A practical BigCommerce alternative for businesses whose store is one part of the site
BigCommerce is built for retailers: its plans move up automatically as your sales grow, its depth goes to B2B and headless, and its content tools are an afterthought. Grigora is a website platform with a CMS, a newsletter and a store included, from $12/mo, with no revenue threshold that changes your plan for you.
Published by Grigora · Updated · Sources and method
Is Grigora the right BigCommerce alternative?
Choose BigCommerce for complex catalogs, B2B sales, multistorefront operations and commerce integrations. Choose Grigora for a website that combines articles, directories, newsletters and a simpler storefront. BigCommerce pricing depends on plan, Inclusive GMV and payment-provider classification. Grigora supports Stripe and Razorpay checkout, with merchant-managed fulfillment; it is not a replacement for every advanced retail workflow.
Choose Grigora if you want…
- A plan that does not change itself when sales grow
- 0% platform fee on Stripe or Razorpay
- A CMS with directories, comments and an AI writer
- A newsletter in the same plan as the store
- An AI-designed site rather than a storefront theme
Stick with BigCommerce if you…
- •Run a serious retail operation with a large catalogue
- •Need B2B pricing, multi-storefront or headless
- •Rely on its app ecosystem and embedded payment providers
BigCommerce or Grigora: the decision in one view
BigCommerce alternatives at a glance
How the commerce platforms and all-in-one builders compare for a business that sells.
Swipe the table sideways to see every column
| Platform | Best for | Free access | Starting price | Sales fees | Data and site portability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grigora | Content-led businesses that sell | Free trial | From $12/mo billed annually | 0% platform fee; Stripe/Razorpay fees apply | Posts/content; rebuild design |
| BigCommerce | Mid-market and B2B retail | No (trial) | Core $29/mo billed annually | 0% embedded providers; 2%–0.6% on other providers | Partial |
| Shopify | Serious online stores | No (trial) | Basic $29/mo billed annually | 0% with Shopify Payments; third-party fees apply | Data/themes; platform features need rebuilding |
| Ecwid | A store on any site | No permanent free plan | Starter from $5/mo | 0% platform transaction fee; processing extra | Products/orders CSV; website rebuild required |
| Square Online | Square merchants | Yes; processing fees apply | Free; Plus $49/mo/location | 0% platform fee; US online cards 2.9%–3.3% + 30¢ | Items/customers; rebuild design |
| WooCommerce | WordPress stores | Plugin is free | Hosting + extensions | 0% (processing only) | Yes |
List pricing (billed annually) as of September 2026; payment-processor fees apply to all. Verify current pricing on each provider's site.
Sources for the overview table
- Grigora: official reference 1
- BigCommerce: official reference 1, official reference 2
- Shopify: official reference 1, official reference 2
- Ecwid: official reference 1, official reference 2
- Square Online: official reference 1, official reference 2, official reference 3
When to consider a BigCommerce alternative
Consider these differences against the way you run your site.
The plan upgraded itself
Core’s Inclusive GMV threshold can trigger a plan change. Check the actual calculation and timing in your contract.
The gateway fee
Using your own processor costs 2% on Core. The 0% is for the approved list.
The blog is a checkbox
No directories, no comments, no AI. Content marketing has nowhere to live.
Email is another app
Campaigns mean an integration and another subscription.
What BigCommerce does well
- Deep commerce: B2B, multi-storefront, headless, large catalogues
- 0% BigCommerce fee on embedded payment providers
- A large app marketplace and 24/7 support
- Strong product-page SEO and performance
Where BigCommerce falls short
- Plans auto-upgrade on trailing revenue
- 2% to 0.6% fee on third-party gateways
- A basic blog and no email marketing
- Themes often paid and developer-customised
Grigora vs BigCommerce at a glance
A retail platform against a website platform.
| Feature | BigCommerce | Grigora |
|---|---|---|
| Starting paid plan | $29/mo (Core) | $12/mo |
| Plan changes with revenue | Auto-upgrade by GMV | No |
| Third-party gateway fee | 2% / 1% / 0.6% | 0% |
| Blog & CMS depth | Basic blog | CMS, directories, comments |
| Email marketing | App or integration | Included |
| AI first-draft site | No | Yes |
| B2B, multi-storefront, headless | Advanced capabilities | No |
| Free SEO tools suite | No | Free SEO tools |
| White label for agencies | No | $199/mo plan |
Grigora vs BigCommerce: feature by feature
A category-by-category breakdown, pricing, AI, design, e-commerce, email, SEO, performance, and support.
Plans that upgrade themselves
Fit: GrigoraBigCommerce ties each plan to trailing-twelve-month sales. Core covers up to $30,000, Growth up to $100,000, and crossing the line moves you to the next plan automatically. Scale caps at $33,333 a month and charges 0.9% on sales above it. Grigora's plan is the plan you chose, at any revenue.
| Feature | Grigora | BigCommerce |
|---|---|---|
| Core | Starter, plan limits apply | $29/mo up to $30K GMV, then Growth |
| Growth | Pro, plan limits apply | $79/mo up to $100K GMV, then Scale |
| Scale | Business, plan limits apply | $299/mo, 0.9% above $33,333/mo |
| Who decides the upgrade | You | Your sales figures |
Takeaway: On BigCommerce, a good year is an involuntary upgrade.
Gateway fees
Fit: GrigoraBigCommerce distinguishes embedded payment providers from open payment providers, with plan-specific fees in addition to processing charges. Grigora charges no platform transaction commission through supported Stripe or Razorpay checkout. Compare the actual provider and plan you use.
| Feature | Grigora | BigCommerce |
|---|---|---|
| Fee with embedded providers | Not applicable | 0% |
| Fee with a third-party gateway | 0% | 2% / 1% / 0.6% |
| Gateways | Stripe, Razorpay | Many, embedded and third-party |
| Reaching 0% through supported Stripe or Razorpay checkout | Every plan | Performance contract |
Takeaway: Compare provider eligibility, processor fees and platform fees separately. Grigora supports Stripe and Razorpay, not an unrestricted gateway list.
Commerce depth
Fit: BigCommerceThe honest category. BigCommerce handles catalogues Grigora never will: variants at scale, B2B price lists, multi-storefront from one account, headless storefronts, and an app marketplace for everything else. Grigora covers the common path: catalogue, variants, stock, checkout, shipping, tax, digital and physical.
| Feature | Grigora | BigCommerce |
|---|---|---|
| Catalog, variants and stock | Yes | Yes |
| B2B pricing and customer groups | No | Yes |
| Multi-storefront | 5 sites on Business | Yes |
| Headless and API-first | Limited | Yes |
| App marketplace | No | Large |
Takeaway: If the store is the business and it is large, BigCommerce wins outright.
Blog, CMS & content
Fit: GrigoraBigCommerce's blog is the minimum a store needs to say it has one. Directories, author profiles, moderated comments and an AI writer are not part of it. Grigora's CMS is the core of the product.
| Feature | Grigora | BigCommerce |
|---|---|---|
| Blog editor depth | Full CMS editor | Basic |
| Directories and collections | Built in | No |
| Comments and moderation | Included, with admin replies | No |
| AI blog writing | Yes | No |
| Structural control | Yes | Theme-bound |
Takeaway: For a business whose customers arrive through articles, this category matters more than the catalogue.
Newsletter & email
Fit: GrigoraBigCommerce sends transactional mail and leaves campaigns to apps and integrations. Grigora includes the list, the campaigns and the automations.
| Feature | Grigora | BigCommerce |
|---|---|---|
| Email marketing included | 2,500 to 25,000 subscribers | No |
| Campaign builder | Included | App or integration |
| Automation and segmentation | Included | App or integration |
| Abandoned-cart mail | Included | Included on paid plans |
Takeaway: BigCommerce mails about orders. The newsletter is another vendor.
Design & setup
Fit: GrigoraBigCommerce starts from storefront themes, some paid, usually customised by a developer. Grigora generates a design direction from a description and gives you a block editor.
| Feature | Grigora | BigCommerce |
|---|---|---|
| AI first-draft site | Yes | No |
| Templates | Website templates | Theme marketplace, many paid |
| Editing without a developer | Yes | Within the theme |
| Time to a first live draft | Minutes | Days |
Takeaway: BigCommerce dresses a store. Grigora builds a site.
SEO & speed
Depends on your needsBigCommerce's product pages are well structured and fast, with sensible URL and metadata controls. Grigora matches the basics and adds IndexNow and free SEO tools.
| Feature | Grigora | BigCommerce |
|---|---|---|
| Meta, schema and sitemap | Yes | Yes |
| URL structure control | Yes | Yes |
| IndexNow submission | Yes | No |
| Free SEO tools suite | Free SEO tools | No |
Takeaway: Both platforms provide SEO features. Compare the rendered pages and content workflows; this page does not establish a ranking or speed winner.
Agencies & white label
Fit: GrigoraBigCommerce runs a partner programme for agencies that build stores. Grigora sells White Label at $199/mo, less than BigCommerce Scale.
| Feature | Grigora | BigCommerce |
|---|---|---|
| Resell under your own brand | $199/mo White Label plan | No |
| Partner programme | No | Yes |
| Cost per small client site | One subscription | A store plan |
Takeaway: BigCommerce partners build. Grigora agencies resell.
Ownership & export
Depends on your needsBoth export products, customers and orders. BigCommerce's theme files are portable with effort; Grigora exports content.
| Feature | Grigora | BigCommerce |
|---|---|---|
| Export products, customers and orders | Yes | Yes |
| Export content | Yes | Partial |
| Move the design elsewhere | Rebuild | Theme files, with work |
| Support | Email, priority on higher plans | 24/7 support |
Takeaway: Comparable on data. BigCommerce wins on support hours.
Explore Grigora before switching from BigCommerce
Current public product pages and plans, so you can inspect what you would be moving to. Open any image at full size.
Grigora vs BigCommerce pricing
BigCommerce prices by plan and by revenue. Grigora prices by plan.
Website, newsletter & store in one plan
USD annual equivalents shown: Starter $12, Pro $20 and Business $45 per month; month-to-month prices are $15, $25 and $59. A free trial is available. Paid plans include website, CMS, newsletter and store features with stated page, storage, bandwidth and AI allowances. Stripe or Razorpay processing fees apply; fulfillment is manual and domain registration is separate.
Store plans tied to trailing revenue
BigCommerce pricing as listed 2026-09-02 on bigcommerce.com/essentials/pricing. Orders through embedded providers such as BigCommerce Payments, Stripe, PayPal and Klarna carry no BigCommerce fee on any plan.
BigCommerce Core is $29 per month billed annually, with plan changes based on Inclusive GMV and additional provider rules. Grigora Starter is $12 per month billed annually with published resource limits. Compare operational scope and total costs rather than assuming either bill can never change.
The real cost: Grigora vs BigCommerce
A content-led business that sells modestly and grows.
| What you pay for | BigCommerce | Grigora |
|---|---|---|
| Base plan | $29 to $299/mo, by revenue | $12 to $45/mo (all-in) |
| Crossing $30K in trailing sales | Auto-upgrade to $79/mo | No change |
| Third-party gateway | 2% to 0.6% BigCommerce fee | 0% |
| Email marketing | App or integration | Included (2,500 to 25,000 subs) |
| Blog with directories and comments | Not available | Included |
| Theme | Marketplace, often paid, developer customised | website templates + AI |
| SEO tooling | Apps | free SEO tools |
Payment-processor fees apply on both. Embedded providers remove BigCommerce's gateway fee.
BigCommerce and Grigora: public website references
These captures show each product’s public website. See the feature and pricing sections for capabilities and plan details.
Is Grigora the right BigCommerce alternative for you?
Where each platform is the right one.
Best BigCommerce alternative for content-led brands
When articles and a newsletter bring the customers and the store closes them, the CMS matters more than B2B price lists.
… for small catalogues
A few dozen products with variants and stock, sold with no gateway fee and no revenue threshold.
… for businesses that dislike surprises
Compare published allowances and upgrade rules with your expected catalog, traffic and sales channels.
BigCommerce is the right call if…
The store is the business, the catalogue is large, and B2B, multi-storefront or headless are on the list.
Which one is right for you?
Choose Grigora if…
- Content brings most of your customers
- Your catalogue is modest and fulfilment is simple
- You want no gateway fee and no auto-upgrade
- You want a CMS and newsletter in the plan
- You are an agency that resells
Choose BigCommerce if…
- •The store is the business and it is large
- •You need B2B, multi-storefront or headless
- •You use its embedded providers and app ecosystem
How to switch from BigCommerce to Grigora
BigCommerce exports can provide source data, but Grigora compatibility needs a field-by-field check. B2B pricing, multiple storefronts, subscriptions, historical orders and custom integrations may need a separate solution.
- 1
Start your Grigora site
Describe the business in a sentence and the AI generates a first draft with pages, layout and copy.
- 2
Export the catalogue
Export available product, customer and order records. Map product options, variants, images and inventory, and test a sample import; keep unsupported order history as an archive.
- 3
Bring the blog and the list
Move articles and media into the CMS. Import only marketing subscribers with consent and suppression status, and rebuild automations separately.
- 4
Reconnect checkout
Connect a supported Stripe or Razorpay account and test payment, refund and order flows. Confirm fulfillment and shipping/tax procedures; do not assume BigCommerce automation transfers.
- 5
Point your domain and redirect
Preserve existing product/category paths where possible. Add 301 redirects for changed paths you control, test the full store, and monitor indexing and sales after changing DNS.
Why people look for a BigCommerce alternative in 2026
BigCommerce is a strong platform for the retailer it was built for, and most of the people who leave are not that retailer. They are businesses whose store is one part of a site, on a platform where the store is the whole point.
Revenue decides the plan
Core covers up to $30,000 in trailing-twelve-month sales, Growth up to $100,000, and crossing either line upgrades the plan automatically. Scale caps at $33,333 a month and charges 0.9% above it. Growth is billed as growth, whether or not the extra features were wanted.
The gateway list
BigCommerce charges no fee on orders through its embedded providers. On any other gateway it charges 2% on Core, 1% on Growth and 0.6% on Scale. The 0% is real and conditional.
Content is an app
The blog covers the minimum. Directories, moderated comments, an AI writer and campaign email are all things BigCommerce expects you to add from the marketplace, each with its own subscription.
How Grigora compares
Grigora inverts the priority: the website, the CMS and the newsletter first, with the store as part of the same workspace and no threshold that changes the plan.
One plan, chosen by you
Starter at $12 a month billed annually includes the site, the CMS with directories and moderated comments, a newsletter with 2,500 subscribers, and a store with no platform commission through supported Stripe or Razorpay checkout, at any level of sales.
Where BigCommerce still wins
Commerce depth, and it is not close. Large catalogues, B2B, multi-storefront, headless and the app ecosystem are ahead of anything Grigora offers. If the store is the business, stay on BigCommerce.
Frequently asked questions
Choose BigCommerce for complex catalogs, B2B sales, multistorefront operations and commerce integrations. Choose Grigora for a website that combines articles, directories, newsletters and a simpler storefront. BigCommerce pricing depends on plan, Inclusive GMV and payment-provider classification. Grigora supports Stripe and Razorpay checkout, with merchant-managed fulfillment; it is not a replacement for every advanced retail workflow.
As listed in September 2026, Core is $29/mo billed annually ($39 monthly), Growth $79/mo ($105 monthly), Scale $299/mo ($399 monthly) and Performance from $1,499/mo. Plans auto-upgrade when trailing-twelve-month sales pass $30,000 (Core) or $100,000 (Growth).
Not on orders through its embedded payment providers such as BigCommerce Payments, Stripe, PayPal and Klarna. On third-party gateways it charges 2% on Core, 1% on Growth and 0.6% on Scale. Grigora charges 0% platform commission on supported Stripe or Razorpay checkout.
Each plan has a trailing-twelve-month sales threshold: $30,000 on Core and $100,000 on Growth. Crossing it moves the store to the next plan automatically. Grigora has no revenue thresholds.
BigCommerce sends transactional and abandoned-cart mail; campaign email is an app or integration. Its blog is basic. Grigora includes a newsletter and a CMS with directories and moderated comments.
You can migrate supported catalog and content data, but it is not an automatic transfer of a BigCommerce store. Validate product variants, stock, images and checkout in a sample first. Plan separately for B2B pricing, subscriptions, multistorefront setups and historical orders, then map redirects before launch.
Sources and comparison method
Published by Grigora, one of the products compared here. This is a comparison of public product documentation and published plans. Recommendations reflect the use cases described; they are not independent performance benchmarks. Homepage screenshots show how each product presents itself and do not establish feature availability.
Check the billing term, currency, regional availability, usage limits and add-ons before purchasing. A content export does not necessarily include the design, integrations or a working store. Migration steps need testing on your own site.
- BigCommerce pricing and provider fees
Current Core, Growth, Scale and Performance rates, Inclusive GMV rules and embedded/open provider fees.
- BigCommerce pricing update explanation
Official explanation of plan transitions, GMV measurement and payment-provider changes.
Grigora references: plans and limits, commerce, MCP access, and help documentation.
Compare Grigora with other platforms
Make the switch from BigCommerce to Grigora
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