The market for platforms for creating your own online store continues to actively develop. Every year, new solutions and cloud services appear that allow you to create a new website in just a few clicks. Among the many options, Ecwid and BigCommerce are very popular today (especially in the Western market).
Ecwid is a cloud-based solution that allows you to easily add online store functionality to an existing website. But BigCommerce is already a full-fledged platform (CMS) for creating online stores. Both of these services have their advantages and disadvantages.
Next, we’ll figure out which is better, BigCommerce or Ecwid, and consider the capabilities of these content management systems for online businesses.
Which is better for an online store: Ecwid vs BigCommerce
To understand what is better for eCommerce, Ecwid or BigCommerce, it is important to decide on your priorities – what is more important to you, the low price for using the platform, its promotion capabilities or the convenience of the administrative panel? Let’s look at the key points in more detail.
Interface convenience
The platform interface for an online store plays a key role, because the speed and quality of work of store managers directly depends on its convenience.
The Ecwid control panel is minimalist and simple. All functions are grouped into several sections: “Catalogue”, “Sales”, “Marketing”, “Reports”, etc. This allows you to quickly get comfortable and get to work:
In addition, the admin panel automatically adapts the interface to the screen size – it is convenient to work both from a computer and from a smartphone.
The BigCommerce interface is more rich. There are more options for customizing and personalizing your store. At the same time, for an untrained user this may seem complicated and confusing:
Such rich functionality is more suitable for experienced users who are willing to spend time learning additional features, but will not always be in demand among beginners in e-commerce.
Smartphone application
The ability to manage an online store from a mobile device is an important advantage of a modern eCommerce platform. Ecwid has its own free apps for iOS and Android. They allow you to track and manage orders in real time, work with the product catalog, and process messages from customers:
But for BigCommerce, the application is available only in the Enterprise version for an additional fee. In cheaper tariffs, its functionality is greatly reduced. At the same time, the application interface is quite complex and takes time to master:
Design customization and templates
The visual design of a website is very important to attract customers and increase conversion. The Ecwid repository contains about 10 free responsive templates with simple and discreet designs. All themes are optimized for mobile devices.
Each template allows you to use multiple color schemes. You can also change fonts, add your own logos and banners. Tools for basic configuration of the main blocks on pages are also available:
But BigCommerce users have over 100 ready-made templates at their disposal. Thus, you can be sure that, even without ordering the services of a designer, your store will be different from others in a similar niche.
The administrator can also change the colors, fonts, and arrangement of blocks on the page through the built-in visual editor:
Additionally, you can buy premium themes from third-party web developers. This will come in handy for fans of non-standard design solutions and customization.
eCommerce features
Both platforms allow you to create an unlimited number of products with detailed descriptions, photos, and modification options. You can customize categories and filters for easy navigation. There are tools for managing prices and running promotions. Integration with popular payment systems has been implemented.
In this context, one of the key differences of Ecwid is a ready-made solution for integrating online and offline sales. Built-in functionality allows you to synchronize your online store with retail outlets via POS.
Thus, Ecwid, using POS integration, allows you to quickly launch online trading for an existing business. But BigCommerce does not have this function; it is better suited for starting from scratch and then scaling.
Accepting payments
In the Ecwid control panel, you can configure integration with popular payment systems – PayPal, Stripe, Payoneer, PayU, etc. Payment by Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, JCB cards is supported. The possibility of payment upon receipt of the order has also been implemented.
BigCommerce also provides integration of major payment gateways, but to connect local and regional systems for accepting payments, you will need to connect to a more expensive Enterprise tariff plan or install third-party paid solutions.
Another important difference between Ecwid is that it allows you to accept payments in different currencies without converting to the base one. This significantly expands the opportunities to enter international markets, and also reduces the overall cost of the transaction for the buyer.
Help Desk
Prompt qualified support is an important aspect when choosing a CMS for an eCommerce project. Ecwid provides technical support via email and online chat.
Support speaks different languages, including, you can get an answer in Russian. The average response time of specialists to a request is about 15 minutes, and they work 24/7. There is also a section with answers to frequently asked questions.
BigCommerce provides support by phone and email. Answers in Russian can only be received during business hours. The average reaction time is about 2 hours. The site has an extensive knowledge base and ticket system.
Integrations with third-party services
Using the built-in functionality of the Ecwid platform, a business owner can integrate an online store with most popular services. Among them:
Analytics systems Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel for tracking sales and customer data.
International delivery services (DHL, UPS, FedEx) for convenient and fast delivery of orders.
Email marketing systems Unisender or SendPulse for email newsletters to clients.
Messengers Viber, Telegram, WhatsApp for prompt communication with customers.
BigCommerce can also be synchronized with third-party applications, but this functionality is not available on the basic plan.
Which platform is better for promotion, Ecwid or BigCommerce?
One of the key points you need to pay attention to in order to understand which platform is better, BigCommerce or Ecwid, is the opportunities for promoting your online business.
Content marketing
Ecwid has built-in functionality for creating a full-fledged blog on an online store website. Here you can publish articles, reviews, company news, and useful tips on using products. All materials on the blog are well indexed by search engines and directly appear in the sitemap.
There are also ready-made widgets for displaying the latest blog posts on store pages. You can also set up email distribution of new articles to subscribers. The text editor makes it easy to add photo and video content, which can help increase audience engagement and brand awareness.
This provides significant advantages of the platform over BigCommerce, which does not have built-in functionality for blogging on the site. To connect it, you will have to use third-party services or create a blog on a separate domain, which is less convenient.
SEO promotion
Ecwid out of the box supports the generation of CNC URLs, as well as meta tags using templates for pages of any type. This greatly simplifies promotion in search engines.
There are also built-in tools for customizing schema.org micro-markup and manually optimizing titles and descriptions on selected pages. You can add structured data about the company, products, reviews – this increases the relevance of the content for search engines.
For BigCommerce stores, there are some restrictions on SEO functionality for the basic tariff. But in more expensive plans, optimization capabilities may be even better than those of a competitor.
Comparison of Ecwid and BigCommerce tariffs
When comparing Ecwid and BigCommerce, the cost of using the service is one of the key factors. Next, let’s look at the main tariff plans for each CMS and the features they provide.
Ecwid tariff plans
Ecwid offers several tariffs for creating online stores of various sizes – there are solutions for both beginning entrepreneurs and large companies.
Free (free forever). Ideal for testing platform capabilities. You can add up to 10 products, and also connect the site to an existing store on Facebook or Instagram.
Venture ($19 per month). Optimal for small online businesses that sell up to 100 products. In this regard, product and availability management is available through the official mobile application, the ability to sell digital goods is added, and support is provided via online chat. The entrepreneur can also customize the ordering process.
Business ($39 per month). This is already a full-fledged store designed for medium and large businesses. You can add up to 2,500 product offers here. In addition, you can use coupons and gift certificates, sell on Amazon and eBay, and translate the site into several languages.
Unlimited ($129 per month). This solution is recommended for businesses with a turnover of over $50,000 per month. This includes unlimited inventory, API access, POS integration, and unlimited manager accounts for salespeople and other staff.
All tariffs provide a discount when paying for the year at once.
Prices for using BigCommerce
The BigCommerce website offers 4 tariff plans for creating online stores, which differ in both available functionality and cost:
Standard ($39/month). Suitable for small projects and has a sales limit of $50,000 per year. The plan includes basic functions for launching an online store, as well as a large selection of project design templates and 24/7 support.
Plus ($105/month). Includes additional options for marketing, working with the client base and advanced integration capabilities. It can be used by companies with a turnover of up to $180,000 per year.
Pro ($399/month). Focused on large businesses. Provides access to VIP support, advanced options for creating a multilingual store and launching international sales.
Enterprise. This is an individual offer for large companies that need personal development of additional functionality. Its price is calculated individually, depending on the complexity of the tasks.
BigCommerce does not have a free plan, but a trial period of 15 days is possible.
Which should you choose, BigCommerce or Ecwid?
To finally decide what to choose, BigCommerce or Ecwid, let’s summarize all the advantages and disadvantages of both systems.
Advantages and disadvantages of BigCommerce
The platform is very popular and has a lot of advantages:
Flexible tariffs. The platform is suitable for both startups and large businesses. There are offers for different tasks and budgets.
Built-in marketing and analytical tools. There are ready-made solutions for email campaigns, audience segmentation, and analysis of traffic sources and leads.
Convenient product and catalog management. The administrator can add filters for products, mass downloading and updating of product data is available.
Wide possibilities for integration. You can connect popular payment gateways, delivery services, 1C, and large marketplaces to the system.
Possibility of scaling as you grow. More expensive plans offer support for multiple languages, multi-currencies, as well as connecting additional accounts for several managers.
But it is important to know about the disadvantages:
Relatively high minimum cost. You won’t be able to use the store for free. In addition, the most basic tariff will already cost $39 monthly. Too expensive for startups and small local businesses.
Relatively small selection of ready-made plugins. Expanding the functionality of the project, which goes beyond the basic capabilities, will require the involvement of a programmer to develop an individual solution, since there are not as many ready-made plugins and modules as among competitors.
Relatively low restrictions on annual turnover. When scaling, you will need to switch to a more expensive tariff.
Pros and cons of Ecwid
The popular service for creating online stores has a lot of advantages:
Easy to use. An intuitive interface and a minimum of necessary steps to create and configure a website. Administrators do not require web development skills to run the project.
Easy integration. It’s easy to add a store on Ecwid to any website through a special widget or API. There are also ready-made plugins for popular CMS, as well as integration with social networks.
Mobile application. You will be able to fully manage your store from your smartphone, as well as receive push notifications about new orders and customer reviews.
Free plan. Unlike competitors, there is a free package available here that allows you to add up to 10 products and test the features before purchasing or use the platform without time limits.
But do not forget about the shortcomings. Compared to BigCommerce, Ecwid has:
More limited functionality. For example, the platform does not have built-in capabilities for marketing and analytics, which are essential for business promotion.
Fewer options for design personalization. There are quite a few templates, but it will not be possible to make global changes, because this is a cloud platform that has certain limitations.
Lower performance. Sites on Ecwid most often load slower than on BigCommerce, which can become an obstacle to effective promotion.
