Question 1

Which ecommerce platform is cheapest overall?

Accepted Answer

At the entry tier, Ecwid Venture ($25/mo) and WooCommerce (~$25/mo estimated hosting) have the lowest base prices. However, Shopify adds 2% transaction fees without Shopify Payments. For merchants using Shopify Payments, Shopify Basic ($39/mo) and BigCommerce Standard ($39/mo) are comparable — but BigCommerce has no transaction fees ever and no staff account limits.

Question 2

Does Shopify charge transaction fees?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Shopify charges 2% (Basic), 1% (Shopify plan), or 0.5% (Advanced) per transaction when using a third-party payment processor. These fees are waived if you use Shopify Payments, which is available in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, and a handful of other countries. International merchants who can't use Shopify Payments always pay these fees.

Question 3

Shopify vs BigCommerce — which is better?

Accepted Answer

Shopify is easier to set up and has a larger app ecosystem. BigCommerce has zero transaction fees ever, unlimited staff accounts on all plans, and stronger native B2B features. At $50k/mo GMV, Shopify's 2% fee without Shopify Payments costs $1,000/mo extra. For international merchants who cannot use Shopify Payments, BigCommerce is almost always cheaper.

Question 4

What are BigCommerce revenue limits?

Accepted Answer

BigCommerce Plus is limited to $150k/year in annual online revenue, and BigCommerce Pro is limited to $400k/year. Exceeding these limits moves you to the next plan tier. The Standard plan has no revenue cap.

Question 5

What is Chartsy for BigCommerce?

Accepted Answer

Chartsy is an advanced analytics app for BigCommerce installed from the BigCommerce Marketplace. It provides AI-powered chart generation (ask questions in plain English), customer segmentation using RFM analysis, custom dashboards, and deep reporting beyond what BigCommerce natively offers. Plans start at $19/mo with a free trial.

Question 6

Is WooCommerce really free?

Accepted Answer

The WooCommerce plugin is free and open-source, but you pay for hosting ($10-100+/mo), themes, and plugins. A fully functional WooCommerce store typically costs $25-100/mo or more, comparable to hosted platforms. The advantage is full ownership and control over your data and code.

Question 7

Do all ecommerce platforms charge payment processing fees?

Accepted Answer

Every platform requires a payment processor (like Stripe or PayPal) which charges its own fees. Only Shopify additionally charges a platform-level transaction fee on top — and only when you don't use Shopify Payments. BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Wix, Squarespace, and Ecwid charge zero platform transaction fees.

Question 8

Which ecommerce platform is best for B2B?

Accepted Answer

BigCommerce is generally considered the strongest for B2B ecommerce, offering native customer groups, price lists, quote management, and wholesale features on paid plans — without additional apps. Shopify B2B is available on Shopify Plus but requires the higher-tier plan. WooCommerce can handle B2B with the right plugins but requires more setup.

#	Platform	Plan	Base/mo	Tx fee on GMV	Total/mo	Annual total
	WooCommerce	Starter Hosting~est. Free plugin + estimated hosting	$25.00/mo	None	$25.00/mo	$300/yr
2	Ecwid (Lightspeed)	Venture	$25.00/mo	None	$25.00/mo	$300/yr
3	Squarespace	Basic Commerce	$28.00/mo	None	$28.00/mo	$336/yr
4	Wix eCommerce	Core	$29.00/mo	None	$29.00/mo	$348/yr
5	BigCommerce Chartsy	Standard	$39.00/mo	None	$39.00/mo	$468/yr
6	Shopify	Basic	$39.00/mo	+$200.00(2%) Waived with Shopify Payments	$239.00/mo	$2,868/yr

Feature	WooCommerce	Ecwid	Squarespace	Wix	BigCommerce Chartsy	Shopify
No transaction fees
Unlimited staff accounts
Abandoned cart recovery	Plugin required	Business & above	Advanced only	Business & above	Plus & above	All plans
Native subscriptions	Plugin required	Business & above	Advanced only	Business & above	Built-in	App required
Point of Sale (POS)
Multi-currency
API / Headless commerce
App marketplace
Analytics & reporting	Plugin required	Basic built-in	Basic built-in	Basic built-in	Chartsy add-on	Built-in (basic)
Hosting included
Setup difficulty	Complex	Easy	Easy	Easy	Medium	Easy
Best for	Tech-savvy / WordPress	Add-on to existing sites	Design-focused / Creators	Beginners / Small stores	Growing B2C & B2B	All-in-one stores

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