BigCommerce Fees Explained: Complete 2026 Pricing Guide

Everything you need to know about BigCommerce’s pricing plans, payment processing fees, hidden costs, and the true cost of running your online store.

BigCommerce Pricing Plans 2026

BigCommerce offers four main pricing tiers based on your annual sales volume and feature needs. Here’s the complete breakdown from BigCommerce’s official pricing page.

BigCommerce Plan Comparison

What’s Included in All Plans

Payment Processing Fees

Unlike Shopify, BigCommerce charges $0 in transaction fees regardless of which payment gateway you use. You only pay the payment processor’s fees.

Payment Gateway Options & Their Fees

Recommended Payment Gateway Setup

For most BigCommerce stores, we recommend:

• Primary: PayPal Powered by Braintree (2.59% + 49¢ for US transactions)
• Alternative: Stripe (2.9% + 30¢) for customers who prefer card payments
• For B2B: Authorize.net with ACH option (0.75% capped at $5)

What BigCommerce Really Costs (Real Examples)

Let’s break down the true monthly cost of running a BigCommerce store at different sales volumes, including platform fees, payment processing, and typical app costs.

BigCommerce vs. Shopify: Total Cost Comparison

Here’s an honest comparison of what you’ll actually pay on each platform at different sales volumes:

*Shopify costs include 2% transaction fee for using non-Shopify payment gateways

Hidden Costs Most Merchants Miss

1. Plan Upgrade Fees (Sales Threshold Overages)

This catches many merchants off guard. If you exceed your plan’s annual sales threshold, BigCommerce automatically upgrades you to the next tier mid-month and charges the difference.

2. Theme Costs

While BigCommerce includes free themes, premium themes range from $150-$300 one-time. If you’re serious about conversions, budget for a premium theme.

3. Essential Apps & Their Costs

Unlike Shopify, BigCommerce’s base platform includes more features, so you need fewer apps. Here are typical monthly app costs:

4. Payment Gateway Monthly Fees

Some payment gateways charge monthly fees in addition to per-transaction fees:

• Authorize.net: $25/month gateway fee + $0.10 per transaction
• First Data: $15-30/month + processing fees
• Stripe: $0/month (recommended for most stores)
• PayPal Braintree: $0/month (recommended)

5. SSL Certificate (Pro & Below)

BigCommerce includes a free shared SSL certificate on all plans. Custom SSL (for custom domains at checkout) is:

• Standard & Plus: $100/year add-on
• Pro: Available but not included
• Enterprise: Included free

7 Ways to Reduce Your BigCommerce Costs

1. Pay Annually (Save 10%)

BigCommerce offers a 10% discount when you pay annually instead of monthly. For the Plus plan, that’s $126/year in savings.

2. Use Free Apps Where Possible

Many essential functions have free alternatives:

• Email marketing: Mailchimp (free up to 500 contacts) instead of Klaviyo ($20+)
• Reviews: Google Shopping Reviews (free) instead of Yotpo ($30)
• Analytics: Google Analytics (free) instead of paid alternatives
• Live chat: Tidio free plan instead of Gorgias ($60)

3. Negotiate Lower Processing Rates

Once you hit $50K/month in processing, contact your payment gateway for custom pricing. Typical reductions:

• Stripe: 2.9% + 30¢ → 2.5% + 25¢ (saves $450/mo on $50K sales)
• PayPal: 2.59% + 49¢ → 2.2% + 30¢ (saves $300/mo on $50K sales)

4. Use ACH for Large B2B Orders

For invoices over $500, encourage ACH payments through Authorize.net (0.75% capped at $5) instead of credit cards:

• $1,000 invoice: Card = $32 fee, ACH = $5 fee ($27 saved)
• $5,000 invoice: Card = $155 fee, ACH = $5 fee ($150 saved)

5. Monitor Your Sales Threshold

Set up alerts when you’re approaching your plan’s annual sales limit. If you’re close, either:

• Slow down marketing near the end of the month to stay under
• Proactively upgrade at the start of a new month (better than mid-month upgrade)

6. Implement Dual Pricing

Pass credit card processing fees to customers while offering a cash discount. On BigCommerce, you can use apps like PayWhirl or custom code to display dual pricing at checkout.

7. Start on Standard, Upgrade When Necessary

Don’t overpay for features you don’t need yet. Most stores can thrive on Standard ($39) until hitting $50K annual sales. The Plus plan ($105) is worth it when you need:

• Customer segmentation for targeted marketing
• Abandoned cart recovery emails (vs manual follow-up)
• Stored credit cards for faster checkout

Which BigCommerce Plan Should You Choose?

Choose Standard ($39/mo) If:

• You’re just starting out or under $50K annual sales
• You don’t need advanced marketing automation
• You’re okay with manual abandoned cart follow-up
• You have fewer than 3 customer segments

Choose Plus ($105/mo) If:

• You’re doing $50K-$180K annual sales
• You want automated abandoned cart emails
• You need customer segmentation for targeted campaigns
• Stored credit cards would boost conversion

Choose Pro ($399/mo) If:

• You’re doing $180K-$400K annual sales
• You need product filtering for large catalogs (500+ SKUs)
• Priority support is valuable to your business
• You want Google Shopping integration

Choose Enterprise (Custom) If:

• You’re doing $400K+ annual sales
• You need unlimited API calls for custom integrations
• You’re running a B2B operation with price lists
• You want a dedicated account manager

Frequently Asked Questions