BigCommerce vs WooCommerce | Which Platform Is Best for Online Business?

Ecommerce is an emerging term of this decade, which means electronic commerce, and is the act of buying and selling your goods and services online.

These purchases made over the internet also account for the total amount of money that is spent online, and the data that is gathered through the execution of these transactions.

What has been found, in recent times, is that this eCommerce trend is still on the rise, and may reach new heights in 2020.

The big debate that has arisen due to this eCommerce phenomenon is the bigcommerce vs. woocommerce subject.

This came about when people thought that having an online presence was a tough job, but then platforms such as BigCommerce and WooCommerce helped build easy solutions online, and many companies then followed this trend. This led to multiple possibilities and opportunities for almost all kinds of organizations around the globe.

Most of the stores, who were in the retail business, after this online selling trend, moved their businesses over the internet, while some people started new businesses that only catered to the online market.

Now, from supermarkets, to fashion brands, you can find each and every product or service being offered in the eCommerce arena.

As the woocommerce vs. bigcommerce debate is still fiery, let’s introduce these two platforms first, before focusing on what strengths and weaknesses each one has.

Introduction to bigcommerce vs woocommerce:

• BigCommerce:

Bigcommerce App Development is a known eCommerce builder for various websites and is proud to have helped approximately 100,000 people with building their online stores with ease.

But what does an eCommerce builder do? That is fairly simple to understand. The builder just helps you create an online store for yourself, giving you a platform to enter the eCommerce website arena, and alongside, it also helps to guide you how to manage your website in the best possible manner, with Bigcommerce Support Services in the technicalities of the website and tips on how to put your sales on boost in order to become a successful online business overall.

Just like retail companies put up shelves in their stores and use different methods and techniques of selling their products or services off, BigCommerce acts like that too, by providing the people all the necessary tools they may need during their sales, and also leaves you an instruction manual which is a handy guidebook if you ever face any problem.

BigCommerce not only helps to provide tools but also has multiple built-in features that would help the business flourish in no time. It is a brilliant choice for beginners who are looking to shift their already-running business online, or even if someone wants to altogether start a new business online. BigCommerce, itself, claims that each year their businesspeople over the internet grow by an estimated 28%.

• WooCommerce:

WooCommerce is a little different from BigCommerce and serves a different purpose too. WooCommrce is a WordPress plugin that is open-source, and it offers the already-existing websites, an opportunity to sell over the internet. This means that WooCommerce development  is only useful in the case of websites that are already existing, and works as an add-on plugin that transforms the standard website into a complete online store.

WooCommerce is an attachment to WordPress, as it was developed by the same web development company, Automattic.

WooCommerce has attracted a lot of people, and the internet ratings also show that it is now described as one of the most customizable platforms or eCommerce on the internet, thus, making it a highly popular option, especially for WordPress users.

Though it integrates very easily and gives a seamless outlook, WooCommerce does not have much help or backend support available for people who are looking for solutions to overcome the problems they may encounter during the process.

This availability and non-availability of technical support and guidelines lead to even more of a debate between woocommerce vs. Bigcommerce Development Company, and we shall soon be looking into more comparisons between the two, to help you with making the right choice according to your eCommerce needs.

As this Google Trend that has been obtained shows very clearly, that in the past 5 years, at least, WooCommerce has a complete edge over BigCommerce, and this interest in WooCommerce is still in the growing stage.

More than 50% of the websites that are online businesses at the moment use WooCommerce as their eCommerce platform, and companies mostly prefer it over BigCommerce.

Now, there might be multiple reasons for it, and we have analyzed some pros and cons of both platforms for our audience in this big woocommerce vs. bigcommerce debate, and have presented it below.

Not only have we stated some pros and cons, but further on we have also shown a comparison chart listing down all the aspects that are present in one and not in the other, for a better comparison between the two.

• Advantages and Disadvantages – bigcommerce vs woocommerce:

Following present some of the advantages and disadvantages of both of these eCommerce platforms, which could help you determine which of the two, woocommerce vs. bigcommerce, is better for your business.

• BigCommerce:

Advantages	Disadvantages
1.    Easy Purchase:   The BigCommerce purchase plan is quick and very easy. A store on this platform can be bought by purchasing any of the subscription plans available for the businesses, and payment can easily be made through PayPal, as it is their payment partner.	1.    Customization Abilities:   There is a lack of customizable options because people are only limited to and can only use the tools and options available to them on the BigCommerce platform, and cannot be customized.   Whereas, each business has its own needs and wants. This clash makes it a little difficult to get the complete outcome desired.
2.    No Limit on Goods:   BigCommerce also has no limit to the number of goods the business would want to sell through this online platform, nor does it limit the number of categories and options that the company wants to offer to their customers.	2.   Plan Limitations:   Certain limitations are placed on the number of sales the company achieves annually, depending on the monthly plan the company has availed.   If the company tends to exceed their annual sales targets, then it is prompted by BigCommerce to buy a more expensive monthly subscription plan to fit their needs.
3.    Unlimited Accounts:   BigCommerce offers the business an unlimited number of staff accounts that the company wants to make on their website, which leads to all company staff being on board and not left out.	3.   Lesser Theme Options:   Due to the low customizability of BigCommerce and the necessary usage of available templates only, the companies using BigCommerce often face similar themes issues that they are not comfortable with.   Along with that, some companies may also find it difficult to layout their content on the website, as it is not in the manner they would have preferred otherwise.
4.    Foreign Currency:   Not all of the customers are from the same country, which means that the customer pool is a mix of different countries holding different currencies.   Thus, BigCommerce makes transactions in multiple currencies easier, as well as, gives the choice of shipping costs to the company to set according to their needs.	4.   Lesser Typeface Options:   Not only themes, but BigCommerce also has a limitation on the kind of typefaces it has to offer, leading to very limited and boring choices for the company presenting their business, as they would otherwise like to have eye-catching typefaces to attract more customers.
5.    Built-in Features:   BigCommerce business websites come with a built-in blog option, which allows the customers to read real reviews and blogs about certain aspects of the website, or about the products and services, and then go ahead to make their choice.   For every product or service, there is also the rating available from the feedback of the previous customers, letting new customers make a better choice.	5.   App Unavailability:   Though Bigcommerce web design company is a great way to reach the maximum audience through different platforms where it is allowed to sell, for example, Facebook, Instagram, and even Amazon.   But, it does not have any specific application developed to run it on the phone as yet, which makes it hard to navigate and work with, as you need to get hold of other gadgets to work with it.

 

• WooCommerce:

Advantages	Disadvantages
1.    Open Source:   WooCommerce web design is completely open-source, which means that any company or designer who is handling the company’s website has open access to it, and can make any desired according to the business’s needs.   Moreover, good news for WooCommerce users is that it is entirely free.	1.    Slow Speed:   WooCommerce users, usually, are pleased with its performance and keep on downloading the plugins for more and more options.   But, what they do not realize is that their downloading speed is greatly affected by so many plugins, and makes the downloads slower.
2.    Customizable:   Unlike the BigCommerce platform, WooCommerce is highly customizable. First of all, the business gets to choose from thousands of different themes present which one suits them.   Once the theme is selected, the designer can then move on to changing its design too, for example, the header, the footer, the sheets of products, etc.	2.   Memory:   Another issue related to the one aforementioned is the memory that these plugins take when you download too many.   The plugins take up a lot of the memory, and make the process of downloads further slow down and more time consuming than usual.
3.    The WooCommerce Community:   The fact that WooCommerce is open-source; it has a large community of contributors, who are both developers and users.   Due to having a large community, there are also multiple articles, documentaries, and user guides available from different users that could help solve the problems on my face.	3.   Payment Required:   Yes, that’s right. Even though WooCommerce downloading and starting is free, some of its options have a cost attached to them.   Some extensions and plugins that are required to enhance the business’s websites are to be paid for, and may even have to be bought on monthly subscription plans.
4.    Discontinuation:   Because WooCommerce is used by so many people, it has a flow of updates that are useful for the users.   In case WooCommerce loses its customer base, Automattic (the company that founded WooCommerce) could easily discontinue it, and with no more updates, the rest of the leftover users will also stop using it, making it an easy discontinuation process.	4.   Update Frequency:   The fact that so many developers and contributors are consistently working on WooCommerce all the time, there are multiple updates coming in all the time.   Though these updates are a great help, their frequency really disrupts the smooth running of the business, and so much updating all the time is not feasible as it consumes a lot of work time.
5.    Adaptation:   WooCommerce adapts to all kinds of businesses and markets very easily, making it highly flexible and an excellent option for any sort of business function.   It can easily be attached to any business model, and can sell all kinds of products, be it physical, or virtual or even downloadable options.	5.   Multi-Currency Issue:   As we have seen above, BigCommerce provides an easy multi-currency transaction option, which, in the case of WooCommerce, is absent.   Through WooCommerce, it is actually not so easy to conduct a multi-currency transaction, and the goods and services need to be bought in the currency that is set by the business only.

 

• Which is better?

The table below shows which aspect is better in which eCommerce platform in this fight between woocommerce vs. bigcommerce for the audience to have a better idea which one suits the needs of their specific business.

Bigcommerce vs. Woocommerce – A Comparative Analysis

Comparative Aspects	BigCommerce	WooCommerce
Ease of Use	More	Less
Development Time	Less	More
Design Flexibility / Customizability	Less	More
Compatibility with System Setup	More	Less
Compatibility with Business Setup	Less	More
SEO Marketing	More	Less
Technical Help and Customer Support	More	Less
Tools and Features	More	Less
Advanced Features	More	Less
Setup Fees	More	Less
Pricing	Same	Same
Payment Options	Less	More
Scalability	More	Less
Security	More	Less
Plugin Complexity	Less	More

 

• Ease of Use:

BigCommerce is easier to use because it already has in place a lot of similar-looking templates, giving a good base to build upon, which causes less confusion for business people and have support at hand, which makes it a great one for beginners.

WooCommerce is a more technical platform, being limited to only eCommerce functionality, and does not offer other certificates like BigCommerce. You need technical knowledge and some IT skills to start work on it.

• Development Time:

BigCommerce has a lesser development time because it has most of the functionalities already built-in and has everything available at hand. At maximum, it would take a day or two in order to get an online store running on this platform.

WooCommerce takes longer because firstly, you need to have WordPress already in place before you can start with this plugin; if not, that would take a separate time. Next, it gives multiple editing options, so people usually take a good amount of time only in this editing and customization phase.

• Design Flexibility / Customizability:

BigCommerce does not give many customization solutions; only the basic fonts, navigation, placements, etc. can be changed. Also, BigCommerce only gives a few similar-looking templates to work with, though it is easier to customize because of fewer options.

WooCommerce gives multiple customization options, and more plugins can be installed for further increase in options, which are less costly than BigCommerce. Though, these customization solutions give so much choice to the business that they may get confused and waste time on it.

Read Also:

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• Compatibility with System Setup:

BigCommerce can settle in with any kind of setup and has no specifications. Though, phone applications have still not developed for its proper functioning on cellphone devices as well.

WooCommerce, on the other hand, is not system-friendly, and needs a WordPress prerequisite available already, as it is a WordPress plugin, so it won’t work without it.

• Compatibility with Business Setup:

BigCommerce has a hard time adapting to different kinds of businesses and providing them the options that they need because of its thematic and typeface limitations.

WooCommerce is highly customizable, and therefore, takes the upper hand in adapting to any sort of business, and giving multiple product-appropriate options to its users, in order to enhance their website according to their business needs.

• SEO Marketing:

BigCommerce lets you edit Meta Titles, Descriptions, URLs, Images, and Keyboard support, along with an SSL built-in certificate, which gives it a more secure feel and an edge over WooCommerce.

WooCommerce also lets you edit all the things that BigCommerce does in order to optimize your SEO marketing but less than comparatively with Shopify SEO features; it still does not have an SSL certificate attached to it.

• Technical Help and Customer Support:

BigCommerce has an online support system running all the time, with email, phone, and even live chat options available for its users. Moreover, the user forum that BigCommerce has developed is also full of ideas and solutions for its users to take help from.

WooCommerce technical help and support is vague and sparse. Though it has a bigger community, and also has a help center by the name WooCommerce Docs, apart from that, little support is otherwise available.

• Tools and Features:

BigCommerce mostly has all of the tools and features already built-in on the platform, and offers all the standard features and solutions free of cost. These include basic marketing tools, PayPal payment method, basic reporting system, etc.

WooCommerce, even though it has more or less the same options available within it, it does have a cost attached to some of them, which may be a one-time expenditure or a monthly plan. Additional features and solutions need to be bought.

• Advanced Features:

BigCommerce also has built-in advanced features that are better set up than WooCommerce. For example, BigCommerce offers dedicated hosting, an intuitive dashboard and control panel, higher mobile responsiveness, more abandoned cart saving options, BigCommerce integration with shopping sites that are in comparison, and seamless email marketing through MailChimp.

WooCommerce, on the other hand, has to course the hosting service, offers only a basic kind of dashboard, its mobile responsiveness varies with its parent theme, abandoned cart features needs to be bought, it does not integrate with any comparison shopping sites, and email marketing can only be achieved through additional codes and plugins.

• Setup Fees:

Bigcommerce is a paid eCommerce platform, with multiple plans in place for the business to choose from.

WooCommerce is initially free, if you already have a WordPress site, though, if you do not, then you need to get a WordPress site first.

• Pricing:

BigCommerce pricing plans has monthlypackages which are as follows:

• Standard for $29.95 per month
• Plus for $79.95 per month
• Pro for $249.95 per month
• Enterprise plan, which BigCommerce would quote for you according to your business needs

Though, BigCommerce gives a 15-day free trial option too, so people can use and evaluate it even before paying for it.

WooCommerce has additional charges attached to it, and needs you to purchase the following in order to make it better and more usable:

• Theme for $39 one-time
• SSL security for an additional $9 per year
• Hosting for an additional $10 per year

So, even though WooCommerce seems to be free, it has some hidden costs, making both of these eCommerce platforms equally costly.

• Payment Options:

BigCommerce accepts debit and credit cards, and payments from getaways like PayPal, Square, Stripe, Apple Pay, etc. Also, BigCommerce supports multi-currency transactions.

WooCommerce also offers all the above-mentioned getaways options, as well as credit and debit card options, but it also further gives 100 more options of getaways through which people can make payments. Though, it does not support multi-currency transactions.

• Scalability:

BigCommerce is a complete host and solves all the issues itself, without the user having to worry about backup, storage, updates, downtime, or security. It is all taken care of by BigCommerce.

WooCommerce is a platform that is self-hosted, and thus, the user is responsible for all the things mentioned above himself. This makes the process more complex and time-consuming overall.

• Security:

BigCommerce has a built-in security feature in the form of an SSL certificate that keeps it in place with the strong security and safety measures.

WooCommerce, being an open-source platform, does not have this feature in-built; therefore, it needs to be bought on a monthly basis and be upgraded from time to time.

• Plugin Complexity:

BigCommerce is a SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) platform, which automatically updates the platform whenever required, and has great scalability and a robust engine for commerce.

WooCommerce can be customized as it is open source, but it needs additional plugins to always update and manage, and these additional plugins overload the system, making it slower in its overall functionality.

Conclusion:

It is a tough decision between the two eCommerce platform, and this debate between bigcommerce vs. woocommerce has been very tough and a close tie, as each one has its own pros and cons, which give them an edge over each other in different categories, so making a choice is really in the hands of the business owner, and depends on the kind of business they want to take online.

This could possibly help to determine which to choose from woocommerce vs. bigcommerce because if the business is an actual store, with the owner not really tech-savvy and still wants to take his business online,

BigCommerce will come in handy, as it is suitable for beginners and for shops wanting to change a physical business to an online venture.

Though, if a business owner already has some technical knowledge and a WordPress presence, their best choice would be to take up WooCommerce, which would give them ample of customization options and make their virtual profile a hit.

Thus, it eventually comes down to what kind of business and business personnel are involved.

FAQs

Q.1.) Is BigCommerce or WooCommerce better for small businesses?

BigCommerce shows better potential for small businesses than WooCommerce. This decision relies on the facts stated above in the article already, that BigCommerce is much easier to use than WooCommerce, it also takes a lesser time to develop an online store (maybe only a day or 2), and there is ample customer and technical support available all the time for helping out the businesses that are setting up.

In addition, small businesses do not need to worry about security, which is a built-in feature in BigCommerce, along with easy compatibility of it with any system set up the business has, and the business can avail many tools and advanced features at the one-time payment cost, for which, WooCommerce would charge a higher cost overall.

Q.2.) Email Marketing: Which has the best feature BigCommerce or WooCommerce?

Both, BigCommerce and WooCommerce, have the advanced feature of email marketing available for its users, but there is a difference between how they offer it.

In the case of BigCommerce, the email marketing option is already a built-in feature with easy email marketing through MailChimp.

Whereas, for WooCommerce users, this is not a free-of-cost option, and they need to buy certain additional codes and plugins in order to make use of the email marketing feature.

Q.3.) How to compare BigCommerce Dashboard and WooCommerce Dashboard?

The dashboard is again, a built-in option with the plan the user buys for BigCommerce. Their dashboard is very intuitive, creative, and highly accurate and comes with a control panel feature.

On the other hand, the WooCommerce dashboard is very basic, fulfilling just the initial need, and not offering anything significant, making it a less desirable choice in this case.

Q.4.) Is BigCommerce more Mobile responsiveness or woocommerce?

The fact that BigCommerce is easily compatible with different systems, its mobile responsiveness is also higher than WooCommerce, and BigCommerce also gives an option to its users to view how the website would look in different devices, including the mobile mode, too.

WooCommerce also has fair mobile responsiveness if the business uses the themes that are already in-built in the system. However, if the user has resorted to further plugins to avail more customization on themes, then its mobile responsiveness will vary and will be based on the parent theme that the business is using.

Q.5.) Why BigCommerce is relatively more customizable than woocommerce?

If we compare bigcommerce vs. woocommerce in terms of innate customization features, then BigCommerce presents more in-built options and tools to edit, customize, and begin an online store in a shorter amount of time than WooCommerce.

Though, if a user is willing to spend money on buying additional plugins and themes, then WooCommerce has multiple options to choose from that can be bought, making WooCommerce more customizable than BigCommerce in this case.