- BigCommerce is a hosted (SaaS) platform for building online stores, used mainly by mid-size and B2B brands.
- Its strengths are built-in features, B2B tools, multi-storefront and headless options, and no extra platform fee for using third-party payment gateways.
- Pricing is in US dollars and plans are tied to your annual online sales, so growing stores are moved to higher plans.
- Razorpay offers an official BigCommerce plugin for Indian payments, but the India app and developer ecosystem is smaller than Shopify’s or WordPress’s.
What is BigCommerce?
BigCommerce is a hosted ecommerce platform from the United States. Like Shopify, you pay a monthly subscription and BigCommerce handles hosting, security and updates. You design your store with themes, manage products in a dashboard and add features with apps.
It is popular with established brands, wholesalers and B2B sellers who need advanced catalog, pricing and customer-group features without heavy custom development.
Key features
- Strong built-in features: product options, faceted search, reviews and promotions come built in, so you need fewer paid apps.
- B2B tools: customer groups, price lists, quotes and bulk ordering for wholesale buyers.
- Multi-storefront: run several stores, brands or regions from one dashboard.
- Headless commerce: use BigCommerce as the backend with a custom front end such as a WordPress site.
- Channel selling: connect marketplaces and social channels from the platform.
How much does BigCommerce cost?
BigCommerce charges a monthly subscription in US dollars, with lower rates when you pay annually. Its standard plans have annual online sales thresholds: when your store crosses the limit, you are moved to a higher plan. Larger brands get custom enterprise pricing.
BigCommerce is known for not charging its own transaction fee when you use a third-party payment gateway. You still pay your gateway’s fees. Plans and prices change, so always check bigcommerce.com/pricing for current numbers in your currency.
Does BigCommerce work for Indian businesses?
Yes, with some caveats:
- Payments: Razorpay provides an official BigCommerce plugin for UPI, cards, net banking and wallets. Check the plugin’s documentation for supported checkout types and features.
- Billing: plans are billed in US dollars, so costs move with the exchange rate.
- Ecosystem: there are fewer India-focused apps (COD tools, WhatsApp commerce, Indian shipping) and fewer local developers than for Shopify or WordPress.
- GST and shipping: plan your GST invoicing and courier integrations before you choose the platform.
BigCommerce vs Shopify vs WordPress
| BigCommerce | Shopify | WordPress + WooCommerce | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Mid-size and B2B brands | Most D2C brands | Content-led and custom stores |
| Hosting | Included | Included | You arrange it |
| Built-in features | Many | Core features + apps | Plugins |
| B2B | Strong | Available on higher plans or apps | Plugins |
| India ecosystem | Smaller | Large | Large |
| Pricing | USD plans with sales thresholds | Monthly plans | Hosting + plugins |
For most Indian D2C startups, Shopify or WooCommerce is the faster, better-supported choice. BigCommerce becomes interesting when you sell B2B, run several storefronts or plan a headless build.
Should you use BigCommerce?
Consider BigCommerce if you are an established brand with wholesale buyers, a large catalog or several storefronts, and you have a budget in dollars. If you are launching a new D2C brand in India, start with Shopify or WordPress and move later if you outgrow them.
Need advice? Our ecommerce development team can help you choose, and you can compare the two most common choices in WordPress vs Shopify.
Frequently asked questions
Is BigCommerce better than Shopify?
Not for everyone. BigCommerce has more built-in and B2B features, while Shopify has a larger app ecosystem, more themes and more local expertise in India. Most new D2C brands find Shopify simpler.
Is BigCommerce available in India?
Yes. Indian businesses can use BigCommerce and accept payments through gateways such as Razorpay, which offers an official plugin. Billing is in US dollars.
Does BigCommerce charge transaction fees?
BigCommerce is known for not adding its own transaction fee when you use a third-party gateway. Your payment gateway still charges its own fees.
Can BigCommerce work with WordPress?
Yes, in a headless setup. BigCommerce can run the catalog and checkout while WordPress handles your content. BigCommerce has also offered an official WordPress plugin, so check its current support status before you plan around it.