Bigcommerce vs Magento: Face-off Comparison

Flexibility

BigCommerce is built to grow with your business. Its subscription model ensures that scaling up doesn’t mean outgrowing the platform. You’ll find tools and integrations that make expanding to new channels, marketplaces, and even global markets a breeze.

With Magento Open Source, you might hit some roadblocks as your business scales, especially in areas like B2B features or user-friendly page builders. But Magento Commerce is a different beast – it’s designed for bigger ambitions, though it requires more investment. If you’re considering Magento Commerce Cloud, keep an eye on bandwidth limitations, as overage fees could sneak up on you.

Hosting

BigCommerce takes care of hosting for you, running on Google Cloud with over 99.99% uptime. That means no stressing about finding a hosting provider or worrying about downtime. Plus, you’ll enjoy faster page loads and less maintenance.

Magento Community, however, puts hosting in your hands. You’re responsible for hardware and uptime, which might be a challenge if you’re not tech-savvy. If you go with Magento Enterprise, you can opt for on-premises hosting, while Magento Commerce Cloud offers a PaaS (Platform as a Service) option. But even with PaaS, you’re still on the hook for software updates and security patches.

Integration and Additional Apps

BigCommerce features a powerful API and a vast App Marketplace filled with vetted third-party apps, both free and premium. These apps cover a range of administrative and customization tasks, and if you need something unique, the API makes it possible to develop custom tools to meet your specific needs.

Magento, known for its flexibility, allows deep customization, but messing with the source code can complicate things when it comes to applying patches and upgrades- potentially causing disruptions. If you’re using Magento Open Source, keep in mind it doesn’t comply with PCI standards unless you tweak it, which can add another layer of complexity. Magento Commerce Cloud, while more compliant, still faces similar challenges if you modify the source code.

Pricing

BigCommerce rolls out four subscription plans, each building on the previous one with added features. While this tiered approach offers flexibility, there’s a catch—a revenue cap. Once your earnings exceed this limit, you’ll need to upgrade to a pricier plan, which bumps up your monthly costs. But don’t worry, the membership fee does include hosting.

On the flip side, Magento’s pricing depends on your choice between Magento Open Source and Magento Commerce. Magento Open Source is free, so your main expenses will revolve around development and hosting. However, the free version comes with limited features. If you’re looking for something more robust, Magento Commerce steps in with powerful capabilities but at a cost based on your business’s Gross Merchandise Value (GMV). And depending on whether you go for on-premises hosting or Magento Commerce Cloud, your overall costs can vary. Just remember, with Magento, you’ll want to budget for developer expertise to get everything set up.

Support

BigCommerce has your back with 24/7 support on all plans, offering help via phone, live chat, email, and a knowledge base. Enterprise customers get the VIP treatment, including priority support and a dedicated onboarding consultant to smooth out the setup process.

Magento’s support is more limited. Magento Open Source users primarily rely on community forums for help, while Magento Commerce users do have access to more robust support. However, it still doesn’t quite match the around-the-clock service that BigCommerce provides.

Payment Options

BigCommerce supports a wide range of payment gateways, including PayPal, Stripe, Amazon Pay, and Authorize.net, all without transaction fees. However, some local payment methods, like Swedbank and SEB, aren’t supported.

Magento covers the basics with PayPal, Braintree, and Authorize.net, but you can easily expand your options by integrating additional gateways like Stripe, Square, and Amazon Payments through APIs.

Security

With BigCommerce, security is part of the package. Your subscription fee covers comprehensive measures, including firewalls, intrusion detection, 24/7 monitoring, and a fraud protection service, keeping your site secure without extra effort.

Magento, being open-source, puts most of the security responsibilities on your hand. Regular updates, security patches, and version upgrades are necessary to keep your site safe, which is why it’s wise to have experienced Magento developers on hand. Magento Commerce follows a shared responsibility model – Magento secures the cloud environment, but you’re in charge of securing your customized instance.

Ease of Use

Both Bigcommerce vs Magento offer user-friendly interfaces, but BigCommerce takes the crown for ease of use. Its SaaS nature and drag-and-drop page builder mean you can set up your store without any coding skills, getting you up and running in no time.

Magento, on the other hand, has a steeper learning curve and requires coding knowledge for setup. It’s highly recommended to hire a Magento developer to help you out. However, once your store is up and running, daily operations are straightforward, with an intuitive interface that even beginners can navigate.

SEO & Marketing

When it comes to SEO and marketing, Magento SEO offers more advanced and customizable options. With Magento, you have greater control over meta tags, image alt-tags, product descriptions, and snippets. It also supports Google sitemaps, no-follow links, and link redirections. For more advanced needs, there are plenty of third-party SEO extensions available.

BigCommerce also packs a punch with strong SEO features, though they’re less customizable. For instance, you can’t change the default URL structure, which might be a limitation for some. But on the flip side, BigCommerce simplifies the management and optimization of product listings for search engines.

In terms of marketing, both Bigcommerce vs Magento offer features like email marketing, social media integration, and targeted promotions. Magento has the upper hand with a wider range of third-party marketing extensions, giving you more flexibility to tailor the platform to your needs. BigCommerce is capable too, but with fewer SEO modules due to its coding structure, it can be trickier for developers to create SEO-optimized tools.

SmartOSC – Certified Partner of Both

With SmartOSC by your side, you can choose an eCommerce platform that is perfectly aligned with your business objectives. Here’s how we can help:

• At SmartOSC, we dive deep into understanding your business needs and objectives. Our team will provide you with a thorough comparison of BigCommerce and Magento, focusing on how each platform can meet your specific requirements.
• Once you’ve made your decision, the next step is implementation. SmartOSC excels in creating tailored implementation plans that ensure your platform is set up efficiently and effectively.
• Every business is unique, and your eCommerce platform should reflect that. SmartOSC offers extensive customization and integration services, ensuring your chosen platform meets all your specific needs.
• Your business will evolve, and so should your eCommerce platform. SmartOSC provides ongoing strategic support, helping you adapt your platform as your business grows. We offer insights on expanding to new markets, optimizing your operations, and scaling your platform to meet increased demand.
• Keeping your platform running smoothly is crucial. SmartOSC offers proactive maintenance and support services to ensure your eCommerce store is always up to date, secure, and performing at its best. From regular updates to troubleshooting and performance enhancements, we’re here to keep your business on track.

Conclusion

We hope this comparison of Bigcommerce vs Magento has helped you get a clearer picture of which platform aligns best with your needs. If you’re still on the fence or have any questions about Bigcommerce and Magento, feel free to connect with our support team. SmartOSC’s experts are here to guide you in choosing the perfect platform and bringing your vision to life with our top-tier solutions.