WooCommerce vs BigCommerce: Which eCommerce Platform is Right for You?

If you’re starting an online store, one of the first decisions you’ll need to make is the eCommerce platform you’re going to use. The right choice will depend on your specific business, the type of eCommerce you’re pursuing, your budget, and your experience level.

In this article, we’re going to compare two of the best eCommerce platforms – WooCommerce and BigCommerce. We’ll look at a variety of factors, ranging from price points and features to ease of use and scalability. Hopefully, this thorough comparison will help you make the right choice and kickstart your journey to success.

WooCommerce vs BigCommerce: Key Differences

BigCommerce is a hosted eCommerce store builder that offers only premium plans. The proprietary nature of BigCommerce means that users don’t have direct access to the source code and, therefore, cannot make as many changes as they can with open-source tools. But it also means that BigCommerce is more beginner-friendly, offering pre-built themes and SEO-friendly features to set up online stores quickly and with minimal effort.

WooCommerce is a free eCommerce plugin specifically for the WordPress CMS (content management system). Whether you have an existing WordPress website or are starting from scratch, you can use WooCommerce to build a highly functional eCommerce store. It offers ultimate flexibility and customizability for enterprises and small businesses alike. However, you’ll find that the more advanced features are paid.

Detailed Comparison of BigCommerce vs WooCommerce

Now that you’ve gotten an overview of both BigCommerce and WooCommerce, let’s take a closer look at their differences in pricing, ease of use, features and add-ons, themes, payment options and gateways, SEO-friendliness, scalability, security, inventory management, and customer support.

WooCommerce vs BigCommerce: Pricing

When you’re starting an online store, pricing is an important consideration. You want to be careful with your budget while still benefiting from all the features and tools that you need to run your business.

WooCommerce is a completely free tool, as is WordPress, the CMS that it runs on. Freedom is a core component of their open-source philosophy. Anyone can view, edit, and use the software in any way they see fit. You won’t have to upgrade plans or pay any fees as your eCommerce business grows unless you decide to purchase premium extensions.

However, it is important to remember that WooCommerce is a plugin; therefore, it does not come with hosting. You’ll need to purchase a separate web hosting plan to run your WordPress website, which generally costs between $3-$15/month for shared hosting services.

BigCommerce, in contrast, is a website builder platform. It comes with all of the features required to build and run an online store, including hosting and SEO tooling. There are several BigCommerce plans available, each with different pricing tiers and features.

Winner: WooCommerce. It’s hard to beat free. WooCommerce provides critical eCommerce functionality at no cost, no matter how many sales you make. In contrast, BigCommerce charges monthly or annual fees that increase based on sales volume and functionality.

WooCommerce vs BigCommerce: Ease of Use

Both WooCommerce and BigCommerce are generally easy to use. In most cases, you can make changes and update settings without having to work with code.

Site Design and Editing Process: With WooCommerce, you can harness the power of blocks to build everything from checkout pages to posts and product archives. The Block Editor and Site Editor enable you to drag and drop elements like images, paragraphs, and videos exactly where you want them on the page. On the other hand, BigCommerce comes with a drag-and-drop page builder included in its platform. While it works similarly to the WordPress Block Editor, it contains fewer key elements that you can add to your website.

Product, Order Management, and Settings: Adding and editing products with WooCommerce is fairly straightforward. The product editor is divided into sections with settings for product data, images, descriptions, categories, and more. Managing and fulfilling orders for your WooCommerce store is also easy. In contrast, adding products to your BigCommerce store can be a bit more complex due to the number of available options.

Learning Curve: If you already have a WordPress site and want to add an eCommerce store, then WooCommerce is a no-brainer. But if you don’t have a website yet, there is a small learning curve with both platforms. Winner for WordPress users: WooCommerce. Winner for new site owners: BigCommerce.

BigCommerce vs WooCommerce: Features and Add-Ons

Both BigCommerce and WooCommerce contain all the base eCommerce functionalities that an online store needs to get started. The biggest difference is their built-in features. BigCommerce includes more tools and capabilities by default as it’s a premium, paid platform. WooCommerce includes less built-in functionality but allows you to add advanced features using free and premium extensions.

Winner for built-in features: BigCommerce. Winner for add-ons: WooCommerce.

BigCommerce vs WooCommerce: Themes

The design of your eCommerce website plays a big part in helping visitors find what they’re looking for, instilling trust, and possibly even convincing them to make a purchase.

BigCommerce themes are listed in a theme marketplace, where you can filter options based on industry and price. When it comes to WooCommerce, WordPress has a library full of free themes that you can filter by layout, features, and more.

Winner: WooCommerce. WooCommerce has more free and premium themes from which you can choose. Premium WooCommerce themes also tend to be more affordable than those from BigCommerce.

WooCommerce vs BigCommerce: Payment Options and Gateways

Both WooCommerce and BigCommerce offer similar payment options that integrate with traditional gateways like Stripe and digital wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay. They both also allow your store to accept hundreds of currencies.

Winner: it’s a tie. WooCommerce and BigCommerce both offer similar payment options.

BigCommerce vs WooCommerce: SEO-Friendliness

Both BigCommerce and WooCommerce offer on-page SEO basics, like meta descriptions, titles, URLs, and alt text. BigCommerce has built-in performance optimization along with other features that can contribute to SEO. WooCommerce provides more flexibility and capabilities when it comes to creating and optimizing content for SEO.

Winner: WooCommerce.

BigCommerce vs WooCommerce: Scalability

BigCommerce allows you to upgrade your plan as you grow, but you’ll be required to use their servers. With WooCommerce, you can switch to any hosting provider and plan you like. Winner: WooCommerce.

BigCommerce vs WooCommerce: Security

BigCommerce has all of the security features that an online store owner may need. With WooCommerce, you have more flexibility when it comes to security measures, but you’ll have to implement them yourself or hire an expert to do so. Winner: BigCommerce.

BigCommerce vs WooCommerce: Inventory Management

Both platforms have similar built-in stock capabilities, but WooCommerce stands out due to its huge library of inventory extensions. Winner: WooCommerce.

BigCommerce vs WooCommerce: Customer Support

BigCommerce offers more dedicated options like 24/7 live chat and phone support. WooCommerce has community support options available, including forums, Facebook groups, and Slack channels. Winner: BigCommerce.

Conclusion

WooCommerce and BigCommerce are both excellent eCommerce platforms, but the best one for you will depend on your specific needs and preferences. If you want a hands-off platform that takes care of most of your needs, BigCommerce is the better solution. If you prefer more flexibility and don’t mind the additional work, WooCommerce is a better choice. Both platforms offer a wide range of features and tools to help you build and manage a successful online store.

WooCommerce vs BigCommerce FAQ

What Is the Difference Between WordPress and BigCommerce?
WordPress is a popular content management system (CMS) that’s great for building and managing any type of website. BigCommerce is a hosted website builder specializing in eCommerce.

Is WooCommerce Still Relevant?
Yes, WooCommerce is the most popular eCommerce platform with a 38.74% market share. It’s a great option for both online business startups and established eCommerce brands.

Which eCommerce Platform Is Best For a Big Business?
WooCommerce is the best eCommerce platform for enterprise businesses. It offers flexibility, customization, and scalability.

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