Magento 2 vs. BigCommerce: Which Platform Fits Your Needs?

Magento 2 vs. BigCommerce: Which Platform Fits Your Needs?

Choosing the right eCommerce platform is like picking the perfect pair of shoes—it needs to fit just right. Two big names in the game are Magento 2 and BigCommerce. Both have their strengths, but which one is best for your online store? Let’s break it down in simple terms so you can make an informed decision.

What is Magento 2?

Magento 2 is a powerful, open-source eCommerce platform known for its flexibility and scalability. It’s ideal for businesses that want full control over their store’s design, functionality, and performance. Since it’s open-source, you can customize almost every aspect of your store—but this also means you’ll need some technical know-how (or a developer) to make the most of it.

Key Features:

  • Highly customizable with thousands of extensions
  • Scalable for large businesses
  • Strong SEO capabilities
  • Self-hosted (you manage your own server)

What is BigCommerce?

BigCommerce is a SaaS (Software as a Service) platform, meaning it’s hosted for you. It’s designed for ease of use, making it a great choice for businesses that want a quick setup without worrying about server management. While it’s not as customizable as Magento, it offers a solid out-of-the-box experience.

Key Features:

  • Easy to set up and use
  • No need for server management
  • Built-in features like multi-channel selling
  • Limited customization compared to Magento

Pricing: Which One Fits Your Budget?

Magento 2:

  • Magento Open Source (Free): No licensing fees, but you’ll need to pay for hosting, security, and development.
  • Adobe Commerce (Paid): Starts at around $22,000/year—ideal for large enterprises.

BigCommerce:

  • Standard Plan: Starts at $29/month (limited features).
  • Plus Plan: $79/month (better for growing stores).
  • Pro Plan: $299/month (for high-volume stores).

Winner? If you’re on a tight budget and don’t mind handling hosting, Magento Open Source is a great choice. But if you prefer an all-in-one solution with predictable costs, BigCommerce might be better.

Customization & Flexibility

Magento 2 is the king of customization. Need a unique checkout flow? No problem. Want to integrate with a niche ERP system? You can do that. Here’s a quick example of how you can customize a product page in Magento:


// Example: Adding a custom attribute to a product in Magento 2
$product = $this->productRepository->getById($productId);
$product->setData('custom_attribute', 'Some Value');
$this->productRepository->save($product);

BigCommerce offers some customization through apps and themes, but you’re limited by its SaaS nature. If you need deep customization, you might hit a wall.

Winner? Magento 2 if you need full control. BigCommerce if you prefer simplicity.

Performance & Scalability

Magento 2 can handle massive stores with thousands of products, but performance depends on your hosting setup. You’ll need a good server (like Magefine’s optimized hosting) and caching (Varnish, Redis) to keep things fast.

BigCommerce handles hosting for you, so performance is generally good—but you’re at the mercy of their infrastructure. If your store grows beyond their limits, you might need to upgrade to a higher plan.

Winner? Magento 2 for scalability, BigCommerce for hassle-free performance.

SEO & Marketing

Both platforms offer solid SEO tools, but Magento 2 gives you more control. You can fine-tune URLs, meta tags, and even implement advanced schema markup.

BigCommerce has built-in SEO features, but they’re more limited. For example, you can’t edit the robots.txt file without contacting support.

Winner? Magento 2 if SEO is a top priority.

Ease of Use

BigCommerce wins here—it’s designed for non-developers. The dashboard is intuitive, and you don’t need to worry about updates or security patches.

Magento 2 has a steeper learning curve. You’ll need to handle updates, extensions, and server maintenance unless you opt for managed hosting.

Winner? BigCommerce if you want simplicity.

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose Magento 2 if:

  • You need full customization control
  • You have (or can hire) technical expertise
  • You plan to scale significantly

Choose BigCommerce if:

  • You want a quick, easy setup
  • You don’t want to manage hosting
  • You’re okay with some limitations in customization

Still unsure? If you’re leaning toward Magento 2, check out Magefine’s extensions and hosting to optimize your store’s performance!

Got questions? Drop them in the comments—we’d love to help!