Custom E-commerceVSBigCommerce

Custom E-commerce vs BigCommerce

Compare custom e-commerce development vs BigCommerce. Analyze B2B features, pricing tiers, and total cost of ownership for enterprise retailers.

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Feature Comparison

Compare capabilities between custom e-commerce and BigCommerce.

Feature	Custom E-commerce	BigCommerce
B2B Capabilities Wholesale and B2B features
Custom Checkout Fully customizable checkout		Limited
API Flexibility Custom API endpoints		GraphQL Storefront
Headless Architecture Decoupled frontend		Catalyst (Next.js)
Multi-Storefront Multiple branded stores
No Revenue Limits Unlimited GMV		Tier-based limits
Custom Pricing Rules Complex B2B pricing		Price lists
ERP Integration Deep ERP connections		App-based
Custom Product Types Any product configuration		Variants limited
Performance Control Full optimization control		Platform-managed

BigCommerce tier pricing scaling with your success?

Custom e-commerce has no GMV-based fees—your success is your profit.

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Cost Analysis

Pricing & TCO Analysis

Compare costs based on actual BigCommerce tier pricing.

Custom E-commerce

Initial Setup$75,000 - $200,000

Monthly Platform Fee$0

Transaction Fees$0 (processor only)

Annual at $3M GMV$20,000 - $50,000

App/Integration CostsBuilt-in

5-Year TCO ($3M GMV)$175,000 - $450,000

5-Year TCO$175,000 - $450,000

BigCommerce

Initial Setup$15,000 - $75,000

Monthly Platform Fee$400 - $15,000+/mo

Transaction Fees$0

Annual at $3M GMV$48,000 - $180,000

App/Integration Costs$3,000 - $12,000/yr

5-Year TCO ($3M GMV)$315,000 - $1,005,000

5-Year TCO$315,000 - $1,005,000

Potential Savings with Custom E-commerce

$140,000 - $555,000

over 5 years compared to BigCommerce

Advantages & Disadvantages

Understand the benefits and trade-offs.

Custom E-commerce

Advantages

No GMV-based tier pricing
Complete checkout customization
Build any B2B pricing logic
Deep ERP integration control
Unlimited product variants
No platform revenue caps

Disadvantages

Higher upfront investment
3-5 month development timeline
Requires ongoing maintenance
No BigCommerce app marketplace

BigCommerce

Advantages

No transaction fees
Strong B2B features built-in
Headless option (Catalyst)
Multi-storefront native
Good enterprise support

Disadvantages

GMV-based pricing tiers
Checkout customization limited
App costs add up
Platform constraints at scale
Variant limits on products

Which is Right for You?

Consider these scenarios for your decision.

Choose Custom E-commerce if you...

Complex B2B Requirements

Custom pricing, quotes, approval flows

High GMV Business

$3M+ where tier pricing hurts

Deep ERP Integration

SAP, Oracle, NetSuite connectivity

Complex Products

Configurators beyond variant limits

Choose BigCommerce if you...

Quick Enterprise Launch

Need B2B features fast

Standard B2B Needs

Price lists, customer groups

Multi-Brand Portfolio

Want built-in multi-storefront

Headless Interest

Want to try Catalyst/Next.js

B2B Needs Beyond BigCommerce's Limits?

Custom platforms handle complex pricing, approval workflows, and deep ERP integration.

Discuss Your B2B Requirements View Comparisons

Our Solutions

Explore Our B2B Solutions

Custom platforms for B2B and enterprise commerce.

B2B Commerce CRM

Customer management for wholesale and B2B.

Account management
Order history
Pricing tiers

Learn more

Inventory & Fulfillment

B2B inventory and order management.

Multi-warehouse
Reorder automation
B2B fulfillment

Learn more

B2B Lead Management

Convert prospects to wholesale customers.

Lead scoring
Account qualification
Sales automation

Learn more

View All Solutions

Comparison

BigCommerce uses GMV-based tiers: Standard ($29/mo, up to $50K GMV), Plus ($79/mo, up to $180K), Pro ($299/mo, up to $400K), and Enterprise ($400-$15,000+/mo based on GMV). High-revenue stores pay significantly more. Custom e-commerce has no GMV-based pricing.

BigCommerce has solid B2B features: price lists, customer groups, quote management, and purchase orders. Custom platforms can build more complex B2B logic: tiered pricing matrices, approval workflows, custom catalogs per customer, and complex shipping rules that exceed BigCommerce's capabilities.

BigCommerce offers Catalyst, a Next.js-based headless starter. It's a good option but still ties you to BigCommerce's backend pricing and limitations. Custom headless gives you complete frontend AND backend control without platform constraints.

No, BigCommerce doesn't charge transaction fees on top of payment processor fees—a significant advantage over Shopify. However, their GMV-based tier pricing means you still pay more as you grow, just through monthly fees rather than per-transaction.

BigCommerce limits product variants to 600 per product and option values to 250. Complex configurators or products with many variations can hit these walls. Custom platforms have no such limits—build any product configuration needed.

Consider migration when: monthly fees exceed $5,000, you hit variant limits, B2B pricing needs exceed price lists, you need deeper ERP integration, or checkout customization is blocking conversion optimization. ROI typically achieved in 18-30 months.

Knowledge Base