BigCommerce Pricing 2024: Which Plan Should You Choose?

In this article, we'll review BigCommerce pricing plans, highlighting the key features and benefits to help you choose the right plan for your online store.

How Much Does BigCommerce Cost?

Understanding the BigCommerce cost associated with each plan is crucial for budget planning. Currently, BigCommerce offers four different pricing plans: Standard, Plus, Pro, and Enterprise plans.

There are two options to pay for BigCommerce: by month or by year. You will be billed monthly by default. With the annual billing, you can save up to 25%. 

Each BigCommerce package includes an annual sales cap. Once you hit the maximum of the sales cap, your plan will be automatically upgraded.

• Standard plan: Up to $50k
• Plus plan: Up to $180k
• Pro plan: Up to $400k, +$150/monthnth for each additional $200k in online sales
• Enterprise plan: Custom

BigCommerce Pricing: BigCommerce Standard Plan

The BigCommerce Standard plan is the entry-level option for small to medium-sized businesses aiming to establish or expand their online retail presence. With a monthly cost of $39, it's designed to offer a comprehensive set of tools tailored to ecommerce success. 

Key Features

• Drag-and-Drop Page Builder: The drag-and-drop builder facilitates easy customization, enabling users to visually layout their site elements without coding knowledge. This feature allows merchants of all skill levels to craft engaging storefronts.
• Professional Templates: The plan includes 12 free templates, each responsive and optimized for mobile devices. These templates vary in design and layout, providing a professional starting point for businesses across diverse industries. 
• Customization Capability: With support for up to 250 product options and 600 variants per product, merchants can offer a vast array of choices to their customers. This level of customization surpasses the limitations found in competitors like Shopify, where the basic plan restricts product variants significantly.

• Expanded Sales Channels: The ability to sell on platforms such as Facebook, Amazon, eBay, and Instagram directly from the BigCommerce dashboard opens up vast marketing and sales opportunities. This multichannel approach is emphasized as a key strategy for increasing visibility and reaching more customers.
• Engagement Tools: The plan includes features for creating discount codes and gift vouchers, critical for promotional campaigns aimed at boosting sales and customer loyalty. These tools can help you attract new customers and reward repeat business.

• Insightful Data: The Standard plan offers access to detailed reports covering aspects like customer behavior, marketing ROI, and financial overview. These reports are vital for making informed decisions to optimize sales strategies.
• Enhanced Tracking: The integration with Google Analytics allows for an even deeper dive into website traffic and user behavior, facilitating a nuanced understanding of how visitors interact with the store. This integration is particularly valuable for tracking conversions and setting up advanced ecommerce analytics.

• Market Expansion: The option to manage up to 3 separate storefronts under a single account allows businesses to target different customer segments or geographic markets efficiently. This feature supports strategic diversification and niche marketing.
• Seamless Offline Sales: While the Standard plan doesn’t include a proprietary POS system, it supports integration with leading third-party POS providers like Square. This feature bridges the gap between online and physical retail, a critical component for businesses aiming for an omnichannel approach.

Sales Limit

The plan has a yearly sales limit of $50,000. If your sales exceed this, you'll need to move to a more advanced plan. This cap requires strategic planning for businesses on the cusp of exceeding this threshold, underscoring the need to anticipate the transition to higher-tier plans for uninterrupted growth.

Why It’s a Good Choice

The Standard plan is ideal for beginners and small businesses. It's affordable and packed with features that make setting up an online store straightforward. From customizing your site's look to selling across various channels, this plan covers the essentials. The analytics and reporting tools also help you understand your business better, making informed decisions easier.

Who Should Choose It?

• Startups and SMEs: The Standard plan is tailor-made for new businesses establishing their online store or existing ones seeking to broaden their digital footprint.
• Businesses Expanding The Markets: With features supporting extensive product ranges, multi-channel sales, and targeted storefronts, it’s suited for businesses strategizing to capture wider market segments.
• Retailers Exploring Omnichannel Strategies: The integration with external POS systems and the ability to manage multiple online storefronts make this plan ideal for retailers aiming for a cohesive omnichannel approach.

BigCommerce Pricing: BigCommerce Plus Plan

The BigCommerce Plus plan is structured to cater to growing businesses seeking to amplify their online success. Priced at $105 per month, it offers enhanced features designed for increased customer engagement, improved sales conversion, and expanded operational capacity. 

Key Features

• Customer Segmentation and Grouping: Create groups based on customers' behaviors and preferences. This allows for targeted marketing campaigns, offering special promotions to specific segments such as VIP customers, enhancing loyalty and repeat business.
• Abandoned Cart Saver: Automatically send emails to customers who leave items in their cart. This feature significantly increases the chances of converting abandoned carts into sales by reminding customers of their incomplete purchases.
• Stored Credit Cards and Persistent Cart: For returning customers, the ability to store credit card information and retain cart contents across devices makes the checkout process faster and more convenient, encouraging repeat purchases and customer loyalty.
• Reduced Cart Abandonment: The abandoned cart saver, along with persistent cart functionality, tackles common ecommerce challenges, directly contributing to higher conversion rates and increased sales.
• Loyalty and Reward Programs: Utilize customer segmentation to offer rewards and incentives through loyalty programs. This strategic tool not only improves customer retention rates but also increases average order values among frequent shoppers.

Sales Limit

With an annual sales limit of $180,000, the Plus plan supports businesses as they grow, delaying the need for further upgrades and allowing more room for sales expansion.

Why BigCommerce Plus is a Good Choice

• Enhanced Features for Scaling: Beyond the basic features covered in the Standard plan, the Plus plan offers specialized tools that are critical for businesses in the scaling phase, including customer segmentation for personalized marketing and abandoned cart recovery to boost sales.
• Building a Loyal Customer Base: The advanced engagement tools available in the Plus plan not only help in acquiring new customers but are instrumental in retaining them. This is achieved through personalized experiences and convenient shopping features, ensuring customers have reasons to return.

Who Should Choose It?

• Businesses in Growth Phase: The Plus plan is particularly beneficial for businesses experiencing rapid growth and in need of advanced features to support scaling operations efficiently.
• Businesses Focusing on Customer Retention: With tools designed to enhance customer loyalty and engagement, this plan is ideal for businesses aiming to increase repeat purchases and build a loyal customer base.
• Higher Volume Retailers: The increased sales threshold makes the Plus plan suitable for more established retailers, providing ample space for sales growth without immediate constraints.

BigCommerce Pricing: BigCommerce Pro Plan

The BigCommerce Pro plan is specifically designed for larger ecommerce businesses ready to scale up their operations. Priced at $399 per month, this plan is tailored to meet the demands of high-volume sales and advanced online store functionalities. 

Advanced Key Features

• Google Customer Reviews: This feature integrates your store with Google Customer Reviews, allowing you to collect and showcase customer feedback directly on your site and within Google's platforms. It's a powerful tool for building trust with potential customers.

• Product Filtering: The Pro plan introduces advanced product filtering, enabling customers to easily navigate and find products based on specific attributes such as size, color, brand, and price. This functionality significantly enhances the shopping experience and can help boost conversion rates.
• Custom Faceted Search (Product Filtering): This plan offers custom faceted search capabilities, enabling customers to filter products based on various criteria. This advanced feature is designed to improve product discovery and satisfaction by allowing customers to navigate large catalogs effortlessly.

Sales Limit

The Pro plan extends the annual sales limit to $400,000, offering a substantial runway for businesses experiencing rapid growth. This allows for an expanded scope of operations without the immediate need to upgrade plans.

Why BigCommerce Pro is a Good Choice

• Tailored for High-Volume Stores: The Pro plan addresses the complex needs of high-volume stores, including advanced security options, enhanced customer review capabilities, and superior product discovery features, facilitating a robust and scalable ecommerce ecosystem.
• Tools to Maximize Sales: With features like Google Customer Reviews and advanced product filtering, the Pro plan is geared towards optimizing conversion rates by improving customer trust and simplifying product searches, directly impacting sales positively.
• Prepared for Expansion: The increased sales limit is particularly beneficial for businesses on an upward trajectory, ensuring that the platform can support significant growth before requiring an upgrade to an Enterprise plan.

Ideal for Who?

• Established Online Stores: The Pro plan is best suited for well-established online stores that have outgrown the Plus plan, especially those nearing the $180,000 sales limit and seeking more advanced features.
• Businesses Focusing on Brand and Security: For companies where brand consistency and security are paramount, the custom SSL and Google Customer Reviews offer valuable tools to enhance credibility and secure customer data.
• High-Traffic Stores Needing Advanced Features: Stores with high traffic volumes that require sophisticated product discovery tools and the ability to display verified customer reviews will find the Pro plan to be a perfect fit.

BigCommerce Pricing: BigCommerce Enterprise Plan

The BigCommerce Enterprise plan is tailored for large-scale businesses that require advanced functionalities and personalized service to manage their substantial online operations. While the exact pricing is customized based on the specific needs and scale of the business, this plan is designed to offer the utmost flexibility, security, and scalability. 

Key Features

• Advanced API Support: The Enterprise plan provides enhanced API support, allowing for more complex and high-volume data transfers. This is crucial for businesses that rely on real-time inventory management, ERP integrations, and custom app developments.

• Personalized Assistance: Subscribers to the Enterprise plan receive priority support, including a dedicated account manager. This means quicker responses to inquiries and personalized assistance with optimizing your store, troubleshooting, and strategic planning.
• Price Lists: B2B businesses can custom pricing at the SKU level for B2B customer groups.

Sales Limit

Unlike the other plans, the Enterprise plan does not impose a sales cap, offering businesses the freedom to grow without concerns about hitting sales limits or needing to upgrade plans.

Why BigCommerce Enterprise is a Good Choice

• Designed for Scalability and Customization: The Enterprise plan stands out for its ability to be tailored to the specific needs of a business, offering custom solutions that are not available in predefined packages. This includes advanced security options, API capabilities, and personalized support.
• Dedicated Support: With priority support and a dedicated account manager, businesses can navigate the complexities of scaling their operations with expert guidance, ensuring that strategic decisions are informed and impactful.

Ideal for Who?

• Large Ecommerce Operations: The Enterprise plan is ideal for businesses with large online operations that exceed the capabilities and limits of the Pro plan, particularly those needing custom solutions for their unique challenges.
• Businesses with Specialized Needs: Companies that require advanced integrations, custom development, or have specific security requirements will find the flexibility and support of the Enterprise plan invaluable.
• Rapidly Scaling Companies: For businesses experiencing rapid growth or planning for significant expansion, the Enterprise plan offers the scalability and dedicated support needed to manage this growth efficiently and effectively.

BigCommerce Additional Costs and Fees

It's important to consider BigCommerce fees beyond the basic subscription cost. This includes potential costs for premium themes, apps, and certain integrations, which can impact your overall budget.

Domain name

A professional domain name is the first step for your business to gain the trust of your potential customers.

There are two ways to register a domain name for your BigCommerce store:

One fastest way is to purchase a domain right from BigCommerce. It costs around $13 a year, depending on the type of domain. A .com domain costs $15 a year.

The other is that you purchase from a third-party provider like Namecheap, GoDaddy, etc.

Themes

The market of BigCommerce themes allows merchants to create visually appealing and responsive online stores. BigCommerce offers 12 free themes in the BigCommerce Marketplace, but if you want a premium theme, you’ll need to purchase it separately. The cost of premium themes typically ranges between $150 and $300.

In case you don't find any theme on BigCommerce satisfying, you can totally choose a theme from a third-party provider such as Themeforest, which costs way less than BigCommerce themes.

And, of course, if you still don't find the best theme for your BigCommerce store from the two mentioned ways, you can hire an expert to make a custom theme for you.

Apps & Integrations

Enhancing your store's functionality with BigCommerce apps is a straightforward process, thanks to the extensive BigCommerce App Store. These apps cover a wide range of needs, from marketing to inventory management.

While BigCommerce offers many built-in features, you might need additional apps or integrations for specific needs. The cost of these apps varies widely, but they typically range between $9 and $50 per month. However, some specialized apps may cost more.

Many of them are free, while many charge you some fee to use. Therefore, read carefully if the integration you need requires an upfront fee or recurring fee, or both.

Also, there are many subscription apps on BigCommerce. These apps look free, but they may still charge you associated platform subscriptions. For instance, Mailchimp still requires you to pay the $11 monthly subscription.

Transaction fees

BigCommerce doesn't charge you additional transaction fees. Meanwhile, other ecommerce platforms such as Shopify charge you up to 2% of sales.

However, you still have to pay the processing fees for third-party payment providers (like PayPal and Stripe). Each payment provider charges you a different processing fee. 

For PayPal powered by Braintree, you'll enjoy a rate pre-negotiated between BigCommerce and the provider. It starts at 2.59% + $0.49 per transaction for debit and credit cards and costs less as you use the Plus and Pro Plans.

This fee will be charged right after your customers place an order using a credit or debit card.

Read more insightful information regarding BigCommerce Transaction fees here.

Which BigCommerce Plan should I choose?

When it comes to which BigCommerce pricing plan suits you best, you should consider carefully:

The features you need

Ask yourself:

• What are the must-have features for you to run your online store on BigCommerce? What are the nice-to-have features? 

Of course, you want all the advanced features, but grouping them into 2 parts like this will help you see what you really need clearly. 

• With all the essential features you need, which plan does it fall into? 

Could be Standard, Pro, Plus, or Enterprise.

• Plus, what about adding nice-to-have features? Where is it now?

You have your answer.

Your budget

Now, consider how much you could pay for BigCommerce. 

If you have a limited budget: Just think about the pricing plan that covers enough must-have features. You may go for affordable plans like Standard or Plus. 

If you have a generous budget: Feel free to choose the higher-level plans with more advanced features that you think are nice to have. 

Your online sales

Remember: your annual revenue does count when it comes to choosing a pricing plan. 

If your sales are way lower than the sales threshold for a plan, say Standard Plan, you can go for BigCommerce Standard Plan or higher-level plans. 

But if your annual sales are higher than the Standard Plan’s sales cap, you have no choice but to upgrade your plan to the more expensive one. You have to go for the plan appropriate for your sales. 

BigCommerce Free Trial

Before committing to any BigCommerce plan, you have the opportunity to test the waters with a 15-day free trial. This trial period allows you to explore the platform's features, set up your online store, and determine which plan best suits your business needs without spending a dime. See our step-by-step instructions to get this special offer here.

What You Get

During the free trial, you'll have access to most of the features available in BigCommerce's paid plans. This includes setting up products, customizing your store's design with templates, and even trying out some of the advanced tools like the abandoned cart saver if you're considering the Plus plan or higher.

No Credit Card Required

One of the best parts about the BigCommerce free trial is that it doesn't require a credit card to sign up. This means you can explore all that BigCommerce has to offer without the pressure or worry of being automatically charged once the trial period ends.

Making the Most of Your Trial

To truly benefit from your free trial, it's recommended to use this time to fully set up your store as if you were launching it. Import your products, experiment with different designs, and explore the integrations and apps available. This hands-on approach will give you a clear idea of how BigCommerce fits into your business plan.

Decision Time

At the end of the 15-day trial, you'll be asked to choose a plan to continue using BigCommerce. By this time, you should have a good understanding of the platform's capabilities and which plan will best support your business goals. Remember, the goal of the trial is to make an informed decision that aligns with your ecommerce strategy.

Start Free Trial

When will BigCommerce upgrade your pricing plan?

How do BigCommerce automatic upgrades work?

Once you hit the 12-month sales volume threshold for each plan, you will be automatically upgraded to the appropriate plan.

Situation 1: You are using the Standard Plan

If your sales exceed $50,000 this year, you’ll be upgraded to the Plus Plan. The annual sales cap will now be up to $180,000. 

Situation 2: You’re using the Plus Plan

If your sales volume hits $180,000, you will be automatically upgraded to Pro, with a new sales cap – up to $400,000 yearly. 

Plus, you’ll have to pay an extra $150 per month for every extra $200,000 you earn. 

Can I upgrade to a higher-level plan even if I don’t hit the sales threshold?

Totally yes. If you hit the sales threshold, you will be automatically upgraded. If you don’t, you can also upgrade to access advanced features.

Can I downgrade to a lower plan on BigCommerce if my sales decrease?

You can. But note that BigCommerce will not automatically downgrade your plan, even when your online sales decrease below the sales threshold. 

Therefore, if you want to downgrade your BigCommerce pricing plan, you will have to call BigCommerce. 

Here are 2 steps you need to do:

1. Check your online sales carefully and see which pricing plan you are using.
2. Contact BigCommerce through a phone call or live chat for a switch of packages.

5 Best Alternatives to BigCommerce

While BigCommerce offers a robust platform for ecommerce businesses, it's essential to consider other options to ensure you're selecting the best solution for your needs. Here's a look at some notable alternatives to BigCommerce, each with its unique features and benefits.

Shopify

Shopify is perhaps the most well-known alternative to BigCommerce, renowned for its ease of use and extensive app marketplace. It's an ideal choice for businesses looking for a user-friendly platform with b support for dropshipping and a wide range of third-party integrations. Shopify's pricing is competitive, and it offers plans suitable for businesses of all sizes.

WooCommerce

For those already familiar with WordPress, WooCommerce provides a seamless integration to turn any WordPress site into a fully functional online store. It stands out for its flexibility and customization options, thanks to the vast array of plugins and themes available. WooCommerce itself is free, but costs can add up with the need for various extensions and hosting.

Magento (Adobe Commerce)

Magento, now part of Adobe Commerce, is a powerful platform best suited for enterprise-level businesses with specific, complex ecommerce requirements. It offers unparalleled customization and scalability, making it ideal for large businesses that need a tailored ecommerce solution. However, Magento requires significant development resources, making it less accessible for smaller operations.

Wix eCommerce

Wix eCommerce is an excellent choice for small businesses or individual entrepreneurs just starting their online journey. Known for its drag-and-drop website builder, Wix makes it easy to create a beautiful online store without any coding knowledge. While not as feature-rich or scalable as BigCommerce, it's a cost-effective option for simpler ecommerce needs.

Squarespace Commerce

Squarespace Commerce is known for its stunning, design-centric templates, making it a great choice for businesses where brand and aesthetics are crucial. It offers an all-in-one solution with straightforward pricing and is particularly suited for small to medium-sized businesses focused on visual appeal and ease of use.

BigCommerce Pricing – FAQs

BigCommerce Pricing – Final Thoughts

Choosing the right BigCommerce plan involves balancing your current needs with future growth expectations. By reviewing BigCommerce pricing and the comprehensive features each plan offers, including any applicable BigCommerce fees, you can make an informed decision that aligns with your business goals and budget. Whether you're just starting out or looking to expand your online presence, BigCommerce provides scalable solutions to support your ecommerce journey. Remember, the best plan for you is one that not only fits your current situation but also has the capacity to grow with your business.