Table of contents

Key differences1. Ease of use2. Features3. Design4. Performance5. Extensions6. Pricing7. Security8. SEO9. Support10. Developer experienceWho should useFAQsHow to get started

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Magento Guide → Vs BigCommerce

BigCommerce vs Magento

If you’re building an ecommerce store, you’ve probably come across two heavyweights: BigCommerce and Magento. Both are powerful platforms, but they’re built on very different philosophies.

One is a hosted solution with everything included. The other gives you full control—but with more responsibility. Let’s break down the key differences to help you figure out which one fits your business goals, technical skill level, and growth plans.

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BigCommerce vs Magento: key differences

Here’s a quick overview before we dive into the details.

Feature	BigCommerce	Magento (Adobe Commerce + Open Source)
Type	Hosted SaaS	Self-hosted open source (or Adobe-hosted)
Ease of Use	Beginner-friendly	Developer-friendly
Pricing	Monthly plans starting at $39	Hosting + dev costs vary widely
Flexibility	Limited customization	Fully customizable
Scalability	Auto-scales with plan tiers	Scales limitlessly with right hosting
Extensions	Curated app marketplace	Huge third-party ecosystem
Best For	Mid-size stores, low-code teams	Complex catalogs, B2B, multi-store

1. Ease of use and setup

BigCommerce is designed to be simple from the start. You sign up, choose a template, and your store is live. Hosting, security, and updates are handled for you. Its drag-and-drop editor lets you create pages without writing any code.

Magento (especially the Open Source version) is not beginner-friendly out of the box. You’ll need to install it on a server, configure your database, and often hire a developer. It offers a much steeper learning curve—but far more freedom.

Adobe Commerce, the enterprise edition, offers managed cloud hosting, but it still requires development skills to use effectively.

If you’re launching your first store and want minimal hassle, BigCommerce is the easier path. If you’re building something complex—or want complete ownership of your stack—Magento is worth the investment.

2. Features and functionality

Both platforms cover essential ecommerce features like:

Product and inventory management
Discount and coupon systems
SEO tools and URL control
Customer accounts and order tracking
Multi-currency and multi-language support

Where they differ is depth.

BigCommerce focuses on built-in features for multi-channel selling (like Amazon, eBay, Facebook, and Google Shopping). It offers easy connections and built-in shipping calculations with providers like FedEx and USPS.

Magento shines in flexibility. You can create complex product types (bundled, grouped, configurable), custom pricing rules, advanced tax setups, and layered navigation. It’s especially strong for B2B ecommerce, where buyers may need purchase orders, custom catalogs, or multiple user accounts.

3. Design and customization

BigCommerce themes are visually appealing and responsive, and the editor lets you tweak layouts, colors, and content with no coding. But for deeper customization, you’re limited by what the platform allows.

Magento gives you full control. You can build completely custom themes, use frontend frameworks like PWA Studio, and modify every bit of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. The tradeoff is that it requires more technical skill or developer support.

If you want to fine-tune every element of your storefront, Magento is the better choice. If you’re happy choosing from prebuilt templates, BigCommerce is faster.

4. Performance and scalability

BigCommerce is hosted in the cloud and automatically scales your resources as your store grows. Load balancing, uptime, and CDN integration are all handled for you. You won’t need to think about server capacity.

Magento performance depends entirely on how you host and configure it. A well-optimized Magento store on a powerful server can handle millions of SKUs and high-traffic events. But it takes effort, especially for caching, asset minification, and CDN setup.

If you want effortless performance at moderate scale, BigCommerce is ideal. If you want maximum scale and control over performance tuning, Magento excels.

5. Extensions and integrations

BigCommerce offers a curated app marketplace with extensions for marketing, shipping, payments, accounting, and more. These apps are generally easy to install and integrate smoothly with the platform.

Magento has a much larger third-party ecosystem, including extensions on the Magento Marketplace and custom-built modules from agencies and developers. You can integrate with virtually anything, but installation often involves code changes or developer help.

Magento’s ecosystem is richer and more adaptable. BigCommerce’s marketplace is simpler and safer for non-technical users.

6. Pricing and total cost of ownership

BigCommerce uses monthly subscription plans:

Standard: $39/month
Plus: $105/month
Pro: $399/month
Enterprise: Custom pricing

Each tier adds new features and raises sales volume limits. Hosting, support, and SSL are included.

Magento Open Source is free, but that doesn’t mean it’s cheap. You’ll need to pay for:

Web hosting (VPS or dedicated)
Domain registration
Developer time (for customizations or updates)
Paid extensions and themes
Maintenance and security patches

Adobe Commerce includes hosting and support but starts in the thousands per year.

Magento may cost more upfront but offers lower long-term costs for large-scale operations. BigCommerce offers predictable pricing, which is easier for smaller teams to manage.

7. Security and compliance

BigCommerce handles PCI compliance, SSL, firewalls, and platform updates automatically. It’s fully managed, meaning you’re protected without lifting a finger.

Magento requires manual security patches, SSL setup, and compliance configuration. You’re in charge, but you also get more control. Magento is popular in industries with strict compliance requirements (e.g., finance, healthcare, government).

(A managed Magento hosting provider will give you the power of Magento and take care of server maintenance for you.)

Magento offers flexibility and security if you’re ready to manage it. BigCommerce takes the responsibility off your plate.

8. SEO and marketing capabilities

Both platforms are SEO-friendly, but Magento gives you more technical control:

Custom URLs, metadata, and robots.txt
XML sitemap generation
Schema markup support
Headless and PWA options

BigCommerce supports SEO best practices out of the box, with limited editing flexibility. Its marketing tools include email integrations, Google Ads sync, and abandoned cart recovery at higher tiers.

For technical SEO and advanced content marketing strategies, Magento is better. For simpler, built-in tools, BigCommerce works great.

9. Support and community

BigCommerce includes 24/7 support via phone, chat, and email on all paid plans. Its documentation is solid, and onboarding tools help beginners launch quickly.

Magento Open Source relies on community forums, documentation, and agency partners. Adobe Commerce customers get direct support from Adobe’s team.

Magento has a passionate developer community and vast knowledge base. BigCommerce offers more direct help for non-technical users.

10. Developer experience and technical control

This is where Magento really shines. It’s a developer-first platform that supports:

Full access to codebase and database
REST and GraphQL APIs
Version control with Git
Dev/staging/production workflows
Headless architecture with PWA Studio

BigCommerce has APIs and developer tools too, but they’re more limited by the nature of a SaaS platform. You can’t change the backend or host your own instance.

If your business has technical talent or uses a dev agency, Magento gives you more power and flexibility.

Who should use Magento vs BigCommerce?

Choose BigCommerce if you want a hosted solution with fast setup, built-in security, and minimal maintenance. It’s ideal for small to mid-sized stores or teams without developers.

Choose Magento if you’re building something unique, handling a large or complex catalog, or planning to scale aggressively. It’s a great fit for B2B, international, or enterprise ecommerce.

BigCommerce vs Magento FAQs

Not at all. Magento Open Source is still active, and Adobe Commerce powers some of the world’s biggest ecommerce brands. It’s a modern, scalable platform.

For ease of use, platforms like BigCommerce or Shopify might be better. For custom control, scalability, and power—Magento often has no equal.

BigCommerce competes with Shopify, Squarespace, Wix, and Magento—especially for mid-market merchants who want flexibility without deep technical knowledge.

Magento Open Source remains free and community-supported. Adobe Commerce is the paid, enterprise version maintained by Adobe.

Next steps for choosing between BigCommerce and Magento

Choosing between BigCommerce and Magento depends on your goals. BigCommerce is easier to launch and manage. Magento is more powerful and customizable, especially for long-term growth or complex requirements.

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