Direct answer: at annual subscription prices, Shopify Basic is USD 29, Grow 89 and Advanced 359/month; Squarespace Basic 19, Core 29, Plus 49 and Advanced 99; BigCommerce Core 29, Growth 79 and Scale 299, with Performance from 1,499. But the subscription is the small part: at USD 50,000/month GMV and 1,000 orders, Shopify Grow costs about 1,739, Squarespace Advanced 1,649 and BigCommerce Scale 2,184/month, with card fees accounting for 1,250–1,450. The bill is driven by the 2.5%–2.9% card rate, third-party payment surcharges, GMV caps and order count, not by whether the plan is 19 or 29.
This guide is for e-commerce leaders, finance and procurement teams opening a store, switching platforms or budgeting an export/DTC business. Data cut-off: 3 November 2026; prices are US public list prices in USD, excluding tax, with no FX conversion; the TCO is an editorial calculation, not a vendor quote. The three platforms are not identical: Shopify is subscription + app ecosystem, Squarespace is design/content + commerce, and BigCommerce is GMV-tiered Open SaaS. Choose by GMV and payment method before comparing monthly fees.
Calculate “subscription + card fees + third-party payment fees + GMV overage”, not just the monthly fee; then check the 2% transaction fee, GMV caps and order count; finally add apps, themes, POS, email/SMS and migration. A USD 19 plan can cost more than a USD 29 plan once a 2% transaction fee and a 0.4% higher card rate are included.
Three platforms: subscription, design, GMV tiers
Shopify centres on subscription + app ecosystem + payments, with Basic/Grow/Advanced/Plus tiered by features and staff accounts and card rates falling as you upgrade. Squarespace centres on design and content: Basic carries a 2% online-store transaction fee, Core and above remove it, and card rates fall by tier. BigCommerce tiers by GMV: Core caps at USD 30k/year, Growth at 100k/year and Scale at 33,333/month with 0.9% overage; embedded payment providers avoid the platform fee. All three can run a store, but a low monthly fee does not mean a low total cost.
| Platform | Positioning | Subscription logic | Payment/transaction fees | Boundary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify | Subscription + app ecosystem + payments | Basic/Grow/Advanced/Plus; staff accounts and features tiered | Own payments 2.9%–2.25% + 30¢; third-party 2%–0.2% | Apps/themes/POS extra; Basic staff accounts not listed |
| Squarespace | Design/content + commerce | Basic/Core/Plus/Advanced; annual is cheaper | Basic 2% online-store fee; Core+ 0; card 2.9%–2.5% + 30¢ | Basic only 2 contributors; AI credits by tier |
| BigCommerce | GMV tiers + Open SaaS | Core/Growth/Scale/Performance; auto-upgrades by annual GMV | Embedded payments 0 platform fee; open providers extra; card from 2.89% + 29¢ | Low GMV caps; 0.9% overage |
Sources: Shopify Pricing, Squarespace Pricing and BigCommerce Pricing (all accessed 3 November 2026). This is editorial grouping, not a vendor taxonomy; “boundary” covers only what the official pages verify and does not judge themes/apps.
The official 2026 price lists
Shopify: Basic 29/month annual or 39 monthly, Grow 89/105, Advanced 359/399 and Plus from 2,300. Squarespace: Basic 19/25, Core 29/39, Plus 49/65 and Advanced 99/139. BigCommerce: Core 29/39, Growth 79/105, Scale 299/399 and Performance from 1,499. Annual billing is about 25%–34% cheaper than monthly; Squarespace says up to 36%.
| Platform / plan | Annual (USD/month) | Monthly (USD/month) | Online card rate | Transaction fee / GMV cap | AI / staff accounts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify Basic | 29 | 39 | 2.9% + 30¢ | Third-party payments 2% | Built-in AI/Sidekick; staff count not listed |
| Shopify Grow | 89 | 105 | 2.7% + 30¢ | Third-party payments 1% | 5 staff accounts |
| Shopify Advanced | 359 | 399 | 2.5% + 30¢ | Third-party payments 0.6% | 15 staff accounts |
| Shopify Plus | From 2,300 | — | 2.25% + 30¢ | Third-party payments 0.2% | Unlimited staff accounts |
| Squarespace Basic | 19 | 25 | 2.9% + 30¢ | 2% online-store fee | 10 one-time AI credits; 2 contributors |
| Squarespace Core | 29 | 39 | 2.9% + 30¢ | 0 store fee | 20 credits/month; unlimited contributors |
| Squarespace Plus | 49 | 65 | 2.7% + 30¢ | 0 | 40 credits/month; unlimited contributors |
| Squarespace Advanced | 99 | 139 | 2.5% + 30¢ | 0 | 120 credits/month; unlimited contributors |
| BigCommerce Core | 29 | 39 | From 2.89% + 29¢ | Up to USD 30k/year GMV; embedded payments 0 platform fee | AI/staff not listed |
| BigCommerce Growth | 79 | 105 | From 2.89% + 29¢ | Up to USD 100k/year GMV | — |
| BigCommerce Scale | 299 | 399 | From 2.89% + 29¢ | Up to USD 33,333/month; 0.9% overage | — |
| BigCommerce Performance | From 1,499 | — | Custom | Custom GMV/payment terms | — |
Sources: Shopify Pricing (annual/monthly table, card rates, third-party fees, staff accounts, AI/Sidekick), Squarespace Pricing (annual/monthly, card rates, 2% store fee, AI credits, contributors) and BigCommerce Pricing (annual/monthly, GMV caps, 0.9% overage, from 2.89% + 29¢, embedded payments 0 platform fee). USD, excluding tax; card rates are US online examples and vary by country/payment method/eligibility.
Monthly total cost: subscription + card fees, which dominates?
At USD 5,000/20,000/50,000 monthly GMV and 250/500/1,000 orders: at 5k, Shopify Basic 249, Squarespace Core 249 and BigCommerce Growth 296; at 20k, 759 / 759 / 1,022; at 50k, Shopify Grow 1,739, Squarespace Advanced 1,649 and BigCommerce Scale 2,184. The subscription is only 2%–20%; card fees are over 80%. BigCommerce is dearer at 20k/50k because of the 2.89% card rate, Scale subscription and 0.9% GMV overage.
| Monthly GMV / orders | Shopify (USD/month) | Squarespace (USD/month) | BigCommerce (USD/month) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5,000 / 250 orders (AOV 20) | Basic 249 | Core 249 | Growth 296 |
| 20,000 / 500 orders (AOV 40) | Basic 759 | Core 759 | Scale 1,022 |
| 50,000 / 1,000 orders (AOV 50) | Grow 1,739 | Advanced 1,649 | Scale 2,184 |
Editorial calculation, not a quote. = annual subscription + card rate × GMV + fixed fee × orders; assumes US online cards, embedded/own payments, no apps/themes/POS/SMS, no tax. Shopify uses Basic at 5k/20k (2.9% + 30¢) and Grow at 50k (2.7% + 30¢, 5 staff); Squarespace uses Core at 5k/20k (2.9% + 30¢, avoiding Basic’s 2% fee) and Advanced at 50k (2.5% + 30¢); BigCommerce uses Growth at 5k (Core’s USD 30k/year cap is exceeded) and Scale at 20k/50k (Growth’s 100k/year cap is exceeded; 50k includes 0.9% × 16,667 = 150 overage). Excludes third-party surcharges, refunds/chargebacks, international +1%, apps/themes/POS.
For the website-builder choice itself (Wix/Framer/Durable), see AI website builder cost; email/SMS marketing is priced separately in email marketing automation cost; product images are covered in AI product photo cost.
The key point is that the subscription is not the main cost: at 50k GMV, subscriptions are 4%–14% and card fees over 80%. Moving the card rate from 2.9% to 2.5% saves USD 200/month or 2,400/year at 50k, far more than cutting a USD 89 plan to 49 (480/year). Conversely, BigCommerce’s USD 29 Core looks cheap, but the 2.89% card rate and GMV caps push total cost up.
Card-rate sensitivity: what is 0.4% worth?
Looking only at the card percentage, excluding subscription and fixed fees: at 5k GMV, 2.5%/2.7%/2.9% cost 125/135/145 per month; at 20k, 500/540/580; at 50k, 1,250/1,350/1,450. The 2.9% versus 2.5% gap is 200/month or 2,400/year at 50k; 2.89% versus 2.9% is only 5/month, but BigCommerce’s GMV overage and subscription widen the gap.
| Monthly GMV | 2.5% | 2.7% | 2.89% | 2.9% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5,000 | 125 | 135 | 144.50 | 145 |
| 20,000 | 500 | 540 | 578 | 580 |
| 50,000 | 1,250 | 1,350 | 1,445 | 1,450 |
Editorial arithmetic, percentage card fee only; excludes 30¢/29¢ per transaction, subscription, third-party fees, international +1%, refunds/chargebacks. 2.5% corresponds to Shopify Advanced and Squarespace Advanced; 2.7% to Shopify Grow and Squarespace Plus; 2.9% to Shopify Basic and Squarespace Basic/Core; 2.89% to BigCommerce’s published entry rate. Actual rates depend on provider, country, card type and eligibility.
GMV caps: BigCommerce’s 30k/100k/33.3k
BigCommerce Core caps at USD 30k trailing annual GMV, Growth at 100k and Scale at 33,333/month, with 0.9% overage; at USD 2M TTM the account auto-upgrades to Performance. In practice, above 2,500/month you may leave Core and above 8,333/month you leave Growth; the 5k/20k/50k scenarios land on Growth/Scale/Scale plus overage. Shopify and Squarespace do not list equivalent GMV caps, though features and card rates still tier.
| BigCommerce plan | Annual (USD/month) | GMV cap | Overage | Monthly GMV fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core | 29 | USD 30k/year | Auto-upgrade to Growth | ≤2,500 |
| Growth | 79 | USD 100k/year | Auto-upgrade to Scale | 2,500–8,333 |
| Scale | 299 | USD 33,333/month | 0.9% on GMV above cap | 8,333–33,333 |
| Performance | From 1,499 | Custom | Custom | Higher/enterprise |
Sources: BigCommerce Pricing (3 November 2026). GMV is trailing 12 months, gross order value minus 10%; Scale charges 0.9% above USD 33,333/month and auto-upgrades to Performance at USD 2M TTM. The monthly GMV ranges are editorial conversions, not vendor commitments; the contract and BigCommerce’s GMV rules govern.
What does USD 19–359/month actually buy?
Shopify wins on app ecosystem, Sidekick/AI, POS and multichannel; Squarespace wins on design, content, AI credits and “Core removes the 2% fee”; BigCommerce wins on B2B/wholesale, multi-storefront and Open SaaS, but its GMV caps and 2.89% card rate must be priced. Staff accounts: Shopify Grow 5, Advanced 15, Plus unlimited; Squarespace Basic 2, others unlimited; BigCommerce not listed on the pricing page.
| Capability | Shopify | Squarespace | BigCommerce |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI assistant/credits | Built-in AI, Sidekick, millions of tokens | Built-in AI tools; 10/20/40/120 credits | AI assistant/credits not listed |
| Staff accounts | Grow 5 / Advanced 15 / Plus unlimited; Basic not listed | Basic 2; others unlimited | Not listed |
| Platform transaction fee | Third-party 2%/1%/0.6%/0.2% | Basic 2%; Core+ 0 | Embedded 0; open providers extra |
| Card rate | 2.9%–2.25% + 30¢ | 2.9%–2.5% + 30¢ | From 2.89% + 29¢ |
| B2B/wholesale | B2B catalogs (Basic/Grow/Advanced up to 3; Plus unlimited) | Not a focus | B2B/wholesale is a selling point |
| POS | POS Pro +89/month/location | Not a focus | Not a focus |
| GMV caps | Not listed | Not listed | Core 30k/year, Growth 100k/year, Scale 33.3k/month |
Sources: Shopify Pricing, Squarespace Pricing and BigCommerce Pricing (accessed 3 November 2026). This is an editorial comparison, not a full feature list; “not a focus/not listed” means the official pricing page does not sell that capability as part of the plan, not that an app/plugin can never provide it. App quality, theme quality, migration effort and payment eligibility were not tested.
Which option fits which scenario?
Small team launching fast with apps/POS/multichannel: Shopify Basic/Grow. Design/content-led service-plus-commerce with AI credits: Squarespace Core/Plus. B2B/wholesale/multi-storefront: BigCommerce Growth/Scale. Monthly GMV under 5k and 2.89% acceptable: BigCommerce Core/Growth. At 50k/month with card rate as the priority: Squarespace Advanced or Shopify Advanced/Grow. Third-party/multi-gateway payments: price Shopify’s 2%/1%/0.6% and BigCommerce’s open-provider fee first.
| Scenario | First choice | Why | Watch out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small team, fast launch, apps/POS | Shopify Basic/Grow | Ecosystem, Sidekick, POS, multichannel | Third-party payment surcharge; apps extra |
| Design/content-led service + commerce | Squarespace Core/Plus | Design, AI credits, Core removes 2% | Basic’s 2% fee usually loses |
| B2B/wholesale/multi-storefront | BigCommerce Growth/Scale | B2B/wholesale, Open SaaS | GMV caps/0.9% overage; 2.89% card rate |
| Monthly GMV ≤5k, budget-first | BigCommerce Growth or Shopify Basic | Low subscription | Price card fees/transaction fees into total |
| Monthly GMV 50k, card-rate priority | Squarespace Advanced / Shopify Advanced | 2.5% card rate | Higher subscription; match features/staff |
| Retail POS needed | Shopify POS Pro | +89/month/location | Online/offline inventory and permissions |
| Third-party/multi-gateway payments | Shopify / BigCommerce | Multi-gateway support | Third-party fee/open-provider fee |
“First choice” is an editorial judgement, not a vendor recommendation; the final decision depends on GMV, order count, payment method, apps/themes, B2B, POS, migration and compliance. Prices are public list prices, excluding tax and discounts.
What should procurement and acceptance specify?
At least eight things: GMV/order assumptions, payment method and rate, platform/third-party fees, staff accounts and permissions, apps/themes/POS/email-SMS add-ons, migration and SEO redirects, tax/compliance, and a four-week real-store POC. The POC should use real products, real payments, real refunds/chargebacks, and record settlement amounts, failure rates, payout cycles and reconciliation, not just the monthly fee.
- GMV/orders: current and 12-month monthly GMV, AOV and order count; BigCommerce’s 30k/100k/33.3k thresholds decide the tier.
- Payments: platform payments versus third party; card rate, fixed fee, international +1%, refunds/chargebacks, payout cycle; Shopify third-party 2%/1%/0.6%, Squarespace Basic 2%, BigCommerce open-provider fee.
- Subscription: annual versus monthly; Shopify/Squarespace/BigCommerce annual saves about 25%–34%; upfront cash-flow impact.
- Staff/permissions: Shopify Grow 5, Advanced 15, Plus unlimited; Squarespace Basic 2, others unlimited; BigCommerce to confirm.
- Add-ons: apps, themes, POS Pro at 89/location, email/SMS, AI credits, B2B/wholesale modules; none is in the subscription.
- Migration: products/orders/customers/SEO 301/reviews/subscriptions; downtime; migration service fees.
- Tax/compliance: sales tax, VAT, OSS/IOSS, privacy/cookies, payment compliance; whether automated tax is included.
- POC: four weeks, real products/payments/refunds, 100 test orders; record settlement, failure rate, payout, reconciliation, admin speed and mobile checkout.
FAQ
At USD 5,000 monthly GMV, which has the lowest total cost?
Assuming 250 orders and AOV 20: Shopify Basic 249, Squarespace Core 249 and BigCommerce Growth 296. Shopify/Squarespace both use 2.9% + 30¢; BigCommerce’s 2.89% + 29¢ is offset by the 79 subscription and Growth tier (5k × 12 exceeds Core’s 30k/year cap). Squarespace Basic at 19 looks cheaper, but its 2% fee is 100/month, so Core costs less overall.
What about USD 20,000 monthly GMV?
500 orders, AOV 40: Shopify Basic 759, Squarespace Core 759 and BigCommerce Scale 1,022. BigCommerce Growth’s 100k/year cap is exceeded by 20k × 12, forcing Scale at 299; 2.89% is slightly below 2.9%, but the subscription and fixed fees push the total up. Consider BigCommerce only if B2B/wholesale matters.
At USD 50,000 monthly GMV, which is cheapest?
1,000 orders, AOV 50: Squarespace Advanced 1,649, Shopify Grow 1,739 and BigCommerce Scale 2,184. Squarespace/Shopify’s 2.5%/2.7% card rates are the main driver; BigCommerce Scale includes 299 subscription + 150 overage + 2.89% card fees. With fewer orders or a higher AOV, the ranking changes — use your own data.
Why can a 29 subscription beat a 19 one?
Because total cost is not the monthly fee. Squarespace Basic at 19 carries a 2% online-store fee: at 5k GMV that is 100/month, so 19 + 100 = 119, far above Core at 29 with no store fee and the same card rate. Shopify Basic at 29 and Squarespace Core at 29 have the same total at 5k; BigCommerce Core at 29 is constrained by the 30k/year GMV cap.
What is Shopify’s third-party payment fee?
If you use an external gateway instead of Shopify Payments, Shopify charges a transaction fee by tier: Basic 2%, Grow 1%, Advanced 0.6%, Plus 0.2% of GMV. It can cost far more than the subscription; Shopify Payments avoids it but applies card rates of 2.9%–2.25% + 30¢. Procurement must specify which payment provider is used.
How does BigCommerce’s GMV cap work?
Core caps at USD 30k trailing annual GMV, Growth at 100k, Scale at 33,333/month with 0.9% overage; at USD 2M TTM the account auto-upgrades to Performance. GMV is gross order value minus 10%. Above 2,500/month you may leave Core and above 8,333/month you leave Growth; the contract and official rules govern.
Which tier includes AI features?
Shopify includes a built-in AI assistant/Sidekick and millions of tokens on all plans; Squarespace includes built-in AI tools on all plans, with AI credits of 10 one-time/20/40/120 per month; BigCommerce’s pricing page does not list an AI assistant or credits, and this article does not infer. AI is not the main cost here, but it affects content/product-description efficiency.
What hidden costs remain?
Apps/themes, POS Pro at 89/month/location, email/SMS, B2B/wholesale modules, payment failures/chargebacks, international card +1%, refund fees, migration/SEO redirects, tax/compliance, design/content and internal labour. Subscription and card fees are only the base; separate “launch” from “operate” in the first-year budget.
Research method and limitations
This article separates “official facts” from “editorial modelling”: subscription, card rates, transaction fees, GMV caps, staff accounts and AI credits come from the three official pricing pages; monthly total cost is “subscription + card fee + fixed fee” arithmetic, not a vendor quote. GMV/order/AOV are editorial assumptions.
Eight limitations: (1) only US public list prices are compared, without enterprise discounts, tax or implementation/migration; (2) card rates are US online examples and vary by country, card type, provider and eligibility; (3) international +1%, refunds/chargebacks, apps/themes/POS/SMS are excluded; (4) BigCommerce’s GMV is gross order value minus 10%; this article uses simplified monthly ranges and the contract governs; (5) app/theme quality, checkout conversion, admin speed and SEO migration were not tested; (6) only three platforms are compared, excluding WooCommerce, Wix, Adobe Commerce and Salesforce Commerce Cloud; (7) tax/compliance features by tier were not verified; (8) mainland China network, payment compliance and local pricing are excluded. Treat this as a unit-alignment template and replace the assumptions with a four-week real-store POC.
Sources and basis
- Shopify, Pricing: shopify.com/pricing. Basic 29/39, Grow 89/105, Advanced 359/399, Plus from 2,300 (annual/monthly, USD/month); card 2.9%/2.7%/2.5%/2.25% + 30¢; third-party 2%/1%/0.6%/0.2%; Grow 5, Advanced 15, Plus unlimited staff; built-in AI/Sidekick; POS Pro +89/month/location. Accessed 3 November 2026.
- Squarespace, Pricing: squarespace.com/pricing. Basic 19/25, Core 29/39, Plus 49/65, Advanced 99/139 (annual/monthly); Basic 2% online-store fee, Core+ 0; card 2.9%/2.7%/2.5% + 30¢; AI credits 10 one-time/20/40/120; Basic 2 contributors, others unlimited. Accessed 3 November 2026.
- BigCommerce, Pricing: bigcommerce.com/pricing. Core 29/39, Growth 79/105, Scale 299/399, Performance from 1,499 (annual/monthly); Core 30k/year, Growth 100k/year, Scale 33,333/month, 0.9% overage; embedded payments 0 platform fee, open providers extra; card from 2.89% + 29¢; auto-upgrade at USD 2M TTM. Accessed 3 November 2026.
Data cut-off 3 November 2026; prices are public list prices excluding tax; all models are editorial calculations. This is not procurement, tax or payment-compliance advice.