Both BigCommerce and WooCommerce are popular platforms in the ecommerce world that help businesses create and manage ecommerce websites. WooCommerce is a plugin used for creating an online store on your existing WordPress website. In contrast, BigCommerce is a standalone e-commerce platform that offers different pricing plans with different features and levels of support.
Both of these eCommerce platforms have their set of benefits and drawbacks. Which one of these is more suitable for you depends on your business’s specific needs and goals. In this article, I have listed some advantages and key differences between BigCommerce vs WooCommerce so you can make a more informed decision for your business.
Key Differences BigCommerce Vs WooCommerce
WooCommerce:
WooCommerce is an open-source, free-to-use, and easy-to-install WordPress plugin for building online stores on your domain. However, you have to pay to use the more advanced features and add-ons.
It was developed by the same web development company that built WordPress.
BigCommerce:
BigCommerce is a paid, standalone ecommerce platform. It has a range of useful features for building and managing an online store.
Advantages of WooCommerce
1. It’s Free
WooCommerce is an open-source WordPress plugin. It is a widely used content management system (CMS). You can easily install and start using WooCommerce on your domain. Also, there are several free themes to choose from.
2. Highly Customizable
You can customize and tailor your WooCommerce online store to fit your unique needs. You can add new functionality and ecommerce features to your store with hundreds of extensions and add-ons.
3. User-Friendly
WooCommerce is easy to install and use. You don’t need to have the technical expertise to use it, especially for WordPress users. The interface is intuitive and allows you to easily manage your orders, products, and customers from the dashboard.
4. WooCommerce Payments Methods
WooCommerce platform integrates different payment methods to facilitate all its users including Paypal and Stripe.
5. Versatility
WooCommerce users You can sell any type of product; whether it’s physical, digital, or services. There are WooCommerce themes that support subscriptions, bookings, and memberships making it a versatile platform for businesses.
6. Customer Support
WooCommerce support forum on official Woocommerce website has a committed team of developers who will help you resolve issues 24/7. You can get support in any language you prefer which makes it an ideal CMS for users around the world.
7. Shipping Options
WooCommerce features a robust shipping system with different shipping options. Also, it can calculate the cost of shipping based on the weight of the product, location, and other factors.
8. Built-in Tools
It offers a wide range of built-in marketing tools for sending out marketing emails and coupons, and other upselling options.
9. Highly Scalable
WooCommerce online stores can handle a large volume of orders and traffic which makes it highly scalable for your business. It will handle an increased number of customers seamlessly if you decide to grow your business.
Disadvantages of WooCommerce
1. Paid Advanced Features
Though WooCommerce is free to use, you have to buy the advanced ecommerce features, premium Woocommerce theme, extensions, premium plugins and add-ons to integrate certain features into your store. If you want to use more features and limitless customization, there will be an additional cost to your budget.
2. Requires an Existing WordPress Site
You need existing WordPress websites to make an online store on WooCommerce. It means you must have a separate web hosting provider which means more maintenance tasks to your workload and additional costs to your budget.
3. Not So User-Friendly
WooCommerce is not as easy to use as some other ecommerce platforms, especially for those who are not tech-savvy or familiar with the WordPress admin dashboard. There’s a bit of a learning curve in it.
4. Missing Features
Even though there are several extensions and add-ons for WooCommerce, still some features and options are missing particularly in specialized areas such as membership, services, or subscription-based businesses.
5. Self-Hosted
WooCommerce is a self-hosted ecommerce website builder platform meaning you are responsible for updating and maintaining your sites such as backups and security patches.
6. May Not be As Scalable
Though WooCommerce platforms are scalable, they may not handle a large volume of traffic and orders as well as other enterprise-level platforms.
7. Slow
WooCommerce may affect the performance and speed of your website as it is a more resource-intensive ecommerce platform than others.
8. Limited Marketing Features
WooCommerce may not have as many built-in promotional tools as some other platforms. It means you will have to use additional tools to achieve the same ecommerce functionality.
9. May Not Be Best for Certain Businesses
WooCommerce store may not be as well-suited for certain types of businesses, such as those that require highly customized or specialized functionality.
Advantages of BigCommerce
1. Cloud-Based
BigCommerce is a cloud-based ecommerce platform. It is fully hosted and managed by the service providers. This takes the burden of maintenance and updates off of your shoulders.
The web hosting costs are built in the pricing plans of Bigcommerce.
2. BigCommerce Features
It offers a wide range of features and tools out of the box such as marketing, Bigcommerce themes, SEO, Bigcommerce app marketplace, a free Bigcommerce subdomain. Bigcommerce dashboard and payment method integrations.
3. User-Friendly
It has a user-friendly interface that makes it easy to set up and manage your online store, even if you don’t have technical expertise.
4. Scalable
BigCommerce store has a scalable architecture that can handle a high volume of traffic and orders, making it a good option for growing businesses especially with its unlimited file storage in the Enterprise plan.
5. Customizable Ecommerce Themes
It offers a variety of customizable templates and design options which allows you to create a unique and professional-looking online store.
6. Third-Party Tools
It can integrate with a wide range of third-party tools and services, such as shipping and fulfillment providers, accounting software, and CRM systems.
7. Support
BigCommerce support has a large and active community of customer support staff and developers, providing a wealth of resources and support.
It offers excellent customer support including phone, live chat, and email support to help you solve any issues that you may come across while setting up and managing an online store.
8. Security
It offers excellent security features such as an SSL certificate and secure web hosting that protect your customers’ personal and financial information.
9. Marketing Tools
This platform for online stores provides a range of marketing tools including abandoned cart recovery and email marketing, to help you grow your ecommerce business.
Disadvantages of BigCommerce
1. Subscription-Based
BigCommerce platform is subscription-based meaning you will need to pay a monthly fee to keep using it. This may not be cost-effective for small or low-volume businesses.
2. Missing Features
While BigCommerce has a wide range of features and tools, it may not have as much flexibility or customization as some other ecommerce platforms.
3. A General-Purpose Platform
If your business has some unique or highly specialized needs, BigCommerce enterprise may not have adequate features for it.
4. Slow
Some users have reported that the performance of their BigCommerce stores can be slower than other platforms when there are high levels of traffic or large product catalogs.
5. Limited Design Templates
BigCommerce doesn’t offer a wide variety of design templates and customization options. It limits your ability to create a unique online store.
6. Cloud-Based
Since BigCommerce is a cloud-based platform, you don’t have as much control over your server environment and you will be at the mercy of the provider’s uptime and performance.
7. Pricing
The pricing for certain features and tools on BigCommerce is quite high.
8. No Free Version
BigCommerce does not offer a free or self-hosted version. You have to pay a monthly subscription fee even if you are just starting or have a low volume of sales.
9. Confusing Checkout Process
Some users reported that the checkout process on BigCommerce website can be slow or confusing, which leads to abandoned carts and lost sales.
WooCommerce vs. BigCommerce Which One is Best for Your Business?
It’s difficult to say which platform is definitively “better” for an e-commerce business, as it depends on the specific needs and goals of the business.
Here are a few things to consider when deciding BigCommerce vs. WooCommerce:
1. Cost
WooCommerce is free to use, but you’ll need to pay for additional extensions and add-ons to add features to your store. BigCommerce offers a range of pricing plans with different features and levels of support.
2. Ease of Use
WooCommerce store requires more technical skill to set up and customize, as it requires installing an ecommerce plugin on a WordPress website. BigCommerce is a standalone platform that is generally easier to use, with a range of design templates and built-in features.
3. Features
Both platforms offer a wide range of features, but BigCommerce includes more advanced functionality in its pricing plans, such as advanced SEO and reporting tools.
4. Hosting
WooCommerce is a self-hosted platform, which means you’ll need to find a hosting provider and handle the maintenance and security of your store. BigCommerce is a cloud-based platform that handles hosting for you.
5. Community and Support
WooCommerce plugin has a large community of developers and users who contribute to the platform and create extensions, while BigCommerce has a smaller community. Both platforms offer support resources and documentation.
Conclusion
In the end, the best platform for your ecommerce website will depend on your specific needs and goals. It may be helpful to try out both Bigcommerce and WooCommerce and see which one works best for you.
