We show offers we can track - that's not every product on the market...yet. Unless we've said otherwise, products are in no particular order. The terms "best", "top", "cheap" (and variations of these) aren't ratings, though we always explain what's great about a product when we highlight it. This is subject to our terms of use. When you make major financial decisions, consider getting independent financial advice. Always consider your own circumstances when you compare products so you get what's right for you. Most of the data in Finder's comparison tables is provided by Defaqto. In other cases, Finder has sourced data directly from providers.
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.
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I had a look around the dashboard and was impressed with the analytics setup. Having run my own websites before, I know you can gain a lot of knowledge from data and reporting, so it was nice to see this already built out for me without any extra work.
I liked the new AI feature called Sidekick. I started up a quick conversation and had a bit of back and forth, and it seemed capable of directing me to the right place. I can imagine this is a big win for people who don't have the resources to hire their own developers or designers. "
