BigCommerce Problems & Issues
PlatformOpen SaaS ecommerce platform for merchants of all sizes
Score breakdown
BigCommerce offers strong B2B features and zero transaction fees but suffers from forced revenue-based upgrades, customization limitations requiring developers, and a smaller app ecosystem than competitors. Best suited for mid-market B2B/wholesale businesses; problematic for small businesses or those needing extensive customization.
Overview
BigCommerce is a leading cloud-based ecommerce platform that enables merchants to build, innovate, and grow their online businesses. It offers extensive built-in features for B2B and B2C, multi-channel selling, and enterprise scalability without requiring numerous third-party apps.
Signals & Issues
Patterns extracted from real user feedback — not raw reviews.
BigCommerce automatically upgrades your plan when you hit annual sales limits: $50K for Standard, $180K for Plus, and $400K-$1M for Pro. Users report being surprised by sudden 3-10x monthly cost increases when crossing these thresholds. You have no choice about whether to upgrade once you reach the revenue limit.
Once sales exceed $1M annually, you're automatically moved to Enterprise with custom pricing ranging from $400/month to $15,000/month. Many merchants report being caught off guard by exorbitant monthly cost increases when they outgrow Pro tier, with some seeing bills jump from $399 to several thousand dollars.
Customer-group specific pricing (Price Lists) requires Enterprise plan ($400-$15K/month). You cannot provide VIP pricing, wholesale discounts, or different prices per customer group without upgrading. Managing multiple price lists becomes cumbersome with large catalogs, increasing risk of errors.
Template editing feels clunky and outdated compared to Shopify or Wix drag-and-drop builders. Users consistently report needing to hire developers for anything beyond basic changes, including modifying CSS/JS files, adjusting page layouts, or creating custom themes. HTML knowledge required for even email customizations.
Trustpilot reviews reveal there's no cancellation or refund policy for any plans, and BigCommerce doesn't tell you this when signing up. When customers close their stores, BigCommerce immediately removes access to all sales records and financials with no warning. Some report being charged months after cancellation.
While BigCommerce claims 24/7 support with 2-minute response times, users report customer service unable to answer technical, billing, or basic account questions. Enterprise customers paying $600/month for 'premium support' describe it as 'a joke' with slow responses and unresolved issues. Email responses take significantly longer than live chat.
BigCommerce websites tend to be slower compared to other ecommerce platforms, negatively impacting SEO and bounce rates. Users have no control over hosting configurations since BigCommerce handles all hosting. The more apps installed, the slower the site becomes, with each app adding code that loads on every page view.
Users reported enforced migration to Feedonomics caused Meta CAPI data pipelines to completely fail. Legacy connectors were removed and the new system broke tracking and reporting overnight, directly impacting advertising performance and revenue.
Developers report not being able to reliably connect to the API without throttling or losing connection. One user reported a glitch where transactions were incorrectly converted between currencies, causing customers to lose about 30% of sales value.
Essential features like Google Reviews integration and Abandoned Cart Recovery reserved for higher-tier plans. Users report you 'cannot do anything without an APP' with lots of apps (each at $9-$50/month) needed for basic tasks. The app ecosystem is smaller than Shopify's 8,000+ apps, limiting integration options.
BigCommerce automatically launches blogs on a subdomain (separate from main domain), hurting SEO as search engines treat it as a separate site. Blog listing pages show entire articles causing duplicate content issues. No built-in CTA tools, limited ability to link products to blog posts, and challenges creating canonical URLs.
BigCommerce has no support for easily creating a dev site or staging environment. Dev changes must be made directly on live sites, complicating quality assurance before implementing updates. This forces merchants to risk breaking their live store when making changes.
Reporting capabilities and options seem limited and challenging to customize. Users struggle to create custom reports for specific business needs, often needing third-party analytics tools at additional cost to get the insights they need.
Users report BigCommerce rolls out backend upgrades that are still very buggy. Platform often suffers from indexing delays and caching issues where changes or new products take 30+ minutes to appear on the live site. This creates problems for time-sensitive inventory updates and promotions.
What Users Love
Zero transaction fees on all plans
Unlike Shopify which charges 0.5-2% transaction fees unless using Shopify Payments, BigCommerce charges no transaction fees regardless of which payment gateway you choose. This can represent significant savings for high-volume merchants.
More built-in features than competitors
BigCommerce includes features like unlimited staff accounts, professional reporting, ratings and reviews, and real-time shipping quotes that competitors charge extra for or require apps. The platform supports up to 600 product variants natively.
Strong B2B and wholesale capabilities
Native support for Price Lists, Customer Groups, and Quote management even on mid-tier plans. B2B features include shared shopping lists, buyer accounts with approval roles, and tiered pricing without requiring a custom build.
Excellent multi-channel selling
Built-in integrations with Amazon, eBay, Facebook, Instagram, Google Shopping, and Walmart. The multi-storefront feature allows managing multiple stores from one dashboard, providing good value for businesses selling across channels.
Enterprise-grade security and compliance
PCI DSS Level 1 compliance included at no extra cost. Built-in SSL, fraud protection, and ISO/IEC 27001 certification. Security features that enterprise businesses need are included rather than being premium add-ons.
24/7 phone and live chat support
Support available around the clock via phone, live chat, and email. Phone and live chat response times are generally quick, with BigCommerce reporting most calls answered within 2 minutes and 85%+ first-call resolution rate.
Pricing Plans
Users: Unlimited staff accounts
Storage: Unlimited
Limitations: No persistent cart, No customer groups, No stored credit cards, Sales capped at $50K/year before forced upgrade
Users: Unlimited staff accounts
Storage: Unlimited
Limitations: Same as monthly Standard but with annual commitment required
Users: Unlimited staff accounts
Storage: Unlimited
Limitations: No faceted search (product filtering), No price lists, Sales capped at $180K/year before forced upgrade
Users: Unlimited staff accounts
Storage: Unlimited
Limitations: Same as monthly Plus
Users: Unlimited staff accounts
Storage: Unlimited
Limitations: Sales capped at $400K-$1M before forced Enterprise upgrade. Custom pricing features limited compared to Enterprise.
Users: Unlimited staff accounts
Storage: Unlimited
Limitations: Same as monthly Pro with annual commitment
Users: Unlimited staff accounts
Storage: Unlimited
Limitations: Requires annual contract. Custom pricing means negotiation required. Quotes vary significantly.
Features
Pricing
- Zero transaction fees
On all plans, regardless of payment gateway
Products
- Unlimited products
All plans include unlimited products
- Product variants
Up to 600 variants per product
Admin
- Unlimited staff accounts
No per-user charges on any plan
- Multi-storefront
Manage multiple stores from one dashboard
Marketing
- Abandoned cart recovery
Plus plan and above only
B2B
- Customer groups/segmentation
Plus plan and above
- Price lists
Limited on Pro, full on Enterprise only
Sales
- Multi-channel selling
Amazon, eBay, Facebook, Instagram, Walmart
Shipping
- Real-time shipping quotes
All plans include carrier-calculated rates
Customization
- Drag-and-drop editor
Theme editor is limited; requires developer for significant changes
Development
- Staging environment
No native staging/sandbox capability
Content
- Blog on main domain
Blog launches on subdomain by default
Security
- Free SSL certificate
Included on all plans
- PCI compliance
Level 1 PCI DSS certified
Integrations
- API access
Throttling limits apply; unlimited on Enterprise
Who Should Use This?
Good Fit
Growing businesses ($50K-$180K annual sales)
The Plus plan includes essential features like abandoned cart recovery and customer segmentation without needing apps. Zero transaction fees provide real savings at this volume. Good choice if you don't need extensive customization.
B2B wholesalers and manufacturers
Native B2B features like Price Lists, Customer Groups, quote management, and buyer approval workflows are included without third-party apps. B2B Edition offers shared shopping lists and tiered pricing. However, complex contract pricing or PunchOut requires Enterprise tier.
Multi-channel sellers
Built-in integrations with Amazon, eBay, Facebook, Instagram, Google Shopping, and Walmart. Multi-storefront feature manages multiple stores from one dashboard. Strong choice for omnichannel retail strategies.
Neutral
Small businesses under $50K annual sales
The Standard plan at $29-39/month is competitive, but once you approach the $50K revenue threshold, you'll be forced to upgrade. For businesses just starting out, simpler platforms like Shopify Basic or WooCommerce might offer better value and flexibility.
High-volume merchants ($400K+ annual sales)
Pro plan offers solid features but pricing escalates quickly. At $1M+ you're forced into Enterprise at potentially $400-$15,000/month. Evaluate total cost of ownership carefully against alternatives like Shopify Plus or Adobe Commerce.
Engineering and development teams
API available but throttling issues reported. No staging environment complicates development workflow. Stencil framework allows custom themes but requires learning curve. Good documentation but gaps exist. Consider headless commerce options if flexibility is priority.
Avoid
Non-technical store owners
Customization requires developer help for anything beyond basic changes. Template editing is clunky compared to drag-and-drop builders like Shopify or Wix. CSS/JS editing unavailable in dashboard. Budget for ongoing development costs or choose a more user-friendly platform.
Content-heavy brands relying on SEO
Blog automatically launches on subdomain (hurts SEO). No staging environment for testing changes. Slow site speed affects rankings. Limited blog-to-product linking and no built-in CTA tools. Consider Shopify or WordPress/WooCommerce for better content marketing.
Regret Patterns
Common buyer's remorse scenarios reported by users.
Merchants report shock when hitting $50K, $180K, or $400K annual sales and being automatically upgraded to expensive tiers. Some saw monthly bills jump from $105 to $399, or from $399 to $1,000+ overnight with no way to opt out.
Store owners discover that making visual changes beyond basic colors and fonts requires hiring developers. Template editing is clunky, CSS/JS files aren't editable in dashboard, and what seemed simple on other platforms becomes expensive projects.
Users find themselves paying $200-$500/month in app subscriptions for features they assumed were included or found free on other platforms. Essential features like advanced reviews, email marketing integrations, or shipping solutions all require paid apps.
Content marketers invested in blogging only to discover posts live on a subdomain separate from main site, diluting SEO value. Combined with slow site speed and technical SEO limitations, organic traffic goals weren't achievable.
When closing their store, merchants discovered BigCommerce immediately removes access to all sales records, customer data, and financials with no warning. Years of business data became inaccessible, causing accounting and tax complications.
Wholesale businesses chose BigCommerce for B2B capabilities but discovered full Price Lists and advanced features require Enterprise tier at $1,000-$15,000/month - far beyond their budget. Stuck with limited workarounds or facing expensive upgrade.
Merchants noticed slow page loads affecting bounce rates and conversions. Because BigCommerce controls hosting, they couldn't optimize server settings. Each app installed made it worse, forcing difficult decisions about removing functionality to improve speed.
When It Breaks Down
Scenarios where this product tends to fail users.
At $50K annual sales, you're automatically upgraded from Standard ($39/month) to Plus ($105/month) - a 169% price increase. The transition is automatic with no opt-out option. This catches many growing small businesses off-guard.
Pro plan caps at $400K annual sales, after which additional fees of $150/month apply for each $200K in additional GMV. At $1M you're forced into Enterprise at $1,000-$15,000+/month. High-growth businesses face significant cost escalation.
Attempting any significant design changes reveals BigCommerce's customization limitations. Without developer help, you're limited to changing colors, fonts, and basic layout options. Custom themes require Stencil framework knowledge and agency partnership.
Site performance degrades noticeably as apps accumulate. Each app adds JavaScript and CSS that loads on every page. Merchants face difficult choices between functionality and speed, often having to remove useful apps to maintain acceptable load times.
Blog's subdomain placement, lack of product-blog linking, no built-in CTA tools, and slow site speed combine to undermine content marketing efforts. SEO benefits from content don't flow to main store, and technical limitations prevent best practices.
Basic Customer Groups work on lower tiers, but implementing tiered pricing, customer-specific catalogs, or quote management requires Enterprise plan. Growing B2B needs quickly outpace what's included in Standard/Plus/Pro plans.
No native staging or sandbox environment means all development happens on production. QA becomes risky, deployments are stressful, and testing new features properly requires workarounds or accepting risk of breaking live store.
While APIs are available, developers report throttling issues and connection reliability problems. Currency conversion glitches and data sync issues have caused merchants to lose revenue. Enterprise API limits are needed for heavy usage.
Alternatives Users Switch To
Shopify
9x mentionedMost popular BigCommerce alternative. Users switch for better ease of use and 8,000+ app ecosystem vs BigCommerce's smaller selection. Gain: intuitive drag-and-drop editor, larger app marketplace, better mobile app management. Trade-off: transaction fees (0.5-2%) unless using Shopify Payments, fewer built-in B2B features, variant limits.
WooCommerce
8x mentionedOpen-source WordPress solution for full control. Users switch to avoid revenue-based forced upgrades and for unlimited customization. Gain: no monthly fees (just hosting), complete code access, thousands of plugins, better blogging/SEO. Trade-off: requires hosting management, more technical setup, security is your responsibility.
Shopify Plus
7x mentionedEnterprise merchants switch when BigCommerce Enterprise costs become prohibitive. Gain: more predictable pricing starting around $2,000/month, Shopify's ecosystem maturity, better checkout customization. Trade-off: transaction fees apply, B2B features require additional apps.
Adobe Commerce (Magento)
6x mentionedLarge enterprises switch for maximum flexibility and complex B2B needs. Gain: unlimited customization, advanced B2B capabilities, self-hosted option for complete control. Trade-off: significantly higher development costs, requires dedicated technical team, longer implementation timeline.
Squarespace
5x mentionedDesign-focused merchants switch for better templates and easier editing. Gain: beautiful templates, intuitive editor, integrated blogging, better for content-first brands. Trade-off: fewer ecommerce features, limited payment gateways, not suitable for high-volume or complex catalogs.
Wix
5x mentionedSmall businesses switch for simplicity and lower costs. Gain: true drag-and-drop builder, lower starting price, easier setup for non-technical users. Trade-off: less scalable for growth, fewer advanced ecommerce features, limited B2B capabilities.
Frequently Asked Questions
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