Ecwid vs BigCommerce (2023): Which is Best for Ecommerce Brands

Ecwid vs BigCommerce: Which solution should you invest in for your company?

Both of these tools have proven to be powerful solutions for ecommerce retailers in the past. They both offer their own website building capabilities, access to a range of payment processing options, and a host of features to explore. However, BigCommerce and Ecwid have some core differences.

For instance, Ecwid is primarily designed to be an ecommerce add-on for existing websites and online platforms, while BigCommerce is a comprehensive all-in-one website builder. Here’s everything you need to know if you’re struggling to choose between the two options.

Quick Summary: Ecwid vs BigCommerce: Which is Best?

Ecwid vs BigCommerce: The Website Builders

Both Ecwid and BigCommerce will allow you to build a customized online presence where you can connect with your audience and manage transactions. However, BigCommerce does have a far more comprehensive website building system than Ecwid.

Ecwid

Though Ecwid does offer customers the opportunity to build their own website, the tools of the platform are relatively simple. With Ecwid, you can create a site with around 30+ different design templates, and customize the layout and features using over 50 content blocks.

While it’s a little basic, the website builder is very easy to use, and there’s a comprehensive dashboard for managing product and category pages, adding images, and other features. Unfortunately, Ecwid does lack one of the biggest tools most business leaders need, a blogging function.

This makes Ecwid a better option for simply adding ecommerce functionality to an existing website with its own blogging function already built-in, such as a WordPress site.

BigCommerce

While Ecwid focuses mostly on enhancing the ecommerce abilities of existing websites, BigCommerce is a little more comprehensive.

The innovative SaaS solution comes with a comprehensive website builder, featuring it’s own visual page editor, and a host of theme customization options. You can even adjust CSS, JavaScript, and HTML. Like Ecwid, BigCommerce also integrates with WordPress, and it also comes with mobile optimization features, and checkout customization.

You can also access APIs and SDKs, and build a multi-storefront environment, with options to manage multiple brands in one place. BigCommerce does have its own built-in blog, although it’s worth noting the features are a little limited.

BigCommerce vs Wix: Ecommerce Features

Wix and BigCommerce are both primarily designed for ecommerce retailers. However, there are some differences in the types of stores you can build and manage with both tools. Ecwid is great for omnichannel selling across a range of platforms, thanks to its host of integrations. BigCommerce, on the other hand, supports both omnichannel ecommerce and headless commerce.

Ecwid

Ecwid was primarily designed to give existing website owners and content creators the power to sell products on virtually any platform. You can create your own website with Ecwid, or add ecommerce checkouts and payment processing to an existing store.

If you integrate Ecwid with your existing store, it will automatically provide one-tap checkout tools, custom payment pages, and mimic your current site design without coding. You can also use Ecwid for social media selling across WhatsApp, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and TikTok.

Plus, Ecwid also offers:

• POS integration: Sell in the physical brick-and-mortar world with integrations for Clover, Vend, Square, and Lightspeed.
• Multiple payment options: Accept payments with PayPal, Lightspeed Payments, PayPal, Stripe, and over 70 other global options.
• Marketplace integration: Sell products across Ebay, Etsy, Amazon and more, with a unified system for inventory and order management.
• Shipping and fulfillment: Manage everything from order pickups to supply chains and shipping integrations in one place.
• Product customization: Implement product filters and variations, set up recurring subscription sales, and offer discount codes and gift cards.

There are also tools for marketing and promotion, with abandoned cart emails, SEO-friendly URLs, and custom meta data to improve your online presence. Plus, analytical tools are built in to help you track visitor numbers, conversion rates, revenue, and orders.

BigCommerce

BigCommerce offers a lot of the same features as Ecwid, including coupon and discounts (more than 70 options with no scripting), and a host of multi-channel selling tools. You can create and manage multiple unique storefronts within your ecommerce dashboards, sell across different customer segments and more in the same platform.

Plus, BigCommerce integrates with top marketplaces like Amazon, Ebay, and Google shopping, as well as social media channels like Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.

You can also leverage native POS systems for in-person selling, through integrations with solutions like Teamwork Commerce. What’s more, BigCommerce offers a range of payment processing options, such as PayPal, Amazon Pay, and Apple Pay.

BigCommerce also offers some relatively unique ecommerce features, such as:

• Headless commerce: Connect your store to WordPress, leverage Acquia Digital experience integrations for enterprise content management, and experiment with headless commerce in React.js/Vue.js frameworks. There’s also a channels toolkit for managing headless solutions.
• B2B sales: Manage B2B sales with bulk pricing down to the SKU level, price lists, purchase orders, quote management, and an ERP punch out solution. You can also add advanced search to your store, and automatically sync data across platforms with APIs.
• International selling: Accept payments in more than 100 currencies, and localize the store experience with automated translation. Natively integrate ShipperHQ for cross-border shipping, and keep sites loading quickly with a global CDN.

BigCommerce also includes a scalable product catalog, automated tax calculations, native credit card vaulting, and shipping solutions for a range of different needs. You can manage refunds and returns in one place, track insights with reporting and analytical tools, and even work with in-house BigCommerce experts to enhance your store.

BigCommerce vs Ecwid: Integration Options and Apps

Both Ecwid and BigCommerce come with a lot of useful tools for any small business owner or growing company. However, BigCommerce, in particular, comes with more tools built into the platform than virtually any other SaaS solution on the market.

To bridge the gaps in functionality companies might encounter, Ecwid offers a robust app market, where you can find a variety of tools for tax automation, sales, marketing, and more. Solutions range from Google shopping connections, to Printful for print-on-demand selling, Salesforce CRM, ShippingEasy, and Tax Jar.

Users can even download complete app collections for marketing, sales, and generating more repeat customers with loyalty campaigns. Since BigCommerce already has more functionality than most website builders built-in, it has fewer apps to choose from.

However, there are some great integrations available, for solutions like MailChimp, Yotpo, Quickbooks, ShipStation, and so on. You can also browse through products by category, focusing on areas like merchandising, product and shipping protection, and fulfillment.

BigCommerce also benefits from a comprehensive open platform, where you can leverage your own connections with a range of tools through APIs.

Ecwid vs BigCommerce: Pricing Plans

While there’s more to choosing the right online store builder or ecommerce platform than pricing, every business will have a budget to consider. While both solutions offer great value to companies, Ecwid might be a little cheaper for some companies.

Ecwid Pricing

Ecwid has it’s own free plan, which allows you to create a store and start accessing payment gateways and checkout tools instantly. However, you can only sell up to 10 products with this plan, and you won’t have access to advanced customization solutions, and multichannel selling.

Paid plans for Ecwid include:

• The Venture plan: $19 per month: All the features of the free plan, with options to sell up to 100 products. You can sell digital products, create an ecommerce website, access gift cards, discount codes, SEO tools, and multi-channel selling. You’ll also have complete access to the app score, mobile app management, automatic tax calculations, and inventory tracking.
• The Business plan: $39 per month: All the key features of the Venture plan, with support for up to 2,500 products, TikTok advertising, Amazon and Ebay selling, POS tools, scheduled order pickup, dimensional shipping rates and 2 staff accounts. You’ll also get multilingual catalogs, recurring subscriptions, product filters and variations, and advanced support.
• The Unlimited plan: $99 per month: All the features of the Business plan, as well as priority support, unlimited products, POS integrations, options for creating your own branded app, unlimited staff accounts, marketing automations for your online business, and other advanced features within your content management system.

There are no transaction fees included on any plan, and all options allow you to create a one-page website or online store for selling digital or physical products.

BigCommerce Pricing

BigCommerce doesn’t have a free plan, but it does offer a 15-day free trial. There are four plans to choose from in total, including a custom enterprise plan. Options include:

• Standard: $39 per month: Sell up to $50k annually with no transaction fees, unlimited staff accounts, 24/7 support, payment gateway integration, single page checkouts, social and marketplace integrations, and POS integrations. You also get a mobile app, real-time shipping quotes, an SSL, product ratings and reviews, coupons, discount rules, and gift cards.
• Plus: $105 per month: All the features of standard, plus you can sell up to $180k annually, and get access to special card rates via PayPal. This plan includes an abandoned cart saver, persistent cart, stored credit cards, and customer groups and segmentation.
• Pro: $399 per month: All the features of the Plus account, and you can sell up to $400k annually, access faceted search and product filtering, and get custom SSL.
• Enterprise: Custom pricing: All the features of Pro, plus price lists, unlimited API calls, no selling limits, strategic account management, express routing, and priority support.

BigCommerce vs Ecwid: Customer Support

While BigCommerce and Ecwid are both relatively easy-to-use platforms, there’s always a chance you’ll need to access extra help when running a growing ecommerce store. Ensuring your chosen platform offers the right level of customer support is essential.

The team behind the Ecwid ecommerce solution provides comprehensive support to beginners, although the support options you can access will depend on your chosen plan. Venture plan customers can access live chat and email support, as well as guidance from FAQs. If you upgrade to the Business plan, you’ll be able to access phone support. Plus, the Unlimited plan offers priority support.

BigCommerce offers exceptional customer support too, with 24/7 guidance available via chat, phone, and email. If you need extra help setting up your point of sale, experimenting with the app store, or using APIs, you can also get specialist technical guidance.

Enterprise customers on BigCommerce will be able to get step-by-step support from an account manager. You can also find tutorial, guide, and blog posts on the BigCommerce website.

Ecwid vs BigCommerce: Which one should you choose?

Both Ecwid and BigCommerce have a lot of features in common. They both come with inventory management tools, customizable shopping cart templates, and a range of payment processing options to choose from. They also both support various kinds of selling, from digital subscription sales to dropshipping, and can integrate with a range of platforms.

However, if you’re looking for comprehensive ease of use, or plugins for your existing website, then Ecwid might be the ideal option for you. It’s a little cheaper to access for beginners, although it lacks some of the more advanced features of BigCommerce.

If you’re looking for unlimited bandwidth and customization, BigCommerce may be the best option. The platform has more built-in features than any other ecommerce system, from Squarespace to Shopify, and offers excellent customer support. You can even use BigCommerce to create your own headless commerce environment.

The right option for you will all depend on your specific needs. Remember, both tools offer a free demo, so you can test out the functionality before you commit to anything.