STOAR vs BigCommerce
Grow without being pushed to the next plan.
BigCommerce skips transaction fees, but its plans tie you to annual sales thresholds — cross one and you’re bumped up a tier. STOAR gives you flat, predictable pricing and infrastructure you actually own.
Why merchants leave BigCommerce
BigCommerce earns credit for charging no platform transaction fees, but its pricing is gated by online-sales thresholds: as revenue grows, you’re forced onto higher-priced tiers whether or not you need the extra features. And it’s still a proprietary, multi-tenant SaaS you don’t control.
STOAR keeps pricing flat and predictable, and runs on dedicated infrastructure per store on an open Laravel stack — your own database and search index. Instead of unlocking features by climbing tiers, you describe what you need and STOAR builds it in.
How they compare
| STOAR | BigCommerce | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Flat monthly plans from $26/mo — no sales-threshold upgrades | Tiered plans; online-sales thresholds can force upgrades |
| Transaction fees | None — you keep 100% of revenue | No platform transaction fees |
| AI feature building | Describe a feature, STOAR builds it into your store | AI assists content — doesn’t build custom features |
| Technology | Laravel & Meilisearch — open, modern PHP | Proprietary, hosted |
| Data & hosting | Dedicated infrastructure per store — your own database & search index | Multi-tenant SaaS — you don’t control the infrastructure |
| Extensibility | Features built into the core | App marketplace + APIs |
| Migration | Managed migration with 301 redirects | DIY or third-party services |
Why switch
Predictable pricing
Flat monthly plans that don’t jump because you crossed a revenue line. What you pay is tied to the plan you pick, not how much you sell.
Own your infrastructure
Dedicated infrastructure per store with your own database and search index — on an open stack, not a multi-tenant black box.
Features on request
No climbing tiers to unlock capabilities. Describe what you need and STOAR builds it into your store.
Switching is handled for you.
Our team migrates your products, customers and orders and sets up 301 redirects, so your catalog and your search rankings come across intact.
See the migration offer →Everything built in
A complete store, from day one.
No marketplace, no plugin fees, no technical debt. Catalog, checkout, payments, inventory and REST APIs compatible with Magento, Shopify, WooCommerce and BigCommerce — all in the core.
Product Catalog
Nested categories, variants, configurable pricing and instant Meilisearch-powered search.
Cart & Checkout
A conversion-tuned checkout with hosted and offline payment methods.
Customer Accounts
Registration, login, full order history and back-in-stock alerts.
Admin Panel
A full admin for products, categories, orders and customers with live stats.
Analytics
Revenue, orders, top products and search behaviour, tracked in real time.
Auto-Scaling
Infrastructure that scales with traffic, so your store stays fast and responsive.
Frequently asked questions
- Does STOAR force plan upgrades based on sales like BigCommerce?
- No. STOAR’s plans are flat and feature-based — your price doesn’t jump because you crossed an annual sales threshold.
- Can I migrate from BigCommerce to STOAR?
- Yes. We migrate products, customers and orders and set up 301 redirects so your SEO and data carry over.
- Does STOAR charge transaction fees?
- No. Like BigCommerce, STOAR charges no platform transaction fees — and you only pay your payment provider’s standard rate.
Ready to switch from BigCommerce?
Explore a real STOAR store, or tell us about your BigCommerce store and we’ll map the move.