BigCommerce vs Shopify: Pricing, Sales Limits and Features Compared (2026)

BigCommerce and Shopify are the two hosted ecommerce platforms most US brands shortlist. They look similar at first glance, with plans at almost the same prices. The differences show up as you grow: how each platform prices sales volume, what B2B features each plan includes, and how big the app and partner ecosystem is. This guide compares them on 2026 pricing and features, using each platform's own pricing pages.

The short answer: the entry prices are nearly identical. The biggest difference is how they treat growth. BigCommerce plans have annual sales limits that move you to a higher plan as you grow, while Shopify's standard plans don't cap your sales. Shopify also includes B2B on every main plan and has the larger app ecosystem. BigCommerce can suit catalog-heavy stores that want certain features built in rather than added with apps.

Pricing at a glance

	BigCommerce	Shopify
Entry plan	Core: $29/month billed yearly, $39 monthly	Basic: $29/month billed yearly, $39 monthly
Middle plan	Growth: $79/month billed yearly, $105 monthly	Grow: $79/month billed yearly, $105 monthly
Upper plan	Scale: $299/month billed yearly, $399 monthly	Advanced: $299/month billed yearly, $399 monthly
Enterprise plan	Performance: from $1,499/month, billed yearly	Shopify Plus: from $2,300/month (3-year term)
Sales limits on standard plans	Yes (see below)	No

Sources: BigCommerce pricing and Shopify pricing, October 2026. Both platforms may change prices, so confirm before you decide.

How each platform treats growing sales

This is where the two platforms differ most.

BigCommerce sets a sales limit on each plan, measured on your trailing 12 months of sales (BigCommerce pricing):

BigCommerce plan	Sales limit	What happens above it
Core	Up to $30,000 a year	Moves up to Growth
Growth	Up to $100,000 a year	Moves up to Scale
Scale	$33,333 a month	0.9% fee on sales above the limit; moves up to Performance at $2 million a year
Performance	Custom	Agreed in your contract

Shopify doesn't cap sales on Basic, Grow or Advanced. You choose when to upgrade, usually for features or lower card rates. On Shopify Plus, higher-volume brands may be offered a revenue-based platform fee instead of the flat price.

For a brand selling $1 million a year, BigCommerce's own pricing puts you on Scale with overage fees above $33,333 a month, or on Performance. On Shopify, you can stay on any standard plan.

Payment fees

	BigCommerce	Shopify
Card rates with the platform's own payments	From 2.89% + 29¢ on every plan	2.9% + 30¢ (Basic), 2.7% + 30¢ (Grow), 2.5% + 30¢ (Advanced), 2.25% + 30¢ (Plus)
Fee for using another payment provider	2.0% (Core), 1.0% (Growth), 0.6% (Scale), 0% (Performance, with contract)	2% (Basic), 1% (Grow), 0.6% (Advanced), 0.2% (Plus)

BigCommerce charges no extra fee with its embedded payment providers. Shopify charges no extra fee when you use Shopify Payments.

B2B and wholesale

	BigCommerce	Shopify
Customer groups	Growth plan and above	Companies and locations on every main plan
Customer-specific price lists	Performance plan only	Up to 3 B2B catalogs on standard plans; unlimited on Plus
Net payment terms, volume pricing and quantity rules	Check with BigCommerce for your plan; its separate B2B Edition is sold for wholesale	Included on every plan with B2B

For more on wholesale, see our Shopify B2B guide.

Other differences that matter

• Apps and partners. Shopify has the larger app ecosystem and more agencies and developers to choose from, which usually means more ready-made options and easier hiring.
• Checkout. Shopify Checkout includes Shop Pay, and Shopify Plus allows checkout customization with apps and Shopify Functions. BigCommerce gives developers more direct access to its checkout code.
• Several storefronts. BigCommerce sells multi-storefront as a paid add-on on standard plans. Shopify handles other countries through Markets in one store, and Plus includes up to 9 expansion stores.
• Inventory locations. BigCommerce allows 4 to 8 locations on standard plans; Shopify allows 10, and up to 200 on Plus.
• Built-in features. BigCommerce includes some features, such as product filtering and customer reviews, on its higher plans. On Shopify, some of these come from apps.

Which should you choose?

Shopify usually fits better if you:

• Expect strong growth and don't want plan changes forced by sales volume.
• Sell wholesale and want B2B on a standard plan.
• Want the widest choice of apps, themes and partners.
• Plan to use Shop Pay, or Plus features such as checkout customization and expansion stores.

BigCommerce can fit better if you:

• Have a large, complex catalog and prefer features built in rather than added with apps.
• Want developers to work directly on checkout code without an enterprise plan.
• Already run well on BigCommerce and your sales sit comfortably within your plan's limit.

Moving from BigCommerce to Shopify

Products, variants, customers, order history, content and redirects all move across, and BigCommerce customer groups become Shopify B2B companies and catalogs. Passwords can't move between platforms, but Shopify's current customer accounts sign people in with a one-time email code, so nobody needs to reset a password. See how we handle a BigCommerce to Shopify migration, or read why enterprise brands switch from BigCommerce to Shopify.

Frequently asked questions

Is BigCommerce cheaper than Shopify? The plan prices are almost the same: $29, $79 and $299 a month billed yearly on both. The real difference comes with growth, because BigCommerce plans have sales limits and Shopify's standard plans don't.

Does BigCommerce have sales limits? Yes. BigCommerce lists limits of $30,000 a year on Core and $100,000 a year on Growth, and $33,333 a month on Scale, with a 0.9% fee above it. Above a limit, your plan moves up.

Does Shopify have sales limits? Not on Basic, Grow or Advanced. On Shopify Plus, high-volume brands may be offered a revenue-based fee.

Which is better for B2B? Shopify includes B2B companies, payment terms and up to 3 catalogs on every main plan. BigCommerce puts customer groups on Growth and above and price lists on Performance.

Which has more apps? Shopify has the larger app ecosystem.

Can I move from BigCommerce to Shopify without losing SEO? Yes, with a full redirect plan. Every old URL gets a 301 redirect to its new Shopify address. See our Shopify migration SEO guide.

Thinking about switching?

We move US brands from BigCommerce to Shopify and Shopify Plus with data, redirects and rankings intact. See our BigCommerce to Shopify migration service, or book a free consultation.