WooCommerce vs BigCommerce in 2025

Choosing the right eCommerce platform is crucial for the success of your online store. If you’re in the process of building a website or switching platforms, two major players that come to mind are WooCommerce and BigCommerce. Both are feature-rich platforms, but their structures and functionalities differ, making each more suitable for different types of businesses. In this article, we’ll explore the differences between WooCommerce and BigCommerce by analyzing their features, reviews, pros and cons, and pricing to help you determine the best platform for your business.

1. What is WooCommerce?

WooCommerce is an open-source WordPress plugin that transforms a standard WordPress website into a fully functional eCommerce store. Designed for flexibility, it allows business owners to customize nearly every aspect of their online store. WooCommerce is ideal for those already familiar with WordPress and looking for full control over the functionality and design of their store.

WooCommerce Reviews

WooCommerce has received positive feedback from users for its customizability and affordability. Many reviews highlight its integration with WordPress as a major advantage, especially for those who already use the platform for their website. However, some reviews point out that WooCommerce can be challenging for beginners due to its reliance on plugins and technical skills for full functionality.

2. What is BigCommerce?

BigCommerce is a hosted eCommerce platform that provides a full package for online stores without the need for third-party hosting. It is a cloud-based solution, offering a range of built-in tools, security features, and customer support, making it ideal for businesses looking for an easy-to-use platform with minimal technical management.

BigCommerce Reviews

BigCommerce has been praised for its scalability and all-in-one nature, making it a good fit for large businesses or those with plans to grow quickly. Reviews frequently mention the platform’s built-in tools, which reduce the need for additional third-party apps. However, some users have mentioned that BigCommerce’s pricing can be higher than other platforms, especially as your business grows.

3. WooCommerce Pros and Cons

Let’s dive into the advantages and disadvantages of WooCommerce to give you a clearer idea of what it offers.

Pros:

Customizability: Being open-source, WooCommerce offers nearly unlimited customization options, allowing you to modify everything from product pages to checkout flows.
WordPress Integration: If you’re already using WordPress, WooCommerce integrates seamlessly, making it an easy choice.
Huge Plugin Library: WooCommerce users have access to thousands of plugins that can extend the platform’s functionality, from adding payment gateways to advanced SEO tools.
Low Initial Cost: WooCommerce is free to download and use. You only pay for additional features like hosting, themes, and plugins.
SEO-Friendly: Since WooCommerce runs on WordPress, which is well-known for its SEO capabilities, it offers strong SEO options out of the box.

Cons:

Requires Technical Knowledge: Although WooCommerce is flexible, it may require coding knowledge or the help of a developer to set up and maintain the store.
Dependent on Plugins: While the plugin ecosystem is vast, relying on multiple plugins for core functionalities can slow down the site or introduce compatibility issues.
Hosting Costs: WooCommerce requires a separate hosting provider, which adds to the overall cost of running your store, especially as your traffic grows.
Security Responsibility: Since WooCommerce is self-hosted, security is your responsibility. You’ll need to invest in securing your site with SSL certificates, backups, and other measures.

4. BigCommerce Pros and Cons

Next, let’s look at the pros and cons of BigCommerce.

Pros:

All-in-One Solution: BigCommerce provides hosting, security, and eCommerce features all in one platform, eliminating the need to deal with third-party services.
No Transaction Fees: Unlike some platforms, BigCommerce doesn’t charge transaction fees on any of their plans, allowing you to keep more of your profits.
Scalable: BigCommerce is designed to grow with your business. Its features accommodate small stores as well as large enterprises with high-volume sales.
Built-In Features: BigCommerce comes with a range of built-in features like multi-currency support, abandoned cart recovery, and advanced analytics, reducing the need for third-party apps.
Support: BigCommerce offers 24/7 support, including phone, email, and chat, which is ideal for business owners who want a high level of assistance.

Cons:

Higher Pricing for Large Stores: While BigCommerce offers value for the features provided, the pricing tiers can become expensive as your business scales, particularly for high-volume sellers.
Limited Customization: Although BigCommerce is user-friendly, it doesn’t offer the same level of design and functionality customization that WooCommerce does. Custom coding is more restricted.
Less Control Over Hosting: Since BigCommerce is a fully hosted platform, you don’t have control over your server environment, which may be a drawback for those wanting more control over their infrastructure.

5. WooCommerce vs BigCommerce: Pricing

WooCommerce Pricing

While WooCommerce itself is free to use, there are several costs involved in running a WooCommerce store, including:

Hosting: Starting at around $3 to $15 per month for shared hosting, with costs increasing for higher-performance hosting.
Themes: Free themes are available, but premium themes range from $30 to $200.
Plugins: Many plugins are free, but advanced features such as payment gateways, SEO tools, or analytics may require paid plugins, ranging from $20 to $300 or more per year.
Developer Fees: If you need help setting up or customizing your WooCommerce store, you may need to hire a developer, which can cost from $50 to $150 per hour.

BigCommerce Pricing

BigCommerce offers several pricing plans based on your business size:

Standard Plan: $29.95 per month, which includes core features like unlimited products, storage, and bandwidth.
Plus Plan: $79.95 per month, which adds additional marketing tools and features like abandoned cart recovery.
Pro Plan: $299.95 per month, designed for growing businesses with higher sales volume and includes custom SSL and Google customer reviews.
Enterprise: Custom pricing for large businesses, offering advanced features like multi-storefront capability and API access.

It’s important to note that while BigCommerce’s upfront costs may seem higher, it includes features like hosting and security, which are additional costs in WooCommerce.

6. WooCommerce vs BigCommerce: Ease of Use

WooCommerce Ease of Use

WooCommerce’s ease of use depends on your familiarity with WordPress. If you are already comfortable using WordPress, WooCommerce won’t have a steep learning curve. However, for beginners, setting up a WooCommerce store can be more complicated due to the number of plugins and options available. Customization is possible but often requires technical expertise, and keeping up with updates and security is the user’s responsibility.

BigCommerce Ease of Use

BigCommerce is known for being user-friendly, especially for those without technical experience. Its dashboard is intuitive, and users can set up their store with minimal effort. The platform handles all the hosting, security, and updates, allowing you to focus on your business rather than the technical aspects. BigCommerce’s built-in tools also make it easier to manage various aspects of your store without relying on third-party apps.

7. WooCommerce vs BigCommerce: Security

WooCommerce Security

Security in WooCommerce is largely up to the user. Since WooCommerce is self-hosted, you are responsible for securing your site by adding SSL certificates, firewalls, and backups. While WordPress offers plugins to help with security, it’s essential to stay updated on the latest security practices, as WooCommerce stores can be vulnerable to attacks if not properly maintained.

BigCommerce Security

BigCommerce, as a hosted solution, takes care of security for you. It includes advanced security features such as SSL encryption, PCI compliance, and DDoS protection as part of its service. This makes BigCommerce a safer option for users who don’t want to manage security themselves.

8. WooCommerce vs BigCommerce: SEO Performance

WooCommerce SEO

Because WooCommerce is built on WordPress, which is known for its SEO capabilities, WooCommerce offers excellent SEO performance. You have full control over your site’s SEO, including URL structure, metadata, and sitemaps, thanks to plugins like Yoast SEO. This gives you a great deal of flexibility in optimizing your store for search engines.

BigCommerce SEO

BigCommerce also offers strong SEO features, including editable meta descriptions, URL structures, and 301 redirects. However, some users report that WooCommerce offers slightly more flexibility in SEO customization. Nevertheless, BigCommerce’s built-in SEO tools are sufficient for most users and can deliver excellent results with less effort.

9. WooCommerce vs BigCommerce: Payment Gateways

WooCommerce Payment Gateways

WooCommerce supports nearly every major payment gateway through various plugins, including PayPal, Stripe, Square, and many others. This allows for maximum flexibility in how you accept payments. However, some payment gateway plugins come at an additional cost.

BigCommerce Payment Gateways

BigCommerce also supports a wide range of payment gateways, including PayPal, Stripe, Amazon Pay, and more. One advantage of BigCommerce is that it doesn’t charge transaction fees, regardless of the payment method you choose, whereas some platforms take a percentage of sales.

10. Conclusion: Which Platform is Right for You?

When comparing WooCommerce and BigCommerce, it’s clear that both platforms have their strengths and weaknesses. WooCommerce is the better choice for those who want full control over their site, are already familiar with WordPress, and don’t mind handling their own hosting, security, and maintenance. It offers greater customization and flexibility but comes with a steeper learning curve.

BigCommerce, on the other hand, is ideal for users who prefer an all-in-one solution that handles hosting, security, and built-in features without needing to manage technical details. It’s particularly suited for larger businesses or those looking for an easy-to-use platform that can scale with them.

Ultimately, the choice between WooCommerce and BigCommerce depends on your specific needs, budget, and technical capabilities. Both platforms offer powerful tools to help you build and grow a successful online store, but the one that works best for you will depend on how much control and customization you need.

WooCommerce vs BigCommerce: A Comprehensive Comparison