shopify vs bigcommerce
Shopify vs BigCommerce — features, pricing, and which to choose for your SEO workflow in 2026.
Quick Verdict
Choosing between Shopify and BigCommerce often comes down to how much control you want over your store's SEO versus how quickly you want to get up and running. Shopify dominates the market with its app ecosystem and ease of use, while BigCommerce positions itself as the platform for merchants who want enterprise-grade SEO features built into the core platform.
The fundamental difference is architectural: Shopify relies heavily on third-party apps for advanced SEO functionality, while BigCommerce builds more SEO capabilities directly into their platform. This affects everything from your monthly costs to how much technical expertise you need on your team.
Feature Comparison
BigCommerce wins on built-in SEO features. Their platform includes automatic 301 redirects when you change URLs, custom URL structures for categories and products, and comprehensive schema markup implementation out of the box. You can edit meta descriptions, title tags, and alt text directly from product pages without installing additional apps. BigCommerce also generates automatic sitemaps and handles canonical URLs more intelligently than Shopify's default setup. Shopify's SEO features are more basic in the core platform. You get auto-generated sitemaps, customizable URLs, and basic schema markup, but advanced features require apps from their marketplace. Want better redirect management? You'll need an app like Tiny:SEO or SearchPie. Need advanced schema markup? Another app. This modular approach gives you flexibility but increases complexity and costs. Shopify's advantage is in its massive app ecosystem — there's an SEO solution for virtually any need, from local SEO to advanced analytics. Where Shopify excels is in speed and user experience. Their themes are generally faster out of the box, and their checkout process converts better than most competitors. Page load speed directly impacts SEO rankings, so this matters for organic traffic. BigCommerce has improved their speed significantly, but Shopify still has an edge in Core Web Vitals performance.
Pricing Comparison
Both platforms start at $29/month, but the total cost of ownership differs significantly. Shopify's basic plan covers most small businesses, but you'll likely spend $50-200/month on SEO apps as you grow. Popular SEO apps like TinyIMG ($9.99/mo), SearchPie ($34.99/mo), and advanced redirect apps add up quickly. BigCommerce includes more SEO functionality in their base plans, potentially saving you $100+ monthly in app fees. Their Standard plan ($29/mo) includes features that require paid apps on Shopify. However, BigCommerce charges transaction fees (2.9% + 30¢) unless you use their payments processor, while Shopify's transaction fees are lower and decrease with higher-tier plans. For enterprise merchants, BigCommerce's pricing scales more predictably. Shopify Plus starts around $2,000/month with negotiated pricing, while BigCommerce Enterprise gives transparent pricing based on your sales volume.
Best For
Shopify is better if you prioritize ease of use and don't mind paying for SEO apps. It's ideal for merchants who want to launch quickly, don't have dedicated technical staff, and are comfortable with a marketplace-driven approach to functionality. The platform's speed advantages and superior checkout conversion also make it attractive for businesses where user experience trumps advanced SEO control. BigCommerce suits merchants who want enterprise SEO features without enterprise complexity. Choose it if you have someone technical managing your store, want better built-in SEO tools, or plan to scale to enterprise volumes. It's particularly strong for B2B merchants who need complex catalog management and advanced SEO without relying on third-party apps.
The Verdict
For most merchants, Shopify remains the better choice despite its SEO limitations. The platform's speed, ease of use, and app ecosystem outweigh BigCommerce's SEO advantages for small to medium businesses. However, BigCommerce is the smarter pick for larger merchants or those with specific SEO requirements who want to avoid app dependency and subscription fatigue.