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Affiliate program comparison

Shopify vs BigCommerce

Compare Shopify vs BigCommerce by commission, attribution, approval, audience fit, restrictions and current first-party source evidence.

Ecommerce PlatformsShopify
Commission
Location-dependent payout on eligible full-price Basic, Grow and Advanced plan referrals; current public page…
Attribution
30-day click attribution; referral can remain eligible to convert…
Model
Sale
VS
Ecommerce PlatformsBigCommerce
Commission
No current standard affiliate commission — program discontinued May 17, 2025
Attribution
Not applicable to new affiliate referrals
Model
Program Discontinued
Why this matchup matters

Compare ecommerce-platform referrals around merchant fit and the qualifying partner event.

This is a high-intent platform matchup for publishers helping merchants choose a store platform. Keep merchant maturity, qualifying plan/action, geography and validation rules visible beside the payout.

Which merchant action or paid plan qualifies?

Does the program differ by merchant location or plan?

Is the content serving a first-time seller or a more established ecommerce operation?

Choose Shopify when

Ecommerce educators, business publishers, agencies, creators and entrepreneurial audiences teaching people how to start or grow stores.

First-party source checked · September 8, 2026
Choose BigCommerce when

Publishers checking whether the former BigCommerce affiliate offer still exists, and agencies or developers who may instead qualify for current partner programs.

First-party source checked · September 7, 2026
Verify before you choose

Open the current program pages side by side.

Use the comparison to narrow the choice, then confirm the current qualifying event, attribution and promotion rules on each program before publishing a recommendation.

Shopify

Ecommerce educators, business publishers, agencies, creators and entrepreneurial audiences teaching people how to start or grow stores.

Visit Shopify
BigCommerce

Publishers checking whether the former BigCommerce affiliate offer still exists, and agencies or developers who may instead qualify…

View BigCommerce status

Some outbound links may be affiliate links. If you sign up or purchase through one, this site may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Decision differences

Where the two offers actually diverge.

Only material fields that differ are shown here. Equal fields are left out so the page is easier to scan.

Program status
Shopify

Active

BigCommerce

Closed / discontinued

Commercial model
Shopify

sale

BigCommerce

program-discontinued

Commission
Shopify

Location-dependent payout on eligible full-price Basic, Grow and Advanced plan referrals; current public page advertises up to $150 per qualified referral

BigCommerce

No current standard affiliate commission — program discontinued May 17, 2025

Attribution
Shopify

30-day click attribution; referral can remain eligible to convert from free trial to full-price plan within the published 125-day referral window

BigCommerce

Not applicable to new affiliate referrals

Recurring duration
Shopify

One commission on an eligible full-price Basic, Grow or Advanced store-plan referral; not a recurring renewal commission.

BigCommerce

Not publicly stated in the reviewed source

Approval
Shopify

Free application; Shopify says quality and relevance are reviewed and not every application is approved

BigCommerce

Standard affiliate program closed

Paid search / PPC
Shopify

Follow the current Impact contract and Shopify trademark/brand guidelines before using paid search; do not infer unrestricted branded bidding from general affiliate approval.

BigCommerce

Not publicly stated in the reviewed source

Geography
Shopify

Payout is merchant-location dependent: the current standard table pays $150 for the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, China, Hong Kong, Japan, the United Kingdom, listed European markets and the Middle East, and $25 for Africa, India, Latin America, the rest of Asia and other countries.

BigCommerce

Not publicly stated in the reviewed source

Think twice about Shopify when

Payout depends on the referred merchant’s location

Think twice about BigCommerce when

Do not treat this as a normal active application until the official source confirms that the program is open again.

Full terms

Side-by-side research table.

“Not published” means the reviewed first-party source did not expose that field clearly enough to state it as fact.

FactorShopifyBigCommerce
Current statusActiveClosed / discontinued
CategoryEcommerce PlatformsEcommerce Platforms
Commercial modelSaleProgram Discontinued
CommissionLocation-dependent payout on eligible full-price Basic, Grow and Advanced plan referrals; current public page advertises up to $150 per qualified referralNo current standard affiliate commission — program discontinued May 17, 2025
Attribution30-day click attribution; referral can remain eligible to convert from free trial to full-price plan within the published 125-day referral windowNot applicable to new affiliate referrals
Recurring durationOne commission on an eligible full-price Basic, Grow or Advanced store-plan referral; not a recurring renewal commission.Not published in the reviewed source
Payout timingShopify reports eligible actions through Impact. The previous month’s actions lock on the 21st and are paid to the Impact balance the following day; Impact then handles bank/PayPal withdrawal scheduling.Not published in the reviewed source
Minimum payout$10 USD or approximate local-currency equivalent in Impact before withdrawal.Not published in the reviewed source
Paid search / PPCFollow the current Impact contract and Shopify trademark/brand guidelines before using paid search; do not infer unrestricted branded bidding from general affiliate approval.Not published in the reviewed source
GeographyPayout is merchant-location dependent: the current standard table pays $150 for the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, China, Hong Kong, Japan, the United Kingdom, listed European markets and the Middle East, and $25 for Africa, India, Latin America, the rest of Asia and other countries.Not published in the reviewed source
ApprovalFree application; Shopify says quality and relevance are reviewed and not every application is approvedStandard affiliate program closed
Approval difficultySelective — Shopify reviews audience quality, original content, channel activity and ecommerce relevance; not every application is approved.Not published in the reviewed source
Source reviewed2026-09-082026-09-07
Best fitEcommerce educators, business publishers, agencies, creators and entrepreneurial audiences teaching people how to start or grow stores.Publishers checking whether the former BigCommerce affiliate offer still exists, and agencies or developers who may instead qualify for current partner programs.
Shopify

Strengths and checks

Reasons to consider it

  • Current public page advertises up to $150 per qualified referral
  • Affiliate program is free to join
  • Shopify documents a 30-day click window and a broader 125-day trial-to-full-price referral window

Verify first

  • Payout depends on the referred merchant’s location
  • Plus, Enterprise and Retail referrals are not eligible under the current standard affiliate payout table
  • Acceptance is not guaranteed and trademark bidding is restricted
Read the Shopify profile
BigCommerce

Strengths and checks

Reasons to consider it

  • Official closure notice clearly documents the end date
  • Separate agency and technology partnership routes remain available
  • Useful status page for outdated affiliate-directory claims

Verify first

  • Do not publish legacy affiliate commission rates as current
  • Agency/technology partner commissions are a different commercial relationship
  • The official closure page should remain the primary status source
Read the BigCommerce profile
If neither fits

Open a nearby alternative.

These suggestions come from category, audience and existing comparison relationships—not an opaque ranking.

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