SmugMug vs BigCommerce: guide for 2024

Final verdict

SmugMug and BigCommerce cater to different needs, making them suitable for distinct user bases.

SmugMug (Overall Grade: 6.3/10)

is tailored for photographers and creatives who want to showcase and sell their work online. It offers a user-friendly interface, robust photo protection features, and essential e-commerce capabilities. When comparing SmugMug vs BigCommerce, SmugMug excels in providing a platform specifically designed for high-quality image display and sales, making it ideal for visual artists.
BigCommerce (Overall Grade: 7.9/10)

stands out as a comprehensive e-commerce platform suitable for businesses of all sizes. It offers advanced SEO tools, various payment gateway integrations, and multi-channel selling capabilities. Considering SmugMug vs BigCommerce, BigCommerce is the preferred choice for merchants looking to scale their online presence with a robust set of built-in features and extensive support resources.

	Overall grade: 6.3	Overall grade: 7.9
Design functionalities & templates	7.1	7.8
Ease of use	7.8	7.3
Ecommerce	7.3	9.0
Website Editors	7.3	7.9
Product testing options	7.4	7.3
Price	7.8	7.4
Hosting quality	5.0	7.8
Website speed optimization	5.5	7.6
Plugins and integrations	6.2	7.7
Marketing features	3.8	7.9
Customer support	7.9	8.7
Security	6.0	8.9
AI capabilities	0	7.3
User Management	7.2	8.9

Best for ecommerce

7.3

9.0

Verdict

: SmugMug is tailored for photographers and creatives, while BigCommerce excels as a comprehensive ecommerce platform for businesses of all sizes.

SmugMug

: SmugMug is designed specifically for photographers and creatives who want to showcase and sell their work online. It offers customizable templates optimized for high-quality images and robust photo protection features. However, when comparing SmugMug vs BigCommerce, SmugMug’s ecommerce capabilities are more niche and less extensive, making it less suitable for large-scale ecommerce operations.
BigCommerce

: BigCommerce stands out with its comprehensive set of ecommerce features, including advanced SEO tools, various payment gateway integrations, and multi-channel selling capabilities. It is ideal for businesses looking to scale their online presence. In the SmugMug vs BigCommerce comparison, BigCommerce offers more robust and flexible ecommerce solutions, making it a better choice for serious ecommerce ventures.

Best for informational & business websites

7.5

Verdict

: When it comes to creating informational and business websites, both SmugMug and BigCommerce have their unique strengths. However, they cater to different types of users and business needs.

SmugMug

: SmugMug is tailored for photographers and creatives who want to showcase their work online. It offers customizable templates optimized for high-quality images and robust photo protection features. While it includes e-commerce capabilities, its primary strength lies in creating visually appealing portfolios and galleries. With a score of 7.5, SmugMug is a solid choice for creatives looking to build an informational site that highlights their visual content.
BigCommerce

: BigCommerce, also scoring 7.5, is a comprehensive e-commerce platform that excels in creating professional online stores. It offers a wide range of customizable templates and advanced design capabilities, making it suitable for businesses looking to scale their online presence. BigCommerce’s robust set of built-in features, including SEO tools and multi-channel selling capabilities, make it a versatile choice for businesses that need more than just an informational site. When comparing SmugMug vs BigCommerce, BigCommerce stands out for its extensive e-commerce functionalities and scalability.

Detailed comparison

7.1

7.8

🏆

Winner: BigCommerce.

BigCommerce offers a wider variety of templates and more advanced design capabilities, making it the preferred choice for businesses looking to create a professional and customizable online store.

SmugMug offers a variety of templates and designs, catering to the diverse needs of photographers and visual artists. Users can choose from an extensive collection of customizable templates, ensuring their website or portfolio reflects their unique style and brand.

SmugMug Themes

On the other hand, BigCommerce offers a variety of design templates for creating ecommerce websites, with a total of 240 themes available. Most of these themes come with up to four styling options, providing users with flexibility in design choices to match their brand’s aesthetic.

BigCommerce Themes

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7.8

7.3

🏆 Winner: SmugMug

. Scoring a 7.8, SmugMug edges out BigCommerce, which scored a 7.3. SmugMug’s user-friendly interface and focus on simplicity make it a great choice for photographers and creatives. However, BigCommerce’s robust set of features and scalability make it a strong contender, especially for larger e-commerce businesses.

Learning Resources

🏆 Winner: BigCommerce

. Both platforms offer solid learning resources, but BigCommerce’s extensive range of materials, including articles, guides, webinars, and specific training through BigCommerce University, make it a more comprehensive resource for users.

Learn SmugMug

Learn BigCommerce

7.3

9.0

When it comes to ecommerce, BigCommerce stands out with a score of 9.0, compared to SmugMug’s 7.3. BigCommerce is a comprehensive ecommerce platform that offers a wide range of customizable templates and design options, advanced SEO tools, various payment gateway integrations, and multi-channel selling capabilities. On the other hand, SmugMug is a niche platform designed specifically for photographers and creatives who want to sell their work online.


Ecommerce themes and templates	8.0	8.0
Product page customization	6.5	8.3
Payment processing and commissions	6.0	9.2
POS capabilities	0.0	8.5
Payment gateways	5.0	9.0
Product numbers	9.0	9.5
Additional ecommerce features	6.5	8.4

SmugMug ecommerce features:

Digital Downloads
Product Pricing
Tax handling
Discounts and Coupons
Multiple Currencies support

BigCommerce ecommerce features:

Unlimited Products
Streamlined Single-Page Checkout
Order Management
Abandoned Cart Recovery
Marketing and Sales Tools

Ecommerce themes & templates

Almost all of the templates of SmugMug are designed with ecommerce in mind, providing built-in shopping cart functionality. In contrast, BigCommerce provides a wide variety of ecommerce templates designed to enhance online shopping experiences and cater to different industries. These templates feature advanced functionalities like quick view, product suggestions, and complex search filters but may require performance optimization for maintaining speed.

Product page customization

SmugMug prioritizes photography, offering a platform tailored for photographers to showcase and sell their work, despite having more limited product page customization compared to dedicated e-commerce platforms. In contrast, BigCommerce allows for extensive customization of product pages, including the ability to create detailed product variants, customize options like custom fields, and upload multiple images or videos for each product.

Payment processing

SmugMug has a unique approach to payment processing, with automatic monthly payments for balances over $500, or request payments for lower amounts. Payments are made via ACH direct deposit for U.S. users or PayPal for international users. On the other hand, BigCommerce supports over 65 pre-integrated online payment solutions, serving customers across 230 countries with more than 140 currencies, without charging additional transaction fees for using third-party payment gateways. This approach provides merchants with the flexibility to choose the best payment solution for their business needs, including the option for custom integration to cater to specific regional payment preferences.

Considering the features, availability, cost, and flexibility, BigCommerce appears to be a more robust and flexible ecommerce solution compared to SmugMug. However, if you are a photographer or creative looking to sell your work online, SmugMug might be a suitable choice.

7.3

7.9

🏆

Winner: BigCommerce

. BigCommerce, with a score of 7.9, offers an extensive set of tools designed for creating professional and engaging online stores without requiring coding knowledge. It provides a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface, robust eCommerce capabilities including product management and secure payment processing, and customizable templates to match brand aesthetics. The platform also features powerful SEO and marketing tools, app integrations for extended functionality, and comprehensive analytics to track website performance.

SmugMug’s website builder editor, scoring 7.3, offers a user-friendly interface that allows for the creation of visually appealing, professional-grade photography websites without the need for coding knowledge. Users can customize their site by choosing from a variety of templates, adjusting layouts, and incorporating their own branding elements like logos and colors. The editor also supports easy uploading, organizing, and showcasing of high-quality images, with robust privacy and security settings to protect content.

Smugmug website editor

Mobile editor/app

7.5

🏁

Draw: SmugMug and BigCommerce

. Both SmugMug and BigCommerce offer mobile apps, but neither allows for full website editing.

SmugMug’s mobile app is limited to adding new photos and editing descriptions. It does not support layout changes on the website, which can be a drawback for users who want to make significant changes to their site on the go.

Similarly, BigCommerce’s mobile app does not support website editing. It provides access to the dashboard, analytics, orders, and the ability to add or edit products. This can be useful for managing an online store, but it falls short for users who want to edit their website’s design or layout from their mobile device.

In conclusion, both SmugMug and BigCommerce have mobile apps with limited functionality. Neither platform offers a comprehensive mobile editing experience, resulting in a draw in this category.

7.4

7.3

Overall Result

:

SmugMug wins

. SmugMug scores slightly higher than BigCommerce in product testing options, with a score of 7.4 compared to BigCommerce’s 7.3. Both SmugMug and BigCommerce offer a 14-day free trial, allowing users to test their premium features. However, neither of the platforms offers a free version or a money-back guarantee.


Free Plan	No	No
Trial Duration	14 days	14 days
Testing Premium Features	During the free trial	During the free trial
Money Back Guarantee	No	No

7.8

7.4

SmugMug and BigCommerce offer a range of plans with different features and pricing.

	Offerings	Offerings
$10-$20	Power ($15.00/month): Best for the photographer who wants their entire photo catalog safe and shareable on their own terms. Unlimited storage, Seamless Lightroom integration. Value for price: 6.5	No offering at this amount.
$30-$35	Portfolio ($31.00/month): Best for the photographer who wants to start selling photos and keep their archive organized perfectly. All Power plan’s features, plus 21 premade templates, prints and digital downloads sales, Custom Watermarks, Payment integration for credit cards and PayPal, Integrated cart and checkout experience, Sales statistics. Value for price: 8.0	No offering at this amount.
$35-$50	Pro ($45.00/month): Adds to Portfolio with custom price lists and coupons, Platform access for assistant or second shooter, Full control over client downloads, Branded packaging and thank you notes for print sales, coupon creator. Value for price: 8.5	Standard ($39.00/month): Unlimited products, file storage, and bandwidth, suitable for small businesses. Limited to $50k in online sales per year and up to 4 inventory locations. Value for price: 7.0
$100-$200	No offering at this amount.	Plus ($105.00/month): Includes Standard features, plus customer segmentation and abandoned cart saver. Limited to $180k in online sales per year and up to 5 inventory locations. Value for price: 7.5
$300+	Venture (Starts with $500/month): All Pro features, plus dedicated support contacts and account representative for all Smugmug needs, Design, workflow, and organization consultation and support.	Pro ($399.00/month): All Plus features, plus Google customer reviews and advanced search filters. Limited to $400k in online sales per year, and up to 8 inventory locations. Additional $150/month for every $200k in online sales. Value for Price: 8.0

In some cases companies have different prices based on various components like a
location. As a result in rare cases the prices displayed here can differ from the ones you see on their
websites.

5.0

7.8

🏆

Winner: BigCommerce

BigCommerce offers scalable cloud hosting with unlimited storage and bandwidth, and a 99.99% uptime guarantee. SmugMug, on the other hand, provides less information about their hosting features, which makes it difficult to assess their quality. Therefore, BigCommerce is the clear winner in this category.


Do they offer hosting?	Yes	Yes
Data Centers:	Not disclosed	Not disclosed
Type of hosting:	Not disclosed	Cloud Hosting
Uptime:	Not disclosed	99.9%
Uptime Guarantee:	Yes, 99.9%	Yes, 99.99%

5.5

7.6

🏆 Winner: BigCommerce

Both SmugMug and BigCommerce prioritize website performance and page speed, but BigCommerce has a higher Website Speed Optimization score and provides more strategies for speed optimization.


Focus	Mobile Responsive design	Image Optimization, Code minification, Optimized templates, Using AMP, Caching
Performance Tools	Not specified	Not specified
Key Strategies	Mobile Responsive design	Image Optimization, Code minification, Optimized templates, Using AMP, Caching
Load Times	Varies widely, depending on the optimization, website complexity	Varies depending on optimization and website complexity
Page Speed Scores Range	Varies widely, depending on the optimization, website complexity	Varies depending on optimization and website complexity
Core Web Vitals Improvement	No information available	Provides users with many tools for CVW improvements

BigCommerce, with a higher Website Speed Optimization score, provides more strategies for speed optimization, including image optimization, code minification, optimized templates, using AMP, and caching. It also provides users with many tools for Core Web Vital improvements. However, the load times and PageSpeed scores vary depending on optimization and website complexity.

On the other hand, SmugMug focuses on mobile responsive design for speed optimization. But it does not share any information on Core Web Vital improvements. Similar to BigCommerce, both load times and PageSpeed scores for SmugMug vary widely, depending on the optimization and website complexity.

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6.2

7.7

🏆 Winner: BigCommerce.

With a score of 7.7, BigCommerce offers a wider array of apps and integrations, including ERP and CRM systems, 3PL services, POS systems, and various marketing tools, to enhance eCommerce functionalities. SmugMug, scoring 6.2, supports integrations with several photo-hosting services, enhancing its functionality for photographers. However, BigCommerce’s extensive integrations that facilitate operations like sales analytics, inventory management, customer relationship management, and marketing automation give it the edge.

BigCommerce Applications

Bigcommerce apps and integratons

3.8

7.9

🏆

Overall Winner: BigCommerce

. BigCommerce offers a more comprehensive set of marketing features, including advanced SEO tools, email marketing integrations, blogging capabilities, social media integrations, detailed analytics and reporting, and ads and promotions. SmugMug, while offering basic SEO tools and social media integrations, lacks in email marketing, blogging, and ads and promotions.


SEO Tools	Basic SEO tools	Advanced SEO tools
Email Marketing	✗	✓
Blogging	✗	✓
Social Media Integration	✓	✓
Analytics and Reporting	Basic analytics with Google Analytics integration	Detailed analytics and reporting
Ads and Promotions	✗	✓

7.9

8.7

🏆 Winner: BigCommerce

. Comparing SmugMug vs BigCommerce, BigCommerce takes the lead in this category with its comprehensive 24/7 customer support available through phone, email, and live chat. The platform’s extensive knowledge base and active community forums further enhance the support experience, making it easier for users to find solutions and share insights. Enterprise customers benefit from express routing, priority support, and dedicated customer success management, ensuring a high level of service and efficiency.

SmugMug, on the other hand, provides customer support primarily through email and chat, available 364 days a year. While phone support is limited to higher-tier business subscriptions, the platform offers rapid response times and a user-friendly help portal. Enterprise-level customers receive specialized support, including dedicated account representatives and consultation services, tailored to meet the needs of professional photographers and businesses. Despite these robust offerings, SmugMug’s support does not match the round-the-clock availability and extensive resources provided by BigCommerce.

6.0

8.9

🏆

Winner: BigCommerce

. BigCommerce takes a comprehensive approach to security, adhering to international regulations like GDPR and CCPA, employing data encryption, and conducting regular security audits. It also partners with Cloudflare to further bolster security. BigCommerce’s security score of 8.9 reflects its robust security measures.

SmugMug, while taking privacy and security seriously, focuses more on privacy settings and controls for user content. It ensures private data storage and protection through various measures and complies with data privacy laws and regulations. However, with a security score of 6.0, it falls short of BigCommerce’s comprehensive security measures.

7.3


Personalized Design
SEO Optimization
Customer Behavior Analysis		AI-driven data analytics for deeper business insights
Sales Predictions
Inventory Management
Content Generation		AI-powered writing tools for creating product descriptions

🏆 Winner: BigCommerce

. BigCommerce, with a score of 7.3, integrates AI technology to enhance ecommerce operations, offering AI-powered writing features for product descriptions, personalized storefronts through product recommendations, and AI-driven data analytics for deeper business insights. Additionally, the Maisie AI chatbot assists with sales, customer service, and marketing list growth, providing a comprehensive suite of tools aimed at improving efficiency, customer engagement, and sales performance for merchants.

SmugMug does not have any AI capabilities. This lack of AI features may limit the platform’s ability to provide personalized experiences and automate certain tasks. However, SmugMug’s focus is on providing a platform for photographers and creatives to showcase and sell their work, and it excels in this area with robust photo protection features and e-commerce capabilities.

7.2

8.9

🏆 Winner: BigCommerce

. Both SmugMug and BigCommerce offer robust user management features, but BigCommerce edges out with a higher score.

SmugMug allows the primary account holder full control over the account, with the ability to add additional users through “Shared Account Management” for Portfolio and Pro level accounts. These additional users can be given various roles with different permissions, enabling them to manage or edit the website without full access to billing or account settings.
BigCommerce allows an unlimited number of staff accounts with various roles and permissions.

SmugMug User Roles and Access Levels:

Role	Description	Access Highlights
Owner	The primary account holder who has full control over the site.	Complete access to all features, settings, content management, and billing.
Admin	Users granted almost the same level of access as the owner, minus some critical billing or account settings.	Manage content, order prints, access to stats, and settings except for account and billing changes.
Contributor	Users who can upload and manage content in specific galleries.	Upload content to assigned galleries, edit captions, and keywords. Limited access to settings.

BigCommerce User Roles and Access Levels:

Role	Description	Access Highlights
Sales Staff	Enables all Sales Staff permissions	Manage, edit, and add orders. Finalize manual orders with manual payments. Manage returns, capture funds, and refund orders. Manage and edit customers. Manage and edit product reviews. Manage legacy coupons and promotions. Use Image Manager.
Sales Manager	Enables all Sales Staff and Sales Manager permissions	Includes Sales Staff permissions. Manage, create, edit, and delete products. Manage product options and categories. Export orders. Manage customer store credit and export customers. Manage blogs, brands, and various reports (Ecommerce Analytics reports, abandoned cart reports, etc.). Edit inventory and manage channels.
Store Administrator	Enables all Sales Staff, Sales Manager, and System Admin permissions	Includes Sales Staff and Sales Manager permissions. Manage users and form fields. Manage settings (product filtering, store settings, checkout, inventory, order notifications, etc.). Manage payments, shipping, and tax settings. Import catalog entities and customers. Access store design tools and Page Builder. Manage customer groups. Take store down for maintenance.
Store Owner	Includes all permissions and is the person financially responsible for the account; this role has exclusive access to various account-related features.	Full access to all permissions and features across the platform. Exclusive access to account-related features and settings not available to other roles.
Custom	Use this option to create your own combination of permissions. You can also opt to customize one of the other roles.	Customize permissions based on specific needs. Mix and match permissions from different roles to create a unique role with tailored access.

Additional Features


SSL Certificate
Custom Domain
Free Custom Domain Included
International Domains
Mobile Responsive
Page Speed
Website Builder Mobile App
Convert a Website To An App
Website Analytics
Multilingual Sites
Multiple Users

User Feedback

SmugMug

33 reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars

BigCommerce

499 reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars

Users appreciate SmugMug for its reliability, ease of use, and the platform’s ability to securely host and share high-resolution photographs and videos. Highlights include seamless mobile device syncing, excellent gallery features for showcasing assets, and robust customization options minus JavaScript support. However, some users desire improvements in facial recognition technology for automatic album creation, expanded asset management capabilities beyond primarily photos, and more advanced search functionalities. Concerns about rising costs and the platform’s intuitiveness were also mentioned. Overall, SmugMug is valued for its central storage solution, privacy features for client photos, and its ability to simplify file sharing and photo sales.

User feedback on BigCommerce highlights a mix of experiences, with positive remarks on its ease of use, SEO configuration, and strong support team. However, significant criticisms include its lack of suitability for businesses with brick-and-mortar locations, due to issues with POS integration and sales tracking, as well as its inflexibility with customization and additional costs for necessary features. Additionally, concerns were raised about the platform’s steep learning curve for beginners, limitations in product variation and design options, and difficulties with order management. Despite these challenges, some users appreciate the platform’s ability to quickly launch and reliably host stores, alongside its potential for scalability and e-commerce growth.

The making of this blog

We followed a clear, step-by-step process to write and research this article.

Our Ranking Criteria

FAQ

Which platform is better for photographers, SmugMug or BigCommerce?

SmugMug is specifically designed for photographers and creatives, offering robust photo protection features, customizable templates optimized for high-quality images, and e-commerce capabilities for selling prints and digital downloads. It’s the ideal choice for individuals and businesses in the creative industry looking to showcase and monetize their work online.

Can I use BigCommerce for a non-ecommerce website?

While BigCommerce is a comprehensive e-commerce platform, it also offers robust features that support a wide range of business needs, including product management and advanced SEO tools. It’s best suited for businesses looking to scale their online presence with a comprehensive set of tools for selling and marketing.

How do SmugMug and BigCommerce compare in terms of ease of use?

SmugMug scores slightly higher in ease of use, making it a great choice for photographers and creatives who prioritize simplicity. However, BigCommerce’s extensive range of materials, including articles, guides, webinars, and specific training through BigCommerce University, make it a comprehensive resource for users looking for a more feature-rich platform.

Which platform offers better customer support, SmugMug or BigCommerce?

BigCommerce takes the lead in customer support with a higher score, offering 24/7 customer support through various channels, including phone, email, and live chat. SmugMug provides support mainly through email and chat, with rapid response times, but BigCommerce’s multi-faceted support system underscores its commitment to user satisfaction and problem resolution.

Are there any AI capabilities in SmugMug or BigCommerce?

BigCommerce integrates AI technology to enhance e-commerce operations, offering AI-powered writing features for product descriptions, personalized storefronts through product recommendations, and AI-driven data analytics for deeper business insights. SmugMug does not have any AI capabilities, focusing instead on providing a platform for photographers and creatives to showcase and sell their work.

Which platform is more suitable for scaling an online business?

BigCommerce is designed to support the growth and scalability of online stores with its wide range of customizable templates, advanced SEO tools, various payment gateway integrations, and multi-channel selling capabilities. Its comprehensive platform is particularly suited for merchants aiming to expand their online presence and sales channels.