BigCommerce Software Reviews

“on-time payments”

Pros

Exploring the platform is fairly easy and whenever something comes up, the support team has been helpful in getting it resolved. We chose this after running into issues with Shopify around payment timing and capturing charges.

Cons

Compared with platforms like Shopify, WordPress and Magento, it feels pretty limited when it comes to design flexibility. Depending on what your business needs most, one of those options may be a better fit.

“powerful store engine”

Pros

Bringing together the pieces needed to run a powerful large-scale online store is something it does really well. Where it gets restrictive is the front end which relies on a template system that usually takes programming work to get beyond. To their credit, they seem to have recognized that limitation and shifted smartly toward a headless approach, handing the client-side rendering off to WordPress.

Cons

Working within their native theming, templating and programming setup is a serious investment. It feels less like building broadly useful career skills and more like committing to becoming a BigCommerce-focused partner or developer. That may be financially worthwhile if you serve a roster of larger clients but with smaller businesses and lighter projects, the amount of customization needed often goes beyond what they want or can justify. Even at the small business level, e-commerce sites now need to function as content marketing platforms in addition to storefronts and the out-of-the-box BigCommerce experience just is not flexible enough to adapt quickly. The free WordPress plugin that runs BigCommerce headlessly underneath definitely helps with that for now but I'm also seeing major progress in Wix when it comes to flexibility and the programming model. If they manage to scale that while keeping performance strong on larger datasets, BigCommerce could face some real competition.

“fantastic templates and customization”

Pros

The template selection for my store has been excellent and there are plenty of customization options to make everything look the way I want.

Cons

The jump in pricing between subscription tiers feels a bit steep and a few basic features are locked behind the higher plans.

“setup went very smooth”

Pros

Launching this eCommerce platform was incredibly fast and easy for me. Since it's a SaaS solution, the whole launch process feels almost effortless, like just flipping a switch to go live.

Cons

Because it's a SaaS platform some control gets sacrificed in exchange for that convenience. While using it, you have to accept that there are certain things the platform simply won't let you do.

“inefficient app store”

Pros

One of the reasons we keep our online store on this tool is its integration with ShopKeep which is the system we use for in-store processing. That connection is a big advantage for how we run the business.

Cons

I own another store on a competing platform and I have to admit their software feels much simpler to use and offers a wider selection of apps in the app marketplace.

“powerful store control”

Pros

Setting an online store up and running with it felt very manageable on the front end, while still giving me a ton of control behind the scenes. Even though the pricing has increased over the years, it has still felt fair to me. I was able to build my shop on my own, upload products, customize the site using their templates and then step away from setup mode to concentrate on the daily work of actually running the business.

Cons

The lack of a strong iPhone app or even a genuinely usable mobile admin experience, felt pretty hard to excuse in 2019. Customer support is generally powerful but there have also been a few interactions that were honestly pretty frustrating.

“developer-friendly product”

Pros

This tool is both developer-friendly and easy to use. It really stood out while I was building a custom theme and I was also able to connect a client's inventory system without much trouble. On top of that, training them on how to use the platform took less time than it usually does with other competing tools.

Cons

There honestly hasn't been much to complain about with it. My biggest issue is that abandoned cart recovery is locked behind a more expensive monthly plan. It would be really helpful if smaller businesses just getting started could access that feature too.

“support has been impressive”

Pros

After five years on the platform, I'm still a very satisfied customer. The platform comes with a wide range of features, the support team has consistently been helpful whenever needed and it has proven to be reliable with very minimal server problems or downtime.

Cons

An ongoing learning curve is there and it doesn't really stop. Still, I'm fine with that because the more advanced things you want to build or implement, the more there is to learn.

“E-commerce store managed right”

Pros

Running a store on this tool has been a really positive experience because it's built specifically for ecommerce and works well for anything from a basic shop to a more advanced setup. It comes with a wide range of features and the app selection keeps growing which makes it easier to expand features as needed. Their support is also excellent you can actually call and speak to someone who is both knowledgeable and genuinely helpful.

Cons

There's a lot to appreciate but since it is a hosted platform, access to certain parts of the code is limited. On the other hand, that tradeoff also means it handles most of the technical work behind the scenes for you.

“outstanding value and reliability”

Pros

It gives a lot for the price and that value really stands out. Even the entry-level features feel complete instead of stripped down like some competing options. The support team has been excellent to work with helpful, responsive and efficient whenever we've needed them. It's also very user-friendly which makes onboarding new employees much simpler. On top of that, the developer community is a nice bonus to learn from and contribute to, the built-in templates are excellent and the platform has been very reliable overall.

Cons

It hasn't been a problem on our side since we have a few developers available but if you're planning to use it and want a fully customized website, having a developer is probably important. That's definitely something to keep in mind depending on your needs.

“top choice for B2B and B2C”

Pros

This has been the best option for both B2B and B2C. It's the platform we usually rely on for clients that sell a large number of products online.

Cons

Template development could still be a little more flexible. It has improved over time but there's still room for more work.

“excellent value and ecommerce vision”

Pros

Excellent value for the price and very advanced features that fit our business well. You can tell the team really understands ecommerce and they continue to innovate in directions that actually make sense.

Cons

Logging in is incredibly frustrating. If you use different sub-tools in the BC ecosystem, like the partner portal, webinars or the shop, it's almost impossible to get in on the first try. Since everything uses the same login page, it never seems to recognize which tool you're actually trying to access.

“good choice for growing stores”

Pros

It is a really good option for small businesses or any business working with a limited budget and trying to get an e-commerce site up and running. We've used it for a couple of our clients and it has worked well. Setting everything up is easy and the platform is simple to use overall. The dashboard is clear and easy to follow so even people with very little backend experience can manage it without much trouble. Another big plus is that there's no limit on the number of products you can add which makes it a strong fit for businesses with a lot of SKUs. When it comes to building the store, there are several templates available and plenty of customization options, including different payment gateways to tailor the site to your needs. The standard plan is decent too and it includes useful features like gift card options.

Cons

Pricing plans are a bit higher than some comparable tools. Some of the included features may justify the extra cost but it's still worth checking whether your business will actually use them before choosing it since a lower-cost alternative could make more sense otherwise. The templates are fine overall but only a small number of them are available for free.

“strong seo control options”

Pros

Compared with most other platforms, this CMS gives me better control over SEO of a on product and category pages which is a big advantage.

Cons

There are still some basic SEO features in the tool that are harder to navigate than they should be. Even with that, it still ranks among the best options compared to nearly all competitors.

“feature-packed store setup”

Pros

Establishing a store with this tool is very easy and there are plenty of features that help along the way. The integrations with their add-ons for the shopping cart, payments and similar tools are simple to use as well.

Cons

The pricing feels a bit high for a small mom-and-pop business.

“outstanding value for online selling”

Pros

At this price, it offers pretty good value for what you get. It includes all the tools I need to get my products online and manage shipping across the country.

Cons

Getting around the interface can be frustrating because it is not very easy. It feels like the UI/UX did not get enough testing during development and that really needs to improve if it wants to keep growing and compete with Shopify.

“flexible templates and stellar support”

Pros

There are plenty of template options to choose from, the customer service has been excellent and the platform is quite user friendly. I also appreciate that the pricing is transaction-based and it connects really well with a lot of other programs.

Cons

Tool does get a little expensive but the features more than justify the price. The integrations also make the setup simple for just about any user.

“custom statuses and clear layout”

Pros

Interface is well organized and simple to work with. Everything I need to get to is laid out clearly so managing things doesn't take much effort. Being able to customize different statuses is also really helpful because it lets us spot each situation quickly. We've only recently started using the blog feature but we're already really pleased with how manageable it is.

Cons

Blog themes feel a bit too generic. We ended up having a custom blog template created so it would stand out more and better match the overall look and style we wanted.

“plenty of templates to pick”

Pros

Platform is very user-friendly and there are plenty of templates available to choose from.

Cons

The pricing is a bit on the expensive side for a small business.

“feature-packed and fairly priced”

Pros

Weighed against building a website from scratch this feels like a much better option. It comes with plenty of features and the pricing tiers are more reasonable and fair than a lot of other platforms. It also connects well with many multi-channel providers and other services, plus there are apps made specifically for your website.

Cons

Customizing the template on your own can be difficult if you want your site to look more unique, unless you decide to buy a different template.