BigCommerce vs Payly: pricing and features compared
BigCommerce is a capable platform aimed at growing and larger stores, and its pricing grows with you: when your yearly sales pass a plan's limit, you move up to the next plan. Payly is free at any sales volume. Here is how they compare.
The short answer
- BigCommerce starts at $29 a month billed yearly, or $39 billed monthly. Each plan has a yearly sales limit, and passing it moves you to a more expensive plan.
- Payly is free: no monthly fee, no transaction fee, no commission and no sales limit. You pay only PayPal's or Stripe's standard processing fee.
- Choose BigCommerce if you run a large catalog with B2B needs, several warehouses or a dedicated team.
- Choose Payly if you want a complete store whose cost does not rise as your sales do.
What BigCommerce costs in 2026
BigCommerce changed its plans on June 1, 2026. As published in October 2026:
| Plan | Billed yearly | Billed monthly | Yearly sales limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core | $29 a month | $39 a month | Up to $30,000, then moved to Growth |
| Growth | $79 a month | $105 a month | Up to $100,000, then moved to Scale |
| Scale | $299 a month | $399 a month | $33,333 a month, then 0.9% on sales above it |
| Performance | From $1,499 a month | Custom |
BigCommerce measures your sales over the past 12 months to apply these limits. So a store selling about $3,000 a month outgrows Core within the year, and its plan price rises from $29 to $79 a month billed yearly.
Payment fees
BigCommerce adds no platform fee on orders paid through its built-in payment providers, which include PayPal and Stripe. Other providers carry a monthly fee of 2% on Core, 1% on Growth and 0.6% on Scale. There is a 15-day free trial and no free plan.
What Payly costs
Payly is free, and there is no sales limit or plan to move up to. Customers pay your own PayPal or Stripe account directly:
- PayPal: 3.49% + 49¢ for a PayPal Checkout payment in the US.
- Stripe: 2.9% + 30¢ for a standard US card.
Your store is hosted in your own free Cloudflare account, which comfortably covers most stores, about 5,000 visitors a day. A busier store can move to Cloudflare's paid plan at $5 a month, paid to Cloudflare. Orders, customers and subscriptions are never limited. Payly stays free either way.
Platform cost as a store grows
Here is the platform cost a year, billed yearly, before payment processing:
| Sales a year | BigCommerce | Payly |
|---|---|---|
| Up to $30,000 | $348 (Core) | $0 |
| $30,000 to $100,000 | $948 (Growth) | $0 |
| Over $100,000 | $3,588 or more (Scale) | $0 |
Features compared
| BigCommerce | Payly | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee | From $29 a month, rising with sales | None |
| Fee on PayPal and Stripe orders | None | None |
| Products, variants, stock | Yes | Yes |
| Several inventory locations | Yes, 4 to 8 by plan | No, one stock count per product or variant |
| Subscriptions and memberships | Through apps | Built in |
| Digital downloads, discount codes, reviews | Yes | Yes |
| B2B and wholesale tools | Yes, on higher plans | No |
| Team accounts | Yes | Yes, with Viewer, Editor and Admin roles |
| Export your products | CSV | Shopify or WooCommerce file |
Where BigCommerce is the better choice
BigCommerce is built for scale and complexity: large catalogs, wholesale pricing, several warehouses, and connections to marketplaces and business systems. If your business needs those, and has the sales to support the higher plans, it is a serious contender.
Where Payly is the better choice
For a small or growing store, a plan that rises with your sales means your platform bill grows exactly when you are trying to reinvest. Payly includes the features most stores use, from subscriptions and memberships to shipping zones, sales tax and reports, at no cost, whether you sell $300 a month or $30,000.
Moving to Payly
Payly's importer reads product files from Shopify, Etsy, Wix, Squarespace and WooCommerce. It does not read BigCommerce's export yet, so products from a BigCommerce store are added in Payly by hand for now. See Add a product.
Questions
Does BigCommerce charge transaction fees?
Not on orders through its built-in payment providers, which include PayPal and Stripe. Other providers carry a 0.6% to 2% fee depending on your plan.
What happens on Payly if my sales grow?
Nothing changes. There are no sales limits and no plans to move up to. If your traffic outgrows Cloudflare's free plan, Cloudflare's paid plan is $5 a month.
Is Payly really free?
Yes. No monthly fee, no transaction fee and no commission. PayPal and Stripe charge their own standard processing fees.
BigCommerce plans, limits and fees as published by BigCommerce for the US in October 2026. PayPal and Stripe rates as published by each company for US payments. Prices can change; check each company's own pricing page.
