# Shopify vs BigCommerce for Product Photo Sellers (2026)

URL: https://photospells.com/compare/shopify-vs-bigcommerce
Type: comparison
Locale: en
Published: 2026-11-10
Updated: 2026-11-12

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> Both platforms now start at $39 a month. We compare fees, sales caps, photo limits and apps to show which store builder fits sellers who live on product photos.

## Head-to-head: shopify vs bigcommerce

**Winner:** shopify

**Verdict:** Pick Shopify if your catalog is photo-led, changes with the seasons and you want growth without a revenue ceiling. Pick BigCommerce if you manage hundreds of SKUs with deep galleries, route payments through Stripe, PayPal or Adyen, and need a more open architecture. The sticker prices are now identical, so decide on caps, fees and how many photos each product really needs.

**Methodology:** This is desk research, not a lab test. We checked both vendors' official pricing pages in November 2026, BigCommerce's published notice on its June 1, 2026 plan changes, and the platform help pages for media limits. Review scores come from Capterra on the same date. We did not run a live store on each platform for this page, so we make no claim about checkout speed or image loading times. We weighed every criterion for a seller whose conversion depends on product photos. Shopify carries an affiliate link, which does not change the scores shown here.


### Criteria

| Criterion | shopify | bigcommerce |
|---|---|---|
| Entry pricing (monthly billing) | Basic $39/mo, Grow $105/mo, Advanced $399/mo; $29, $89 and $359/mo when billed yearly. Plus starts at $2,300/mo. | Core $39/mo, Growth $105/mo, Scale $399/mo; $29, $79 and $299/mo when billed yearly. Performance from $1,499/mo. |
| Fees on outside payment gateways | 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced when you skip Shopify Payments. Card rate with Shopify Payments: 2.9% + 30 cents on Basic. | 2% on Core, 1% on Growth, 0.6% on Scale for orders processed by any provider outside its embedded list (Stripe, PayPal and Adyen are on it). |
| Photos and media per product | 250 files per product (images, videos and 3D models combined). Each variant can point to one media item. | 1,000 images per product, with 250 shown in the control panel. |
| Sales caps and forced upgrades | No sales cap on any plan. You change tier for features, not because of revenue. | Core caps at $30K trailing 12-month sales, Growth at $100K, Scale at $33,333 a month with 0.9% on the excess. |
| Apps and built-in AI | Large app store (our product notes cite 8,000+ apps), plus the Sidekick assistant and AI product descriptions on every plan. | Smaller marketplace (an agency estimate puts it near 1,000 apps) and a headless, API-first design. No photo editing built in. |
| Capterra rating (checked Nov 2026) | 4.5 out of 5 from 6,759 reviews. | 4.4 out of 5 from 348 reviews; ease of use 4.2, value for money 4.1, customer service 4.2. |

### Per-product notes

- **shopify** — *Best for most photo sellers*, best for: Sellers who change visuals often and want no sales ceiling, score: 4.5/5
  The safer default for photo-led catalogs that change with the seasons.
- **bigcommerce** — *Best for large catalogs*, best for: Catalogs above 500 SKUs that need deep native galleries and B2B, score: 4.4/5
  Worth it if you run a large catalog with media-heavy listings and stable payments.

## FAQ

### Is Shopify or BigCommerce cheaper in 2026?

The sticker prices are identical at $39, $105 and $399 a month on monthly billing. The difference sits in fees and caps: BigCommerce adds sales thresholds and a fee on outside gateways, while Shopify charges 0.6% to 2% when you skip Shopify Payments.

### Does BigCommerce still have zero transaction fees?

Not on every order anymore. Since June 1, 2026 it charges an Open Payment Provider Fee of 2%, 1% or 0.6% on orders processed outside its embedded provider list. Orders handled by Stripe, PayPal or Adyen carry no such fee.

### How many product images can I upload on each platform?

Shopify allows 250 files per product, counting images, videos and 3D models together. BigCommerce allows 1,000 images per product, with 250 displayed in its control panel.

### Which platform is better for a small Etsy-style seller moving to their own store?

Shopify is usually the easier fit: no revenue cap, a large app store and a simple path from a few dozen listings to a few hundred. BigCommerce makes more sense once galleries and catalog size grow.

### Does either platform edit product photos for me?

No. Shopify adds AI help for product descriptions and an assistant, and BigCommerce has no native photo editing. Background changes and seasonal refreshes need a separate tool before upload.

### Can I switch from BigCommerce to Shopify later?

Yes, in either direction. Products, images and customers can be exported and imported, but themes, apps and URL structures need rebuilding, so plan a redirect map to protect your search rankings.