As you explore eCommerce platforms for your business, two products have probably grabbed your attention: BigCommerce and WooCommerce. Both are exceptionally popular and considered to be viable options for a range of online shops.
It’s great to have good choices, but how do you choose? Start by reading this article. We’ve created a detailed comparison of BigCommerce vs. WooCommerce that includes all relevant details.
What to Look for in an eCommerce Platform
Whether you choose BigCommerce, WooCommerce, or another product, it’s essential to know what to look for. Here are the most critical items to consider in your WooCommerce vs. BigCommerce comparison.
Ease of Use
Is the product intuitive? How quickly can you set it up and start using it, even if you are a beginner?
Available Payment Options
Which payment options can the platform handle? You probably want to select one that allows multiple payment gateways.
Customer Support
You’ll want an eCommerce platform that offers convenient support when you need it.
Budget
Both affordability and value are essential. Verify the startup cost and determine whether there are monthly or annual fees.
Ability to Scale
Will the platform grow with your business? This is one of the most important considerations when you compare BigCommerce vs. WooCommerce.
What Is the Difference Between WooCommerce vs. BigCommerce?
Both are eCommerce products, but there are some key differences, and the two are not entirely interchangeable.
What Is WooCommerce?
WooCommerce is a plugin for WordPress. It’s an open-source product that people use to add eCommerce functionality to existing WordPress websites. Millions of people have downloaded and installed this plugin.
Pros
Here are some of the most crucial selling points for WooCommerce:
- It’s open source and can be customized
- Easy to use once installed
- Ability to add more features and functions with additional plugins
Essentially, WooCommerce gives you a lot of room to create your ideal eCommerce-ready website.
Cons
There are a few drawbacks that you must consider:
- Lack of formal support, which means you will need to troubleshoot
- Requires users to be at least somewhat tech-savvy
- More extended setup and configuration time
If you are not interested in seeking out crowd-sourced support or researching your issues, WooCommerce could be challenging for you.
What Is BigCommerce?
BigCommerce is a website builder designed specifically for eCommerce clients, and business owners use it to create websites for their online stores. It does not require WordPress but has not gained the same level of popularity as WooCommerce.
Pros
Here are some of the things that users like about BigCommerce:
- Loaded with many features out of the box
- Integrates with Instagram, Facebook, and other sales platforms
- Easy setup
- Excellent customer support channels
This is an excellent off-the-shelf solution for anyone who wants the features they need to be included in the base product.
Cons
Take these negative points into consideration during your BigCommerce vs. WooCommerce comparison:
- Revenue-based billing could hurt profit margins
- Some features are difficult to navigate
- Lack of ability to customize in a meaningful way
The drawbacks of BigCommerce are related mainly to its lack of flexibility and paid upgrades driven by your sales instead of your needs.
The Big Differences
Let’s dive deeper into some of the more significant differences that will impact your final decision.
Design Flexibility
When people enter your online storefront, you want them to find a place that is attractive and easy to navigate. It’s also essential that your eCommerce store is unmistakably yours.
The WooCommerce product includes a total of 20 themes, and 14 of these are for an online storefront. There are a few free themes, but the remainders are $39 to $129. To run your site effectively, you should plan on using extensions, and an extension may cost up to $59.
Bluehost is a popular hosting provider for WordPress. Many people choose this if they use WooCommerce because the company has included WooCommerce’s storefront free of charge as part of their hosting plans.
What about BigCommerce? You will get your choice of 12 themes that are 100% free and more than 50 others ranging between $150 and $300. This may be expensive, but the online branding potential may be worthwhile. It’s essential to create that branded first impression to guarantee repeat business.
How does BigCommerce compare to the WooCommerce theme store? WooCommerce themes are less expensive than the ones offered by BigCommerce. They can be customized, and WooCommerce themes fit several industries. However, you must have some technical skills to take advantage of this customization freedom.
No, you do not have to be a professional developer to customize your WooCommerce presence; however, the more skills you have, the better. Of course, if you are using WordPress already, you have probably discovered that this is the case with the entire platform.
If you look into BigCommerce themes, you will find that you have fewer customization options. However, the available customization is very intuitive. The product uses an editing interface where you can adjust your page layouts, add promotional banners, change navigation buttons, and more. You do not need coding experience to dive in and use this interface.
BigCommerce and WooCommerce themes are all mobile-friendly, and BigCommerce has even included a preview feature that lets you see how your eCommerce site will look on tablets and mobile.
Ease of Use
A website builder will be easier to use than a WordPress plugin. You would think that would make BigCommerce the easy winner in this category. However, the results aren’t cut and dry.
When people sit down to build a storefront with BigCommerce, they will have a relatively easy start. Many of the themes come with must-have features already built in. The downside is that the product uses vocabulary that may not be familiar to someone who has never created a website. Fortunately, BigCommerce offers significant support, and users are encouraged to ask questions.
The takeaway is that BigCommerce is an excellent all-in-one website builder for eCommerce. There are plenty of built-in tools and excellent user support. Users will need to learn a new vocabulary but can then create the store they want without having any coding skills.
WooCommerce made a good showing as well. It’s easy to set up, and if users choose Bluehost, the product comes installed. After it’s installed, there is an easy onboarding process that the setup wizard walks you through. Here you will set up payments, choose the currency you’ll use, select your shipping options, etc.
WooCommerce is more user-friendly during the startup process. The onboarding is well-designed, and the setup wizard makes everything intuitive. However, this doesn’t mean that WooCommerce is completely easy. There are many steps to follow to get your store ready, which can sometimes be challenging.
Inventory
BigCommerce has a built-in inventory system that you can use without purchasing any additional features. However, the product interacts with several third-party inventory systems if you prefer.
WooCommerce offers some inventory functionality. You can generate inventory reports and make product changes. However, the product isn’t designed to work with an extensive inventory database. The inventory management process is also very clunky. Many users choose to add separate plugins to meet their inventory needs.
SEO
Both WooCommerce and BigCommerce have features that allow you to improve on-page SEO. Unfortunately, WooCommerce does not include SSL. This is a crucial component of SEO as it lets Google know your site is secure. Instead, you have to purchase a separate plugin for this. Meanwhile, BigCommerce has this helpful feature included.
Support
Because BigCommerce is a purchased product, it comes with 24/7 professional tier support. WooCommerce offers sparser support in general. However, Bluehost subscribers will receive significantly more product support. Without a good host provider, WooCommerce users may find themselves researching issues or relying on community support.
Security
BigCommerce includes security in its pricing, and WooCommerce does not have built-in protection. Instead, purchase it through another plugin or arrange a deposit through your hosting provider.
eCommerce Features and Tools
BigCommerce has some compelling eCommerce features. This includes:
- Integration with Facebook, Amazon, and other channels
- Reporting and analytics
- SSL
- Shopping cart recovery
- Discount code and coupon generation
Additionally, BigCommerce has features related to marketing, shipping, and more.
WooCommerce also includes some excellent features. Although there aren’t as many as BigCommerce, the product still has single-click refunds, deep customization, and blogging. Users can also add more extensions to add to their eCommerce functionality.
Pricing
BigCommerce has three standard pricing tiers. There’s also an enterprise option, but their sales team only provides that pricing. The premium plan does not include some features, and WooCommerce is a free plugin. However, you will pay for themes, hosting, SSL, and other options, making the final price challenging to calculate.
BigCommerce vs. WooCommerce
Now you have the information you need to make an informed decision. Ultimately, the winning product helps you achieve your business goals.
With this information, you can make a more informed decision on what platform works best for your business. Both WooCommerce and BigCommerce have their pros and cons, and the choice is ultimately up to what you value most from your website. Find out how Oyova can help you build the perfect site today!