Choosing an eCommerce platform often reminds me of choosing a new home: Do you need a sleek downtown condo (Salesforce Commerce Cloud)—highly sophisticated but pricey—or a spacious family-friendly home in the suburbs (BigCommerce), affordable, flexible, and ready for growth?

Having helped countless businesses decide on their eCommerce solutions, I’ve found BigCommerce typically fits better for growing brands. Salesforce Commerce Cloud (formerly Demandware) is powerful, but it can be complex, expensive, and often better suited for enterprise-level companies.

Let’s unpack these platforms clearly so you can confidently choose what’s best for your business.

BigCommerce Overview: Powerful, Scalable, Affordable

BigCommerce was founded in 2009 with the explicit goal of providing a platform powerful enough to scale but simple enough for business owners to manage without headaches. I often tell clients, BigCommerce is the sweet spot—perfect for brands looking to scale affordably and efficiently.

Pros of BigCommerce:

• Intuitive, easy-to-learn interface

• Transparent, predictable pricing

• Robust built-in features (SEO, security, scalability)

• No transaction fees

Cons of BigCommerce:

• Customizations may require third-party apps

• Smaller built-in ecosystem compared to Salesforce

Salesforce Commerce Cloud Overview: Enterprise-Level Power and Complexity

Salesforce Commerce Cloud is undeniably powerful, tailored specifically to enterprise-level retail brands. It offers sophisticated AI-driven personalization, robust omnichannel capabilities, and is backed by the Salesforce ecosystem. However, the complexity and high cost mean it often isn’t practical for smaller to mid-market businesses.

Pros of Salesforce Commerce Cloud:

• Extensive enterprise-level capabilities

• Advanced AI and personalization

• Strong omnichannel retail support

Cons of Salesforce Commerce Cloud:

• Extremely high cost

• Requires dedicated technical and development resources

• Steep learning curve

BigCommerce vs Salesforce Commerce Cloud: Ease of Use & Implementation

BigCommerce is straightforward: it has guided onboarding, and most clients comfortably manage it independently within days. By contrast, Salesforce requires dedicated IT resources or specialized partners to handle day-to-day management and updates. When a client moved from Salesforce to BigCommerce, they described the switch as “finally feeling in control.”

BigCommerce vs Salesforce Commerce Cloud: Pricing & Cost

BigCommerce provides simple monthly pricing tiers:

• Standard: $39/month

• Plus: $105/month

• Pro: $399/month

Clear and predictable costs, no hidden fees.

Salesforce Commerce Cloud, meanwhile, has enterprise pricing typically starting at tens of thousands of dollars annually, often scaling into six-figure territory based on revenue shares. Additional implementation and customization costs quickly add up.

BigCommerce vs Salesforce Commerce Cloud: Scalability & Performance

Both platforms offer excellent scalability. BigCommerce seamlessly manages mid-market to large-scale eCommerce growth without extra engineering. Salesforce, designed for enterprise brands, is also highly scalable, but that scalability comes at a substantial cost and complexity.

BigCommerce vs Salesforce Commerce Cloud: SEO & Marketing Features

BigCommerce has built-in SEO optimization tools that are both user-friendly and effective. My clients often praise BigCommerce’s easy setup and maintenance of SEO-friendly pages and integrations with popular marketing tools.

Salesforce Commerce Cloud also supports advanced SEO and marketing capabilities, but often requires significant custom configuration and dedicated resources to manage effectively.

BigCommerce vs Salesforce Commerce Cloud: Security & Maintenance

BigCommerce provides fully-managed hosting, security, and PCI compliance. Clients frequently appreciate that security management is stress-free and included in the platform’s price.

Salesforce Commerce Cloud also offers secure hosting and compliance, but maintenance complexity is significantly higher, often requiring dedicated IT teams or expensive third-party partners.

BigCommerce vs Salesforce Commerce Cloud: Customer Support

BigCommerce’s dedicated customer support is consistently reliable, with 24/7 live support available. Salesforce offers comprehensive support, but it often requires enterprise-level service contracts, adding to overall costs.