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BigCommerce vs Magento – It’s a heated discussion behind the scenes in the ecommerce industry.
These platforms are hardcore, offering tons of features for all kinds of businesses, from small shops to big-time enterprises. Let’s break down the differences between BigCommerce and Magento.
BigCommerce is the cool kid on the block. It’s a SaaS platform, which means it’s all online and ready to go. BigCommerce targets smaller to midsize businesses who want an easy-to-use system without breaking the bank. You get a bunch of built-in goodies, including ways to sell on social media. About 60,000 merchants are using BigCommerce, and it’s designed so that you can set up and customize your store without needing to be a coding genius.
On the other hand, Magento is the old-school champion. It’s open-source, which means you can tinker with it all you want. Over 160,000 store owners worldwide are using Magento, which Adobe bought back in 2018.
Here’s the kicker: BigCommerce is known for being super user-friendly. Businesses can get up and running 50% faster with BigCommerce than with other platforms, often launching within a week. That’s pretty sweet if you’re in a hurry to start selling.
The main difference between these two? BigCommerce is like renting a fully furnished apartment. Everything’s there, so you just move in and start living. Magento is more like buying a house — you’ve got to set it up yourself, but you can knock down walls and repaint however you like. If you’re into renovating, you can make changes to Magneto’s source code. So if you’ve got some coding chops or a tech team, you can really make Magento your own.
That’s the gist of it — BigCommerce for ease and speed, Magento for customization and scalability. But this is just a piece of our in-depth research.
First off, BigCommerce is what we call a software as a service (SaaS) platform. That means you pay a monthly fee and get everything you need to run your online store.
Speaking of fees, BigCommerce starts at $29.95 a month. It’s for the whole shebang: software, security, updates, the works. You’re essentially leasing a complete ecommerce solution.
BigCommerce targets small to midsize businesses. We’re talking about companies pulling in up to $50 million in gross revenue. So, if you’re the owner of a small shop or a growing business, BigCommerce could be right up your alley.
One of the coolest things about BigCommerce is its flexibility. If you’re just dipping your toes into the ecommerce world or you’re a smaller business looking to make a splash online, BigCommerce can be a great fit. It’s designed to be user-friendly, so you don’t need to be a tech wizard to get your store up and running.
Here’s another thing that will make your life easier: BigCommerce comes with out-of-the-box compliance. In plain English, that means they’ve already taken care of a lot of the legal and regulatory things you need to worry about when running an online store. It’s like having a legal team built into your platform!
But what if you’re a bigger fish?
Don’t worry, BigCommerce has got you covered too with a more advanced package called BigCommerce Enterprise. This is their heavyweight champion, going toe-to-toe with platforms like Adobe Commerce (formerly Magento Commerce). So even if your business starts to blow up (in a good way), BigCommerce can still keep up with your needs.
Let’s talk about why so many ecommerce owners are comparing Big Commerece vs Magento and still jumping on the BigCommerce bandwagon. This ecommerce platform has been winning hearts left and right, and for good reason. Here’s why our clients are choosing BigCommerce:
BigCommerce is known for its user-friendly interface. Even if you’re not tech-savvy, you can set up and manage your store with relative ease. The platform offers intuitive tools for product management, order processing, and store customization.
Unlike some other platforms, BigCommerce doesn’t charge transaction fees on your sales. This can lead to significant savings, especially as your sales volume grows.
With BigCommerce, you can get your store up and running quickly. Many businesses can launch within a week, which is significantly faster than with more complex platforms.
BigCommerce provides a comprehensive package that includes hosting, security, and core ecommerce features. This means you don’t have to worry about piecing together different services or plugins to get a fully functional store.
While it’s great for small businesses, BigCommerce can also handle growth. As your business expands, the platform can scale with you without requiring migration to a more robust system.
BigCommerce comes with built-in SEO tools that help your store rank better in search engines. This includes customizable URLs, automatic sitemaps, and optimized product pages.
BigCommerce makes it easy to sell across various channels, including social media platforms and marketplaces like Amazon and eBay. This multi-channel approach can help you reach a wider audience.
BigCommerce offers a range of mobile-responsive themes, ensuring your store looks great on all devices. This is crucial in today’s mobile-first world.
Many features that might require paid add-ons on other platforms come standard with BigCommerce, including features like product reviews, gift cards, and professional reporting tools.
BigCommerce takes care of PCI compliance, which is essential for securely processing credit card payments. This saves merchants time and potential legal headaches.
BigCommerce regularly gets new features and improvements, such as new tools for merchants, improved security measures, optimized checkout processes, or expanded integration with third-party services.
Here’s what users think of BigCommerce:
“I love the easy-to-use platform! I can make my small business look great without having a whole team of computer people doing the heavy lifting. I’ve been using BigCommerce since 2013, and really appreciate the value that I get, the professionalism, the support, the options of integration... pretty much everything.”
Lynn V.,
Small business owner on G2
Thinking about jumping on the BigCommerce bandwagon? Before you make the leap, let’s break down the good, the bad, and the “hmm, that’s interesting” of this popular ecommerce platform. BigCommerce has been making waves in the online selling world, but like any tool, it’s got its strengths and weaknesses.
Remember that the importance of these pros and cons can vary depending on your specific business needs and goals. What’s a dealbreaker for one merchant might be a non-issue for another.
Magento (former Magento Commerce) has been around the block. It first hit the scene back in 2008, making quite a splash as an open-source ecommerce platform. For those of us who aren’t tech geeks, open-source basically means the code is out there for anyone to tinker with. It’s like a car with the hood always open — if you know what you’re doing, you can really soup it up.
So, who is Magento (now Adobe Commerce) for? Well, it’s not really for the little guy just starting out. Magento is more like the varsity team of ecommerce. It’s perfect for midsize to big businesses, or for the ambitious small fry who is planning to grow faster than a teenager on a growth spurt. If your ecommerce needs are more complicated than “put product on ecommerce website, sell product,” then Magento might be your jam.
One of the coolest things about Magento is that it comes loaded with features right out of the box. It’s like buying a Swiss Army knife — you’ve got all these tools at your fingertips. But the real kicker? If you’ve got the coding chops (or can hire someone who does), you can customize Magento till the cows come home. Want your website to do backflips while juggling flaming torches? With Magento, you probably could (though we don’t recommend it for user experience reasons).
Now, Magento isn’t just one thing. It’s got different flavors, kind of like ice cream. You’ve got Magento Open Source, which is free but requires some technical know-how to set up and run.
Then you’ve got the fancy versions: Adobe Commerce On-Premises, Adobe Commerce Pro, and Adobe Managed Services. These are the ones with all the bells and whistles, making them perfect for big businesses with deep pockets.
Here’s another cool feature: Magento Commerce can handle multiple brands from one platform. This makes Magento a dream for businesses looking to expand across the globe.
Here’s what users think of Magento (Adobe Commerce):
“The best thing that I like about Adobe Commerce is that [it] makes things so seamless and smooth. They make it where you don’t have to use multiple different things, you can really do it all in this one program. The ability to make things streamlined, makes things so much easier!”
Nathan B.,
Small business owner on G2
Magento has got quite a reputation in the online selling world. But like that one friend who’s both a genius and a handful, Magento comes with its fair share of perks and quirks.
Now that we’ve seen BigCommerce and Magento go toe to toe, it’s clear that both platforms pack a serious punch in the ecommerce world. But here’s the deal: there’s no clear champion.
These two ecommerce platforms might seem similar on the surface, but they’re as different as apples and oranges when you peek under the hood.
When comparing Magento vs BigCommerce, it’s essential to look at their key features. Both platforms provide robust ecommerce functionality, but they differ significantly in terms of built-in features, design flexibility, and marketing tools.
Let’s break down these aspects to understand which platform offers more benefits for your ecommerce business.
BigCommerce shines with its extensive built-in ecommerce features, reducing the need for third-party integrations. These native features include multi-channel selling on platforms like eBay and Amazon, built-in ecommerce analytics, and integration with a lot of payment gateways. This makes it easier for store owners to expand their sales channels and manage their business operations from a single dashboard.
In contrast, Magento relies more on third-party extensions to enhance its functionality while offering powerful built-in features including:
Its full potential is often unlocked through paid add-ons. This approach provides greater flexibility and customization but may require more investment and technical expertise.
Design and customization are critical factors when choosing an ecommerce platform. BigCommerce offers a range of customizable templates and themes, including 12 free themes and over 240 paid options that cost between $145 and $235. Its user-friendly design interface allows store owners to create visually appealing stores without coding knowledge.
Magento, on the other hand, offers greater design flexibility and limitless customization options. With a wide range of free and paid themes, Magento allows developers to create highly customized ecommerce websites. This platform is ideal for businesses that require a unique look and feel for their online store. However, building and maintaining a Magento site often requires knowledge of HTML, CSS, PHP, Java, and JavaScript, or the assistance of a Magento expert.
Adobe is continuously investing in AI (Sensei) and drag-and-drop Page Builder tools to help brands launch websites without needing extensive Magento development support.
Both BigCommerce and Magento offer robust SEO and marketing tools, but they approach these functionalities differently. BigCommerce provides integrated marketing features, including multi-channel integration capabilities that automatically link stores to platforms like Facebook, Amazon, and eBay. Its built-in SEO tools include options for editing page titles and meta descriptions, customizing URLs, and creating a Google sitemap. Additionally, BigCommerce has a built-in blog and a variety of apps to expand the store’s functions.
Magento relies heavily on third-party extensions to enhance its SEO and marketing capabilities. While it offers a wide range of marketing tools, such as Mailchimp and HubSpot, these are typically available through extensions rather than built-in features. (However, the same is true for BigCommerce). This allows for extensive customization but may require additional investment and technical expertise to implement effectively.
When selecting an ecommerce platform, pricing plays a crucial role. BigCommerce offers fixed monthly plans, making it easier for businesses to budget their expenses. In contrast, Magento offers more variable pricing options, including a free open-source edition and paid Adobe Commerce versions, which can be more expensive in the long run. Let’s delve into the specifics of each platform’s pricing and total cost of ownership.
BigCommerce offers four pricing tiers based on annual revenue:
For larger businesses, the Enterprise Plan offers custom pricing based on specific business needs. One significant advantage of BigCommerce is that it does not charge transaction fees if users choose supported payment solution providers. This can result in substantial savings for businesses processing a high volume of transactions.
Magento provides three main editions: Magento Open Source, Magento Commerce Edition, and Adobe Commerce Cloud (former Magento Commerce Cloud). Magento Open Source is free, but businesses should be aware of additional costs such as hosting, extensions, and development fees. Hosting costs can range from $15 to $110 per month, and extensions typically cost between $70 and $400 for a yearly license.
For businesses opting for paid versions, Adobe Commerce starts at $24,000 per year, making it rather an expensive option. The actual cost depends on annual turnover. However, Adobe Commerce versions offer advanced features and support that can justify the cost for larger enterprises. The total cost of using Magento can vary significantly based on the chosen hosting plan, required extensions, and whether a developer is hired for customizations.
Ease of use and the setup process are critical considerations for store owners who want to focus on growing their business rather than dealing with technical challenges. BigCommerce is known for its user-friendly setup and intuitive dashboard, making it a preferred choice for non-technical users.
In contrast, Magento requires more technical expertise and coding knowledge, which can be a barrier for some businesses. Let’s explore this in more detail.
Unlike Magento, BigCommerce excels in ease of setup, offering a 15-day free trial that allows users to experience the platform before committing to a plan. Its pricing plans include hosting and a domain name, simplifying the process of launching an online store. Users can place test orders using a test payment gateway to ensure the checkout process functions correctly before going live. Switching from maintenance mode to live is just a click away.
Magento, on the other hand, requires a higher level of technical knowledge to set up. While hosting plans like SiteGround’s start at $6.99 per month for new users, setting up a Magento store involves integrating themes, uploading security patches, and potentially hiring a developer for customizations. Despite these challenges, Magento sites can be launched quickly, with some hosting providers offering setup within 24 hours.
Performance and scalability are crucial for growing businesses. Magento offers both self-hosted and hosted solutions, providing greater control and flexibility for scaling and optimizing performance. As a SaaS platform, BigCommerce simplifies these tasks by handling site maintenance, security, and scaling.
Let’s delve into the specifics of ecommerce website speed and scalability while comparing BigCommerce vs Magento 2.
Website speed is a critical factor for the user experience and search engine optimization. BigCommerce offers the following features to enhance site performance:
A Magento marketplace, on the other hand, has the potential to be lightning-fast, especially when using Progressive Web App (PWA) technology. However, website speed can be influenced by various factors, including:
Magento’s open-source nature allows for extensive performance optimization of your ecommerce store, but this often requires technical knowledge and resources to implement effectively.
BigCommerce offers the following benefits for businesses expecting significant growth:
This makes BigCommerce an excellent choice for online stores looking to scale and focus on growth.
Magento’s scalability is one of its standout features. It supports up to one million products in a catalog and can process over 2,500 orders per hour. Also, the open-source edition allows for extensive customization and optimization, making it suitable for large enterprises with complex needs. Magento is optimized for high performance and can support huge inventories or customer databases, making it ideal for businesses with global ambitions.
Choosing the right ecommerce platform depends on your business’s unique needs and goals. BigCommerce and Magento both offer robust solutions, but they cater to different types of businesses. Factors like pricing, functionality, scalability, ease of use, customizability, and security play a crucial role in determining the best fit.
Let’s explore which platform is ideal for small businesses and which suits enterprise-level companies.
BigCommerce is often recommended for small and medium-sized enterprises due to its ease of use, affordability, and comprehensive feature set. With a straightforward setup process, a range of built-in ecommerce features, and pricing starting at $29.95 per month, BigCommerce is an all-in-one SaaS platform that allows small businesses to focus on growth without worrying about technical complexities.
Merchants looking for a hassle-free experience will find BigCommerce to be the right ecommerce platform, as it handles hosting, security, and maintenance, allowing them to concentrate on their products and customers. The platform’s user-friendly interface and extensive support make it an excellent choice for businesses starting out or looking to scale gradually.
Magento is ideal for larger enterprises with specific requirements due to its extensive customization options and ability to handle complex ecommerce needs. Businesses with international ambitions will benefit from Magento’s robust payment gateways and support for multiple brands from a single platform. Magento’s open-source nature allows for complete control over the store’s design and functionality, making it a powerful solution for companies with the technical resources to leverage its full potential.
For enterprise-level companies seeking a customizable and scalable platform, Magento offers unmatched flexibility and advanced features.
With over nine years of ecommerce experience under our belt, we’re here to guide you through a smooth transition that will revolutionize your online business. Migrating from Magento to BigCommerce isn’t just a platform switch — it’s a leap into a world of easier management, robust built-in features, and scalable infrastructure that grows with you, especially when you’re a small or midsize ecommerce business.
Here are key reasons why small to midsize businesses move from Magento to BigCommerce:
Let’s break down how our Magento to BigCommerce migration service can transform your ecommerce experience:
By carefully transferring your settings, migrating data, adapting functionality, preserving your design and SEO, and conducting thorough testing, we ensure your new BigCommerce store is not just a copy of your Magento site but an enhanced version primed for success.
We’ve taken a deep dive into BigCommerce - Magento comparison, exploring their strengths, weaknesses, and ideal use cases. Whether you’re a small business looking for ease of use or an enterprise seeking ultimate customization, there’s a platform that fits your needs.
But here’s the thing: knowing which platform is best for you is just the first step. The real challenge lies in making the transition smoothly and efficiently. And that’s where Dinarys comes in.
Our certified specialists will find the most optimal solution for your business.
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