E-Commerce SaaS: Shopify vs BigCommerce Fees Compared
The stakes have never been higher for e-commerce businesses navigating the SaaS landscape. Global e-commerce is projected to hit $8 trillion in sales by 2027, putting immense pressure on decision-makers to select platforms that optimize both profitability and operational flexibility. If you’re weighing Shopify vs BigCommerce for your online storefront, understanding fees, total cost of ownership, and value is essential to making a strategic choice.
This comprehensive review is tailored for business leaders, IT managers, and entrepreneurs determined to maximize ROI from their SaaS investments. You’ll get a granular comparison of all the key fee structures, pricing tiers, and what each platform delivers in terms of value beyond the headline price. We’ll dive into transaction fees, payment gateway nuances, staff account limitations, and extras that easily tip the balance between platforms. If you want to make an informed, future-ready decision, you’re in the right place.
Read on for a breakdown of the true costs of Shopify vs BigCommerce, insights into how recent SaaS trends are reshaping e-commerce, and expert answers to your most pressing questions.
Shopify vs BigCommerce: Pricing Structures & SaaS Essentials
When comparing Shopify vs BigCommerce, it’s easy to assume costs are similar—but the details reveal clear winners depending on your business model.
Core Subscription Costs
- Shopify Plans:
- Basic: $29–$39/month
- Shopify: $79–$105/month
- Advanced: $299/month
- Enterprise (Shopify Plus): Starting around $2,300/month
- BigCommerce Plans:
- Standard: $29.95/month
- Plus: $79.95/month
- Pro: $299.95/month
- Enterprise: Custom, tailored for high-volume sellers
Both platforms frequently offer free trials (15 days for BigCommerce, 14 days for Shopify), giving you a risk-free way to evaluate features and fit.
Transaction Fees: The Hidden Differentiator
- BigCommerce: No transaction fees on any plan, regardless of which payment gateway you use. This model is a major win for margins, especially for sellers with high order volumes or those using best-in-class third-party payment providers.
- Shopify: Transaction fees vary based on your plan (0.5%–2.0%) for third-party payments. However, using Shopify Payments eliminates these fees, but it's only available in select countries and comes with its own processing charges.
Example: Run $10,000 in third-party transactions monthly
- Shopify Basic (2% fee) = $200 in platform transaction fees
- BigCommerce = $0 additional platform fees
Payment Gateways & Credit Card Fees
- Shopify: Supports over 100 payment gateways. Transparent about added costs if you avoid Shopify Payments (fees differ by plan and geography).
- BigCommerce: About 45 gateways, fewer options but no platform-imposed fees. However, gateway processing fees still apply (e.g., PayPal via Braintree typically 2.05%–2.59% per transaction).
App Ecosystem and Additional Costs
- Shopify’s lower-tier plans may lack reporting tools and some must-have features (like advanced shipping rates and reviews), requiring third-party apps or higher subscription plans.
- BigCommerce bundles a broader feature set with each subscription, reducing “hidden” costs on apps and add-ons.
Key Features That Impact Total Cost
When reviewing Shopify vs BigCommerce fees, it’s not just the sticker price that matters—it’s what you get for your SaaS investment.
Staff Accounts and Roles
| Feature | Shopify | BigCommerce |
|---|---|---|
| Staff Accounts | 2–15 (depends on plan) | Unlimited |
BigCommerce delivers unlimited user accounts at every level, crucial for larger teams or B2B operations. Shopify imposes stricter limits unless you’re on the highest tier or using Shopify Plus.
Reporting & Analytics
- Shopify: Professional-grade reports are not included with the Basic plan. Upgrading is the only way to get detailed sales, traffic, or finance insights.
- BigCommerce: Offers powerful reporting tools even in the standard package, enabling better decision-making with less up-front cost.
Abandoned Cart Recovery
- Shopify: Included in all plans—helps you recapture sales lost at checkout.
- BigCommerce: Only available on Plus plans and above (starting at $79.95/month).
Shipping Features
- Shopify: Real-time shipping rates available only on higher plans.
- BigCommerce: Offers real-time quotes at every plan level—a significant perk for businesses with complex shipping needs.
Unlimited Product Variants
- BigCommerce: Up to 600 SKUs per product, ideal for those with extensive catalogs.
- Shopify: Capped at 100 variants per product (more possible with paid apps).
Total Cost of Ownership: Not Just Fees
Factoring in Shopify vs BigCommerce means more than monthly bills. Consider time-to-launch, future upgrade flexibility, integration costs, and revenue sharing.
- Shopify often shines for new businesses, with rapid setup and a massive app marketplace, but incremental fees, app needs, and user limitations add up over time.
- BigCommerce can be marginally cheaper over the long term, particularly for established or fast-growing merchants leveraging multiple user roles and advanced catalog features out of the box.
Some recent reviews found Shopify’s overall cost of ownership edging out BigCommerce as businesses scale, thanks to lower implementation and app costs on enterprise-level subscriptions.
What's Trending Now: Relevant Current Development
Recent developments suggest the SaaS e-commerce market is rapidly evolving, and platform fee structures remain a key battleground for customer loyalty and profitability.
- Zero transaction fees: BigCommerce has leaned hard into the no-transaction-fee model, which is quickly becoming a must-have for many merchants looking to maximize margins and reduce complexity. Industry experts indicate this approach may push Shopify and other SaaS providers to reassess their fee structures, particularly as global competition intensifies.
- Integrated payment ecosystems: Shopify’s push for merchants to adopt Shopify Payments underscores a wider SaaS trend—platforms increasingly build proprietary financial ecosystems. This strategy helps boost revenue but can create challenges for global merchants in unsupported regions or those needing niche or local payment gateways.
- Advanced localization: Both platforms now offer more features aimed at international and omnichannel sellers, such as currency conversion and localized checkout, often as paid upgrades. Investors and IT leaders should track how fee models adapt to these increasingly global SaaS demands.
- Modular feature buying: Current discussions in SaaS signal a shift to customizable pricing based on actual feature usage, rather than rigid plans. If this trend accelerates, expect more granular control but greater complexity when comparing total ownership costs.
Overall, SaaS shoppers need to monitor how these evolving pricing and feature structures affect not just overhead, but long-term scalability and competitive edge in the #Ecommerce space.
FAQ: Shopify vs BigCommerce Fees
1. What is the main fee difference between Shopify and BigCommerce?
BigCommerce does not charge platform transaction fees, no matter which payment gateway you use. Shopify waives its own fees if you use Shopify Payments, but charges up to 2% per transaction for most third-party processors.
2. Does Shopify outpace BigCommerce on basic plan costs?
Shopify and BigCommerce have similar starting prices ($29–$39/month), but Shopify’s lower plans often require paid add-ons to match BigCommerce’s out-of-the-box features.
3. How do credit card processing fees work on both platforms?
All merchants pay credit card processing fees (usually to PayPal, Stripe, etc.). Shopify’s Shopify Payments charges 2.4%–2.9% plus a small per-transaction fee, while BigCommerce’s default options (like PayPal Braintree) typically quote between 2.05%–2.59%.
4. Are there limits on the number of staff accounts?
BigCommerce allows unlimited staff/user accounts on all plans. Shopify caps staff users according to plan—ranging from 2 to 15 unless you upgrade to Shopify Plus.
5. Do either platforms offer enterprise-level solutions?
Yes, both offer enterprise options: Shopify Plus and BigCommerce Enterprise offer premium support, advanced features, and custom pricing for high-volume needs.
6. Which platform is better for international sales?
Both Shopify and BigCommerce now support internationalization, but Shopify has a slight lead with more payment providers and global options—though this may mean more attention to fee differences by country.
7. What are hidden or often-overlooked fees with these SaaS platforms?
Primary costs often missed include fees for add-on apps, payment gateway integration, premium support, and advanced feature unlocks (e.g., abandoned cart recovery in BigCommerce’s Plus plan).
8. Is migration between the two platforms costly or complicated?
Migration is possible but often involves data transfer costs, downtime, and some technical overhead. Scope your needs carefully before switching to ensure cost savings outweigh migration expenses.
Conclusion: Which SaaS Platform Is Right for You?
Selecting Shopify or BigCommerce hinges on your unique business structure, expected order volume, staffing needs, and appetite for global expansion. For many, BigCommerce stands out with no transaction fees and greater included features per dollar, making it an attractive choice for those prioritizing simplicity and future-proof scalability. Shopify, on the other hand, offers a massive app ecosystem and a streamlined experience for growing businesses, particularly if you commit to Shopify Payments.
If maximizing margin is your key driver, BigCommerce is hard to beat in the Shopify vs BigCommerce comparison. If rapid launch, app flexibility, and international reach rank higher, Shopify deserves a deeper look. Either way, understanding all aspects of fees and feature access is essential for a confident SaaS investment.
Ready to explore more? Check out our in-depth guides on [E-Commerce Platform Selection], [Best Payment Gateways for Indian Businesses], and [SaaS Security Trends] to make your next move with confidence.
Empower your e-commerce journey—compare smart, choose wisely, and build for long-term success in the #Ecommerce SaaS marketplace.