BigCommerce Free Trial: Length, What’s Included & How To Extend

Online stores have become essential for many businesses to continue constant operation flow.

For many, creating an online store sounds daunting and complex, but there are alternative methods to creating an online store that works.

Sites like BigCommerce allow users to create a functional eCommerce store without hassle, and if you’re skeptical about it, you can take advantage of a 15-day BigCommerce free trial to see if it’s the right thing for you.

Is BigCommerce Free or Paid?

BigCommerce operates on a software-as-a-service (SaaS) business model, which means you have to pay monthly or annually to use their service.

However, you can also find out if you need the platform before you commit to payments.

Does BigCommerce Have a Free Trial?

BigCommerce has a free trial period that gives users access to most of its features.

Users can take advantage of this free trial to test the product.

How Long Is the BigCommerce Free Trial?

The BigCommerce free trial lasts 15 days.

After the period ends, users need to pay to use the service.

As free trials go, BigCommerce’s free trial falls in the middle, since other sites offer users 30 days to test their platforms.

Does BigCommerce Require a Credit Card To Activate a Free Trial?

You do not need to enter your credit card information to activate your BigCommerce free trial.

Not having to commit by entering credit card information is a big plus for BigCommerce as most competitors have this requirement.

How Much Is BigCommerce after the Free Trial?

After your trial, you’ll have the option to choose between four different plans.

• Standard: $29.95
• Plus: $79.95
• Pro: $299.95
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

What Comes with the BigCommerce Free Trial?

Your BigCommerce free trial gives you access to most features the platform has to offer.

You can expect to be able to have the entire experience and ample time to decide if it’s the platform you want to use for your eCommerce store.

Features You Can Test with a Free Trial

BigCommerce provides users extensive access to most of its features.

Here are some of the most prominent features you’ll want to check out during your trial period.

1. Page Builder

BigCommerce provides all its free trial users access to its page builder.

You don’t have to be a web developer to use the page builder.

Through the page builder, users will use drag-and-drop features that allow them to construct a functional and beautiful store page.

2. Built-in Blog

BigCommerce allows users to use their built-in blog feature to write about products or help attract users through SEO content.

While the blog isn’t the main focus of BigCommerce, its features are more than suitable for constructing and operating a functional, high-quality blog.

3. Professional Reporting Tools

Fortunately, during your free trial, you’ll have access to BigCommerce’s professional reporting tools.

These reporting tools will help you track, optimize, and understand your consumers better.

Access to these tools, especially during a free trial, is imperative to building a healthy and profitable store.

Additionally, you’ll have access to third-party analytics tools that you can use with your account.

4. Mobile Application

During your free trial, BigCommerce provides you with their mobile application.

This mobile application allows you to manage your entire store and view all your data and analytics reports.

For many users, having direct access to your store at any point is essential, and ensuring you have a mobile view of your sales, traffic, and other performance metrics is vital for proper optimization.

5. Digital Wallets

Payment methods are essential for eCommerce stores; luckily, BigCommerce has extensive ways to handle transactions.

You’ll have digital wallet options so your store can use Google Pay, Apple Pay, and Amazon Pay.

It’s important to note that there are no hidden fees or transaction fees to process these payments.

When you’re handling large volumes of sales, this saves you a lot of money.

BigCommerce Free Trial Limitations

While you have access to most of BigCommerce’s features, there will still be some limitations.

The following are the limitations of your free trial.

• Adding a custom domain
• Installing a third-party SSL certificate
• 301 redirects
• Product filtering

Is BigCommerce Customer Support Included With Free Trials?

Essential customer support is available for all BigCommerce users, regardless of whether they take advantage of the free trial or not.

Moreover, BigCommerce prides itself on providing users with ample support by rewarding its agents for taking the time to solve the users’ various issues.

How To Claim BigCommerce Free Trial

Before you get into your free trial, you’ll want first to create an account and activate your free trial.

Here’s how you do that.

• Once you’re on the BigCommerce homepage, you’ll see “start your free trial,” click it.
• First, you’ll enter your first and last name on their form.
• Enter your phone number and email.
• Create a password and a store name.
• Finally, estimate your sales volume and click “create your store.”

How Do I Get the Most from My BigCommerce Free Trial?

It would be best if you started planning and doing all your research to get the most out of your BigCommerce free trial.

You want to run your store as fast as possible since you’ll only have 15 days to use your free trial.

Before starting your free trial, the goal is to ensure that your store is operational, selling, and marketing to as many people as possible from day one.

People often try to take the first few days to “learn as they go,” but that’s wasting time.

Ensure you’re using the SEO, marketing, and builder features to their full extent, and even consider hiring someone who understands the software and features to help you out.

How Can I Make My BigCommerce Free Trial Longer?

Unfortunately, once your BigCommerce free trial expires, you cannot extend your time further.

Instead, you must pay for a standard or premium plan to continue using your store and its features.

This feature is common in the industry, so BigCommerce is not the only company that operates this way.

Does BigCommerce Automatically Charge Users After the Free Trial Ends?

Fortunately, BigCommerce doesn’t charge its users after their free trial ends.

Instead, they lock you out of your store until you purchase a plan to continue operating it.

Because you don’t need to input your credit card information to access the free trial, you’re not going to be charged a monthly or yearly fee.

Can You Cancel BigCommerce After the Free Trial?

You can cancel or close your account after your free trial ends, but there is no point since your account will remain in limbo until you decide you want to pay for a subscription.

There is no harm in leaving your BigCommerce account open regardless of whether you are ready for a subscription or not.

How To Cancel a BigCommerce Free Trial

There is no need to cancel your BigCommerce free trial.

Once your trial period ends, you won’t have access to your store, but when you log in, BigCommerce will prompt you to choose a subscription plan.

If you are inactive for a long time, BigCommerce will automatically delete your account and store.

The steps to cancel your free trial are as follows:

1. Log into your BigCommerce store.
2. Go to account settings.
3. Select your account overview.
4. Select the store you want to delete.
5. You’ll see a detail section and need to select “cancel store plan.”

How To Remove Card Details From BigCommerce

BigCommerce thankfully makes removing your payment options simple and this includes removing your credit card details from the platform.

1. Once you log into your BIgCommerce account, go to account settings.
2. Click “payment method.”
3. Click edit your payment method.
4. Then remove the payment method.

Is BigCommerce Worth Paying For?

While this may be opinion-based, our BigCommerce review pushes towards this platform being worth the cost.

BigCommerce offers your eCommerce stores the entire package.

For eCommerce businesses that make a decent annual profit, BigCommerce essentially pays for itself.

If you’re a smaller business that doesn’t handle too many invoices and averages low profits, you may still get some use from the standard plan, but the more costly packages may not be of help to you.

What To Expect From a BigCommerce Subscription

Depending on your subscription tier, you can expect additional features to improve your BigCommerce experience.

For example, getting the standard BigCommerce plan gives an annual limit of 50K worth of online sales, while their pro version caps out at 400k.

Additionally, if you go with your standard plan, you’ll lose out on product and custom filtering, along with price lists and multi-storefronts.

Fortunately, the basic plan provides most of the utility you’ll need.

This plan includes product ratings and reviews, built-in blog features, mobile applications, professional reporting tools, and more with just the basic plan.

What Is a Free Alternative to BigCommerce?

Wix is a viable and free alternative to BigCommerce.

Unlike BigCommerce, Wix leans into providing support to different kinds of niche websites, not just eCommerce users.

Wix provides a bundle of base features but excels at third-party integration.

While Wix is free, you do have to deal with their watermarks and advertising to compensate for their free package.

Additionally, while their plans aren’t as expensive as BigCommerce’s, Wix’s hidden costs come from all the third-party applications you’ll be paying to use on their platform.

BigCommerce focuses on delivering the package you need without relying on third-party applications.

For users who like to pick and choose their features and want a cheaper or even free alternative to BigCommerce, Wix is undoubtedly an impressive competitor.

Other Ways to Save on BigCommerce Pricing

When saving on BigCommerce, you don’t have too many options, but you will receive a discount on BigCommerce more practically through their annual subscription.

• BigCommerce Promo Codes: There are no known promo codes that BigCommerce offers users, but during holiday seasons, opportunities may arise for 15% discount codes for their management courses.
• BigCommerce Discounts: If you go with BigCommerce’s annual plan, you’ll receive a nice 10% discount on your annual purchase. Other discounts may also become available.
• BigCommerce Black Friday & Cyber Monday Specials: BigCommerce may offer a 15% to 25% discount on their packages for Black Friday or Cyber Monday, but it’s rare.  
• Is There a BigCommerce Student Plan? Currently, there is no BigCommerce student plan pricing available. Students need to pay the same rates as other users.

Other Free Trials To Check Out

Before you commit to BigCommerce, it may be beneficial to consider alternative platforms.

Before making your final decision, consider these free trials from the best platforms for eCommerce.

1. Squarespace Free Trial

With the Squarespace free trial, you have access to the majority of premium features and their custom code feature.

Even so, unlike BigCommerce’s free trial, you won’t be able to make sales and accept payments through the Squarespace free trial.

Instead, Squarespace’s free trial will allow you to accommodate yourself with their base features, but in contrast to BigCommerce, you can extend your trial by an extra seven days.

While you won’t be making huge sales divots, Squarespace offers users an extensive free trial experience to capture what you can expect from their platform.

2. HostGator Free Trial

With your HostGator free trial, you can expect to get an insane amount of value from their platform.

With a free trial lasting about 45 days, HostGator will provide you with ample opportunities to become familiar with their platform.

HostGator offers web, cloud, WordPress, VPS, and dedicated hosting.

HostGator’s a platform meant for the more savvy web developers, but if you’re learning, they provide you with plenty of resources to ensure your trial period goes smoothly.

3. Instapage Free Trial

Your 14-day Instapage free trial will be similar to your Squarespace and Wix trial period.

Where it’s different is that it provides you with all of the features of their premium business plan package, which includes accepting payment.

However, you do have to watch out for a few things.

While you’ll get premium access for fourteen days, you must make a free trial with your payment info.

Additionally, if you pass your 2,500 unique visitor threshold, Instapage will begin charging you for their premium plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you’re still unconvinced that BigCommerce is the best choice for you, I’ll briefly address some questions I found during my research.

Wrapping Up

Overall, BigCommerce provides ample time for users to decide if their platform is suitable.

Through the BigCommerce free trial, you’ll have access to the vast majority of their features to truly capture the experience of operating your eCommerce store.

If you’re looking to open a shop online, there’s no reason not to look more into BigCommerce or even consider Wix or Shopify if you feel your experience with BigCommerce wasn’t doing it for you.