BigCommerce Pricing, Actually Explained
The advertised price, the fine print, and the hours nobody counts.
BigCommerce now runs $29 to $299/mo with GMV caps that were halved in June 2026 and a new 2 percent outside-payments fee, meaning many stores pay tier prices their revenue never used to require. The feature depth remains real; the no-hidden-fees identity does not.
BigCommerce plans in 2026
Prices move; these are the published numbers as of July 2026, worth re-checking on BigCommerce's own pricing page before you buy.
| Plan | Advertised price | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Core | $29/mo annual | GMV cap cut $50K to $30K in June 2026 |
| Growth | $79/mo annual | Cap cut $180K to $100K |
| Scale | $299/mo annual | ~$400K cap; the forced landing spot |
| Outside payments | +2% fee | New June 2026, the credibility wound |
The fine print that changes the math: As of July 2026 the renamed plans run $29 (Core), $79 (Growth) and $299/mo (Scale) annual, but June 1 cut GMV caps roughly in half (Core $50K to $30K) and added a 2 percent Open Payment Provider Fee, so the same revenue now often forces a higher tier.
The cost nobody puts on the pricing page: your hours
BigCommerce is priced like software, but it consumes your time like a job. Budget the hours honestly: learning the editor, fighting layouts, writing every word of copy, sourcing images, making it work on mobile. For most owners that is 20 to 60 hours for a first site. At even $50 an hour of your time, the "cheap" plan costs $1,000 to $3,000 in labor you paid yourself, before the subscription.
That is the actual comparison with PISCES: Starter at $99/mo or Pro at $399/mo is more than BigCommerce's entry plans on the sticker, but the AI does the design, the copywriting and the structure in about 90 seconds, and you edit by typing instructions. You are not buying software; you are replacing the labor.
Side by side
| Feature | PISCES | BigCommerce |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free preview; paid from $99/mo | Core $29/mo annual; Growth $79; Scale $299; GMV caps cut June 2026 |
| Who does the work | The AI builds the whole site; you approve and edit in plain English | You configure a hosted storefront |
| Time to a finished site | About 90 seconds to a full preview | Days for a store |
| Blog / CMS | Yes (Pro) | Weak |
| E-commerce | Yes, Stripe checkout (Pro) | Excellent built-ins |
| Booking / scheduling | Yes, built in | Via apps |
| AI edits in plain English | Yes, core feature | BigAI suite, trails Sidekick |
| Own your code (export) | Yes, full Next.js project zip on Pro | Data yes; store no |
| Best for | Business owners who want the site done for them, with code they own | B2B and feature-dense catalogs |
See your site rebuilt by AI, free
Paste your current website's URL and PISCES rebuilds it, 10x better, in about 90 seconds. Keep it only if you love it.
Get my free rebuild →Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest way to use BigCommerce?
Core at $29/mo annual, now capped at $30K GMV; crossing it moves you to Growth automatically.
What does BigCommerce really cost per year?
A $150K GMV store that paid $948/yr on the old Plus now lands on Scale at $3,588/yr under the June 2026 caps, the math driving current migration threads.
Is PISCES really free to try?
Yes. The free preview rebuilds your site (or builds one from scratch) with no credit card. You only pay if you keep it: Starter is $99/mo for a 5 page site with a custom domain, Pro is $399/mo with blog, CMS, lead forms with Stripe checkout and full code export.
Am I locked into PISCES the way I would be with a site builder?
No. On Pro and up you can download your entire site as a Next.js project zip and host it anywhere. Most website builders, including BigCommerce, never let you take working code with you. PISCES treats your site as code you own.