Vendure vs BigCommerce

BigCommerce B2B Edition packages a lot of B2B. Packaged is the operative word: the depth stops at fixed edges.

The short answer

Choose Vendure when

• Approvals are multi-step, or contract prices need validity dates
• You need an ERP call at checkout, written by your team on Enterprise Advanced pricing
• Spending limits must sit inside the approval rules
• You do not want growth repriced by GMV caps and payment-provider fees
• You choose the region, the cloud and the infrastructure

Choose BigCommerce when

• Your B2B fits inside the packaged feature set
• You want zero DevOps with a documented compliance record
• Punchout via TradeCentric covers your procurement need
• Multi-storefront on every plan matters to you

The biggest pain points on BigCommerce, and how Vendure solves them

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Cost scales with complexity, not with GMV

The June 2026 restructure prices growth: GMV allowances with automatic upgrades, a 0.9% overage on Scale, a 0.6% to 2.0% Open Payment Provider fee on Core to Scale (0% on Performance with contract), and B2B Edition quoted separately. Vendure Core is free, the plans are a flat monthly fee and Enterprise a flat annual one.

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The buying rules are modelled, not packaged

B2B Edition's edges are exactly where mid-market B2B deals stall: approvals are single-step and list-based, and there is no ERP call at checkout. Each of those becomes a custom service against an API rate-limited to 150 requests a minute. In Vendure, contract pricing and single-level order approvals arrive at Scale, and multi-level approvals with timeouts and delegation, negotiation, access policy, Configurator and PunchOut (cXML) at Enterprise, as product rather than project.

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The code, the data and the deployment stay yours

BigCommerce is cloud-only on Google Cloud, operated by BigCommerce, with no self-hosting. The one deeply customisable piece, the open-source Buyer Portal, stops auto-updating the moment you fork it. Vendure runs on any cloud or on-premises, in the region you choose, the GPLv3 core cannot be revoked, plugins live beside the core so there is nothing to fork, and your data sits in your own SQL database.

How they compare

Six dimensions, the same six on every Vendure comparison page. Every claim about BigCommerce is sourced at the foot of this page.

Vendure compared with BigCommerce across six dimensions: architecture and extensibility, licensing and cost model, B2B depth, hosting and operations, ecosystem and talent, and migration effort.

Vendure pricing: a free open-source core, then four flat tiers

Vendure Core is free under GPLv3. Starter, Growth, Scale and Enterprise add B2B capabilities cumulatively, on a flat fee with no GMV, per-order or per-user charges.

Where BigCommerce is strong

Where BigCommerce is the better answer, we say so. Inside the package, B2B Edition does the job. This comparison is about the edges of the package.

B2B Edition packages more B2B than most SaaS

Five-level hierarchies, buyer roles, quotes, an invoice portal with net terms, rep masquerade and punchout through TradeCentric. This is a genuinely wide feature set and denying it would not be honest.

A serious compliance record

PCI DSS Level 1, SOC 1/2/3 and ISO 27001. It is a managed platform, with no servers and no DevOps for your team to carry.

Multi-storefront on every plan

Every plan can run several storefronts from one dashboard, for separate brands, customer segments or regions, with each added storefront priced per month. Catalyst is a real Next.js path, and the App Marketplace lists reviewed third-party apps.

Migration triggers

When teams move from BigCommerce to Vendure

These are the moments the package stops fitting and custom services start accumulating around it.

• Complex B2B hits the package edges

multi-level approvals, spending limits inside approval rules, or checkout-time ERP calls

• The June 2026 cost mechanics start to bite

GMV allowances, automatic upgrades and the Open Payment Provider fee

• Forked Buyer Portal maintenance

where every upstream release becomes a manual merge

• Infrastructure control

when the region, the cloud and the infrastructure have to be your choice, which BigCommerce's SaaS-only model does not offer

Migration runs in three phases: catalogue, company and customer import, storefront rebuild, then integration cutover. We scope the effort against what is actually in production rather than quoting a band.

Moving off BigCommerce?

Catalogue, company and customer export via CSV and the APIs, a storefront rebuilt on the GraphQL API, and webhooks replaced by typed events. Migration guides are being written; the hub has what exists today.

Vendure and BigCommerce, answered

Is Vendure a good BigCommerce alternative?

Yes, when you need multi-step approvals, contract pricing with validity dates or an ERP call at checkout built by your team, or when you have to choose the region, the cloud and the infrastructure yourself. If your B2B requirements fit inside BigCommerce's packaged feature set, it is a reasonable choice with a strong compliance record.

What B2B capabilities does Vendure include?

Company accounts, quotes, lists, quick order and store credit from Starter. Organization hierarchy, managed lists, packaging, gift cards and global search at Growth. Contract pricing, order approvals, the audit log, single sign-on, search analytics and the Next.js B2B storefront at Scale. Negotiation, access policy, advanced approvals, audit governance, Configurator and PunchOut at Enterprise. They are licensed capabilities rather than services you commission.

How much does Vendure cost?

Vendure Core is free under GPLv3. Four cumulative paid plans sit on top: Starter at €199, Growth at €599 and Scale at €2,499 a month on a 12-month term, with Enterprise from €60,000 a year. Each plan inherits the one below, and there is no GMV charge, per-order surcharge or per-user fee, so growing revenue does not reprice the platform.

Is Vendure open source?

Yes. Vendure Core is a complete open-source commerce framework under GPLv3, written in TypeScript on Node.js with GraphQL Shop and Admin APIs. It is free to run and self-host, and the licence cannot be revoked or discontinued for you. The commercial B2B capabilities are separately licensed plugins layered on top of that core. Every paid plan also includes a commercial licence for Vendure Core for your project, as an alternative to GPLv3.

Can I self-host Vendure?

Yes, on any cloud or on-premises, in any region, with your data in your own SQL database. That is what makes EU-mandated and otherwise regulated deployments possible today. Vendure Cloud, our managed hosting, opens as a closed beta for paid plans, with general availability planned for Q1 2027. Each paid plan will include a base set of Cloud resources, and usage above that is billed on top.

Does Vendure support multi-step approvals and contract pricing?

Yes. Contract pricing and standard approval policies (single-level) arrive with the Scale plan. Chains the standard policies cannot express use advanced approvals on Enterprise, with multiple levels, timeouts and delegation, alongside negotiation, access policy, Configurator and PunchOut (cXML). Contract prices carry the dates they start and stop applying.

Does the cost of Vendure change as we grow?

No. The paid plans are a flat monthly fee, and Enterprise a flat annual one. There are no GMV allowances, no automatic upgrades when you cross a revenue band, no fee per order and no payment-provider fee, so the platform line in your budget does not move when trading volume does.