For companies in the fashion or lifestyle sector looking to launch multi-market operations with strong B2C and wholesale support, Centra is often seen as more specialized and aligned to those needs. BigCommerce tends to be viewed as more general-purpose, with strengths in scaling up, supporting multiple sales channels, and offering more out-of-the-box integrations.
BigCommerce
Feature-rich out of the box even on lower tiers
Good security and reliability
No transaction fees
Limited customization in design and layout
Some features are hidden, documentation or setup can be non-intuitive
Cost scaling / plan thresholds
What is BigCommerce
BigCommerce is an enterprise-capable SaaS ecommerce platform offering rich built-in commerce, SEO, and omnichannel tools that scale with growing businesses, though with some limitations in design flexibility and steep costs at higher tiers.
Usecases for BigCommerce
Growing businesses / mid-market merchants that need built-in features, solid reliability, and a platform that scales without changing stacks.
Centra
User-friendly interface and setup
Built-in B2B and DTC modules
Excellent support
Wholesale UI rigidity
Initial configuration can be “slightly more complex”
Video upload limitation
What is Centra
Centra is a cloud-native, API-first e-commerce platform designed primarily for fashion and lifestyle brands, offering both direct-to-consumer and wholesale commerce capabilities in a single, high-performance SaaS solution.
Usecases for Centra
Companies needing integrated B2B workflows—real-time inventory, bulk orders, returns and ERP sync—benefit from Centra’s unified module set.
Full
None
Partial
Integration
BigCommerce
Centra
Crystallize
Tech
Architecture
Open SaaS, monolithic with optional headless APIs
Multi-tenant SaaS
Event based architecture with horizontal scaling
Cloud infrastructure
Google Cloud
Fastly CDN
AWS
API coverage
REST + GraphQL APIs (partial coverage)
RESTful / GraphQL
GraphQL
Built with
PHP/Node.js backend, GraphQL layer
/
TypeScript / GraphQL
Security features
PCI DSS Level 1, SSL, MFA, DDoS protection
Enterprise-grade security and compliance
TLS/SSL, DDoS protection, SOC2 compliance
Scalability
Maintenance
Managed
Managed
Customization level
Moderate: theming system + API integrations
Frontend integration
Stencil framework, Next.js & React supported via APIs
Framework-agnostic
Framework-agnostic
AI/Machine learning
Built-in AI product recommendations + third-party
via open APIs
Via third-party
Multitenancy
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24/7 email and chat support / Slack / dedicated Customer Success Manager for enterprise
Slack / Community / Dedicated account manager (Enterprise)
Documentation quality
Comprehensive docs, BigCommerce University
Comprehensive developer docs, API reference, SDK guides and code samples
Comprehensive, well-organized
Additional resources
Webinars / Training / Growth services
Blog, webinars, whitepapers and migration guides
Livestream videos / API Reference / Developer guides
Community
Community and forums
Large, active merchant community and forums
Private customer forum and Slack workspace
Growing and Active (Slack)
Professional training
Certification programs
DISCLAIMER: The comparison pages on this website are based on publicly available information and are intended for informational purposes only. While we strive to provide accurate and up-to-date content , we make no representations or warranties regarding the completeness or accuracy of the information presented. Readers are advised to consult the official websites of the respective platforms for the most current details, as features and specifications are subject to change without notice.
Feature-rich out of the box even on lower tiers
Limited customization in design and layout
Partial
Integration
