BigCommerce Vs Shopify: The Best Ecommerce Platform in 2025

If you’re exploring the best platforms to launch or grow your ecommerce store, chances are BigCommerce and Shopify are already on your shortlist. Both have carved out strong reputations as go-to platforms for B2C brands. While BigCommerce is known for its built-in flexibility, Shopify has a vast app ecosystem. 

But what happens when the discussion shifts to B2B ecommerce? We know for a fact that both platforms offer a dedicated add-on for B2B users—BigCommerce B2B Edition and Shopify Plus. But do they impact day-to-day operations? In this comparison, we will evaluate how BigCommerce and Shopify really perform in the B2B space and whether there’s a third contender that deserves your attention.

What is BigCommerce?

BigCommerce is a cloud-based ecommerce solution that enables brands to create storefronts and manage their multi-channel selling process. Since it is a hosted SaaS solution, it eliminates the need for managing infrastructure, thereby letting you focus on selling instead of worrying about technical upkeep. It also offers a drag-and-drop editor and design tools, as well as supports headless commerce for greater design flexibility. 

BigCommerce’s B2B Edition enhances its core B2C platform with features tailored specifically for wholesalers and manufacturers looking to connect with retailers. Some of the native features include custom quote management, role-based access controls, and quick reordering functionality, among others. 

Key features of BigCommerce

• Multi-level company structure: This feature lets merchants create parent-child relationships among B2B company accounts to mirror complex buyer organizations. Whether you are segmenting ‘department-wise’ or ‘geography-wise’, this feature helps create specific roles and assign relevant permissions to users. 

• Personalized catalogs and pricing: Commonly found in many B2B ecommerce platforms, this capability allows you to customize product selections and pricing for individual buyers or buyer groups. This means your buyers see only what’s relevant to them once they log into their accounts.

• Place order as customer: Also known as Sales Rep Masquerade, this feature lets your reps browse the catalog on behalf of buyers and place the orders. It is particularly useful in scenarios where the buyer is on the move and wants to place an order immediately.
• Company credit management: This feature lets you set and manage credit limits, typically associated with B2B orders. Not only that, you can track balances and handle payments across multiple customer accounts and business groups within the platform.
• Quote management tools: This functionality allows your reps to generate and manage quotes for buyers using BigCommerce’s built-in tool or through integrations with 3rd party tools.

Related read: 15 BigCommerce alternatives eCommerce businesses should know

What is Shopify?

Like BigCommerce, Shopify is a popular cloud-based ecommerce solution targeted predominantly at B2C businesses. It helps brands handle every aspect of their online store, be it managing inventory or processing payments in a secure environment. It achieves this through an array of built-in functionalities plus a vast app marketplace that hosts thousands of 3rd-party tools integrable with your Shopify store. 

As far as its B2B capabilities are concerned, Shopify offers all the basic features via its paid add-on module – Shopify Plus. From assigning payment terms to sending invoices automatically when a pre-set rule is met, this module takes care of all the core requirements of a typical B2B ecommerce business. 

Key features of Shopify

• Manage buyer organizations efficiently: This feature lets you organize multiple buyers and business locations under a single company profile. You can personalize permissions or even set preferred payment methods for each branch or contact.
• Individualized product visibility: Through customer-specific catalogs, you can make sure that every buyer or business unit views only the products that are relevant to them and not the entire catalog. This creates a clutter-free shopping experience for buyers.
• Quantity control: You can configure detailed quantity rules for each product or variant. For instance, you can set up minimum/maximum purchase quantities or even order increments to align with wholesale needs.
• Bulk pricing: This feature lets you set up tiered pricing rules that reward volume purchases. Buyers get better rates as they increase order size, while you can experience larger transactions and better average order value.
• Company account management:  All your new buyers can request a company account directly through your storefront. Once approved, their profile is auto-generated. They can also immediately place orders under their designated company settings.

BigCommerce vs Shopify: Key differences

Now that we have covered the core capabilities of both BigCommerce and Shopify, let us dive deeper and understand how they differ in specific operational areas critical for the efficient functioning of a B2B ecommerce business. This will further help you decide whether to opt for Shopify or BigCommerce for setting up your B2B ecommerce store. 

1. Customization

BigCommerce

BigCommerce offers a wide range of customization options that cater to both non-technical users and development teams. Wholesalers with limited manpower can use the no-code Page Builder tool to create and modify storefront pages. It comes with easy-to-use drag-and-drop widgets. 

For more advanced needs, BigCommerce exposes the majority of its platform via APIs. This means your developers can modify everything from the checkout experience to redesigning advanced capabilities like in-app negotiations.

Shopify

Shopify also offers customization capabilities that match BigCommerce to an extent. For starters, it supports headless commerce, enabling your developers to customize both front-end and back-end using the programming language of their choice. 

At the same time, non-technical users can personalize the storefronts and checkout flows using a user-friendly visual editor. Adding to this, Shopify provides sandbox environments where teams can safely test and fine-tune custom features before launch. 

Winner: BigCommerce, mainly because of greater backend flexibility that allows much deeper customizations across B2B operations when compared to Shopify.

2. Analytics & reporting

BigCommerce

BigCommerce offers an adequate analytics suite to monitor and improve store performance. It is supplemented by ready-to-use reports covering metrics like order volume, conversion rate, product performance, and site search trends. Merchants can view data by various date ranges and even see live stats as these metrics update in real-time. 

For businesses seeking deeper insights, an optional advanced analytics add-on is available. It offers more granular reports on key metrics like customer lifetime value, product conversion rates, and purchasing trends. These numbers get refreshed weekly or monthly.

Shopify

Shopify is also enriched with built-in analytics and reporting tools. From traffic sessions to conversion rates, you get a snapshot of your business’s performance. You also get a customizable dashboard with interactive data cards and visual charts.

Beyond the basics, Shopify provides detailed pre-built reports across multiple areas such as customer acquisition, sales behavior, inventory, marketing, and profit margins. For more tailored insights, Shopify Plus includes ShopifyQL, a proprietary query language (similar to SQL) that enables building custom reports and saving them for future use.

Winner: Shopify is a better choice if analytics is your primary need, as it offers better customization and depth when it comes to performance reports. 

3. Product discovery

BigCommerce

BigCommerce provides various search capabilities to help buyers quickly find the products they’re looking for. For starters, with faceted search, users can narrow down results using multiple attributes such as brand, price, size, color, rating, and custom fields. In addition to filters, the platform is equipped with textual search for fast, relevant results. 

Additionally, all users benefit from predictive search features like autocomplete and typo tolerance. For businesses with complex B2B needs, BigCommerce allows you to create bespoke storefronts to help buyers reach their required products even faster. 

Shopify

Shopify also offers several search features. It understands customer intent through AI-powered semantic search. It also predicts queries as users type and delivers accurate results even when there are spelling mistakes, thanks to typo tolerance. 

More importantly, customers can easily refine their searches using custom faceted filters. Finally, Shopify’s in-house product taxonomy streamlines filter setup, making search smarter and more efficient for both you and your buyers. 

Winner: BigCommerce has a slight edge, primarily due to the level of customization that is possible in the storefront to make product discovery quicker and seamless. 

4. Integrations

BigCommerce

BigCommerce offers a well-rounded integration ecosystem through its extensive app marketplace. The number of 3rd party tools supported by BigCommerce is around 1,200+. Whether you need to connect your existing accounting software or payment gateways with BigCommerce, the chances of finding them on this app marketplace are high, thereby eliminating the need to engage in extensive customization or coding.

Shopify

Shopify has a much larger app marketplace featuring over 10,000 apps. Interestingly, Shopify’s App Store even supports 300+ dedicated Shopify Plus Partners and 80+ Plus-certified apps,  tailored only for B2B stores. The platform also provides options like APIs and SDKs, making it easy to connect with 3rd-party systems not present in their marketplace.

Winner: Shopify, mainly because of the higher number of apps supported through its app marketplace.

5. Security and compliance

BigCommerce

BigCommerce offers a trustworthy environment for both you and your buyers to engage in secure commerce transactions. Every store built on BigCommerce comes with an SSL certificate by default. It encrypts the transmission of personal and payment data to prevent unauthorized access. You also get advanced encryption protocols to secure sensitive information like credit card details.

To enhance account security, BigCommerce supports two-factor authentication (2FA). This adds an extra layer of protection beyond passwords. Regular security updates and comprehensive audits are also available that further strengthen its infrastructure.

Shopify

Shopify also matches industry-leading standards when it comes to data and payment security. It offers end-to-end encryption for all transactions, along with robust features like fraud and risk analysis, bot protection, and 3D Secure checkout to minimize exposure to fraudulent activities.

Shopify is a certified Level 1 PCI DSS compliant platform and adheres to SOC 2 Type II standards. This means rigorous controls are in place for data privacy, integrity, and secure payment processing.

Winner: Both are equally adept when it comes to security and offer sufficient features to protect your store and your buyer data. 

6. Support

BigCommerce

BigCommerce offers round-the-clock technical support to ensure you have sufficient assistance whenever needed. For businesses with more advanced requirements, BigCommerce provides specialized customer services including Account Management, Solution Architecture, Technical Account Management, and dedicated Implementation Project Management. 

Migrating to BigCommerce is also taken care of by their Catalog Transfer Services. Additionally, an extensive knowledge base is available to guide users through troubleshooting and platform navigation.

Shopify

The platform delivers 24/7 support to users who have subscribed even to the most basic Shopify plan. This is possible through its AI-powered Help Center Assistant. It makes support fast and efficient by intelligently connecting users to helpful articles, walkthroughs, and, when necessary, live advisor assistance. 

Shopify Plus customers can access additional support. They have direct access to Plus Support Advisors through phone and email. This ensures high-touch guidance for complex issues, typically encountered in B2B sales.

Winner: There is no clear winner as both BigCommerce and Shopify offer a round-the-clock customer support system even in their basic plans. While BigCommerce is known for its personalized services, Shopify is known for its rapid response times. 

As you can see from this comparison, the race is tight between the two platforms, with neither emerging as a definitive winner. Both offer a solid foundation of basic B2B capabilities, but at their core, they remain deeply rooted in B2C design and architecture. This leaves critical gaps when it comes to handling the nuanced complexities of modern B2B commerce.

What today’s businesses truly need is a platform built from the ground up with B2B in its DNA, where every feature, integration, and customization is engineered to meet the demands of enterprise-grade selling. That’s precisely where WizCommerce stands out.

Why is WizCommerce a better choice than BigCommerce and Shopify?

WizCommerce is an AI-powered B2B commerce platform built specifically to streamline the end-to-end workflows of “today’s and tomorrow’s B2B ecommerce businesses”. Designed with deep industry expertise, WizCommerce offers specialized tools and workflows tailored to the complex requirements of wholesalers, distributors, and manufacturers. Let us now look at all the key B2B ecommerce features of WizCommerce that make it the best choice for B2B ecommerce businesses of all sizes looking to scale their operations:

1. Integrations: Seamless plug-and-play connectivity

WizCommerce was built for rapid deployment, enabling B2B ecommerce businesses to start running promptly. From the outset, our focus has been on ensuring seamless compatibility with a wide range of tools essential to B2B operations. 

Our platform currently supports a variety of enterprise tools, including leading ERPs like Microsoft Dynamics 365 and SAP S/4HANA; accounting platforms like QuickBooks and Xero; inventory systems like Fishbowl and SOS Inventory. Check out the complete list of supported tools on our integrations page. 

And if your system isn’t supported out of the box, just raise a request. We’ll get back to you within 48 hours with a solution in motion.

2. Customizable checkouts: To fit every B2B buyer

WizCommerce gives you all the tools necessary to alter the checkout flow to reflect real-world B2B purchasing behaviors. For instance, buyers can easily select from multiple billing and shipping options, add notes to personalize delivery, and choose how they want to pay (card-on-file, payment links, credit cards, and refund credits). 

You also assign custom terms for each buyer, such as upfront payment options, deposits, or custom net terms. This level of deep customization in the checkout process, absent in both BigCommerce and Shopify, ensures both buyer convenience and seller control.

3. Multiple pricelists: Serve every buyer with tailored prices

Instead of relying on backend support to update or switch pricing, reps using WizCommerce can instantly toggle between multiple price lists. This is possible from both the main product page and the product details page. The pricing lists can be created with equal ease, based on different buyer personas or deal contexts.

This capability ensures the execution of personalized, on-the-spot pricing strategies that align with each customer’s value and purchasing history. Ultimately, you can experience faster conversions and a smoother selling experience across the board.

4. Multi-cart management: Juggle multiple orders with zero hassle

Like multiple price lists, your reps can also create and manage multiple shopping carts in WizCommerce. Whether your reps are taking orders from the stakeholders of different business units or simply handling multiple parallel deals, this feature can be handy to organize their sales operations.  

Each cart acts as its own workspace, allowing reps to switch between them seamlessly without losing progress and even submitting them individually when the deal is finalized.

5. WizStudio: Turn product shots into stunning lifestyle images

Coming soon from WizCommerce, WizStudio redefines how product visuals are created today. Without expensive photography equipment and complicated design software, you can now access lifestyle shots of your products in under 24 hours. There are 4 simple steps:

1. Upload your raw product image
2. Share a simple brief
3. Get back a set of stunning, brand-consistent lifestyle visuals in under 24 hours.
4. Recommend changes and get the final output in a short time, thanks to our quick revision cycles.

This is ideal for lean marketing teams who want to ditch generic stock images, yet do not have the time or the budget to opt for the more expensive and laborious traditional photoshoot. 

Related read: Understanding the rising impact of AI in B2B ecommerce

6. Analytics & reporting: Gain 360° visibility

WizCommerce simplifies performance tracking with a real-time, intuitive dashboard that tracks all the important metrics like revenue, order volume, abandoned cart, and quote activity. You also get intuitive filters to let you zero in on specific segments and trends. 

What takes it a step further is the built-in Lead Scoring System. It analyzes up to five years of buyer behavior to automatically rank customers as High, Mid, or Low priority. This allows your sales team to focus their energy on the prospects most likely to convert and grow.

And with a dedicated Admin Dashboard, you and your sales leaders get full visibility into each rep’s activity and performance. This enables smarter coaching and helps build a team that consistently hits its targets.

Related read: Boost Sales At Trade Shows With WizCommerce Trade Show App

7. 24/7 support: To keep your operations running round-the-clock

WizCommerce is more than just a platform for our clients. It becomes their strategic partner to help manage and grow their B2B operations in every possible area. That’s why we assign a dedicated success manager to every client so that their onboarding is smooth. They also stay with you as your business evolves. In other words, whether you’re launching, scaling, or optimizing, you’ll always have an expert in your corner.

Beyond 24/7 support through email, live chat, or even Slack, WizCommerce goes the extra mile with services like product digitization, data cleanup, and catalog structuring. This means nothing can slow you down in scaling your operations. 

You can also raise support tickets directly within the platform and onboard new team members with personalized training sessions tailored to their roles.

This kind of hands-on, always-available expert support isn’t something you’ll find in platforms like BigCommerce or Shopify. It’s one more reason why scaling teams consistently choose WizCommerce.

8. Inventory intelligence: Instant stock visibility for reps & buyers

WizCommerce gives both your sales reps and buyers real-time access to the latest inventory data. Information like available stock levels, backorder quantities, and in-transit inventory is available on the product details page and updated in real time. 

This level of transparency in inventory management transforms how your team sells and how your buyers plan their operations. For instance, reps can confidently pitch products that are ready to ship and offer smart alternatives when stock is low. Similarly, retailers can set realistic delivery expectations with their own customers and build stronger, trust-based relationships with them.

Conclusion

Shopify and BigCommerce are decent choices if you’re running a B2C store or have very limited B2B needs. However, when your business demands true B2B capabilities like complex pricing, inventory intelligence, bulk ordering, and deep customer-specific workflows, only WizCommerce delivers. Designed for growing B2B ecommerce brands, it ensures you don’t have to settle for B2C platforms masquerading as true B2B ecommerce solutions. Want to see WizCommerce live in action? Book a free demo now. 

Frequently asked questions

1. Why is BigCommerce better than Shopify?

One of the biggest advantages BigCommerce has over Shopify is its superior customization capabilities. With BigCommerce, you get far more control over your store’s design and functionality without relying too much on third-party apps.

2. Is BigCommerce free?

No, BigCommerce is not free. Both standard plans and advanced plans of BigCommerce are paid. However, it offers a 15-day free trial to all store owners to check if it is the right platform for them without making any financial commitments. 

3. What are the disadvantages of Shopify?

Shopify offers ease of use in building your online store, but relies heavily on paid apps for advanced customization. This can lead to additional costs for the business. Also, it’s less suited for complex B2B workflows, making scalability a challenge.

4. Why is Shopify better than BigCommerce?

One of Shopify’s biggest advantages over BigCommerce is its vast app store. With thousands of apps and integrations available, Shopify makes it easy to extend your store’s functionality and enhance user experience. Also, BigCommerce has a steeper learning curve and requires advanced technical skills when compared to Shopify, especially if you are planning to customize your ecommerce website considerably or want to build extra features on top of the existing ones.

5. Is Shopify cheaper than BigCommerce?

No. While there isn’t much difference between BigCommerce and Shopify when it comes to their standard pricing plans, the real difference surfaces when we compare their B2B plans. Shopify Plus is more expensive than the B2B Edition of BigCommerce. This makes BigCommerce cheaper than Shopify for B2B needs.