WooCommerce vs BigCommerce: Which Should You Choose for Your eCommerce Business in 2024?

Starting an online store or marketplace is no easy feat. You need all the help you can get to manage products and orders. Several WordPress eCommerce plugins can streamline your efforts. In this article, we compare two of the most popular widgets (WooCommerce vs BigCommerce) to help you choose the best solution for your business.

Both WooCommerce and BigCommerce are easy to install and use and offer a range of powerful features designed to help expand your business. Let’s explore them both in greater detail and compare the key features, pros, and cons, to help you make an informed choice.

BigCommerce vs WooCommerce: An Overview

Whether you choose WooCommerce or BigCommerce, you can expect a user-friendly interface, plenty of third-party integrations, lots of useful features, and compatibility with most managed dedicated hosting services.

Both tools offer customizable storefronts, premade templates, and an extensive list of built-in functionalities. Whether you’re building a dedicated eCommerce marketplace, a standalone online store, or an affiliate shop, WooCommerce and BigCommerce can streamline your efforts. Plus, they are compatible with all the popular eCommerce website builders.

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The key differences between WooCommerce vs BigCommerce are familiarity with the interface and flexibility. While WooCommerce is generally considered easy to use, the BigCommerce interface takes a while for the first-timers to get used to. Moreover, the WooCommerce platform relies on WordPress for customization while BigCommerce comes with an intuitive drag-and-drop editor for convenience.

Overall, WooCommerce is more suitable for WordPress websites as the tool is compatible with the WP ecosystem. For example, you can use WooCommerce with the Divi and Elementor page builders, integrate it into mobile-friendly WordPress themes, and combine the tool with all popular WordPress plugins, such as SEO, analytics, and multi-vendor plugins. BigCommerce, on the other hand, is ideal for users looking for an all-in-one eCommerce solution.

While WooCommerce is free to use, you must consider the cost of associated themes, plugins, and website management tools to calculate your overall expense. BigCommerce provides an all-inclusive bill, which makes it easier to identify your monthly expenses. Both platforms have a moderate learning curve and provide excellent support for building an eCommerce business.

WooCommerce: Key Features

WooCommerce is one of the most popular WordPress eCommerce plugins on the market. Here are its key features.

1. Easy Setup: WooCommerce is one of the easiest eCommerce plugins to install because it does not have its own platform. Simply install the plugin on your WordPress website and create and customize your online store with a drag-and-drop editor.
2. Customizable Platform: WooCommerce uses intuitive plugins for diverse functionalities. This means you don’t need to be a web developer to customize the extension. Simply use the visual builder to personalize your online store, from the design and layout to product listings, checkout, etc.
3. Cutting-edge Security: WooCommerce is one of the most secure eCommerce plugins in the WordPress plugin directory. It is regularly updated to prevent security vulnerabilities. Although WooCommerce does not come with SSL certification, you can get a secure WordPress host that offers a free SSL certificate.
4. Extensive Resources for Support: Since WooCommerce is the most widely used WordPress eCommerce plugin, you will find lots of free resources to help you navigate around the technicalities. From dedicated communities to social media forums, you will find all the help you need to manage your WooCommerce store.
5. Free to Use: WooCommerce is a free WordPress eCommerce plugin, meaning you can easily build your online store without breaking the bank. The tool comes with several customizable templates and useful features to help you set up shop. If you need more features, you can always buy advanced functionalities on a pro-rata basis.

BigCommerce: Key Features

BigCommerce is one of the most popular fully-hosted eCommerce solutions offering the complete package, from design and hosting to SEO, payments, and more. Here are its key features.

1. All-in-one eCommerce Solution: BigCommerce offers a long list of tools that you will need to build an online store. The platform is ideal for building eCommerce websites like Amazon, Etsy, etc., as you don’t have to worry about upgrading to a more capable platform later.
2. Feature-packed Tool: BigCommerce offers all the tools you will ever need to create, customize, and manage your online store. From design and conversion to cross-channel sales, B2B and B2C solutions, etc., the platform offers an entire range of features.
3. SEO-friendly: BigCommerce is search engine optimized right out of the box, which helps your shop rank high on Google’s SERP. Its mobile optimization feature helps customers find your store without additional effort on your part. Thus, saving you time, money, and stress.
4. Supports Multi-channel Sales: BigCommerce has built-in solutions for selling products and services across different channels. For example, you can sell on your website, an open marketplace, social media, or brick-and-mortar stores, from a unified dashboard.
5. Competitive Pricing: BigCommerce offers excellent value for money. The platform is capable and packs excellent features rivaling tools like Shopify, Wix, Adobe Commerce, etc. BigCommerce plans start at $29/month and go up to $299/month billed annually.

WooCommerce vs BigCommerce: Which is Better for You?

Whether WooCommerce or BigCommerce is better for you depends on your requirements and situation. Let’s compare some of the key functionalities, to help you choose better.

Ease of Use

Both WooCommerce and BigCommerce are user-friendly. However, from a sheer usability standpoint, BigCommerce is slightly better. The platform offers comprehensive solutions, allowing first-timers to set up shop in minutes. WooCommerce, on the other hand, can only be installed on a WordPress website. So, unless you already have the infrastructure in place, using BigCommerce is more convenient.

Customization Options

WooCommerce is more customizable out of the box. The platform can be configured at the coding level with fewer restrictions. BigCommerce, on the other hand, is a headless solution that lets you choose and connect to your preferred frontend framework. Therefore, BigCommerce customization is limited by the theme. You can add custom functions using high-extensibility APIs.

eCommerce Functionalities

BigCommerce is the clear winner here as the tool offers a comprehensive services suite. From customizing the storefront and managing inventory to payment, shipping, and delivery management, you can handle everything from a single dashboard.

Extensions and Integrations

BigCommerce has a larger plugin repository for diverse functionalities compared to WooCommerce. You can integrate BigCommerce with any number of plugins, such as payment processors, shipping partners, inventory management systems, marketing, security, and more. WooCommerce has a limited number of official integrations. However, the plugin is compatible with WordPress widgets, which opens up a whole new world of possibilities.

SEO-friendliness

The success of your eCommerce business rests on your ability to meet customers at their convenience and convince them to trust your products. Both WooCommerce and BigCommerce fare pretty well in this regard. Both platforms are SEO-optimized right out of the box and deliver similar results.

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Conclusion

Finding the right eCommerce platform for your online store is one of your most crucial business decisions. Therefore, you need to carefully weigh the pros and cons before making up your mind. We have compared WooCommerce vs BigCommerce so you can find the best eCommerce platform for your business in 2024.