# BigCommerce vs Swell

**Leader by Vioscale score:** Swell

| Attribute | BigCommerce | Swell |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 63.9 (55% (medium)) | 81.6 (52% (medium)) |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true}` | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | A hosted platform for mid-market and enterprise online retailers, providing headless API access, B2B capabilities, and marketplace connectivity. Delivers 99.98% uptime with enterprise-grade security compliance and built-in tools for multi-currency global commerce. | A SaaS ecommerce platform enabling retailers to build storefronts and manage subscriptions, digital products, and physical goods through a visual dashboard and flexible APIs. |
| features.capabilities | `{"headless":true,"free_tier":false,"open_source":false,"b2b_features":true,"platform_type":"hosted_saas","self_hostable":false,"payments_model":"both","pci_compliance":true,"pos_omnichannel":true,"transaction_fees":false,"extension_ecosystem":"20+ embedded payment providers, major marketplace connectors (Amazon, eBay, Walm","multi_currency_language":true}` | `{"headless":true,"open_source":true,"platform_type":"hosted_saas","self_hostable":true,"payments_model":"built_in","pci_compliance":true,"extension_ecosystem":"Apps and integrations ecosystem with Klaviyo, Omnisend, Resend, and payment prov"}` |
| integrations.count | 12 | 10 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Amazon"},{"name":"eBay"},{"name":"Walmart"},{"name":"Google"},{"name":"Meta"},{"name":"TikTok"},{"name":"UPS"},{"name":"USPS"},{"name":"FedEx"},{"name":"Royal Mail"},{"name":"Canada Post"},{"name":"Australia Post"}]` | `[{"name":"Klaviyo"},{"name":"ShipStation"},{"name":"PayPal"},{"name":"Braintree"},{"name":"Sezzle"},{"name":"Resend"},{"name":"Omnisend"},{"name":"Shopify"}]` |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | - |
| platform.support | `{"web":true}` | `{"cli":true,"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"Core","summary":"$29/month billed annually; auto-upgrades when exceeding GMV cap","features":["24/7 chat & email support","Zero fees with Embedded Payment Providers"],"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":29,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},{"of":"orders via non-embedded payment providers","kind":"percentage","plus":null,"rate":2}],"description":"Startups and small businesses","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"gmv_cap":"$30K TTM"}},{"free":false,"name":"Growth","summary":"$79/month billed annually; auto-upgrades when exceeding GMV cap","features":["24/7 live phone & chat support","Zero fees with Embedded Payment Providers"],"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":79,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Established businesses scaling toward $100K in annual sales","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"gmv_cap":"$100K TTM"}},{"free":false,"name":"Scale","summary":"$299/month billed annually plus 0.9% on GMV above cap","features":["24/7 live phone & chat support","Zero fees with Embedded Payment Providers"],"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":299,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},{"of":"GMV above cap","kind":"percentage","plus":null,"rate":0.9}],"description":"Fast-growing businesses with $1M+ in annual sales","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"gmv_cap":"$1M+ annual sales"}},{"free":false,"name":"Performance","summary":"Custom pricing starting at $1,499/month billed annually","features":["Custom payment terms","Dedicated Customer Success Manager","24/7 live phone & chat support"],"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":1499,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"High-volume businesses with custom requirements","contactSales":true}],"summary":"From $29/month (annual billing). Free trial available. Embedded payment providers at zero transaction fees.","currency":"USD","freeTier":false,"sourceUrl":"https://www.bigcommerce.com","retrievedAt":"2026-08-05T14:24:25.297Z","startingPrice":{"amount":29,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month","year"]}` | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"Starter","summary":"$29/month billed yearly","features":["Basic reports","Email & chat support"],"minSeats":2,"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":29,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":100000,"unit":"api_requests"},"kind":"metered","amount":5,"currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"gb"},"kind":"metered","amount":5,"currency":"USD"},{"of":"sales","kind":"percentage","rate":2,"when":"annual sales exceed $50K"}],"description":"Get started with the essentials to launch your store.","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"admin_users":"2","data_storage_gb":"1GB","annual_sales_ceiling":"$50K","api_requests_monthly":"100K"}},{"free":false,"name":"Basic","summary":"$79/month billed yearly","features":["Basic reports","Email & chat support"],"minSeats":5,"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":79,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":100000,"unit":"api_requests"},"kind":"metered","amount":5,"currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"gb"},"kind":"metered","amount":5,"currency":"USD"},{"of":"sales","kind":"percentage","rate":1.5,"when":"annual sales exceed $250K"}],"description":"Everything you need to launch and grow a new online store.","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"admin_users":"5","data_storage_gb":"3GB","annual_sales_ceiling":"$250K","api_requests_monthly":"500K"}},{"free":false,"name":"Standard","summary":"$299/month billed yearly","features":["Advanced reports","Priority support","Role-based permissions","International price lists"],"minSeats":15,"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":299,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":100000,"unit":"api_requests"},"kind":"metered","amount":5,"currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"gb"},"kind":"metered","amount":5,"currency":"USD"},{"of":"sales","kind":"percentage","rate":1,"when":"annual sales exceed $1M"}],"description":"Priority support and time-saving features for larger teams.","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"admin_users":"15","data_storage_gb":"10GB","annual_sales_ceiling":"$1M","api_requests_monthly":"2M"}},{"free":false,"name":"Unlimited","summary":"$2250/month billed yearly","features":["Advanced reports","Priority support","Developer support","Role-based permissions"],"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":2250,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},{"of":"sales","kind":"percentage","rate":0.4,"when":"annual sales exceed $5M"}],"description":"Unlimited scalability, granular control, and better volume rates.","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"admin_users":"Unlimited","data_storage_gb":"Unlimited","annual_sales_ceiling":"$5M","api_requests_monthly":"Unlimited"}},{"free":false,"name":"Custom","summary":"Custom pricing","description":"Priority technical support and negotiated pricing for merchants over $10M in annual sales.","contactSales":true}],"summary":"From $29/month billed yearly. Free tier and trial available. Usage-based API request and data storage overages.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.swell.is/","retrievedAt":"2026-08-04T08:34:01.545Z","startingPrice":{"amount":5,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month","year"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | no | yes |
| pricing.model | quote | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | unknown | low |
| pricing.transparent | no | yes |
| reliability.sla_pct | 99.98 | 100 |
| reliability.status_page | yes | yes |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | - |
| security.gdpr | yes | - |
| security.iso27001 | yes | - |
| security.pci | yes | - |
| security.soc2 | yes | - |

## Capabilities (E-commerce Platforms)

| Capability | BigCommerce | Swell |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Platform type | Hosted all-in-one SaaS | Hosted all-in-one SaaS |
| **Licensing** |  |  |
| Open-source | ✗ | ✓ |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Self-hostable | ✗ | ✓ |
| **Pricing** |  |  |
| Free / open tier | ✗ | - |
| Transaction fees beyond plan | ✗ | - |
| **Payments** |  |  |
| Payments model | Built-in + BYO gateway | Built-in payments |
| **Architecture** |  |  |
| Headless / API-first storefront | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Compliance** |  |  |
| PCI-DSS compliance provided | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Reach** |  |  |
| Multi-currency / multi-language | ✓ | - |
| **Selling** |  |  |
| B2B / wholesale features | ✓ | - |
| POS / omnichannel | ✓ | - |
| **Extensibility** |  |  |
| App / extension ecosystem size | 20+ embedded payment providers, major marketplace connectors (Amazon, eBay, Walm | Apps and integrations ecosystem with Klaviyo, Omnisend, Resend, and payment prov |

*Source: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T16:57:24.586Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*