Die eCommerce world has grown beyond having a simple online store. Today, the platform you choose defines how your business performs, scales, and connects with customers. Between all available solutions, Magento and BigCommerce stand as two of the strongest contenders for 2025. Both are trusted globally, but they serve very different needs. One gives you unmatched control, while the other gives you unmatched convenience.
If you’re stuck deciding between the two, this guide will walk you through everything that matters, from pricing and flexibility to security and SEO. You’ll see where each platform shines, where they fall short, and which one makes more sense for your business goals.
Was ist Magento?
Magento is an open-source eCommerce platform known for its flexibility and scalability. Originally developed by Varien and now owned by Adobe, Magento gives you complete control over your store — from design to backend operations. It’s a platform built for businesses that think long-term and want to define their digital experience exactly the way they imagine it.
Magento comes in two versions: Magento Open Source (free to use but self-hosted) and Adobe Commerce, the enterprise-level version that includes premium features and Adobe’s managed infrastructure. This dual structure is what makes Magento appealing to both ambitious startups and global enterprises.
The biggest advantage of Magento is freedom. You can customize nearly everything, integrate with any system, and manage multiple stores under one admin panel. It supports multiple languages, currencies, and tax rules, making it ideal for international commerce. For businesses with in-house developers or technical teams, Magento becomes a powerhouse that can scale infinitely with your vision.
What is BigCommerce?
BigCommerce takes a completely different approach. It’s a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform designed to simplify eCommerce for everyone, whether you’re a small business owner or a growing brand. When people ask “what is BigCommerce?”, the short answer is: a platform that lets you focus on selling instead of managing technical complexities.
Everything — hosting, security, updates, and performance — is handled by BigCommerce. You simply pay a monthly fee and get access to a fully functional online store with professional templates, built-in SEO tools, and integrations with marketplaces like Amazon and social platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
BigCommerce is perfect for those who want results fast. There’s no need to deal with coding or server setup. You can launch a store in a few hours and manage it effortlessly. It’s less flexible than Magento, but far more convenient if you prefer an all-in-one managed system.
Magento vs BigCommerce: A Detailed Comparison
Both platforms aim to help you sell more, but how they do it differs entirely. Let’s break it down feature by feature.
Pricing: Magento vs BigCommerce – Which Offers Better Value?
Pricing is often the first question in the Magento vs BigCommerce debate. And rightly so, cost affects how far you can go with the platform.
Magento price varies depending on the version. Magento Open Source is technically free, but you’ll need to invest in hosting, domain, SSL certificates, and developer support. Costs for a small business setup can range from $2,000 to $10,000, while enterprise-level Adobe Commerce can start around $22,000 per year, scaling higher depending on your revenue.
BigCommerce price, on the other hand, is subscription-based. The Standard plan starts at $39/month, Plus at $105/month, and Pro at $399/month. Enterprise plans are custom-priced, often depending on sales volume. This predictable pricing includes hosting, maintenance, and security, things you’d pay separately for on Magento.
If you want a hands-off setup and fixed monthly cost, BigCommerce offers better immediate value. But if you see your store as a long-term, customizable asset that you can control completely, Magento becomes more cost-effective over time.
Market Share & Popularity of Magento and BigCommerce
In global usage, Magento has a strong foothold among large and mid-sized businesses that require complex customization. It’s been around longer, has a massive developer community, and powers brands across industries, from fashion to automotive.
BigCommerce, however, has been steadily gaining popularity among small to medium enterprises. Its lower entry barrier, simpler management, and reliable support system make it attractive to fast-growing D2C brands.
In short, Magento rules the enterprise space, while BigCommerce dominates the mid-market and retail segment. Both have loyal users, but they cater to different mindsets — Magento for builders, BigCommerce for operators.
Magento vs BigCommerce: Who Should Use What?
If your business needs custom functionality, integrations, or handles thousands of SKUs, Magento is built for you. It’s ideal for merchants who want deep control and have access to technical expertise. Magento’s scalability also makes it perfect for global brands running multiple stores.
If your goal is to launch quickly, keep maintenance simple, and avoid backend complexities, BigCommerce is a smarter fit. It’s made for business owners who want results without hiring a technical team.
The real difference comes down to ownership. Magento gives you the keys to everything. BigCommerce gives you a ready-to-drive car.
Features of Magento and BigCommerce
Both platforms come packed with features, but how those features are delivered is what separates them.
Magento’s open-source flexibility lets you add, remove, or modify anything. From product management to promotions, inventory tracking, and shipping rules, you can tailor each function to your business needs. Its marketplace of thousands of extensions further expands what you can do.
BigCommerce, on the other hand, focuses on giving you all essentials upfront, without needing extra plugins. You get product and inventory management, coupon creation, abandoned cart recovery, and even multichannel integrations out of the box.
Magento is like building your dream house from the ground up; BigCommerce is moving into a fully furnished apartment — all set, but with some limitations on remodeling.
Ease of Use: Which Platform Is More User-Friendly?
Here’s where BigCommerce clearly wins.
It’s designed for people who don’t code. You can set up your store, upload products, manage orders, and integrate with marketing channels — all from an intuitive dashboard. You don’t need to worry about hosting or updates.
Magento, while powerful, demands more effort. You’ll need some technical background or a developer to manage installations, updates, and performance optimization. However, once set up, Magento gives far more flexibility and control.
If simplicity is your top priority, BigCommerce is the easier path. If you’re willing to learn or invest in technical expertise, Magento rewards you with limitless control.
Customization & Flexibility: Which Platform Is More Adaptable?
Magento is unmatched in customization. You can modify every detail of the store, from layout to checkout flow and product filters. Businesses with unique processes or custom integrations find Magento the only platform that can mold itself to their needs.
BigCommerce, being SaaS-based, offers customization through its page builder, theme editor, and API access. But you’re limited by the platform’s boundaries — you can’t modify the core code or change infrastructure-level behavior.
If you want creative freedom and brand-specific functionality, Magento wins easily. If you want something that “just works,” BigCommerce provides enough flexibility for most use cases.
Performance & Speed: Which Platform Is Faster and More Reliable?
Performance depends heavily on hosting and optimization.
BigCommerce, with its managed cloud hosting, provides consistently fast performance and nearly perfect uptime. The system automatically adjusts resources as your traffic scales, ensuring your site doesn’t slow down during high-demand seasons.
Magento’s performance, however, is directly tied to how it’s hosted and optimized. With a powerful hosting provider, Magento can perform exceptionally well, even better than most SaaS platforms. But poor setup can result in lag or downtime.
In short, BigCommerce guarantees speed out of the box. Magento can match or exceed that, if you build it right.
Security Features: Which Platform Provides Better Security?
Security in eCommerce is not optional, it’s the backbone of customer trust.
BigCommerce provides automatic PCI compliance, SSL certification, and regular security patches. You don’t have to manage anything manually, making it ideal for small businesses without IT teams.
Magento allows advanced customization of security measures. You control firewalls, encryption methods, and updates. While that means more work, it also means greater flexibility. Enterprise-level businesses can implement stricter compliance protocols and advanced monitoring systems.
So, BigCommerce simplifies security; Magento empowers it.
SEO & Marketing Tools: Which Platform Supports Growth Better?
Both platforms perform well in search optimization, but their approach differs.
Magento gives you full control over SEO elements — URLs, meta tags, alt texts, redirects, and schema markup. You can fine-tune everything manually and install extensions for deeper optimization. This freedom makes Magento a favorite for SEO experts who like control over every ranking factor.
BigCommerce simplifies the process. It provides pre-optimized features like SSL, mobile-friendly design, automatic sitemaps, and SEO-friendly URLs. You don’t need to install plugins or touch code to perform well.
For beginners, BigCommerce is easier for SEO out of the box. For advanced users or large content-driven stores, Magento provides the precision needed to dominate rankings.
Backup & Disaster Recovery: How Secure Are Your Data and Operations
When it comes to eCommerce, losing data isn’t an inconvenience — it’s a direct hit to revenue and reputation. That’s why backup and recovery processes matter as much as performance.
BigCommerce takes this off your hands entirely. Since it’s a fully managed platform, your store data is automatically backed up within its secure cloud infrastructure. Every transaction, update, and customer record is stored redundantly, meaning there’s always a recovery point ready if something goes wrong. You don’t need to configure anything or monitor backup schedules — it’s all part of the service you’re already paying for. This makes BigCommerce ideal for businesses that don’t have the time or resources to manage technical recovery plans.
Magento, on the other hand, gives you control — and with that comes responsibility. Backup management depends on your hosting provider or setup. You can automate the process through your hosting dashboard, use third-party backup solutions, or store snapshots on cloud services like AWS or Google Cloud. This freedom is especially valuable for enterprises that need to comply with internal data storage policies or have specific recovery workflows.
The difference is simple: BigCommerce guarantees hands-free reliability, while Magento allows you to create a backup strategy that matches your operational structure. If you want security handled for you, BigCommerce is the safer bet. If you want to dictate every part of the process, Magento is the one that puts you in charge.
Data Protection & Compliance: Which Platform Is More Secure for Personal Data?
Data protection is no longer optional, it’s the foundation of customer trust. Regulations like GDPR and CCPA demand that online stores treat personal data responsibly. Both Magento and BigCommerce understand this, but they approach it differently.
BigCommerce automatically manages compliance behind the scenes. Since it’s a SaaS platform, it maintains strict data protection policies, SSL encryption, and secure payment processing by default. Merchants don’t need to worry about configuring security certificates or updating compliance policies — the platform does that continuously. For many businesses, this “set it and forget it” approach provides immense peace of mind.
Magento, however, is the better choice for companies that operate in heavily regulated industries or have specific compliance frameworks. Because it’s open source, you can implement your own data protection protocols, customize cookie consent systems, and decide how user data is stored or deleted. You can go far beyond the standard GDPR checklist and align the store with your company’s security architecture.
In short, BigCommerce simplifies compliance so you can focus on sales. Magento gives you the flexibility to build a compliance framework as strong or specific as you need. The best choice depends on whether you want convenience or total governance.
B2B Capabilities: Which Platform Is Best for Complex Business Models?
While both Magento and BigCommerce support B2B commerce, Magento was clearly built with complexity in mind.
Magento handles multi-level company accounts, bulk ordering, personalized pricing, and quote management without needing extra apps. It lets you create different catalogs for different clients, control access permissions within organizations, and manage purchase approvals seamlessly. These features make it a natural fit for wholesalers, manufacturers, and large enterprises dealing with layered B2B relationships.
BigCommerce also offers solid B2B functionality — including custom pricing, customer groups, and invoicing — but it focuses more on simplicity than depth. It’s perfect for B2B companies that still operate like B2C stores or don’t require complex approval chains.
If your business model depends on large contracts, dealer hierarchies, or multi-tiered customer access, Magento stands out as the more robust and adaptable platform. BigCommerce can handle straightforward B2B setups, but it doesn’t reach Magento’s level of intricacy. In other words, BigCommerce is great for selling to businesses; Magento is great for running as a business that sells to businesses.
Magento vs BigCommerce – Advantages & Disadvantages Overview
Choosing between BigCommerce and Magento is really a choice between two different philosophies of running an online business.
Magento is for people who like control. You get complete ownership over how your store looks, behaves, and scales. The possibilities are nearly endless — custom workflows, complex pricing structures, international storefronts, or deep integrations with CRMs and ERPs. But that level of freedom requires technical know-how, a reliable development team, and a commitment to ongoing maintenance. It’s not a “plug and play” solution — it’s a platform that grows with you, but only if you’re ready to invest the time and expertise.
BigCommerce, on the other hand, is built for simplicity. Everything you need — hosting, updates, PCI compliance, and marketing tools — comes bundled together. You focus on your products and customers while BigCommerce handles the backend. It’s ideal for small to medium-sized businesses or even large retailers that want predictability without complexity. The trade-off is that you can’t tweak the system beyond what BigCommerce allows. For some, that’s a limitation; for others, it’s liberation.
Ultimately, it comes down to what matters most to you: freedom and flexibility (Magento) or ease and reliability (BigCommerce). There’s no wrong choice — just a right fit.
Support and Community: Magento vs BigCommerce
Support can make or break your experience, especially when your store is your livelihood.
BigCommerce offers professional, round-the-clock support via chat, email, and phone. It’s immediate, structured, and backed by a dedicated technical team. If you encounter a problem, you can expect a quick response. This kind of accessible support is valuable for businesses that prefer guidance over guesswork.
Magento’s support ecosystem is built differently. Instead of one centralized help desk, it thrives on a massive global community. Thousands of developers, agencies, and independent experts contribute to forums, documentation, and open-source modules daily. If you’re using Adobe Commerce, you also get enterprise-level support directly from Adobe, including service-level agreements and dedicated technical assistance.
The difference is philosophical. BigCommerce gives you one place to go for help. Magento gives you a network. One offers immediate convenience, the other offers endless depth and collaboration. If you want quick solutions, BigCommerce feels more reassuring. If you value expertise and a thriving ecosystem, Magento’s community is second to none.
Popular Brands Using Magento & BigCommerce
Seeing which brands trust these platforms often says more than any feature comparison. Both Magento and BigCommerce power some of the most recognizable names in the world, but their brand rosters highlight the kind of businesses each platform attracts.
Brands Using Magento
Magento has long been the choice for global enterprises that need complete control over their digital commerce. These brands operate on massive scales, often across multiple regions, currencies, and customer segments, all of which Magento handles with ease.
Nike, for instance, leverages Magento’s scalability to deliver highly personalized shopping experiences across regions. Ford uses Magento to manage complex product catalogs and dealer-level interactions. Helly Hansen, a global outdoor apparel brand, depends on Magento’s multi-store functionality to manage localized experiences in over 35 countries.
What unites these brands is ambition — they demand a platform that bends to their needs, not the other way around. Magento’s flexibility and developer ecosystem make that possible, offering global enterprises the infrastructure to build exactly what they envision without compromise.
Brands Using BigCommerce
BigCommerce, on the other hand, appeals to creative, fast-moving brands that prioritize speed, consistency, and ease of management. It’s popular among companies that want enterprise performance without the complexity that usually comes with it.
Ben & Jerry’s, for example, relies on BigCommerce to maintain an engaging digital storefront that matches its playful brand identity. Sony uses the platform to run sleek, high-traffic stores with dependable uptime and effortless content management. Skullcandy combines BigCommerce’s multichannel tools with its marketing campaigns to create cohesive customer journeys across web, social, and retail platforms.
These brands choose BigCommerce because it lets them focus on storytelling, marketing, and sales — not on backend maintenance. It’s the perfect fit for companies that want creative freedom within a stable, managed framework.
Magento vs BigCommerce: Which Platform Is Better?
If you’ve read this far, you probably already sense that there’s no universal winner. The “better” platform depends on what kind of store you’re building and how much control you want over it.
If your vision involves custom experiences, enterprise-level complexity, or long-term scalability, Magento is the stronger choice. It lets you create a store that’s truly yours — not limited by pre-defined templates or feature sets. It’s built for ambitious businesses that want to shape their digital infrastructure to match their goals.
If your priority is speed, simplicity, and hands-off maintenance, BigCommerce offers a more convenient path. It’s fast to launch, easy to manage, and stable even during high-traffic seasons. It’s the platform for business owners who’d rather focus on selling than on managing servers and code.
Both options are powerful — the real difference lies in how much control you want over your growth story. Magento gives you the tools; BigCommerce gives you the time.
How Can BrandCrock Help You in Magento and BigCommerce Development?
No matter which platform you choose, success depends on how well it’s built, and that’s where BrandCrock wählen steps in.
As a certified eCommerce development agency, BrandCrock specializes in creating scalable, high-performing online stores on both Magento and BigCommerce. The team helps you plan your store from the ground up, ensuring that every detail, from design to checkout, works in harmony with your business goals.
If you choose Magento, BrandCrock’s experts handle everything from custom module development to speed optimization and system integration. If you go with BigCommerce, the agency ensures your store is tailored for usability, visual appeal, and long-term stability.
BrandCrock doesn’t only build stores, but systems that grow with you. Whether you’re launching a new store or optimizing an existing one, the focus remains on performance, security, and a smooth customer experience.
Choosing between Magento and BigCommerce is an important decision, but it’s not one you have to face alone. With BrandCrock, you get a team that understands both worlds and knows how to make either one work perfectly for your business.
Schlussfolgerung
Both Magento and BigCommerce have proven themselves as leaders in the eCommerce space, but they cater to different types of entrepreneurs.
Magento is the choice for those who want full creative and operational freedom — a platform that grows with your business and adapts to every challenge. BigCommerce, meanwhile, appeals to those who prefer a ready-to-use system that delivers reliability and simplicity without the technical overhead.
The real decision isn’t about which platform is better overall — it’s about which one is better for you. Consider your team’s strengths, your business model, and how much control you want over your online store’s future.
Whichever route you take, success comes down to how well the platform is built and maintained. With BrandCrock wählen by your side, you don’t have to worry about that part, we make sure your store is not just functional but future-ready.
Vaid Ali
Jan. 16, 2025
