Overview
BigCommerce is australian-founded saas e-commerce platform built for growth. Founded in 2009 and headquartered in Austin, Texas, USA, it serves Australian businesses with local data hosting and AU-based support.
Australian-founded SaaS e-commerce platform built for growth
AU Compliance Scores
BAS Lodgement0/5
STP Phase 20/5
Payday Super0/5
Modern Awards0/5
GST Handling4/5
Bank Feeds0/5
Modern Awards NoteNot applicable — e-commerce platform without HR or award interpretation capabilities.
Pricing (AUD inc. GST)
All prices below are in Australian dollars (GST not included). Pricing verified as of 2026-03-18.
Standard
$39/mo
AUD exc GST
Entry-level plan for new online stores. Includes unlimited products, unlimited staff accounts, and zero transaction fees. Automatic upgrade to Plus when trailing 12-month sales reach US$50,000. Payment processing via Braintree (PayPal) from 1.75% + AU$0.30 per domestic card transaction for Australian merchants.
- Products: unlimited
- Users: unlimited
- Online Store: Yes
- Annual Sales Cap: US$50,000
Most Popular
Plus
$105/mo
AUD exc GST
Adds customer groups and segmentation, abandoned cart saver, and stored credit cards for returning customers. Automatic upgrade to Pro when trailing 12-month sales reach US$180,000. Best for growing stores that need customer segmentation and cart recovery features.
- Products: unlimited
- Users: unlimited
- Online Store: Yes
- Annual Sales Cap: US$180,000
Pro
$399/mo
AUD exc GST
Adds Google customer reviews, custom product filtering, and advanced product search. Supports up to US$400,000 in annual online sales; additional US$150/month per US$200,000 in sales beyond that threshold (up to US$1M). For businesses exceeding US$1M, Enterprise plan is required.
- Products: unlimited
- Users: unlimited
- Online Store: Yes
- Annual Sales Cap: US$400,000
Enterprise
$/mo
AUD exc GST
Custom pricing typically starting from US$1,000–$2,000+/month depending on GMV and requirements. Includes unlimited API calls, priority support, custom SSL, dedicated account manager, and advanced B2B features including custom price lists, quote management, and buyer portals. No annual sales cap.
- Products: unlimited
- Users: unlimited
- Online Store: Yes
- Annual Sales Cap: unlimited
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Zero transaction fees on all plans — no gateway surcharges unlike Shopify's 0.6%–2% fee for third-party payment processors, saving significant costs for high-volume AU stores
- Unlimited staff accounts on every plan including Standard — Shopify limits to 2-15 staff depending on tier
- Native B2B and wholesale features (custom price lists, quote management, buyer portals) available from Pro plan — Shopify requires Plus at $3,700+/mo for equivalent B2B
- Australian-founded company (Sydney, 2009) with dedicated AU phone support at +61 2 8188 1832 during business hours
- Strongest security certification suite among e-commerce platforms: PCI DSS Level 1 (merchant and service provider), ISO 27001/27017/27018/27701, SOC 1/2/3 Type II
- 15-day free trial with full functionality — more generous than Shopify's 3-day trial for proper evaluation
- No platform surcharge for using third-party payment gateways — freely use Stripe, eWAY, PayPal, or any supported gateway without extra BigCommerce fees
- Advanced SEO with fully customisable URLs, automatic sitemaps, and no forced URL prefixes — more SEO flexibility than Shopify's rigid /products/ and /collections/ URL structure
Cons
- Plan fees charged in USD, not AUD — costs fluctuate with exchange rate and are effectively 50-60% higher than listed prices when converted to Australian dollars at current rates
- Revenue-based automatic plan upgrades (US$50k Standard → Plus, US$180k Plus → Pro) can feel punitive for fast-growing businesses — no opt-out available
- Data hosted on US-based Google Cloud Platform with no Australian data centre option — not suitable for businesses requiring AU data sovereignty
- Significantly smaller app marketplace (~1,000 apps) compared to Shopify's 8,000+ ecosystem — may lack niche AU-specific integrations
- Steeper learning curve than Shopify — admin interface and theme customisation require more technical knowledge, no true drag-and-drop page builder on standard themes
- Despite Australian founding, no AU-based support team — phone support hours limited to Mon-Fri 9am-5pm AEDT with global team handling calls
- Enterprise plan pricing is opaque — requires sales consultation, and contracts are typically annual with limited flexibility
Who Is BigCommerce Best For?
- Medium Business
- B2b Wholesale
- Multi Channel Retailer
- Online Retailer
BigCommerce may not be the best fit for:
- Sole Trader
- Budget Conscious
- Data Sovereignty Required
- Non Technical Beginner
BigCommerce Alternatives
If BigCommerce doesn’t quite fit your needs, consider these alternatives for Australian businesses:
- Shopify — The world's leading e-commerce platform for AU online sellers. From $7/mo inc. GST.
- WooCommerce — Free open-source e-commerce plugin for WordPress. Free plan available.
- Squarespace — Design-first website builder with integrated e-commerce. From $24/mo inc. GST.
- Neto (Maropost Commerce Cloud) — Australia's all-in-one B2B and multi-channel ecommerce platform. From $199/mo inc. GST.
Related Compliance Guides
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BAS Lodgement Guide for Australian Businesses
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