TL;DR: BigCommerce is introducing a new 2% transaction fee (the Open Payment Provider Fee), renaming every plan, and lowering GMV thresholds. The changes take effect June 1, 2026. If you're a BigCommerce merchant, you have roughly 52 days to understand the impact and decide how to respond.
If you run a store on BigCommerce, the pricing page you signed up for no longer exists. On a quietly published page at bigcommerce.com/dm/plan-pricing-updates-2026, BigCommerce has announced sweeping changes to its plan structure that take effect June 1, 2026. This BigCommerce 2026 pricing update introduces transaction fees for stores that don't use approved payment processors, renames every plan, and pulls GMV thresholds downward so more merchants get pushed into higher tiers.
The bigger story: "no transaction fees" was the single loudest argument BigCommerce used against Shopify. That argument is now retired. Agencies, analysts, and merchants across the eCommerce community have already called out both the substance of the changes and the quiet way they were published.
The New BigCommerce Transaction Fees, Explained
A new Open Payment Provider Fee applies to any order processed through a gateway that isn't on BigCommerce's approved Embedded Payment Providers list (Stripe, PayPal/Braintree, Adyen, Checkout.com, and a handful of others). On the rebranded Core plan, that fee is 2%. On Growth, it's 1%. On Scale, it's 0.6%. Performance is custom. At $500,000 in annual GMV, those rates work out to $10,000, $5,000, and $3,000 per year respectively.
The kicker: the fee also applies to offline orders and manual payment methods, including B2B purchase orders. If your business runs on POs, every one of those transactions is now fee-eligible.
BigCommerce Plan Changes & Lower GMV Thresholds
GMV thresholds are dropping alongside the rename. Core drops from $50,000 to $30,000. Growth drops from $180,000 to $100,000. Scale moves from $400,000 per year to $33,333 per month with a 0.9% overage charge. A merchant doing $150K on the old Plus plan ($79/month) is now headed for Scale at $299/month. That's a 278% jump in platform cost before any transaction fee is layered on top.
Phone support is also gone from the entry-level Core plan. Chat and email only, unless you upgrade to Growth or buy an add-on.
What BigCommerce Merchants Should Do Before June 1
You have roughly 52 days. Here are three steps we'd recommend.
- Pull your trailing 12-month GMV and compare it against the new thresholds. If you're above the cap for your current plan, your monthly bill is going up whether or not the new fee touches you.
- Audit your payment stack. If your gateway isn't on BigCommerce's Embedded list, calculate 0.6% to 2% of that GMV. That's your new annual line item. B2B merchants with purchase-order workflows should run this math carefully, because those transactions are explicitly covered.
- Run an honest total-cost-of-ownership comparison against your alternatives. The merchants most exposed are in the $400K to $2M range, the exact segment that chose BigCommerce because of the no-fee positioning. At that size, a BigCommerce to Shopify Plus migration often lands at a similar or lower total cost, with a deeper app and developer ecosystem.
If replatforming is on the table, start with a site planning and strategy engagement so you know what a move actually looks like for your stack. You can also browse our BigCommerce and Shopify client work for a sense of the stores we've moved and the outcomes we've delivered.
A Word On Trust
Platforms raise prices. That's not the story. The story is how this was announced: a URL buried outside the main navigation, no press release, no blog post, no executive framing. That's a choice, and as your agency partner, we think it's worth naming.
If you'd like help modeling your total cost under the new structure or scoping a replatform, book a free strategy call. No pressure, just numbers.
FAQ: BigCommerce 2026 Pricing Update
When do the new BigCommerce prices take effect?
June 1, 2026. Merchants on annual contracts transition at their renewal date.
What is the BigCommerce Open Payment Provider Fee?
It's a new transaction fee BigCommerce charges when you process orders through any payment gateway that isn't on its approved Embedded Payment Providers list. Rates are 2% on Core, 1% on Growth, 0.6% on Scale, and custom on Performance.
What are the new BigCommerce plan names for 2026?
Standard is now Core. Plus is now Growth. Pro is now Scale. Enterprise is now Performance.
Does the BigCommerce transaction fee apply to B2B purchase orders?
Yes. Offline orders and manual payment methods, including POs, are subject to the Open Payment Provider Fee.
Is it worth migrating from BigCommerce to Shopify in 2026?
That depends on your GMV, your payment stack, and your roadmap. For merchants in the $400K to $2M GMV range, the math has shifted meaningfully. Run a full total-cost-of-ownership comparison before deciding, or talk to our team and we'll model it with you.
