AbleCommerce vs BigCommerce (2026): which should you pick?

Pick AbleCommerce if

• Fits if you want the software's own maker to host and support the store
• Works for teams that may later move to a self-hosted licensed copy

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if you are small, with Explorer at $99 for 2 admin users and 15 GB of traffic
• Tight if you grow, because traffic, database and storage are capped on every plan
• Skip it if you want a saving for paying yearly, as the page shows none
• Watch out: support is a ticket system, and a dedicated server needs a custom quote

Pick BigCommerce if

• Fits if you want discount types and shipping rules built in rather than added as apps
• Works for selling on Amazon, eBay and Walmart from one catalog

Look elsewhere if

• Tight if your sales are growing, as passing $30K a year moves you up to Growth at $79 a month
• Pricey if you want abandoned-cart emails, customer groups or stored cards, which start on Growth at $79 a month
• Watch out: paying through a provider outside BigCommerce's list adds 2% a sale on Core and 1% on Growth
• Watch out: Scale covers $33,333 of sales a month and charges 0.9% on anything above it
• Skip it if you want a free plan, as there's only a 15-day trial

AbleCommerce

• Hosting plans are capped by admin users (2, 5 or 10), traffic, database size and storage.
• Support is a ticket system; the page lists a 12-hour maximum ticket response on free support, and standard support on Explorer against premium on higher plans.
• Voyager covers two stores with combined traffic; a dedicated server needs a custom quote.
• The page shows the yearly price as twelve times the monthly price, so it offers no yearly discount.

BigCommerce

• Each plan caps sales over the past twelve months (gross order value minus 10%); passing $30K on Core or $100K on Growth moves the store up a plan.
• Orders paid through providers outside BigCommerce's embedded list carry a fee of 2% on Core, 1% on Growth and 0.6% on Scale.
• Scale covers $33,333 of sales a month and charges 0.9% on sales above that.
• Customer groups, abandoned-cart emails and stored cards need Growth or higher, and product filtering needs Scale.

AbleCommerce

Page designer

A content management system with drag-and-drop widgets for changing styles, colors and text on screen.

Order management

Batch order updates, edited, split and merged shipments, printed labels and packing slips, and invoices.

Payments without extra fees

The vendor says it adds no fee on built-in payment gateways, and lists over 100 gateways; banks and processors still charge their own fees.

Integrations

The feature overview lists PayPal, ShipStation, QuickBooks, AvaTax, Square, UPS labels and Zapier.

Hosting services

Every plan includes 24-hour monitoring, nightly backups with point-in-time recovery, managed email and SSL renewal support.

Own the software instead

The software can be bought and self-hosted, with licensing options including a perpetual unlimited license with source code.

BigCommerce

Checkout and payment partners

A single-page checkout with Apple Pay, Google Pay and Amazon Pay, and more than 100 currencies through the payment provider you choose, such as Stripe, PayPal, Adyen or Klarna.

Discounts and promotions

More than 70 discount options, coupons and gift cards come built in on every plan, without a third-party app.

Shipping quotes and rules

Real-time shipping rates from carriers such as UPS, USPS and FedEx, with the ShipperHQ shipping rules engine available as well.

Inventory across locations

Track stock and fulfil orders from 4 locations on Core up to 8 on Scale, including in-store pickup and curbside collection.

Marketplaces, ads and point of sale

Connect the store to Amazon, eBay and Walmart, send product feeds to Google, Meta and TikTok through Feedonomics Surface, and link POS systems such as Square or Clover.

Several storefronts in one account

Run extra storefronts for other brands or regions from one dashboard, for $30 a month each on Core (up to 3) and more on higher plans.

AbleCommerce

• Explorer$99

  per month ($1,188 per year)

  2 admin users, 15 GB traffic, 1 GB database, 1 GB storage and standard support.

• Merchant$179

  per month ($2,148 per year)

  5 admin users, 30 GB traffic, 2 GB database, 2 GB storage and premium support.

• Voyager$299

  per month ($3,588 per year)

  10 admin users per store, 60 GB traffic total across two stores, 5 GB database and 5 GB storage per store, and premium support.

BigCommerce

• Core$29

  per month for up to $30K sales a year, billed annually ($39 monthly)

  For new stores: up to 4 inventory locations and 24/7 chat and email support, with a 2% fee on orders through payment providers outside BigCommerce's list.

• Growth$79

  per month for up to $100K sales a year, billed annually ($105 monthly)

  Adds customer groups, abandoned-cart emails, stored cards and phone support, with 5 inventory locations and a 1% fee on orders through other providers.

• Scale$299

  per month up to $33,333 sales a month, billed annually ($399 monthly)

  Adds product filtering and 8 inventory locations, charges 0.9% on sales above the monthly cap and 0.6% on orders through other payment providers.

• Performance$1,499

  per month and up, billed annually

  Custom pricing for high-volume stores, sold through sales, with a dedicated customer success manager and no fee on other payment providers under contract.

AbleCommerce

No public discounts listed.

BigCommerce

• Annual discount

  Pay annually to save 25%

  Core costs $29 a month billed annually against $39 billed monthly, Growth $79 against $105 and Scale $299 against $399.