BigCommerce Review Australia 2026

AU-MadeEcommerce
4.0 / 5— SoftwareHQ AU Rating
Pricing verified 2026-03-18

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 Lodgement
0/5
STP Phase 2
0/5
Payday Super
0/5
Modern Awards
0/5
GST Handling
4/5
Bank Feeds
0/5
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

Guide
BAS Lodgement Guide for Australian Businesses
Business Activity Statements must be lodged quarterly or monthly with the ATO, reporting GST, PAYG i...
Guide
Data Sovereignty in Australia — Where Is Your Business Data Stored?
Australian businesses are increasingly concerned about where their financial and employee data is ho...
Guide
GST Registration Guide for Australian Businesses
Australian businesses must register for GST once their annual turnover reaches or is expected to rea...
Guide
Tax Invoice Requirements in Australia — What You Must Include
Australian businesses registered for GST must issue tax invoices for taxable sales of $82.50 or more...

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does BigCommerce cost per month in Australia?
BigCommerce plan fees are charged in US Dollars, not AUD. The Standard plan costs US$39/month (US$29/month with annual billing), Plus is US$105/month (US$79 annual), and Pro is US$399/month (US$299 annual). At current exchange rates, the Standard plan is approximately A$60–65/month. Enterprise pricing is custom, typically starting from US$1,000–$2,000+/month. All plans exclude GST. A 25% discount applies to annual billing on all non-Enterprise plans.
Does BigCommerce charge transaction fees like Shopify?
No. BigCommerce charges zero transaction fees or gateway surcharges on any plan — this is one of its biggest advantages over Shopify, which charges 0.6%–2% when you use a third-party payment gateway. You only pay your payment processor's fees (e.g., Braintree at 1.75% + AU$0.30 per domestic card transaction for Australian merchants). This can save thousands annually for high-volume stores.
Does BigCommerce handle GST for Australian stores?
Yes. BigCommerce supports automatic 10% GST calculation on applicable products and can display tax-inclusive prices as required by Australian Consumer Law. However, GST settings need to be manually configured in the tax settings — it's not auto-detected by country. For advanced tax automation, BigCommerce integrates with Avalara. The platform does not handle BAS lodgement directly — you'll need to connect Xero or MYOB for BAS preparation and lodgement to the ATO.
Is BigCommerce an Australian company?
BigCommerce was founded in Sydney, Australia in 2009 by Australians Eddie Machaalani and Mitchell Harper. However, the company relocated its headquarters to Austin, Texas and is now listed on NASDAQ (BIGC). Despite its Australian origins, plan fees are charged in USD and data is hosted on US-based Google Cloud Platform servers — there is no Australian data centre option.
Where is BigCommerce data hosted for Australian merchants?
BigCommerce data is hosted on Google Cloud Platform in the United States. The platform migrated from IBM SoftLayer and AWS to Google Cloud in 2019, resulting in 81% faster connection times. Australian merchants benefit from Google CDN edge nodes in Sydney and Melbourne for faster content delivery, but core merchant and customer data resides in the US. There is no option to select an Australian hosting location. BigCommerce holds PCI DSS Level 1, ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type II, and multiple other security certifications.
What are BigCommerce's annual sales thresholds?
BigCommerce enforces revenue-based plan thresholds based on trailing 12-month online sales. The Standard plan supports up to US$50,000, Plus supports up to US$180,000, and Pro supports up to US$400,000. When you exceed a threshold, you're automatically upgraded to the next plan. On the Pro plan, sales beyond US$400,000 incur an additional US$150/month per US$200,000 increment. Eligible sales include product prices (net of discounts), taxes, shipping, and social commerce transactions.