Saleor is often praised for being open-source, GraphQL-first, and highly customizable — making it a strong choice for tech-savvy teams. BigCommerce, on the other hand, gets credit for offering more built-in features, ease of getting started, and a mature ecosystem of ready themes/apps.
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.
Saleor
Microservices architecture
Open-source and cost-effective
Developer-friendly
Complex codebase
Self-hosting challenge
Limited out-of-the-box features
What is Saleor
Saleor is a versatile, open-source ecommerce platform that caters to modern commerce needs. Built with modern technologies (primarily Python and GraphQL), Saleor is optimized for performance and developer flexibility, making it easy to integrate into custom tech stacks.
Usecases for Saleor
Geared towards businesses that want to leverage modern technologies for fast, flexible, and lean eCommerce projects.
Full
None
Partial
Integration
BigCommerce
Saleor
Crystallize
Tech
Architecture
Open SaaS, monolithic with optional headless APIs
Microservices
Event based architecture with horizontal scaling
Cloud infrastructure
Google Cloud
AWS / GCP / Azure
AWS
API coverage
REST + GraphQL APIs (partial coverage)
GraphQL
GraphQL
Built with
PHP/Node.js backend, GraphQL layer
Python /JavaScript
TypeScript / GraphQL
Security features
PCI DSS Level 1, SSL, MFA, DDoS protection
OAuth / JWT / PCI DSS
TLS/SSL, DDoS protection, SOC2 compliance
Scalability
Maintenance
Self-managed
Managed
Customization level
Moderate: theming system + API integrations
Frontend integration
Stencil framework, Next.js & React supported via APIs
React-centric
Framework-agnostic
AI/Machine learning
Built-in AI product recommendations + third-party
Via third-party
Via third-party
Multitenancy
Book time with an expert to discuss your product universe
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Slack / Community / Dedicated account manager (Enterprise)
Documentation quality
Comprehensive docs, BigCommerce University
Extensive / Open-source community contributions
Comprehensive, well-organized
Additional resources
Webinars / Training / Growth services
Documentation / Tutorials / Developer guides
Livestream videos / API Reference / Developer guides
Community
Community and forums
Large, active merchant community and forums
Large and Active
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
