Shopify or BigCommerce as your eCommerce platform?

Choosing the right eCommerce platform is critical. After two years on BigCommerce, I break down real-world pros, cons, and lessons for scaling in Singapore. Lessons from an Operator!

👋 Hola! Welcome to Out of Singapore. I’m Shan — I run Xandro Lab, a longevity science brand, and lead DTC for two other brands. I handle marketing, ops, cash flow, and team building — end to end.

Every week, I share raw, unfiltered lessons from building consumer brands in Singapore.

This week I will talk about: Shopify vs BigCommerce — what I’ve learned after 2 years of running DTC brands in Singapore.

People still ask: “Why not just use Shopify?”

The truth is — switching platforms is painful. I’ve spent over $10K across 7 months just to migrate one store. So if you're choosing today, choose wisely. You want control, scalability, and no surprise cost and shutdowns.

Here’s everything I’ve learned — and what I’d do if I were starting again.

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🧪 Comparison – Shopify vs BigCommerce (2025 edition)

If you’re trying to decide between Shopify and BigCommerce, this feature-by-feature breakdown highlights the trade-offs I’ve personally faced while running multiple DTC brands from Singapore.

• Ease of Use — Shopify: ✅ Easier to set up, tons of guides | BigCommerce: ❌ Needs dev help early on (and later as well)

• Cost — Shopify: ❌ Low upfront subscription cost, high app/plugin costs, overall costs very high | BigCommerce: ✅ More features included in Plus and Pro plans, can sustain on lower costs for long term