BigCommerce vs Magento: PCI Compliance Comparison

Bottom Line

BigCommerce handles most PCI compliance requirements for you, making it the clear choice for merchants who want minimal compliance burden. Magento, while more flexible and customizable, puts the full weight of PCI compliance on your shoulders — requiring significantly more time, technical expertise, and ongoing maintenance to achieve and maintain compliance.

What’s Being Compared and Why It Matters

This comparison examines two popular e-commerce platforms through the lens of PCI compliance: BigCommerce (a hosted SaaS platform) and Magento (an open-source, self-hosted solution). Understanding the PCI implications of your platform choice can mean the difference between completing a simple SAQ A questionnaire versus implementing hundreds of security controls for SAQ D.

This comparison matters because your e-commerce platform fundamentally determines your PCI scope. Choose wrong, and you could spend months implementing unnecessary controls or, worse, leave critical security gaps that put you at risk for breaches and fines. When you’re evaluating platforms — whether you’re launching a new online store or considering a migration — the PCI compliance impact should be a primary decision factor.

Comparison Table

Aspect	BigCommerce	Magento
Typical SAQ Type	SAQ A or SAQ A-EP	SAQ D (Merchant)
PCI Requirements	~22 controls (SAQ A)	300+ controls (SAQ D)
Your Responsibility	Minimal – password policies, vendor management	Full stack – network security, server hardening, application security
Annual Time Investment	2-4 hours	100+ hours
Technical Expertise Required	Basic	Advanced (security engineer level)
Typical Annual Cost	$200-500 (ASV scans only)	$5,000-50,000+ (scans, penetration tests, remediation)
Best For	SMBs wanting simplicity	Enterprises with dedicated IT/security teams

Detailed Breakdown

BigCommerce: The Hosted Solution Advantage

BigCommerce operates as a Level 1 PCI DSS compliant service provider, meaning they’ve undergone rigorous third-party assessment and maintain the highest level of payment security. When you process payments through BigCommerce, you’re leveraging their compliant infrastructure rather than building your own.

What BigCommerce Covers:

Secure hosting environment with WAF (Web Application Firewall)
Network segmentation and firewall management
Encryption in transit (TLS) for all payment data
Vulnerability scanning and patch management for the platform
Change detection and security monitoring
Incident response for platform-level security events

Who It’s For:
BigCommerce works best for merchants who view payment processing as a necessary function, not a core competency. If you’re running a boutique retail operation, a growing D2C brand, or even a multi-million dollar online business without a dedicated security team, BigCommerce’s model makes sense.

Strengths:

Qualify for SAQ A when using redirect payment methods
Minimal ongoing compliance effort
No server hardening or network security responsibilities
Automatic platform security updates
Built-in compliance features (secure checkout, tokenization)

Limitations:

Less control over payment flow customization
Dependency on BigCommerce’s security posture
Platform fees include compliance cost overhead
Limited options for complex payment orchestration

Magento: The Self-Hosted Challenge

Magento (both Open Source and Commerce editions) provides a powerful, flexible e-commerce platform — but with great power comes great PCI responsibility. When you self-host Magento, you own every aspect of PCI compliance from the network layer up through the application.

What You’re Responsible For:

Network security (firewalls, segmentation, IDS/IPS)
System hardening (OS patches, secure configurations)
Application security (code reviews, vulnerability management)
Access controls (MFA, role-based permissions, audit logs)
Encryption implementation (at rest and in transit)
Physical security (if hosting on-premise)
Incident response planning and execution
Security monitoring and log analysis

Who It’s For:
Magento makes sense for enterprises with dedicated security teams, complex payment requirements, or specific customization needs that hosted platforms can’t accommodate. If you have a CISO, security engineers, and established security operations, Magento’s flexibility might justify the compliance overhead.

Strengths:

Complete control over payment flows and customer experience
Ability to implement custom payment orchestration
Direct integration with multiple payment processors
No platform-imposed limitations on functionality

Limitations:

SAQ D scope with 300+ security requirements
Significant ongoing maintenance burden
Requires specialized security expertise
Higher total cost of compliance
You’re responsible for every vulnerability

Technical Differences That Matter

The core technical difference comes down to the cardholder data environment (CDE). With BigCommerce, your CDE is essentially non-existent — payment data flows directly from the customer to BigCommerce’s PCI-compliant servers or to a third-party payment processor. Your systems never touch raw card data.

With Magento, your servers likely comprise the CDE. Even if you use hosted payment fields, your web servers, application servers, and databases all potentially interact with payment data or could impact its security. This expanded CDE means every server, every firewall rule, every admin account falls under PCI scope.

Decision Framework

Choose BigCommerce If:

Your payment volume is under $6M annually without complex payment needs
You lack dedicated security staff or prefer to outsource security
Speed to market matters more than payment customization
Your business model is straightforward B2C e-commerce
You want predictable compliance costs built into platform fees

Choose Magento If:

You process over $6M annually and need payment optimization
You have a security team capable of managing PCI DSS requirements
Custom payment flows are critical to your business model
You need multi-channel orchestration beyond standard e-commerce
You’re already managing PCI compliance for other systems

Questions to Confirm Your Choice:

1. Do you have someone on staff who understands firewall rules? (No → BigCommerce)
2. Can you afford $10K+ annually for security tools and assessments? (No → BigCommerce)
3. Do you need custom payment routing logic? (Yes → Consider Magento)
4. Are you comfortable with quarterly vulnerability remediation? (No → BigCommerce)
5. Do you have existing PCI-compliant infrastructure? (Yes → Magento might make sense)

Common Misidentification Scenarios

“We’re using Magento but with PayPal, so we’re SAQ A” — Wrong. Unless you’re using a true redirect where your servers never see card data, self-hosted Magento typically means SAQ D scope.

“BigCommerce is too simple for our $50M business” — Not necessarily. Many eight-figure merchants successfully use BigCommerce, accepting the platform constraints for reduced compliance burden.

What Happens If You Choose Wrong

Consequences of the Wrong Platform Choice

Selecting Magento without understanding the PCI implications can lead to:

Non-compliance fines from your acquirer ($5,000-100,000/month)
Increased transaction fees for non-compliant merchants
Breach liability if compromised due to poor security
Rushed platform migration when compliance reality hits

Choosing BigCommerce when you need Magento’s flexibility results in:

Revenue limitations from inflexible payment flows
Higher transaction costs from suboptimal payment routing
Customer experience compromises in checkout flow
Technical debt from platform workarounds

How to Course-Correct

If you’re on Magento and drowning in PCI requirements, consider:
1. Migrating to BigCommerce or another hosted platform
2. Implementing P2PE solutions to reduce scope
3. Engaging a managed security service provider (MSSP)
4. Moving to Magento Commerce (Adobe’s hosted version)

If BigCommerce is limiting your growth:
1. Evaluate BigCommerce Enterprise features first
2. Consider headless commerce with BigCommerce as backend
3. Plan a phased migration to self-hosted infrastructure
4. Budget for the full cost of PCI compliance

When to Get a QSA’s Opinion

Engage a QSA for platform decisions when:

Processing over $6M annually (Level 1 merchant threshold)
Your acquirer questions your SAQ type selection
You’re unsure if your architecture qualifies for scope reduction
Planning a platform migration with compliance implications
Building custom payment integrations on either platform

FAQ

Can I achieve PCI compliance with Magento?

Yes, thousands of merchants maintain PCI compliance with self-hosted Magento. However, it requires significant technical expertise, ongoing investment in security tools, and dedicated staff time for maintaining the 300+ requirements in SAQ D.

Does BigCommerce completely remove PCI requirements?

No platform completely removes PCI obligations. With BigCommerce, you still must complete an annual SAQ (typically SAQ A), maintain secure passwords, and manage vendor relationships. However, BigCommerce handles the complex technical requirements around network security and system hardening.

What if I’m using Magento with a hosted payment page?

Using hosted payment fields (like Stripe Elements or Authorize.net Accept.js) with Magento reduces some scope but typically still requires SAQ A-EP compliance. Your servers still deliver the payment page, meaning you maintain responsibility for application security, though you avoid storing card data.

How much more expensive is PCI compliance with Magento?

Budget at least $5,000-10,000 annually for tools, scans, and assessments with self-hosted Magento. Larger merchants often spend $25,000-50,000+ on security tools, penetration testing, and remediation efforts. This doesn’t include staff time, which can exceed 100 hours annually.

Can I start with BigCommerce and migrate to Magento later?

Yes, this is a common growth path. Start with BigCommerce’s simplicity, then migrate to Magento when your business justifies the additional complexity and compliance burden. Plan the migration carefully to maintain continuous compliance during the transition.

Conclusion

The BigCommerce vs Magento decision fundamentally shapes your PCI compliance journey. For most merchants, BigCommerce’s hosted model delivers the right balance — robust e-commerce capabilities without the crushing weight of full PCI DSS compliance. You’ll complete a simple SAQ A, run quarterly ASV scans, and focus on growing your business rather than hardening servers.

Choose Magento only if you have the technical resources and business requirements that justify managing complete PCI compliance. The platform’s flexibility is powerful, but it comes with responsibility for every aspect of payment security.

PCICompliance.com helps merchants on both platforms achieve and maintain compliance. Our free SAQ Wizard identifies your exact requirements based on your platform and payment methods. Our ASV scanning service handles quarterly vulnerability scans for any merchant type, and our compliance dashboard keeps you on track throughout the year. Whether you’re breezing through SAQ A on BigCommerce or tackling SAQ D with Magento, start with our free SAQ Wizard to understand your exact requirements, or contact our compliance team for platform-specific guidance.