WooCommerce vs. BigCommerce: Which Is Best for Your Business?

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, more shoppers are looking online to purchase products and services. Due to the growth of e-commerce in the past few years, more companies are catering their websites to accommodate the needs of e-commerce businesses.

Two platforms that offer e-commerce solutions and are gaining popularity are WooCommerce and BigCommerce. There are similarities and differences between the two, as they each have their pros and cons. It can be challenging for e-commerce companies to know which platform will best suit their needs.

Below are overviews of these two platforms, their features, ease of use, and more information that can help business owners decide which platform will help them elevate their business and remain competitive in the industry.

Overview of WooCommerce and BigCommerce

Both WooCommerce and BigCommerce are generally considered to be viable business solutions for e-commerce companies around the world. They’re both software systems that can assist entrepreneurs with launching their business online, manage their operations, and find solutions to common issues.

Here are their descriptions:

• WooCommerce: A customizable, open-source WordPress plugin that suits small to large-sized businesses.
• BigCommerce: An all-in-one platform that provides software as a service (SaaS) to e-commerce businesses.

While BigCommerce is an all-in-one platform, WooCommerce is available to those business owners or entrepreneurs already using a WordPress site for their business. It’s a downloadable plugin that, once installed, allows companies to sell products, accept payments, and more.

It’s critical to acknowledge the main difference between the two — if a business is not using WordPress, WooCommerce wouldn’t be feasible. For WordPress users, WooCommerce is considered a top-notch platform that is approachable and appropriate for companies of all sizes.

WooCommerce vs. Big Commerce: Main Features

To choose which platform is best for business, it’s critical to know the key features of each platform. Each platform has unique features that assist e-commerce business owners with their daily operations, such as managing their website, including product descriptions, shipping orders, and offering customer support.

Here are some of the key features of WooCommerce business owners should know:

• Themes and customizations: WooCommerce allows customers to choose from various themes and includes blogging capabilities and content management.
• Products: Customers can sell any products they’d like, including affiliate products and product variations.
• Shipping: WooCommerce assists customers when shipping products and fulfilling orders. It also allows users to offer different shipping options to their customers.
• Customer support: ​Customers can access customer support regarding any WooCommerce purchase.

WooCommerce has a range of capabilities that allow users to customize their website using WordPress. This list is limited, so it would be helpful to research their websites to learn more about their complete list of features and capabilities.

Now, here are some of BigCommerce’s key features:

• Website building: Users can customize their online store to fit their needs and create a user-friendly website to attract customers with plenty of theme options.
• Hosting/security: BigCommerce provides PCI-compliant security, HTTPS security, and unlimited bandwidth. Users can also look into creating or purchasing their own domain name.
• Omnichannel selling: It’s simple for BigCommerce users to connect their store to other online channels like Amazon, eBay, and various social media platforms to help expand their products into new markets, driving business growth.
• Integration options: Users can connect various third-party tools to their site, whether customer relationship management (CRM) or accounting software.

Each platform has plenty more features, as these are only some examples. It’s vital to know the pricing plans for each platform, as this may determine which platform is most affordable for its value.

Pricing: WooCommerce vs. BigCommerce

Because e-commerce can become costly, businesses must consider their budgets and see which platform is most cost-effective. WooCommerce is a free plugin, but companies will still need to lay out cash to cover the associated expenses.

WooCommerce themes range from free to $39. SSL security for the website, which is $9 a year, and hosting for $83 a year, all adds up in the long run. On the other hand, BigCommerce offers pricing plans for its all-in-one platform. Here they are:

• Standard plan: $29.95 per month
• Plus plan: $79.95 per month
• Pro plan: $299.95 per month

Each plan comes with different features and capabilities. The more expensive the plan, the higher the quality the service offers.

Choosing the Right Platform

Business owners and entrepreneurs looking to break into e-commerce should consider the factors listed above. Choosing the right e-commerce platform can make or break a business. BigCommerce and WooCommerce both offer various services to their customers at overall affordable prices, and these platforms will likely continue to grow in the future.