6 Best BigCommerce Alternatives for 2026

BigCommerce has served the ecommerce market well, but its revenue-based plan upgrades, 600-variant product limit, and growing reliance on third-party apps push many merchants toward more flexible solutions. From API-first headless commerce platforms like Swell to established enterprise solutions like Salesforce Commerce Cloud, these six alternatives address specific pain points that BigCommerce users face at different growth stages. This guide examines each platform's architecture, pricing, and ideal use cases to help you select the right foundation for your online store.

The ecommerce platform landscape has shifted significantly, with WooCommerce holding 26% market share, Shopify powering 4.6 million websites, and headless commerce gaining traction among developer-led brands. BigCommerce maintains 3.2% global market share with approximately 41,271 active stores, but merchants increasingly seek alternatives that offer more flexibility, transparent pricing, or specialized capabilities for subscriptions, marketplaces, and complex product configurations.

Key Takeaways

• Product flexibility varies dramatically: BigCommerce limits merchants to 600 product variants, while Swell offers unlimited variants and options—critical for businesses with complex or customizable product catalogs
• Native subscriptions eliminate app dependency: Swell includes built-in subscription billing that works with any payment gateway. While Shopify now offers basic native subscriptions, advanced features often require $600-$2,400+ annually in third-party apps
• Headless architecture enables frontend freedom: API-first platforms like Swell let developers build storefronts in any JavaScript framework (Next.js, Nuxt, Vue) rather than being locked to specific templating systems
• Total cost of ownership differs by 30-50%: When factoring in app costs, transaction fees, and development overhead, modern headless platforms often deliver enterprise features at mid-market pricing
• Migration timelines range from weeks to months: Most teams complete platform migrations in 1-3 months, with the investment compounding through better performance and lower ongoing costs

1. Swell — API-First Headless Commerce with Native Subscriptions

Swell stands as the premier BigCommerce alternative for brands requiring unlimited product flexibility, built-in subscription management, and true headless architecture without enterprise complexity. The platform's features combine commerce-as-a-service flexibility with prebuilt functionality for catalogs, carts, orders, and checkout.

Core Capabilities:

• Unlimited products, variants, and custom attributes with real-time inventory tracking
• Native subscription billing built into the platform core—no third-party apps required
• GraphQL and REST APIs enabling any JavaScript framework (Next.js, Nuxt, Vue, React, Svelte)
• Custom data models on all standard objects (products, orders, customers, carts)
• PCI-compliant hosted checkout or fully customizable checkout via API
• Multi-currency support across 230 currencies with extensive content localization capabilities

Pricing Structure:

• Starter: $29/month (up to $50K annual sales)
• Basic: $79/month (up to $250K annual sales)
• Standard: $299/month (up to $1M annual sales)
• Unlimited: $2,250/month (up to $5M annual sales, 100% uptime SLA)

Swell charges 0% transaction fees on external payment gateways, with percentage fees applying only when exceeding revenue ceilings. This transparent model eliminates the surprise costs that plague merchants on platforms with app ecosystems and hidden fees.

The platform's greatest strength lies in its subscription capabilities. Unlike BigCommerce or Shopify requiring apps like ReCharge, Swell's native subscription engine handles flexible billing intervals, mixed carts (subscriptions plus one-time purchases), automatic payment retry, and dunning management—all included in the base platform.

Velobici, a cycling apparel brand where bundle sales make up 75% of revenue, migrated from WooCommerce to Swell specifically for its multi-currency pricing across 17 currencies and superior stock management. The brand cited lower total cost compared to Shopify for equivalent capabilities.

For developers, Swell provides the same Backend API powering its own dashboard and checkout, ensuring any native functionality can be replicated or customized. Implementation typically completes in 1-3 months, with the investment compounding through sub-second page loads and reduced ongoing development costs.

2. Shopify — Massive Ecosystem for Rapid Launch

Shopify dominates the ecommerce platform market with 10.32% global market share and an unmatched app ecosystem, making it ideal for merchants prioritizing speed to market over deep customization.

Platform Strengths:

• 8,300+ apps covering virtually every ecommerce use case
• Beginner-friendly interface with drag-and-drop theme customization
• Strong POS integration for online plus offline retail operations
• Shopify Payments eliminating third-party gateway fees
• Hydrogen framework for React-based headless implementations

Pricing Tiers:

• Basic: $29/month
• Shopify: $79/month
• Advanced: $299/month
• Plus: $2,000+/month for enterprise features

Key Limitations:

Shopify restricts products to 100 variants maximum—a significant constraint for businesses with complex product configurations. Advanced subscription features beyond Shopify's basic native capabilities often require paid apps costing $600-$2,400+ annually, while checkout customization remains locked even on Shopify Plus.

The platform's app-heavy approach creates performance concerns. Additional apps add weight that slows page loads, with every second of load time costing approximately 7% of conversions.

Best For: Merchants needing rapid launch with extensive third-party integrations who can work within product variant limits and budget for app ecosystem costs.

3. WooCommerce — WordPress Flexibility at Entry-Level Pricing

WooCommerce powers the largest share of online stores globally with 26% market share, offering unmatched flexibility for WordPress users comfortable with self-hosted infrastructure management.

Platform Capabilities:

• Free core plugin with pay-as-you-grow model
• 50,000+ WordPress plugins for extended functionality
• Unlimited products and variants without artificial limits
• Complete code access for customization
• Extensive community documentation and support

Cost Structure:

• Plugin: Free
• Hosting: $500-$2,000/year
• Essential plugins: $500-$1,500/year
• Total first-year cost: approximately $1,000-$3,500

Significant Drawbacks:

WooCommerce requires ongoing maintenance, security updates, and server optimization that SaaS platforms handle automatically. Performance issues emerge at scale without proper hosting configuration and caching implementation. Plugin conflicts create debugging headaches, and the interface complexity drove brands like Velobici to migrate away due to poor UI and difficult stock management.

Best For: WordPress-native businesses with existing content strategies, technical resources for ongoing maintenance, and modest transaction volumes.

4. Adobe Commerce (Magento) — Enterprise Customization Without Limits

Adobe Commerce delivers maximum customization control through its open-source foundation and 5,000+ extensions, serving major global brands requiring complex multi-store, multi-region operations.

Enterprise Features:

• Full code access for unlimited customization
• Advanced B2B capabilities including quote management and customer segmentation
• Multi-store management from single admin
• GraphQL and REST APIs for headless implementations
• Extensive certified developer community

Pricing Reality:

• Open Source: Free (self-hosted, no support)
• Adobe Commerce: $22,000-$40,000/year minimum
• Cloud hosting: Additional $2,000-$10,000+ annually
• Implementation: $10,000-$50,000+ for enterprise deployments

Critical Considerations:

Adobe Commerce demands dedicated PHP development resources and significant infrastructure investment. Implementation timelines stretch 3-6 months for full deployments. The platform excels for businesses already invested in Adobe's ecosystem or requiring the deepest possible customization, but represents overkill for most mid-market merchants.

Best For: Large enterprises with dedicated development teams, complex B2B requirements, and multi-store global operations justifying premium investment.

5. Commercetools — Pure Composable Commerce for Enterprises

Commercetools pioneered the MACH architecture (Microservices, API-first, Cloud-native, Headless), offering enterprise-grade composable commerce for organizations building custom commerce ecosystems.

Technical Architecture:

• True headless APIs without any frontend assumptions
• Microservices architecture enabling selective capability adoption
• Multi-tenant cloud infrastructure with global scalability
• Extensive API documentation for custom integrations
• Partner ecosystem for implementation support

Enterprise Positioning:

Commercetools targets large organizations with substantial development resources and complex multi-channel requirements. Unlike Swell's prebuilt admin dashboard and commerce logic, Commercetools requires building administrative interfaces, checkout flows, and operational tools from scratch.

Pricing Model:

Custom enterprise pricing based on transaction volume and API calls—typically positioning above mid-market budgets but below Salesforce for equivalent capabilities.

Best For: Enterprise organizations with dedicated commerce development teams building custom, multi-channel commerce experiences from foundational APIs.

6. Salesforce Commerce Cloud — CRM-Integrated Enterprise Commerce

Salesforce Commerce Cloud delivers enterprise commerce capabilities deeply integrated with Salesforce's CRM, Marketing Cloud, and Service Cloud ecosystem, targeting large organizations already invested in Salesforce infrastructure.

Enterprise Capabilities:

• Deep Salesforce ecosystem integration with unified customer data
• AI-driven personalization through Einstein analytics
• Robust B2B and B2C commerce support
• Global multi-currency and multi-language operations
• Headless API capabilities for custom frontends

Investment Requirements:

• Entry pricing: $50,000+/year
• Implementation: Substantial professional services investment
• Timeline: Extended deployment periods requiring Salesforce expertise

Strategic Fit:

Salesforce Commerce Cloud makes sense primarily for organizations already operating within Salesforce's ecosystem, where unified CRM, marketing automation, and commerce data creates operational efficiencies justifying premium pricing. For businesses outside this ecosystem, the platform represents significant overhead compared to purpose-built alternatives.

Best For: Large enterprises with existing Salesforce investments seeking unified commerce, CRM, and marketing operations.

Choosing Your BigCommerce Alternative

Selection depends on your specific requirements, technical resources, and growth trajectory:

By Business Stage:

• Pre-revenue to $250K: Swell Starter or Basic plans deliver headless flexibility at accessible pricing
• $250K to $1M: Swell Standard or Shopify Advanced provide scaling capabilities
• $1M to $5M: Swell Unlimited or enterprise evaluations warranted
• $5M+: Enterprise solutions including Swell Custom, Salesforce, or Adobe Commerce

By Technical Capability:

• Developer-led teams: Swell's API-first architecture enables framework freedom
• Marketing-led teams: Shopify's visual editor and app ecosystem accelerate launches
• Enterprise IT departments: Adobe Commerce or Commercetools for maximum control

By Business Model:

• Subscription commerce: Swell's native subscription billing eliminates app dependencies
• Complex product catalogs: Swell's unlimited variants handle any configuration
• B2B wholesale: Swell or BigCommerce B2B Edition
• Multi-vendor marketplaces: Swell's split payment functionality

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the main drawbacks of BigCommerce?

BigCommerce limits products to 600 variants, forces plan upgrades at revenue thresholds, and increasingly relies on third-party apps for advanced functionality. Merchants also report a steeper learning curve compared to Shopify and less flexible headless implementation than purpose-built API-first platforms like Swell.

How does a headless commerce platform differ from a traditional one?

Traditional platforms like BigCommerce couple the frontend (what customers see) with the backend (product data, orders, checkout). Headless platforms separate these layers, allowing developers to build custom frontends in any technology while the commerce backend handles business logic via APIs. This enables faster page loads, unique customer experiences, and easier integration with mobile apps and other touchpoints.

Can I migrate my existing BigCommerce store to an alternative platform?

Yes. Most migrations complete in 1-3 months using API-based data transfer for products, customers, and order history. Platforms like Swell provide Backend APIs enabling full data export and import. Consider running parallel systems briefly during transition to maintain business continuity.

Which platforms offer the most flexible pricing and no transaction fees?

Swell charges 0% transaction fees on external payment gateways, with percentage fees only above revenue ceilings. BigCommerce also avoids transaction fees. Shopify eliminates transaction fees only when using Shopify Payments; external gateways incur additional charges.

What are the benefits of native subscription management in an ecommerce platform?

Native subscription support eliminates third-party app costs, reduces integration complexity, and provides unified customer data. Built-in subscriptions also work across payment gateways rather than being locked to specific providers, while offering features like mixed carts, flexible billing intervals, and automated dunning without additional configuration.