WordPress vs BigCommerce
WordPress scores 7.9/10, BigCommerce 7.8/10. Where each one wins, what they cost and who should pick which, side by side.
The short answer
WordPress scores 7.9/10 and BigCommerce scores 7.8/10 on our rubric. The scores are close enough that fit matters more than the headline number.
WordPress leads on design, flexibility, and value. BigCommerce leads on ease of use and support.
WordPress starts at $0/mo and has a free plan; BigCommerce starts at $29/mo with no free plan. WordPress is the cheaper way in.
| WordPress | BigCommerce | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 7.9 | 7.8 |
| From | $0 | $29 |
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Sells online | Yes | Yes |
| Code export | Yes | Yes |
| Ease of use | 5.6 | 7.2 |
| Design | 7.8 | 7.4 |
| Flexibility | 9.8 | 8.6 |
| Value | 9.2 | 7.6 |
| Support | 6.4 | 8.2 |
What WordPress does well
- Powers a large share of the web, so every problem has been solved by someone already
- Tens of thousands of themes and plugins
- You own the site outright and can move it to any host
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
WordPress. Content-heavy sites, anyone who wants to own the stack outright, and projects where a specific plugin solves a problem no hosted builder addresses. If the site will live for years and change often, the ownership pays for itself.
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
WordPress
| WordPress.org | Free software | you pay for hosting, a domain and any premium plugins or themes |
|---|---|---|
| WordPress.com Personal | $4/mo first year, then $5 | billed yearly, 6 GB, no ads, plugins allowed |
| WordPress.com Premium | $8/mo first year, then $9 | 13 GB, all premium themes, payment buttons, video |
| WordPress.com Business | $25/mo first year, then $28 | 50 GB, SSH and Git deploys, real-time backups, priority support |
| WordPress.com Commerce | $45/mo first year, then $50 | WooCommerce store features on top of Business |
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
WordPress
WordPress.com's headline prices are introductory. On yearly billing, Personal is $4 a month for the first year and renews at $5; Premium goes from $8 to $9, Business from $25 to $28 and Commerce from $45 to $50. Paying monthly is much more expensive, from $9 a month for Personal to $70 for Commerce, and two- and three-year terms are cheaper still. Budget on the renewal figure, not the first-year one.
Plan price after the first year
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
WordPress
Someone who wants to be online this afternoon and never think about the site again. Every hosted builder here beats it on time-to-live and on not having to care about updates.
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
WordPress
Choose WordPress when you want to own your site outright and expect it to grow into something other builders cannot contain. For most people, WordPress.com's Personal or Premium plan is the sensible way in; developers and content-heavy businesses should look at Business or self-hosting.
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 WordPress better than BigCommerce?
WordPress scores 7.9/10 and BigCommerce scores 7.8/10 on our rubric. The scores are close enough that fit matters more than the headline number. WordPress leads on design, flexibility, and value. BigCommerce leads on ease of use and support.
Which is cheaper, WordPress or BigCommerce?
WordPress starts at $0/mo and has a free plan; BigCommerce starts at $29/mo with no free plan. WordPress is the cheaper way in.
Which is easier to use, WordPress or BigCommerce?
BigCommerce scores 7.2/10 for ease of use against WordPress at 5.6/10.
Do WordPress and BigCommerce have a free plan?
WordPress has a free plan; BigCommerce has no free plan.
Can you sell online with WordPress and BigCommerce?
Both WordPress and BigCommerce can take payments and run a store.
Can you move your site off WordPress or BigCommerce?
Both WordPress and BigCommerce let you export your code.
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