WooCommerce and BigCommerce are the two main alternatives for merchants who do not want, or no longer want, Shopify. They take opposite approaches. WooCommerce is a free, open-source plugin that turns a WordPress site into a store you host, extend and maintain yourself. BigCommerce is a hosted SaaS platform with a monthly subscription, strong built-in features and no transaction fees of its own, popular with growing brands and B2B sellers. This guide compares them head to head on what decides the choice: total cost of ownership, control, maintenance, built-in features, B2B, SEO and how each scales.
Quick verdict. Choose WooCommerce if you already run WordPress, want full control of design, data and code, publish a lot of content, and have a developer or agency to maintain the site. Choose BigCommerce if you want a hosted store with strong built-in features, predictable maintenance, solid B2B tools and no plugin juggling, and you accept sales-based plan upgrades as you grow. For a view that includes Shopify, see our Shopify vs WooCommerce vs BigCommerce comparison.
At a Glance
| WooCommerce | BigCommerce | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Open-source plugin for WordPress, self-hosted | Hosted SaaS platform |
| Software price | Free | Standard about $29 to $39, Plus about $79 to $105, Pro about $299 to $399 per month, Enterprise custom |
| Hosting | You pay for it, roughly $15 to $300 per month depending on traffic | Included |
| Transaction fees | None from WooCommerce, payment processor fees apply | None from BigCommerce, payment processor fees apply |
| Sales limits | None | Plans have annual online sales thresholds that trigger upgrades |
| Maintenance | You handle updates, security, backups | Handled by BigCommerce |
| B2B features | Through extensions | Strong built-in B2B options, especially on higher plans |
| Best for | Content-led brands, WordPress sites, full control | Growing brands, large catalogs, B2B and wholesale |
Prices vary by billing cycle and change over time, and third-party sources disagree on BigCommerce's exact sales thresholds. Confirm current figures on BigCommerce's pricing page and with your hosting provider.
The PURIST Fit Score: How We Compare Them
| Dimension | What it measures | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Flexibility and control | Customization, ownership of code and data, extension choice | 25% |
| Ease and maintenance | Setup, daily management, updates and security effort | 25% |
| Total cost of ownership | Software, hosting, extensions, apps and maintenance over time | 30% |
| Scale and commerce features | Catalog size, B2B, multi-storefront, performance at volume | 20% |
The Head-to-Head Comparison
| Platform | Flexibility and control | Ease and maintenance | Total cost of ownership | Scale and commerce features | PURIST Fit Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WooCommerce | 10/10 | 5/10 | 8/10 | 7/10 | 7.6/10 |
| BigCommerce | 7/10 | 9/10 | 7/10 | 9/10 | 7.9/10 |
BigCommerce edges ahead for most merchants because it removes hosting and maintenance work and scales with built-in features. WooCommerce wins clearly when control, content and WordPress matter most, and it can be cheaper for small stores with a capable developer.
Feature-by-Feature Breakdown
Setup and daily management
BigCommerce is ready in hours: pick a theme, add products, connect payments and go live. Hosting, security, updates and performance are handled for you. WooCommerce requires a WordPress site, hosting, a theme, a payment extension and configuration, and then ongoing updates for WordPress, WooCommerce, the theme and every plugin. Many WooCommerce stores rely on a developer or agency for this work.
Design and customization
WooCommerce gives total freedom: any WordPress theme, page builder or custom code, and access to the full source. BigCommerce offers themes, a visual page builder and theme code editing, plus a headless option for custom front ends, but within the limits of a hosted platform.
Product catalog and built-in commerce features
BigCommerce includes many features natively that WooCommerce often adds through extensions: product options and variants at scale, faceted search, multi-currency, customer groups, price lists on higher plans, abandoned cart recovery on paid plans above the entry tier, and selling across channels such as marketplaces and social. WooCommerce can do nearly everything through its extension ecosystem, but each extension adds cost, setup and maintenance.
B2B and wholesale
BigCommerce has a strong reputation for B2B, with customer groups, price lists, quotes, purchase orders and a B2B edition for more advanced needs. WooCommerce supports B2B through extensions for wholesale pricing, quotes and company accounts, which works well but takes assembly.
SEO and content
WooCommerce benefits from WordPress, the most widely used content platform, with mature SEO plugins and full control over URLs, schema and content. BigCommerce has solid built-in SEO features, customizable URLs and a blog, but content-heavy brands usually find WordPress more capable.
Performance and security
On BigCommerce, performance and security are the platform's responsibility, including PCI compliance for checkout. On WooCommerce, they depend on your hosting, caching, plugins and maintenance. A well-managed WooCommerce store can be fast and secure; a neglected one is a common source of problems.
Payments
WooCommerce works with WooPayments, Stripe, PayPal and many other gateways. BigCommerce supports dozens of gateways, including PayPal, Stripe, Adyen and Braintree, and charges no transaction fee of its own on any plan. In both cases, payment processor fees apply.
The Real Cost Comparison Nobody Publishes
Approximate annual cost by store size, based on public list prices and typical third-party ranges. These are planning estimates, before payment processing fees.
| Store profile | WooCommerce | BigCommerce |
|---|---|---|
| Small store, under $50K in annual sales | about $500 to $1,500 (hosting, a few extensions, theme) | about $350 to $470 (Standard) plus any paid apps |
| Growing store, $50K to $200K | about $1,500 to $4,000 (better hosting, more extensions) | about $950 to $1,260 (Plus) plus apps |
| Established store, $200K to $400K | about $3,000 to $8,000, often with developer support | about $3,600 to $4,800 (Pro) plus apps |
| High volume or B2B | Custom, mostly hosting and development | Enterprise, custom |
Maintenance is the hidden variable on WooCommerce. If someone on your team handles updates, costs stay low. If you pay an agency for care plans, add roughly $50 to $300 per month. On BigCommerce, the variable is the sales threshold: as your online sales grow, you are moved to a higher plan, regardless of whether you need its features.
Hidden Costs and Traps
WooCommerce extensions are often yearly subscriptions, commonly $50 to $200 per year each, and a typical store uses several.
Cheap hosting gets expensive. Slow pages and downtime cost sales. Budget for quality managed hosting once the store has real traffic.
BigCommerce sales thresholds. Plans are tied to trailing twelve-month online sales, and crossing the limit means an automatic upgrade or a custom Enterprise quote. Check the current thresholds before you commit.
Apps on both sides. Reviews, subscriptions, advanced search and loyalty programs often require paid apps on both platforms.
Migration cost. Moving products, customers, orders and URLs between platforms is possible but takes planning, especially to protect SEO with proper redirects.
Which Platform Fits Which Business
- Content-led brand already on WordPress: WooCommerce.
- Merchant who wants no hosting or maintenance work: BigCommerce.
- B2B or wholesale seller with customer-specific pricing: BigCommerce.
- Store with unusual requirements and a developer on hand: WooCommerce.
- Large catalog with many variants and channels: BigCommerce.
- Very small store on a tight budget with technical skills: WooCommerce.
If you are still choosing a website platform in general, our Squarespace vs Webflow vs WordPress vs Wix comparison may help.
Where n8n Fits in the Picture
Both platforms have APIs and webhooks, and n8n has native nodes for WooCommerce and connects to BigCommerce through its API. That lets you automate the work around the store: send new orders to your accounting tool, alert the team in Slack about large orders, update inventory from a supplier feed, add customers to email flows, create support tickets from delivery issues, and build daily sales reports. Because these workflows sit outside the store, they keep working if you migrate later. See our guide to e-commerce automation workflows.
How to Choose in Five Questions
- 1 Do you already run WordPress, and does content drive your sales?
- 2 Who will maintain the store, and how much is their time worth?
- 3 What are your expected online sales in the next two to three years?
- 4 Do you sell B2B, wholesale or across many channels?
- 5 Which features would require paid extensions or apps on each platform?
Frequently Asked Questions
Is WooCommerce better than BigCommerce?
WooCommerce is better for control, customization and content-led stores on WordPress. BigCommerce is better for merchants who want a hosted platform with strong built-in features, less maintenance and solid B2B tools.
Is WooCommerce really free?
The plugin is free, but you pay for hosting, a domain, often a premium theme, extensions and maintenance. Third-party guides put a typical store at roughly $500 to $3,000 or more per year.
How much does BigCommerce cost?
Public list prices are about $29 to $39 per month for Standard, $79 to $105 for Plus and $299 to $399 for Pro depending on billing, with Enterprise priced on request. Plans have annual sales thresholds. Confirm on BigCommerce's pricing page.
Does BigCommerce charge transaction fees?
BigCommerce does not charge its own transaction fees on its plans. Your payment processor still charges its standard fees.
Which is better for SEO?
Both can rank well. WooCommerce benefits from WordPress's content tools and SEO plugins and full control. BigCommerce offers solid built-in SEO features and handles performance for you.
Which is better for B2B?
BigCommerce, thanks to built-in customer groups, price lists, quotes and a B2B edition. WooCommerce can handle B2B with extensions.
Can I migrate from WooCommerce to BigCommerce?
Yes. BigCommerce and third-party services support migrations of products, customers and orders. Plan URL redirects carefully to protect your search rankings.
Can I automate my WooCommerce or BigCommerce store?
Yes. Both have APIs and webhooks, and n8n can connect them to accounting, inventory, email marketing, support and reporting tools.
Sources and Further Reading
Pricing reflects public vendor pages and third-party guides at the time of writing; sources disagree on some BigCommerce sales thresholds. Confirm current details on WooCommerce and BigCommerce before you decide.
To connect your store to accounting, inventory, email and support so orders flow without manual work, book a free automation audit.
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Purist Team
The PURIST editorial team covers automation, AI agents, and operations strategy for businesses scaling with n8n, Make, and Claude AI.
