B12 vs BigCommerce
B12 scores 8.7/10, BigCommerce 7.8/10. Where each one wins, what they cost and who should pick which, side by side.
The short answer
B12 scores 8.7/10 and BigCommerce scores 7.8/10 on our rubric. B12 is the stronger all-round pick.
B12 leads on ease of use, design, value, and support. BigCommerce leads on flexibility.
B12 starts at $20/mo and has a free plan; BigCommerce starts at $29/mo with no free plan. B12 is the cheaper way in.
| B12 | BigCommerce | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 8.7 | 7.8 |
| From | $20 | $29 |
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Sells online | Yes | Yes |
| Code export | No | Yes |
| Ease of use | 9.4 | 7.2 |
| Design | 8.6 | 7.4 |
| Flexibility | 8.4 | 8.6 |
| Value | 8.6 | 7.6 |
| Support | 8.8 | 8.2 |
What B12 does well
- A complete site, store or web app drafted from one prompt in about two minutes
- Edit by chatting with the AI Agent, clicking any element or uploading a screenshot of what you want
- Commerce, backends, logins and analytics included from the $24 Website plan
What BigCommerce does well
- Plans include B2B, multi-storefront and headless features other platforms charge extra for
- No platform fee on orders through embedded payment providers
Who each one is for
B12. Anyone who wants to go from a description to a finished, working site without assembling it: small businesses, founders, freelancers and teams who need a website, a store or a simple web app live this week, and would rather talk to an AI than learn a design tool.
BigCommerce. B2B sellers, merchants running several storefronts or complex catalogs, and stores that want more built in and fewer apps. The native B2B feature set is the strongest reason to choose it.
Pricing side by side
B12
| Free | $0 | b12sites.com subdomain, 5 AI credits a day (max 30 a month) |
|---|---|---|
| Website | $20/mo yearly · $24 monthly | custom domain, 100 AI credits, commerce, backends, analytics, up to 10 projects |
| Website + Client Engagement | $67/mo yearly · $78 monthly | 300 AI credits, up to 30 projects, intake, contracts, email marketing, custom email |
| Professional (done for you) | $199/mo | site designed, written and launched by B12's team, phone support |
| Advanced (done for you) | $399/mo | 5 seats, monthly site updates, directory listings, priority support |
BigCommerce
| Core | $29/mo yearly · $39 monthly | up to $30K a year in sales, then moves to Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Growth | $79/mo yearly · $105 monthly | up to $100K a year, then moves to Scale; phone support |
| Scale | $299/mo yearly · $399 monthly | covers $33,333 a month in sales, 0.9% on sales above that |
| Performance | from $1,499/mo | billed annually, for $1M+ in sales, dedicated success manager |
What a year costs
B12
The Free plan runs on a b12sites.com address with five AI credits a day. Website, at $24 a month ($20 on yearly billing), adds your own domain, 100 AI credits a month, commerce, backends, analytics and up to ten launched projects. Website + Client Engagement, at $78 ($67 yearly), triples the AI credits and adds the client tools. New users can try the paid plans for $1 for the first seven days, and the custom domain is free for the first year.
Plan price
BigCommerce
Each BigCommerce plan comes with a sales ceiling measured over the trailing twelve months. Core covers up to $30,000 a year and upgrades automatically to Growth; Growth covers up to $100,000 and upgrades to Scale. Scale includes $33,333 a month in sales and charges 0.9% on anything above that, with no jumps between tiers, and once you pass $2 million a year the account moves to Performance, which starts at $1,499 a month.
Plan priceScale overage at 0.9%
Who should skip each one
B12
A designer who wants pixel-level control over every layout, where Webflow or Framer fit better, or a merchant with a large, complex catalog, where Shopify's commerce depth wins. If you need to own and hand-edit an app's codebase, a code-first AI app builder such as Lovable or Replit is the better home.
BigCommerce
A first store that values ecosystem and available help. Shopify has more apps, more themes and far more people who know it.
The bottom line
B12
B12 is the AI builder we would point most people to first: one prompt gives you a complete site, store or simple web app, and you keep improving it by talking to the same AI. Start on the free plan to see the draft, and move to the $24 Website plan when you want your own domain, commerce and backends.
BigCommerce
BigCommerce makes the most sense for B2B sellers, for businesses running several storefronts, and for growing stores that want more built in and fewer apps. Start on Core if you are new, and expect the plan to follow your sales upwards.
Questions people ask
Is B12 better than BigCommerce?
B12 scores 8.7/10 and BigCommerce scores 7.8/10 on our rubric. B12 is the stronger all-round pick. B12 leads on ease of use, design, value, and support. BigCommerce leads on flexibility.
Which is cheaper, B12 or BigCommerce?
B12 starts at $20/mo and has a free plan; BigCommerce starts at $29/mo with no free plan. B12 is the cheaper way in.
Which is easier to use, B12 or BigCommerce?
B12 scores 9.4/10 for ease of use against BigCommerce at 7.2/10.
Do B12 and BigCommerce have a free plan?
B12 has a free plan; BigCommerce has no free plan.
Can you sell online with B12 and BigCommerce?
Both B12 and BigCommerce can take payments and run a store.
Can you move your site off B12 or BigCommerce?
B12 does not export a working site; BigCommerce lets you export your code.
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