Shopify and BigCartel are eCommerce platforms for building online stores to sell products and services. Shopify is a well-established and well-known platform in the industry, while BigCartel is a new platform with features tailored towards artists and makers. It is important to compare both platforms based on their key features.
Top 10 selling categories for both platforms
Shopify
BigCartel
| ? Fashion |
| ? Apparel |
| ? Jewellery |
| ? Bags |
| ? Shoes |
| ? Makeup |
| ?Womens Clothing |
| ? Home Decor |
| ? Groceries and Food |
| ? Fitness |
| ? Apparel |
| ? Fashion |
| ? Makeup |
| ? Jewellery |
| ? Music |
| ? Photography |
| ? Bags |
| ? Books |
| ? Shoes |
| ? Home Decor |
As we can see both platforms have facilitated the selling of similar categories. BigCartel along with other common categories also has music & photography stores that’s why they might be promoting to artists & makers.
#Quick Summary – Shopify vs BigCartel
Shopify
- A bit expensive plan ($29 – $299)
- Unlimited storage, No cap on the product listing.
- 100+ themes (9+ free themes) and pricing ranges from ($180 – $350)
- Good options for theme customization
- 6000+ of apps application
- Good marketing, SEO, and Blogging Features
- 24/7 support through email, phone, chat
BigCartel
- Economic plans with a free plan ($0 – $19.99)
- Can list a maximum of up to 500 products
- Only 19 Quirkily designed templates
- The level of theme customization is very basic
- Only 30+ handfuls of integrations
- No Blogging feature and basic SEO setting provided.
- No proper support is provided.
#7 Main Differences – Shopify vs BigCartel
1. Ease of Use
BigCartel has a free plan and it can be set up in 4-5 steps whereas Shopify needs some time to set up & customize the store
Winner: BigCartel
2. Pricing
BigCartel plans are cheaper than Shopify. BigCartel price ranges from $0- $99 Whereas Shopify Price ranges from $29-$299. Ecwid offers a forever free plan to sell up to 5 products while Shopify offers a 14-day free trial to try & test the platform.
Winner: BigCartel
3. Themes & Editor
Shopify offers 13 free themes and a lot of paid themes with plenty of customization features. Whereas BigCartel offers 15+ free themes with limited customization features.
Winner: Shopify
4. Small businesses:
Shopify has various features & apps to help small businesses but has higher pricing whereas BigCartel offers good offers for musicians & makers with economic pricing hence Shopify is better.
Winner: Shopify
5. Domain & Hosting:
Shopify has good hosting with a fast server & provides a custom domain upon purchasing an annual plan whereas BigCartel has basic hosting but doesn’t provide a custom domain.
Winner: Shopify
6. Payments and Charges
Shopify offers more than 70+ payment providers and charges transactional charges on sales if customers used other payment methods than Shopify Payments. (Shopify payments are limited to a few countries like US & European countries) whereas BigCartel offers only a few payment methods.
Winner: Shopify
7. App store
Both of the platforms have an app store Shopify offers over 6000+ apps whereas BigCartel has only a few of the apps.
Winner: Shopify
Ease of Use
Shopify is easy to set up and manage. It offers a 14-day free trial to allow users to test the platform. To start selling, users must upgrade to one of the paid plans. After signing up with Shopify, click on the setup guide to familiarize yourself with the platform. Bigcartel is easy to set up but it does not offer a free trial like Shopify. After signing up for a store, select the free plan that allows you to sell up to 5 products. The BigCartel setup guide is arranged in steps.
The Shopify dashboard is well organized, providing easy access to all store functions and tracking of store events. Its ready-made themes can be easily customized and designed. Shopify also offers plenty of resources, including blogs, videos, and a support team, to assist with setting up and managing stores. The BigCartel dashboard, on the other hand, is basic and provides a starter checklist to set up a shop
BigCartel Checklist
Key takeaways: Both Shopify and BigCartel are easy to use. Shopify might need some time to set up & get started but not in the case of BigCartel.
The winner of the Ease Of Use Feature: BigCartel
Shopify: 0-1 :BigCartel
Domain and Hosting
| Shopify | BigCartel | |
| Inbuilt Hosting | ✔ | ✔ |
| Domain Provides | ✔ | ❌ |
| Storage & Bandwidth | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Uptime | 99.98% | 99.94% |
| Avg Response time | 350-400 ms | 380-430 ms |
Domain
Shopify provides a custom domain with any of its annual plans. If you already have a registered domain, it can be easily migrated to Shopify. BigCartel, however, does not provide a custom domain with any of its plans. Users can connect an existing domain or purchase one through Google Domains directly from the BigCartel account section.
Hosting
Shopify has a powerful server with an uptime of 99.98% and comply to PCI and DDOS standards. It also provides a strong SSL to secure the website and minimize web threats. Additionally, all Shopify plans offer unlimited storage and bandwidth. BigCartel, while not as powerful as Shopify, still maintains an average uptime of 99.94%. However, it is not PCI compliant, but payment gateways handle PCI compliance to ensure customer data safety.
Key takeaways: Shopify provides a custom domain upon purchasing an annual plan and also provides good security & fast server so it’s a clear winner.
The winner of the Domain & hosting Feature: Shopify
Shopify: 1-1 :BigCartel
Pricing & Plans
| Shopify | BigCartel | |
| Trial period | 14 days | Free forever(no trial) |
| Starting price | $29/mo | $0 |
| eCommerce Price | $29/mo – $299/mo | $0 – $19.99/mo |
| enterprise price | custom pricing | No |
Shopify has three basic plans
Basic Shopify:$29/m($26)
Shopify:$79/m ($71)
Advance Shopify: $299/m ($269)
(Prices in the Bracket are applicable for a year plan)
Users can get 10% off on annual, and 20% on biennial plans.
BigCartel too has 3 Plans
- $0/month – 5 products + limited features
- $9.99/month – 50 products + premium features
- $19.99/month – 500 products + premium features
Shopify has introduced a new plan “Shopify lite” $9/month to facilitate selling on other platforms by embedding a buy button to other websites and social sites.
Shopify Pricing
BigCartel Pricing
Key takeaways: BigCartel has economical plans and there are no extra additional costs as compared to Shopify hence BigCartel is a clear winner.
The winner of the Pricing & Plans Feature: BigCartel
Shopify: 1-2 :BigCartel
Themes & Customization
| Shopify | BigCartel | |
| Themes | 80+ | 15+ |
| Free Themes | 10+ | 15+ |
| Mobile-Friendly | Yes | Yes |
| Theme Customization level | Good | Very Basic |
| Prebuilt Sections | No | No |
Shopify offers themes for various businesses, with 8 free and over 80 paid themes starting at $100. BigCartel provides 18 free themes. Each Shopify theme includes a brief description of its design and features. Every theme includes 2-3 design style variations. Users can sort themes by price, catalog, industry, or feature to meet their needs. BigCartel provides all themes in the editor section.
Shopify themes can be duplicated for backup and testing purposes, allowing users to switch themes without losing content. BigCartel themes can be found in one place and switched but content will be lost in the process.
Shopify themes
BigCartel themes
Shopify’s theme editor is section-based, with built-in blocks (e.g. image, video, gallery, maps) that can be inserted and customized. All of these sections can be rearranged on the homepage. The theme settings offer design customization options, such as colors, fonts, and styles. Shopify also offers free high-quality images for homepage design.
BigCartel’s editor provides basic customization options including design options like colors, images, fonts, etc. Users can add slideshows, images, featured products, related products, etc. from the theme settings. Adding new sections to pages using custom code is only available in paid plans. Some themes have unique design styles suitable for artists and makers. All BigCartel themes are mobile-responsive.
Key takeaways: Shopify provides free & paid themes with good customization features. BigCartel has all free themes but they provide limited customization so Shopify is a clear winner
The winner of the Themes & Customization Feature: Shopify
Shopify: 2-2 :BigCartel
eCommerce
| Ecom Features | Shopify | BigCartel |
| Products | 1. Sell physical products & services 2. Sell digital products through Shopify’s app digital downloads(free) 3. Import/export products(unlimited) 4. upload images & videos | 1. Sell products and services 2. Sell digital products through the pulley app(paid) 3. Import/export products(upto 500) 4. Add products images & embed videos |
| Inventory | 1. Create tags, categories/subcategories 2. access product options(radio, swatches, button) from Shopify apps 3. Create upto 100 product variants 4. Tax setting available for domestic/international. | 1. Create Categories/subcategories 2. Specify stock levels 3. Multiple Product status option 4. Create upto 150 product variants |
| Payment options | Shopify offers over 80+ payment options, including popular methods like PayPal, Stripe, Square, and its own in-built payment system, “Shopify Payments.” Shopify also accepts cryptocurrencies as payment options. | BigCartel offers limited payment options, users can receive payments through payment processors PayPal, and Stripe. |
| Shipping Option | Shopify integrates with major shipping companies such as USPS, FedEx, DHL, etc. and offers up to 70% shipping discounts. Real-time shipping rates are displayed at checkout based on location and package dimensions. Shipping labels can be printed from the Shopify dashboard. Shopify has extensive shipping integration. | BigCartel has basic shipping options. users can set up plenty of shipping methods like flat shipping, store pickup, and free shipping. However, the shipping price by weight option is not available. BigCartel has a handful of integration like Ship station, Ship rush to facilitate shipping. |
| Fees | Shopify charges transaction fees of 2%-1%-0.5% on consecutive plans. This will apply on Shopify plans if a payment gateway other than Shopify Payments is used to receive payments. | BigCartel doesn’t charge any transaction fees. |
| POS | Shopify has 2 plans one of them being free and included in all plans. Shopify provides POS hardware like barcode scanners, card readers, etc. | BigCartel doesn’t have a POS system but using stripe as a payment processor users can get a stipe card reader but don’t provide other POS hardware. |
Key takeaways: Shopify has provided various inbuilt features & third-party apps to facilitate hence it’s a winner.
The winner of the eCommerce Feature: Shopify
Shopify: 3-2 :BigCartel
Marketing
| Features | Shopify | BigCartel |
| Email Campaigns | Shopify has its own email automation software called “Shopify email”, which helps you in building email automation, you can send up to 2500 free emails. Shopify app store has 100+ email automation apps like Omnisend, Klaviyo, etc to give flexibility in email campaigns. | Bigcartel doesn’t have its own email software. They have integration with Mailchimp, if you want to use more third-party email software that can be done with Zapier integration. |
| Multichannel selling | Shopify has integration with social and eCommerce channels like Amazon, eBay, Etsy, etc to sell across these platforms. | BigCartel doesn’t have multi-channel integrations like Shopify. However, Zapier integrations can be used to access this feature. |
| Social Media | Shopify has various social media automation and ad campaigns that can be managed directly from Shopify. There are various social media managing apps in the Shopify app store. | Using Zapier you can use prebuilt Zapier zaps to automate and manage social media integration. |
| Multilingual & MultiCurrency | Shopify has this as an inbuilt feature for Shopify payment countries. Users can also use third-party apps from Shopify to access these features. | BigCartel doesn’t provide either of both features. You can get add-ons from outside developers and access these features. |
| Apps | Shopify has over 6000+ apps in various categories, they are either free or paid. | BigCartel has a handful of integration (30+) to add new features. |
Key takeaways: As side by side marketing feature comparison we can see that Shopify has ticked all the boxes with great features hence it’s a winner.
The winner of the marketing Feature: Shopify
Shopify: 4-2 :BigCartel
SEO & Blogging
| Shopify has a good blogging tool | BigCartel doesn’t have a blogging tool |
Both Shopify and BigCartel offer basic SEO features. Shopify enables editing of meta titles, descriptions, alt-text, and permalinks, while BigCartel allows editing of meta titles and alt-text but not meta descriptions or URLs. Both platforms provide a sitemap, robots.txt, link redirects, HTML markup, etc. Shopify also offers various SEO tools for optimizing search engines.
Blogging is an effective way to promote products and services. Shopify’s blogging feature enables adding text, images, and embedded videos. Blogs can be scheduled for publishing, categorized, tagged, and assigned authors, and have commenting settings. BigCartel lacks an in-built blogging tool, which is a disadvantage compared to its competitors.
Key takeaways: Shopify has good SEO & blogging features whereas Bigcartel has a basic SEO setting & no blogging feature hence Shopify is a clear winner.
The winner of the SEO & Blogging Feature: Shopify
Shopify: 5-2 :BigCartel
Support & Resources
| Shopify | BigCartel | |
| ✔ | ✔ | |
| Live chat | ✔ | ❌ |
| Phone | ✔ | ❌ |
Shopify offers support through live chat, phone, and email and provides support in over 10+ languages. It has an active community where both Shopify users and support staff are available for assistance. Users can also hire a Shopify expert to manage and set up their shop. These experts are professional Shopify specialists who offer support.
BigCartel offers limited support, with only 12 members providing support via email, with no live chat or phone support. Support is available in English only. BigCartel provides articles and videos for managing and operating stores.
Shopify support
BigCartel Support
Key takeaways: Shopify provides all forms of support and excellent resources whereas BigCartel provides email support with limited human resources so Shopify is a clear winner.
The winner of the Support & Resources Feature: Shopify
Shopify: 6-2 :BigCartel
Pros and Cons: Shopify vs BigCartel
| Shopify Pros | Shopify Cons |
| 1. Good theme customization & design features. | 1. expensive plans |
| 2. Plenty of payment processors & apps | 2. Transaction fees on non-Shopify payment transactions. |
| 3. Plenty of marketing automation, better SEO & blogging feature | 3. limited free themes and more paid themes |
| BigCartel Pros | BigCartel Cons |
| 1. Very economical plans with a free plan | 1. Maximum of 500 products can be listed |
| 2. No transaction fees are charged on sales. | 2. URL modification and meta description is not allowed |
| 3. All templates with mobile responsiveness are free | 3. Very few apps & marketing tools |
Conclusion: Shopify vs BigCartel
Use Shopify over BigCartel,
- If you have a business that requires lots of automation and features then Shopify is best.
- If you want to sell in domestic and international markets then Shopify is good
Use BigCartel over Shopify,
- if you want a simple and easy website builder with an economic plan then BigCartel is good.
- If you are an artist/maker and looking for quirky designs then BigCartel has plenty of templates.
Declan Kingston mainly works around strong Data to create powerful visuals, complex graphs to make the right decision for companies. He has been working in this field for over 8 years, has a strong knowledge of eCommerce platforms and website builders. He has worked with Ethereum and Looker Data Sciences, Inc. (now part of Google Cloud).
