BigCommerce vs Swell

Agent access

1. ai-native userPoint an agent at llms.txt or agent-oriented docs

   weight 2 · round to BigCommerce
   BigCommerce✓fullprobed8/10

   A direct probe confirms developer.bigcommerce.com/llms.txt returns HTTP 200 with structured content including an explicit 'Instructions for AI Agent' section, directly satisfying the story's requirement of agent-discoverable docs. Missing for 10: no independent/community confirmation of agents actually using it, and no broader agent-oriented doc ecosystem (e.g., MCP server, structured API docs for agents) beyond the single llms.txt file.

   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 200 at https://developer.bigcommerce.com/llms.txt # BigCommerce Docs > Build amazing commerce solutions powered by the…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Swell—none0/10

   A direct probe of the documented llms.txt path returns 404, and no evidence pack item shows a dedicated agent-oriented docs endpoint (e.g., markdown docs, llms.txt, or similar) that an agent could be pointed at; the swell.is/ai marketing page describes AI-friendly schema/API concepts but not a llms.txt or agent-consumable doc file.

   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://developers.swell.is/llms.txt”
   • [claimed-docs] “Install once and your agent picks up the file contract, the CLI and the validate-deploy-verify loop.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

2. ai-native userRun the product headlessly / in CI for automation

   weight 2 · round to BigCommerce
   BigCommerce~partialcommunity6/10

   BigCommerce exposes REST/GraphQL APIs with OAuth-based API accounts and sandbox environments explicitly meant for scripted, non-UI automation of store management and headless storefronts, which supports CI-style programmatic use. However there's no dedicated CLI or CI/CD-native tooling, and a community report describes unreliable API connectivity/throttling that undermines confidence in dependable automation. Missing for 10: an official CLI, documented CI/CD pipeline integration, and confirmation the throttling issue is resolved.

   • [claimed-docs] “Use REST and GraphQL APIs to manage products, orders, customers, and store settings programmatically.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Sign up for a free BigCommerce trial store to test API calls and build integrations without affecting live data.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Navigate to **Settings > API Accounts** in your store control panel. Create credentials with the scopes you need.”
   • [claimed-docs] “To create a sandbox for your own general use, select **Partner Use Sandbox**”
   • [claimed-docs] “BigCommerce offers three types of OAuth-based API accounts to developers who wish to use BigCommerce's REST APIs: store-level credentials, a…”
   • [community] “I did try BigCommerce, but there were many issue with them. The software was very slow, and the app ecosystem was rather incomplete. From wh…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Swell~partialprobed4/10

   Swell ships an official CLI (`swell app init/push`, switch store) and a REST/webhook API that could in principle be scripted in automation pipelines, and the AI page mentions a 'validate-deploy-verify loop' agents can drive via the CLI, implying non-interactive usage. However, there is no explicit documentation of CI/headless execution, environment variables for non-interactive auth in CI, or any CI/CD integration guide. Missing for 10: explicit CI/CD documentation or examples, non-interactive auth flow guidance, and independent confirmation of headless automation use.

   • [claimed-docs] “Swell CLI is a command-line interface that helps you create and work with apps, themes, and storefronts.”
   • [claimed-docs] “swell app init: initialize an app in the current directory with a default config file and folder structure”
   • [claimed-docs] “swell app push: push configuration files to a development store”
   • [claimed-docs] “Switch your current default store.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Install once and your agent picks up the file contract, the CLI and the validate-deploy-verify loop.”
   • [probe] “official CLI documented at https://developers.swell.is/apps/cli”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

3. ai-native userPlug MCP servers into this product so it can use their tools

   weight 3 · round drawn
   BigCommerce—none0/10

   BigCommerce is an e-commerce SaaS platform; the evidence shows REST/GraphQL APIs, webhooks, apps marketplace, and llms.txt for AI agents reading docs, but no mention of an MCP client/host feature allowing users to plug MCP servers into BigCommerce so it can use their tools.

   ⚑ flag

   Swell—none0/10

   Swell is an e-commerce platform; evidence describes CLI, functions, webhooks, and an AI-assisted schema/model workflow, but nothing indicates Swell can consume external MCP servers or plug in third-party tool sets. Absence of evidence for an applicable capability means 'none'.

   ⚑ flag

4. ai-native userConnect an agent via an official MCP server

   weight 3 · round drawn
   BigCommerce—none0/10

   BigCommerce is an ecommerce platform (not an agent), so the MCP-server axis applies, but no evidence shows an official MCP server; docs mention REST/GraphQL APIs, webhooks, and an llms.txt file for AI agent guidance, none of which constitute an MCP server implementation. Missing for 10: any mention of an MCP server, MCP endpoint, or MCP-compatible integration.

   • [claimed-docs] “The BigCommerce suite of APIs empowers you to create apps, automate store processes, and build headless ecommerce solutions.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Use REST and GraphQL APIs to manage products, orders, customers, and store settings programmatically.”
   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 200 at https://developer.bigcommerce.com/llms.txt # BigCommerce Docs > Build amazing commerce solutions powered by the…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Swell—none0/10

   Evidence shows a CLI, webhooks, and 'agent'-friendly file-based contract, but no mention of an official MCP server or MCP protocol support anywhere in the docs or probes; probes even show llms.txt and openapi.json as 404, suggesting no structured agent-integration endpoint. Swell is a commerce platform (not itself an agent), so this axis applies, but no evidence confirms it ships an MCP server.

   • [claimed-docs] “Install once and your agent picks up the file contract, the CLI and the validate-deploy-verify loop.”
   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://developers.swell.is/llms.txt”
   • [probe] “PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://developers.swell.is/openapi.json, https://developers.swell.is/swagger.json, https://develope…”
   • [probe] “official CLI documented at https://developers.swell.is/apps/cli”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

5. ai-native userUse an official CLI

   weight 2 · round to Swell
   BigCommerce—none0/10

   Evidence covers REST/GraphQL APIs, SDKs, API clients, and an llms.txt AI-agent instructions file, but there is no mention of an official BigCommerce CLI tool anywhere in the pack. missing for 10: an official CLI product/tool, its documentation, install instructions, and any command reference.

   ⚑ flag

   Swell✓fullprobed7/10

   Swell documents an official CLI (swell app init, push, switch store) and explicitly ties it into an AI-agent workflow ('Install once and your agent picks up the file contract, the CLI and the validate-deploy-verify loop'), showing intent for AI-native usage. Missing for 10: independent/hands-on corroboration of agentic CLI usage, and deeper documentation of AI-specific CLI commands beyond app scaffolding.

   • [claimed-docs] “swell app init: initialize an app in the current directory with a default config file and folder structure”
   • [claimed-docs] “Switch your current default store.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Swell CLI is a command-line interface that helps you create and work with apps, themes, and storefronts.”
   • [claimed-docs] “swell app push: push configuration files to a development store”
   • [claimed-docs] “Install once and your agent picks up the file contract, the CLI and the validate-deploy-verify loop.”
   • [probe] “official CLI documented at https://developers.swell.is/apps/cli”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

6. ai-native userDrive the product through a documented public API

   weight 3 · round to BigCommerce
   BigCommerce✓fullprobed9/10

   BigCommerce ships extensive first-party documentation for REST and GraphQL APIs, OAuth-based API accounts (store/app/account-level), webhooks, sandboxes, an in-browser Request Runner, and API client SDKs, explicitly positioned for programmatic/automated store management and headless integration. It even exposes an llms.txt with AI-agent-specific instructions, signaling deliberate AI-native accessibility. Missing for 10: independent/third-party corroboration of large-scale programmatic API reliability (one dated community comment mentions throttling/connection issues, but it's secondhand and not a definitive contradiction of documented capability).

   • [claimed-docs] “The BigCommerce suite of APIs empowers you to create apps, automate store processes, and build headless ecommerce solutions.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Use REST and GraphQL APIs to manage products, orders, customers, and store settings programmatically.”
   • [claimed-docs] “BigCommerce offers three types of OAuth-based API accounts to developers who wish to use BigCommerce's REST APIs: store-level credentials, a…”
   • [claimed-docs] “You can experiment with our REST Management APIs using the **Request Runner**, which is built in to the [API Reference]”
   • [claimed-docs] “To create a sandbox for your own general use, select **Partner Use Sandbox**”
   • [claimed-docs] “GraphQL Storefront API overview”
   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 200 at https://developer.bigcommerce.com/llms.txt # BigCommerce Docs > Build amazing commerce solutions powered by the…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Swell✓fullprobed7/10

   Swell exposes a documented backend REST API with authentication (basic auth, environment-specific keys), official Node/PHP client libraries, and endpoints for products, stock, purchase links, etc., plus a runtime schema-introspection call and CLI for driving apps/config programmatically. However, no OpenAPI spec or llms.txt was discoverable (probes 404), reducing machine-readability for agentic consumption. Missing for 10: a discoverable OpenAPI/machine-readable spec, independent third-party confirmation of API robustness.

   • [claimed-docs] “Official libraries for the Swell API are available for Node and PHP.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Keys are environment-specific: secret keys prefixed sk_test_ route requests to your store's test environment, while sk_live_ keys target liv…”
   • [claimed-docs] “One call returns a store’s whole schema at runtime: every model—standard, merchant custom and app-installed alike—with field types and relat…”
   • [claimed-docs] “authenticate with basic auth using your store ID as the username and a secret key as the password”
   • [claimed-docs] “Purchase links allow you to configure a pre-selected group of products within a cart and direct a customer to its checkout through a designa…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Stock adjustments are used to keep track of inventory changes over time.”
   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://developers.swell.is/llms.txt”
   • [probe] “PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://developers.swell.is/openapi.json, https://developers.swell.is/swagger.json, https://develope…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

7. ai-native userIssue scoped/least-privilege API credentials for an agent

   weight 2 · round to BigCommerce
   BigCommerce~partialclaimed6/10

   BigCommerce docs describe OAuth-based API accounts with configurable scopes (store-level, app-level, account-level) created via Settings > API Accounts, which supports issuing least-privilege credentials, but nothing ties this explicitly to AI-agent use cases or agent-specific scoping/rotation controls. missing for 10: agent-specific credential guidance, fine-grained per-agent scope templates, independent/hands-on verification of scope enforcement.

   • [claimed-docs] “Navigate to **Settings > API Accounts** in your store control panel. Create credentials with the scopes you need.”
   • [claimed-docs] “BigCommerce offers three types of OAuth-based API accounts to developers who wish to use BigCommerce's REST APIs: store-level credentials, a…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Use REST and GraphQL APIs to manage products, orders, customers, and store settings programmatically.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Swell—none0/10

   Swell's API auth docs only show basic auth with a secret key and test/live key environments (sk_test_/sk_live_), not granular, scoped or least-privilege credential issuance for agents; team role/permission assignment (docs-17) applies to dashboard users, not API credentials. No evidence of scoped API tokens, OAuth scopes, or agent-specific credential minting.

   • [claimed-docs] “Keys are environment-specific: secret keys prefixed sk_test_ route requests to your store's test environment, while sk_live_ keys target liv…”
   • [claimed-docs] “authenticate with basic auth using your store ID as the username and a secret key as the password”
   • [claimed-docs] “Assign specific roles and permissions to team members for better control.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

8. ai-native userBuild against official SDKs

   weight 2 · round to BigCommerce
   BigCommerce✓fullcommunity7/10

   BigCommerce documents official SDKs/tools (Checkout SDK, API Clients library, design system SDK) plus REST/GraphQL APIs, sandboxes, and API account setup, giving AI-native builders a well-documented path to build against first-party SDKs. Community reports of API throttling/incomplete ecosystem introduce some quality caveats but don't contradict SDK existence. Missing for 10: independent hands-on corroboration of SDK reliability/quality and AI-specific SDK usage examples.

   • [claimed-docs] “Accelerate your app development. Get started making API requests in the language of your choice with our API Clients.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Checkout SDK | SDK | [checkout-sdk-js]”
   • [claimed-docs] “Our open source design system. Use to build BigCommerce Apps that feel native inside the control panel.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Use REST and GraphQL APIs to manage products, orders, customers, and store settings programmatically.”
   • [claimed-docs] “To create a sandbox for your own general use, select **Partner Use Sandbox**”
   • [community] “I did try BigCommerce, but there were many issue with them. The software was very slow, and the app ecosystem was rather incomplete. From wh…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Swell~partialprobed6/10

   Swell documents official backend API libraries for Node and PHP plus a first-party CLI, which supports building against official SDKs, but coverage is limited to two languages and there's no evidence of broader SDK ecosystem (e.g., Python, Go) or independent corroboration; openapi/llms.txt probes returned 404, suggesting weaker machine-readable API contract support. missing for 10: SDKs beyond Node/PHP, independent/hands-on validation, discoverable OpenAPI spec.

   • [claimed-docs] “Official libraries for the Swell API are available for Node and PHP.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Swell CLI is a command-line interface that helps you create and work with apps, themes, and storefronts.”
   • [probe] “PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://developers.swell.is/openapi.json, https://developers.swell.is/swagger.json, https://develope…”
   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://developers.swell.is/llms.txt”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

9. ai-native userSubscribe to events via webhooks

   weight 2 · round to Swell
   BigCommerce✓fullclaimed7/10

   BigCommerce has dedicated Webhooks documentation covering event subscription, including cloud pub/sub webhook delivery, confirming first-party webhook support for external event notification. Missing for 10: independent hands-on confirmation of webhook reliability, full event catalog details, and AI-specific framing of webhook consumption.

   • [claimed-docs] “Webhooks”
   • [claimed-docs] “Google Cloud Platform Pub/Sub Webhooks”
   • [claimed-docs] “Overview | BigCommerce Docs”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Swell✓fullclaimed8/10

   Swell's docs explicitly describe webhooks that subscribe to model events and call external URLs, enabling event-driven/agentic integrations (swell-docs-5, swell-docs-25). Missing for 10: independent/hands-on corroboration of webhook reliability and a documented list of supported event types/payloads beyond the overview mention.

   • [claimed-docs] “Webhooks can be configured to call a URL when a particular event occurs, enabling outgoing calls to external services.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Webhooks enable real-time communication between the Swell platform and external services, by subscribing to any number of model events.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Agentic features

1. ai-native userGet AI-generated insights and suggestions from my data inside the product

   weight 2 · round drawn
   BigCommerce—none0/10

   Evidence only shows AI-powered search/chat on the developer documentation portal (bigcommerce-docs-16, bigcommerce-docs-27), not AI-generated insights or suggestions derived from a merchant's actual store/sales data. No mention of AI analytics, product recommendations, or in-product insight generation from BigCommerce's own data.

   • [claimed-docs] “AI-powered search and chat, AI-ready page actions, an in-browser API Request Runner, a redesigned changelog, and richer feedback tools.”
   • [claimed-docs] “AI-powered search and chat, AI-ready page actions, an in-browser API Request Runner, a redesigned changelog”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Swell—none0/10

   Swell's AI-related docs focus on making its schema/API machine-readable for external agents to build integrations (schema discovery, model generation, CLI loop), not on the product itself surfacing AI-generated insights or suggestions from store data to users. Reporting features (swell-docs-35) are plain analytics with no AI generation mentioned.

   • [claimed-docs] “Drop a JSON file into your app’s models/ directory and Swell generates the REST resource from it—fields, validation, relationships and lifec…”
   • [claimed-docs] “One call returns a store’s whole schema at runtime: every model—standard, merchant custom and app-installed alike—with field types and relat…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Install once and your agent picks up the file contract, the CLI and the validate-deploy-verify loop.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Access detailed reports that aid in tracking and analyzing your store's performance.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

2. ai-native userSet up automations that run autonomously in the background

   weight 2 · round to Swell
   BigCommerce—none0/10

   Evidence shows BigCommerce offers webhooks and REST/GraphQL APIs for building integrations, but nothing describes a way for an AI-native user to configure autonomous background automations (e.g., scheduled agents, workflow triggers, or persistent background jobs) within the platform itself. Webhooks are reactive event hooks requiring external infrastructure to act on them, not a built-in autonomous automation feature.

   • [claimed-docs] “Webhooks”
   • [claimed-docs] “The BigCommerce suite of APIs empowers you to create apps, automate store processes, and build headless ecommerce solutions.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Google Cloud Platform Pub/Sub Webhooks”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Swell~partialclaimed4/10

   Swell provides webhooks and serverless functions that could be composed into background automations (event-triggered external calls, edge functions with no cold start), but there is no documented dedicated 'automation' or scheduling/workflow engine, and the AI-agent skills content (swell-probe-rt-2) is about coding-time development assistance, not autonomous runtime automations. Missing for 10: a described automation/orchestration feature, scheduling or trigger-based workflow builder, and evidence of autonomous background execution beyond raw webhook/function primitives.

   • [claimed-docs] “Webhooks can be configured to call a URL when a particular event occurs, enabling outgoing calls to external services.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Webhooks enable real-time communication between the Swell platform and external services, by subscribing to any number of model events.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Functions are deployed to edge data centers in 200+ locations and have no cold start time.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Functions have no cold boots and do not require extra time to start up before executing your code.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

3. ai-native userDelegate tasks to a built-in AI assistant inside the product

   weight 3 · round drawn
   BigCommerce—none0/10

   Evidence only shows AI-powered search/chat on the developer docs site and an llms.txt file for AI agents crawling documentation, not a built-in AI assistant inside the BigCommerce product to which a user can delegate store-management tasks. No mention of an in-product agentic assistant capable of taking actions on behalf of the user.

   • [claimed-docs] “AI-powered search and chat, AI-ready page actions, an in-browser API Request Runner, a redesigned changelog, and richer feedback tools.”
   • [claimed-docs] “AI-powered search and chat, AI-ready page actions, an in-browser API Request Runner, a redesigned changelog”
   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 200 at https://developer.bigcommerce.com/llms.txt # BigCommerce Docs > Build amazing commerce solutions powered by the…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Swell—none0/10

   Swell's docs describe making the platform friendly to external AI coding agents (schema discovery endpoint, file-based model generation, CLI hooks) but there is no evidence of a built-in AI assistant embedded in the Swell dashboard/product that a user can delegate tasks to directly.

   • [claimed-docs] “Drop a JSON file into your app’s models/ directory and Swell generates the REST resource from it—fields, validation, relationships and lifec…”
   • [claimed-docs] “One call returns a store’s whole schema at runtime: every model—standard, merchant custom and app-installed alike—with field types and relat…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Install once and your agent picks up the file contract, the CLI and the validate-deploy-verify loop.”
   • [claimed-docs] “One call returns a store's whole schema at runtime: every model—standard, merchant custom and app-installed alike—with field types and relat…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

4. ai-native userOperate the product with natural-language commands

   weight 2 · round to BigCommerce
   BigCommerce~partialprobed2/10

   Docs mention 'AI-powered search and chat' and 'AI-ready page actions' on the developer portal, and an llms.txt file exists with instructions for AI agents, suggesting some agentic/NL tooling around the developer docs, but there is no evidence that a user can actually operate the storefront/store management (products, orders, settings) via natural-language commands. Missing for 10: concrete NL command interface for store operations, evidence of chat-driven catalog/order management, independent hands-on confirmation.

   • [claimed-docs] “AI-powered search and chat, AI-ready page actions, an in-browser API Request Runner, a redesigned changelog, and richer feedback tools.”
   • [claimed-docs] “AI-powered search and chat, AI-ready page actions, an in-browser API Request Runner, a redesigned changelog”
   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 200 at https://developer.bigcommerce.com/llms.txt # BigCommerce Docs > Build amazing commerce solutions powered by the…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Swell—none0/10

   The evidence describes Swell's AI-focused developer tooling (CLI, JSON model files, schema introspection API, webhooks) aimed at letting AI coding agents build integrations, but nothing shows an end user issuing natural-language commands to operate the storefront/admin platform itself — the CLI (swell-docs-4, swell-docs-24, swell-docs-33, swell-docs-44) is a traditional command-line tool, not an NL interface. Missing for 10: any chat/NL command interface, conversational operation of dashboard or storefront, or documentation of natural-language input being parsed/executed by the product.

   • [claimed-docs] “Install once and your agent picks up the file contract, the CLI and the validate-deploy-verify loop.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Swell CLI is a command-line interface that helps you create and work with apps, themes, and storefronts.”
   • [claimed-docs] “swell app init: initialize an app in the current directory with a default config file and folder structure”
   • [claimed-docs] “swell app push: push configuration files to a development store”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Api quality

1. ai-native userExplore an interactive API reference with runnable examples

   weight 2 · round to BigCommerce
   BigCommerce✓fullclaimed8/10

   BigCommerce's developer docs explicitly describe an interactive API Reference with an embedded 'Request Runner' letting developers experiment with REST/GraphQL calls directly in the browser, plus AI-powered search/chat and AI-ready page actions layered on the docs site. This matches the story of an interactive, runnable API reference well. Missing for 10: independent/hands-on user corroboration of the Request Runner experience and no explicit mention of GraphQL runnable examples alongside REST.

   • [claimed-docs] “You can experiment with our REST Management APIs using the **Request Runner**, which is built in to the [API Reference]”
   • [claimed-docs] “AI-powered search and chat, AI-ready page actions, an in-browser API Request Runner, a redesigned changelog, and richer feedback tools.”
   • [claimed-docs] “AI-powered search and chat, AI-ready page actions, an in-browser API Request Runner, a redesigned changelog”
   • [claimed-docs] “The BigCommerce suite of APIs empowers you to create apps, automate store processes, and build headless ecommerce solutions.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Swell—none0/10

   No evidence of an interactive API reference or runnable examples; probes explicitly show no OpenAPI/Swagger spec and no llms.txt found, and none of the docs mention a live/interactive API explorer.

   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://developers.swell.is/llms.txt”
   • [probe] “PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://developers.swell.is/openapi.json, https://developers.swell.is/swagger.json, https://develope…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

2. ai-native userDownload a machine-readable API spec (OpenAPI or equivalent)

   weight 2 · round drawn
   BigCommerce—none0/10

   No evidence pack item mentions an OpenAPI (or equivalent machine-readable) spec file being available for download; references only cover REST/GraphQL usage, API Reference and Request Runner tools, not a downloadable spec artifact.

   ⚑ flag

   Swell—none0/10

   Direct probes for OpenAPI/Swagger files and llms.txt all returned 404, and no documentation item advertises a downloadable machine-readable API spec; the runtime schema endpoint (swell-docs-9/22) describes store data models, not an OpenAPI contract.

   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://developers.swell.is/llms.txt”
   • [probe] “PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://developers.swell.is/openapi.json, https://developers.swell.is/swagger.json, https://develope…”
   • [claimed-docs] “One call returns a store’s whole schema at runtime: every model—standard, merchant custom and app-installed alike—with field types and relat…”
   • [claimed-docs] “One call returns a store's whole schema at runtime: every model—standard, merchant custom and app-installed alike—with field types and relat…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

3. ai-native userTest against a sandbox environment without touching production data

   weight 1 · round to BigCommerce
   BigCommerce✓fullclaimed8/10

   BigCommerce's developer docs explicitly describe creating a sandbox store ('Partner Use Sandbox') and a free trial store to 'test API calls and build integrations without affecting live data,' plus an in-browser Request Runner for experimenting with REST calls safely. This directly satisfies the story of testing without touching production data. Missing for 10: independent/hands-on community confirmation that the sandbox behaves identically to production and any AI-agent-specific sandbox tooling.

   • [claimed-docs] “Sign up for a free BigCommerce trial store to test API calls and build integrations without affecting live data.”
   • [claimed-docs] “To create a sandbox for your own general use, select **Partner Use Sandbox**”
   • [claimed-docs] “You can experiment with our REST Management APIs using the **Request Runner**, which is built in to the [API Reference]”
   • [claimed-docs] “BigCommerce offers three types of OAuth-based API accounts to developers who wish to use BigCommerce's REST APIs: store-level credentials, a…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Swell~partialclaimed6/10

   Swell provides environment-specific API keys (sk_test_ vs sk_live_) that route to a store's test environment, and CLI commands reference a 'development store' for pushing configs, indicating a sandbox distinct from production data. However, there's no explicit AI-native workflow documentation tying this test environment to agentic testing loops, and the AI-focused docs emphasize schema/model generation rather than sandbox isolation explicitly. Missing for 10: explicit documentation of an AI agent using the test environment in its validate-deploy-verify loop, and independent/hands-on confirmation that sandbox data is fully isolated from production.

   • [claimed-docs] “Keys are environment-specific: secret keys prefixed sk_test_ route requests to your store's test environment, while sk_live_ keys target liv…”
   • [claimed-docs] “swell app push: push configuration files to a development store”
   • [claimed-docs] “Switch your current default store.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Install once and your agent picks up the file contract, the CLI and the validate-deploy-verify loop.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

4. ai-native userRely on versioned APIs with a documented deprecation policy

   weight 2 · round drawn
   BigCommerce—none0/10

   The evidence pack documents BigCommerce's REST/GraphQL APIs, sandboxes, and API account scopes, but nowhere mentions API versioning schemes or a documented deprecation/sunset policy for endpoints. missing for 10: explicit API version numbering scheme, deprecation notice process, sunset timelines, changelog of breaking changes.

   • [claimed-docs] “The BigCommerce suite of APIs empowers you to create apps, automate store processes, and build headless ecommerce solutions.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Use REST and GraphQL APIs to manage products, orders, customers, and store settings programmatically.”
   • [claimed-docs] “BigCommerce offers three types of OAuth-based API accounts to developers who wish to use BigCommerce's REST APIs: store-level credentials, a…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Swell—none0/10

   No evidence pack item mentions API versioning or a deprecation policy; probes for openapi.json/llms.txt also failed, suggesting no discoverable machine-readable API spec either. This is a fair question for an API-driven commerce platform, but nothing in the evidence supports it.

   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://developers.swell.is/llms.txt”
   • [probe] “PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://developers.swell.is/openapi.json, https://developers.swell.is/swagger.json, https://develope…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Agent discovery

1. ai-native userMy products are discoverable by AI agents and answer engines through a cross-merchant catalog or feed built for agents

   weight 2 · round drawn
   BigCommerce—none0/10

   Evidence shows BigCommerce's developer docs and APIs (REST/GraphQL, headless storefronts, an llms.txt for AI agents to navigate developer docs) but nothing about a cross-merchant product catalog or feed designed to make individual merchants' products discoverable by AI agents/answer engines across the platform. The llms.txt probe is aimed at documentation discovery, not a product feed for agent commerce.

   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 200 at https://developer.bigcommerce.com/llms.txt # BigCommerce Docs > Build amazing commerce solutions powered by the…”
   • [claimed-docs] “GraphQL Storefront API overview”
   • [claimed-docs] “The BigCommerce suite of APIs empowers you to create apps, automate store processes, and build headless ecommerce solutions.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Swell—none0/10

   Swell's AI-related docs focus on making a single store's own schema/API programmatically accessible to developers/agents building on Swell (schema endpoint, JSON model generation, CLI), not on a cross-merchant catalog or feed that lets external AI agents or answer engines discover products across multiple Swell merchants. No evidence of a shared product feed, marketplace-wide index, or agent-facing discovery layer spanning stores.

   • [claimed-docs] “One call returns a store’s whole schema at runtime: every model—standard, merchant custom and app-installed alike—with field types and relat…”
   • [claimed-docs] “One call returns a store's whole schema at runtime: every model—standard, merchant custom and app-installed alike—with field types and relat…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Drop a JSON file into your app’s models/ directory and Swell generates the REST resource from it—fields, validation, relationships and lifec…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Drop a JSON file into your app's models/ directory and Swell generates the REST resource from it—fields, validation, relationships and lifec…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Agent ops

1. ai-native userAn agent can take an order through its post-purchase lifecycle — status, fulfillment, returns — via documented APIs and webhooks without a human in the admin

   weight 2 · round to BigCommerce
   BigCommerce~partialcommunity5/10

   BigCommerce documents REST/GraphQL APIs for managing orders programmatically and a webhooks system for event-driven integrations, which supports agent-driven order status/fulfillment automation without human admin interaction. However, the evidence never specifically documents returns/RMA endpoints, order-status-change webhook topics, or a fulfillment workflow API, and one community report raises concerns about API reliability/throttling under load. Missing for 10: explicit docs on returns/RMA API, order-status webhook event list, fulfillment API detail, and independent confirmation of reliable agent-driven order lifecycle automation.

   • [claimed-docs] “Use REST and GraphQL APIs to manage products, orders, customers, and store settings programmatically.”
   • [claimed-docs] “The BigCommerce suite of APIs empowers you to create apps, automate store processes, and build headless ecommerce solutions.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Webhooks”
   • [claimed-docs] “Overview | BigCommerce Docs”
   • [community] “I did try BigCommerce, but there were many issue with them. The software was very slow, and the app ecosystem was rather incomplete. From wh…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Swell—none0/10

   The evidence pack shows Swell has a backend API, webhooks for model events, and stock/inventory adjustment endpoints, but nothing documents order status tracking, fulfillment workflows, or returns/RMA processes exposed via API or webhook events. Without concrete evidence of order-lifecycle endpoints (status changes, fulfillment triggers, return creation/processing), there's no basis to say an agent can manage the full post-purchase lifecycle without human intervention in admin.

   • [claimed-docs] “Webhooks enable real-time communication between the Swell platform and external services, by subscribing to any number of model events.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Stock adjustments are used to keep track of inventory changes over time.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Webhooks can be configured to call a URL when a particular event occurs, enabling outgoing calls to external services.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Agentic checkout

1. ai-native userA shopping agent can discover my store's products and build carts through a documented agent-commerce endpoint on the store (MCP/UCP), not by scraping

   weight 3 · round drawn
   BigCommerce—none0/10

   Evidence shows only general REST/GraphQL APIs, webhooks, Catalyst, and an llms.txt for AI-assisted docs browsing — no documented MCP/UCP agent-commerce endpoint enabling an AI shopping agent to discover products and build carts is mentioned anywhere in the pack.

   • [claimed-docs] “The BigCommerce suite of APIs empowers you to create apps, automate store processes, and build headless ecommerce solutions.”
   • [claimed-docs] “GraphQL Storefront API overview”
   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 200 at https://developer.bigcommerce.com/llms.txt # BigCommerce Docs > Build amazing commerce solutions powered by the…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Swell—none0/10

   The evidence shows Swell's AI features target developers building on Swell (schema-introspection API for building resources, CLI tooling) rather than a documented agent-commerce endpoint (MCP/UCP) for external shopping agents to discover products or build carts. No mention of MCP, UCP, or a shopping-agent-facing commerce protocol appears anywhere in the pack, and probes for llms.txt/openapi discovery endpoints return 404.

   • [claimed-docs] “One call returns a store’s whole schema at runtime: every model—standard, merchant custom and app-installed alike—with field types and relat…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Install once and your agent picks up the file contract, the CLI and the validate-deploy-verify loop.”
   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://developers.swell.is/llms.txt”
   • [probe] “PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://developers.swell.is/openapi.json, https://developers.swell.is/swagger.json, https://develope…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

1. ai-native userPerform bulk operations across many items at once

   weight 2 · round to Swell
   BigCommerce~partialcommunity3/10

   BigCommerce documents REST and GraphQL APIs for programmatically managing products, orders, and customers (bigcommerce-docs-30, bigcommerce-docs-25), which could technically enable scripted bulk operations, but there is no explicit documentation of batch/bulk endpoints, rate-limit handling, or bulk-import tooling for AI-driven workflows. One community report also notes historical API throttling/reliability issues (bigcommerce-comm-4), suggesting bulk API use may face friction, though this is anecdotal and not a concrete documented failure of a specific bulk feature. Missing for 10: dedicated bulk/batch API documentation, explicit rate-limit or pagination guidance for large-scale operations, and independent verification of reliable bulk throughput.

   • [claimed-docs] “Use REST and GraphQL APIs to manage products, orders, customers, and store settings programmatically.”
   • [claimed-docs] “The BigCommerce suite of APIs empowers you to create apps, automate store processes, and build headless ecommerce solutions.”
   • [community] “I did try BigCommerce, but there were many issue with them. The software was very slow, and the app ecosystem was rather incomplete. From wh…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Swell~partialclaimed4/10

   Swell supports bulk product import/export via CSV (swell-docs-14) and bulk stock tracking (swell-docs-15, swell-docs-28), which are bulk-style operations, but there is no evidence of an AI-native bulk API (e.g., batch create/update/delete endpoints) or agent-driven bulk automation across arbitrary item sets. Missing for 10: documented bulk REST/GraphQL endpoints, agent-callable batch operations, and evidence of scale/performance guarantees for bulk actions.

   • [claimed-docs] “Seamlessly import or export products from CSV files, including product categories.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Create unique product variations with unlimited options and attributes. Track inventory of each variant in real-time.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Stock adjustments are used to keep track of inventory changes over time.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

2. ai-native userDefine rules that trigger actions automatically on events

   weight 3 · round to Swell
   BigCommerce~partialclaimed4/10

   BigCommerce provides webhooks that fire on store events, which can trigger external automation, but there's no evidence of a native rules engine allowing users to define conditional trigger-action automations within the platform itself. missing for 10: native if-this-then-that rules builder, documentation of event-to-action automation configuration, evidence of AI-native or no-code rule definition UI.

   • [claimed-docs] “Webhooks”
   • [claimed-docs] “Google Cloud Platform Pub/Sub Webhooks”
   • [claimed-docs] “Overview | BigCommerce Docs”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Swell~partialclaimed5/10

   Swell provides webhooks that subscribe to model lifecycle events and trigger calls to external services, plus serverless functions to run custom logic in response to those events, which together enable event-driven automation. However, there is no evidence of a dedicated no-code 'rules engine' or conditional trigger-action UI — automation requires writing webhook handlers/functions rather than defining declarative rules. Missing for 10: a visual/declarative rules builder, conditional logic beyond simple event subscription, and independent evidence of real-world automation use.

   • [claimed-docs] “Webhooks can be configured to call a URL when a particular event occurs, enabling outgoing calls to external services.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Webhooks enable real-time communication between the Swell platform and external services, by subscribing to any number of model events.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Data models can alter a store's database schema, either by adding fields to existing models (like products and orders) or creating completel…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Deploy serverless functions to customize logic and connect to external APIs.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Functions are deployed to edge data centers in 200+ locations and have no cold start time.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

3. ai-native userSchedule recurring jobs or workflows

   weight 2 · round drawn
   BigCommerce—none0/10

   No evidence of any scheduling, cron, or recurring workflow/job automation capability; evidence only covers APIs, webhooks, theming, and headless commerce features. missing for 10: any scheduler/cron API, workflow automation engine, or documented way to run recurring jobs.

   ⚑ flag

   Swell—none0/10

   Swell is an e-commerce platform with webhooks, functions, and a CLI, but no evidence describes any scheduling capability for recurring jobs or workflows (cron-like triggers, scheduled functions, or workflow automation timers).

   ⚑ flag

4. ai-native userVersion, review, and roll back my automations

   weight 1 · round drawn
   BigCommerce—none0/10

   No evidence of any versioning, review, or rollback mechanism for automations/workflows (e.g., webhooks, scripts, or app configs) in BigCommerce docs; evidence covers APIs, headless storefronts, and webhooks setup but nothing about version history, diffing, or reverting automation changes.

   • [claimed-docs] “Webhooks”
   • [claimed-docs] “Google Cloud Platform Pub/Sub Webhooks”
   • [claimed-docs] “Overview | BigCommerce Docs”
   • [claimed-docs] “The BigCommerce suite of APIs empowers you to create apps, automate store processes, and build headless ecommerce solutions.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Swell—none0/10

   Swell is an e-commerce platform; there's no evidence of version control, review workflows, or rollback capability for automations/workflows—CLI push and app config exist but no versioning/review/rollback of automation logic is documented.

   ⚑ flag

B2b

1. merchantSell B2B and wholesale — customer-specific price lists, volume pricing, quotes or net-terms invoicing — alongside DTC

   weight 2 · round to BigCommerce
   BigCommerce✓fullclaimed7/10

   BigCommerce documents a dedicated 'B2B Edition' offering company accounts, quotes, and custom pricing for wholesale/enterprise buyers alongside standard DTC storefronts, directly matching the story's core asks (customer-specific pricing, quotes, B2B accounts). Missing for 10: explicit detail on volume/tiered pricing rules, net-terms invoicing workflow specifics, and independent/hands-on corroboration of B2B Edition in practice.

   • [claimed-docs] “B2B ecommerce built for how business buyers actually buy”
   • [claimed-docs] “B2B ecommerce built for how business buyers actually buy | BigCommerce”
   • [claimed-docs] “Set up B2B Edition for wholesale and enterprise buyers with company accounts, quotes, and custom pricing.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Swell~partialclaimed5/10

   Swell documents customer-group price rules for wholesale/VIP accounts, tiered-price breaks, and running wholesale and retail from a single catalog/dashboard, covering price-list and volume-pricing needs. However, there is no evidence of quote generation or net-terms invoicing functionality anywhere in the pack. missing for 10: quote workflows, net-terms invoicing support, independent/hands-on corroboration of B2B pricing in practice.

   • [claimed-docs] “Use price rules for specific customer groups like wholesale accounts/VIPs, and offer tiered-price breaks.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Run your wholesale and retail operations from a single catalog and dashboard.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Assign specific roles and permissions to team members for better control.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Catalog

1. merchantModel products with variants, options, and custom fields/metafields that fit my catalog, not a fixed template

   weight 3 · round to Swell
   BigCommerce—none0/10

   The axis clearly applies to an ecommerce platform, but the evidence pack contains no documentation or community mentions of product variants, options, custom fields, or metafields — only generic references to REST/GraphQL APIs for 'managing products' and building headless storefronts. Missing for 10: any docs on variant/option modeling, custom fields, or metafield support, and any independent confirmation of catalog flexibility beyond a fixed template.

   • [claimed-docs] “Use REST and GraphQL APIs to manage products, orders, customers, and store settings programmatically.”
   • [claimed-docs] “The BigCommerce suite of APIs empowers you to create apps, automate store processes, and build headless ecommerce solutions.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Swell✓fullclaimed9/10

   Strong first-party documentation covers variants/options, custom fields, and extensible data models, but lacks independent/hands-on corroboration. missing for 10: independent verification or hands-on demonstration of custom field/metafield modeling in practice.

   • [claimed-docs] “Create unique product variations with unlimited options and attributes. Track inventory of each variant in real-time.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Integrate business data and custom content with your catalog using custom models and fields.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Data models can alter a store's database schema, either by adding fields to existing models (like products and orders) or creating completel…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Add functionality to the dashboard and backend API with custom models.”
   • [claimed-docs] “One call returns a store’s whole schema at runtime: every model—standard, merchant custom and app-installed alike—with field types and relat…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Catalog ops

1. operations leadBulk import, export, and edit the catalog — CSV or API — without touching products one at a time

   weight 2 · round to Swell
   BigCommerce~partialcommunity5/10

   Docs confirm REST/GraphQL APIs to programmatically manage products, orders, and store settings (bigcommerce-docs-30, bigcommerce-docs-25), which supports bulk catalog operations via API, but there is no explicit documentation of a native CSV bulk import/export tool for the catalog in this evidence pack, and one community report flags historical API reliability/throttling issues (bigcommerce-comm-4). missing for 10: explicit CSV import/export feature docs, UI walkthrough for bulk edit, independent confirmation of reliable bulk operations at scale.

   • [claimed-docs] “Use REST and GraphQL APIs to manage products, orders, customers, and store settings programmatically.”
   • [claimed-docs] “The BigCommerce suite of APIs empowers you to create apps, automate store processes, and build headless ecommerce solutions.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Navigate to **Settings > API Accounts** in your store control panel. Create credentials with the scopes you need.”
   • [community] “I did try BigCommerce, but there were many issue with them. The software was very slow, and the app ecosystem was rather incomplete. From wh…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Swell~partialclaimed6/10

   Swell explicitly documents CSV import/export for products and categories, plus a full backend API (with official Node/PHP libraries) that could support bulk editing programmatically. However, there's no direct evidence of a bulk edit UI or batch-update API endpoint distinct from one-at-a-time product edits, and no independent/hands-on corroboration of CSV import/export reliability at scale. Missing for 10: documented bulk-edit UI or batch API endpoint, independent verification of CSV import/export at scale.

   • [claimed-docs] “Seamlessly import or export products from CSV files, including product categories.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Official libraries for the Swell API are available for Node and PHP.”
   • [claimed-docs] “authenticate with basic auth using your store ID as the username and a secret key as the password”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Inventory

1. operations leadInventory tracks across multiple locations with stock adjustments and fulfillment from the right warehouse

   weight 2 · round to Swell
   BigCommerce—none0/10

   Evidence covers headless storefront APIs, theming, B2B, webhooks, and general API tooling, but nothing addresses multi-location inventory tracking, stock adjustments, or location-based fulfillment routing. missing for 10: multi-location inventory API/docs, stock adjustment workflows, warehouse-based fulfillment logic, any first-party or community confirmation of these capabilities.

   ⚑ flag

   Swell~partialclaimed5/10

   Swell documents stock adjustments (swell-docs-28) and real-time variant inventory tracking (swell-docs-15), but there is no explicit evidence of multi-location/multi-warehouse inventory tracking or location-based fulfillment routing. missing for 10: multi-location inventory data model, per-location stock levels, warehouse/location-based fulfillment routing logic, and any hands-on confirmation of these features.

   • [claimed-docs] “Stock adjustments are used to keep track of inventory changes over time.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Create unique product variations with unlimited options and attributes. Track inventory of each variant in real-time.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Checkout

1. developerCustomize checkout — fields, branding, discounts, and validation logic — through supported extension points rather than forking checkout

   weight 3 · round to BigCommerce
   BigCommerce~partialclaimed5/10

   BigCommerce explicitly advertises the ability to 'extend checkout' via its developer platform and provides a dedicated Checkout SDK (checkout-sdk-js) as a supported extension point rather than requiring a full checkout fork [bigcommerce-docs-3][bigcommerce-docs-36]. However, the evidence pack gives no detail on specific extension points for custom fields, branding theming, discount logic, or validation rules within checkout, nor any independent/hands-on confirmation that these specific capabilities work as described. Missing for 10: documented API/SDK methods for custom checkout fields, branding customization, discount rule injection, and validation logic, plus independent developer corroboration of these specific capabilities.

   • [claimed-docs] “Create single-click apps for the BigCommerce marketplace, build custom integrations, or extend checkout.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Checkout SDK | SDK | [checkout-sdk-js]”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Swell~partialclaimed4/10

   Swell offers general extension mechanisms—serverless functions for custom logic, webhooks, custom models/fields, and Liquid theme customization—that could plausibly be applied to checkout, and cross-sell/upsell at checkout is mentioned, but there is no documentation specifically describing checkout page field customization, checkout branding controls, or checkout-specific validation hooks as a supported extension point. Missing for 10: explicit checkout page/field customization API or theme section, checkout-specific validation hook docs, discount/promo configuration tied to checkout flow, and any hands-on example of extending checkout without forking.

   • [claimed-docs] “Deploy serverless functions to customize logic and connect to external APIs.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Functions are deployed to edge data centers in 200+ locations and have no cold start time.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Integrate business data and custom content with your catalog using custom models and fields.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Webhooks enable real-time communication between the Swell platform and external services, by subscribing to any number of model events.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Add functionality to the dashboard and backend API with custom models.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Increase sales with cross-sells and upsells on product pages and at checkout.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Create themes using Liquid, with compatibility for Shopify theme tags, filters and objects, supported by our visual theme editor.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

2. merchantBuyers can pay with accelerated wallets — Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, platform one-click — without re-entering details

   weight 2 · round to Swell
   BigCommerce—none0/10

   Evidence pack mentions a general payments page (bigcommerce-docs-14/23) but provides no specifics about Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, or one-click wallet checkout support; no documentation or community confirmation of accelerated wallet checkout flows. missing for 10: mention of specific wallet integrations (Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal one-click), checkout flow details, or merchant/customer confirmation of wallet usage.

   • [claimed-docs] “Ecommerce Payment Providers & Credit Card Solutions”
   • [claimed-docs] “Ecommerce Payment Providers & Credit Card Solutions | BigCommerce”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Swell~partialclaimed4/10

   Changelog entries confirm Apple Pay support for subscriptions via Braintree and a PayPal gateway integration, showing some accelerated-wallet capability, but there's no evidence of Google Pay, platform one-click checkout, or broad (non-subscription) Apple Pay support at general checkout. missing for 10: Google Pay support, platform one-click checkout evidence, confirmation Apple Pay works for all order types (not just subscriptions), independent/hands-on verification of wallet checkout flow.

   • [claimed-docs] “Added Apple Pay support for subscriptions via Braintree.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Implemented PayPal gateway for direct card payments”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Conversion

1. merchantAbandoned carts and checkouts trigger recovery emails or links so I can win the sale back

   weight 1 · round drawn
   BigCommerce—none0/10

   No evidence pack item mentions abandoned cart recovery, abandoned checkout emails, or cart recovery links; coverage focuses on APIs, headless architecture, webhooks, B2B, and theming, none of which address this specific merchant capability.

   ⚑ flag

   Swell—none0/10

   The evidence pack contains no mention of abandoned cart recovery, cart reminder emails, or checkout recovery links anywhere in Swell's documented features, changelog, or API docs; klaviyo and other marketing integrations are noted only for unrelated SMS opt-in.

   ⚑ flag

App dev

1. developerBuild custom apps and extensions with official SDKs, scaffolding tooling, and a documented review/distribution path

   weight 2 · round drawn
   BigCommerce~partialcommunity6/10

   BigCommerce documents a broad developer toolkit — REST/GraphQL APIs, Checkout SDK, API Clients, Catalyst (Next.js) and Stencil (Handlebars) scaffolding, sandbox/trial stores, OAuth API accounts, and a single-click app marketplace for distribution — giving solid first-party coverage of SDKs, scaffolding, and a distribution channel. However, there's no detailed documented app review/certification workflow, and hands-on community reports describe the Stencil theming system as inconsistent and hard to work with and cite unreliable API connections/throttling, undercutting the polish of the developer experience. Missing for 10: an explicit documented app-review/certification process, a dedicated CLI scaffolding tool, and independent corroboration that the SDK/tooling experience is smooth in practice.

   • [claimed-docs] “Create single-click apps for the BigCommerce marketplace, build custom integrations, or extend checkout.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Accelerate your app development. Get started making API requests in the language of your choice with our API Clients.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Checkout SDK | SDK | [checkout-sdk-js]”
   • [claimed-docs] “Our open source design system. Use to build BigCommerce Apps that feel native inside the control panel.”
   • [claimed-docs] “To create a sandbox for your own general use, select **Partner Use Sandbox**”
   • [claimed-docs] “BigCommerce offers three types of OAuth-based API accounts to developers who wish to use BigCommerce's REST APIs: store-level credentials, a…”
   • [claimed-docs] “BigCommerce's Handlebars-based theme engine for building hosted storefronts.”
   • [community] “I did try BigCommerce, but there were many issue with them. The software was very slow, and the app ecosystem was rather incomplete. From wh…”
   • [community] “I've never had a worse webdev experience than attempting to create a BigCommerce theme. There are hundreds of theme files, and a maddeningly…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Swell~partialprobed6/10

   Swell provides a real developer toolkit: official Node/PHP SDKs, a CLI (`swell app init`, `push`) for scaffolding apps/themes, custom models/functions/webhooks for extending the platform, and theme distribution/upgrade/duplicate features tied to storefront apps like Proxima. However, evidence for a formal app review or marketplace submission/distribution process (beyond theme distribution) is thin, and probes show no discoverable OpenAPI/llms.txt for programmatic SDK generation. Missing for 10: explicit third-party app marketplace/review workflow, broader language SDK coverage, and independent verification of the CLI/SDK experience.

   • [claimed-docs] “swell app init: initialize an app in the current directory with a default config file and folder structure”
   • [claimed-docs] “Swell CLI is a command-line interface that helps you create and work with apps, themes, and storefronts.”
   • [claimed-docs] “swell app push: push configuration files to a development store”
   • [claimed-docs] “Official libraries for the Swell API are available for Node and PHP.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Data models can alter a store's database schema, either by adding fields to existing models (like products and orders) or creating completel…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Add functionality to the dashboard and backend API with custom models.”
   • [claimed-docs] “A storefront app, such as Proxima, may implement themes and thereby support the Swell Theme Editor as well as a number of storefront feature…”
   • [claimed-docs] “may implement themes and thereby support the Swell Theme Editor as well as a number of storefront features such as the ability to upgrade, d…”
   • [probe] “official CLI documented at https://developers.swell.is/apps/cli”
   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://developers.swell.is/llms.txt”
   • [probe] “PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://developers.swell.is/openapi.json, https://developers.swell.is/swagger.json, https://develope…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Apps

1. merchantExtend my store from a marketplace of vetted apps and extensions covering the long tail of features

   weight 3 · round to BigCommerce
   BigCommerce~partialcommunity5/10

   BigCommerce documents an app marketplace ('Over 1,200 apps to help you grow') and developer APIs to build single-click marketplace apps, but there's no detail on vetting/curation processes, and a hands-on community report describes the app ecosystem as 'rather incomplete' with API reliability issues. missing for 10: vetting/curation details, marketplace category breadth evidence, more recent independent corroboration of app quality/coverage.

   • [claimed-docs] “Over 1,200 apps to help you grow.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Create single-click apps for the BigCommerce marketplace, build custom integrations, or extend checkout.”
   • [community] “I did try BigCommerce, but there were many issue with them. The software was very slow, and the app ecosystem was rather incomplete. From wh…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Swell~partialclaimed4/10

   Swell provides a developer framework for building apps/extensions (CLI, functions, webhooks, custom models, themes) and ships one official storefront app (Proxima), but the evidence never describes a merchant-facing marketplace of vetted third-party apps that a merchant can browse and one-click install to cover long-tail features. This story's core—a marketplace ecosystem for merchants—is only implied by the developer app-building tooling, not demonstrated. Missing for 10: evidence of an actual app marketplace/directory, listing of third-party vetted apps, and a merchant-facing install flow beyond the single first-party Proxima app.

   • [claimed-docs] “swell app init: initialize an app in the current directory with a default config file and folder structure”
   • [claimed-docs] “Proxima is Swell's first official storefront app intended to help merchants get started quickly by supporting compatibility with the well-kn…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Install once and your agent picks up the file contract, the CLI and the validate-deploy-verify loop.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Swell CLI is a command-line interface that helps you create and work with apps, themes, and storefronts.”
   • [claimed-docs] “A storefront app, such as Proxima, may implement themes and thereby support the Swell Theme Editor as well as a number of storefront feature…”
   • [claimed-docs] “may implement themes and thereby support the Swell Theme Editor as well as a number of storefront features such as the ability to upgrade, d…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Functions

1. developerInject custom backend logic — discounts, shipping rules, validation — as serverless functions or hooks that run inside the platform

   weight 2 · round to Swell
   BigCommerce—none0/10

   Evidence shows only webhooks (event notifications), REST/GraphQL APIs, and third-party app integrations — none of which are serverless functions or hooks that execute custom backend logic (discounts, shipping, validation) inside the platform itself. Missing for 10: any documentation of a functions/hooks runtime, script execution environment, or in-platform custom logic injection comparable to Shopify Functions.

   • [claimed-docs] “Webhooks”
   • [claimed-docs] “Google Cloud Platform Pub/Sub Webhooks”
   • [claimed-docs] “Overview | BigCommerce Docs”
   • [claimed-docs] “Create single-click apps for the BigCommerce marketplace, build custom integrations, or extend checkout.”
   • [claimed-docs] “The BigCommerce suite of APIs empowers you to create apps, automate store processes, and build headless ecommerce solutions.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Swell✓fullclaimed8/10

   Swell explicitly supports deploying serverless 'functions' to customize logic and connect to external APIs, deployed at edge locations with no cold start, plus webhooks that subscribe to model events for custom validation/business logic, and custom models/data schema extension via the CLI/app framework — directly matching the story's discounts/shipping/validation-as-hooks use case. Missing for 10: no concrete first-party example of a discount/shipping-specific function, and no independent/hands-on corroboration beyond vendor docs.

   • [claimed-docs] “Deploy serverless functions to customize logic and connect to external APIs.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Functions are deployed to edge data centers in 200+ locations and have no cold start time.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Webhooks enable real-time communication between the Swell platform and external services, by subscribing to any number of model events.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Data models can alter a store's database schema, either by adding fields to existing models (like products and orders) or creating completel…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Add functionality to the dashboard and backend API with custom models.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Swell CLI is a command-line interface that helps you create and work with apps, themes, and storefronts.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Functions have no cold boots and do not require extra time to start up before executing your code.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Admin api

1. developerManage the full commerce lifecycle programmatically — create products, edit orders, issue refunds, trigger fulfillments — through the admin API

   weight 3 · round to Swell
   BigCommerce~partialcommunity6/10

   First-party docs confirm REST/GraphQL Admin APIs for managing products, orders, customers and store settings, with scoped API-account credentials and a sandbox for testing (bigcommerce-docs-30, docs-32, docs-38, docs-39) plus webhooks for event-driven workflows (bigcommerce-docs-5). However, the evidence never explicitly names refund or fulfillment-triggering endpoints, and one hands-on account reports the API was unreliable, suffering throttling/dropped connections (bigcommerce-comm-4), which tempers confidence in full lifecycle reliability. Missing for 10: explicit refund/fulfillment API documentation, independent verification of stable high-volume API usage, and third-party confirmation of full CRUD lifecycle beyond vendor docs.

   • [claimed-docs] “Use REST and GraphQL APIs to manage products, orders, customers, and store settings programmatically.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Navigate to **Settings > API Accounts** in your store control panel. Create credentials with the scopes you need.”
   • [claimed-docs] “To create a sandbox for your own general use, select **Partner Use Sandbox**”
   • [claimed-docs] “BigCommerce offers three types of OAuth-based API accounts to developers who wish to use BigCommerce's REST APIs: store-level credentials, a…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Webhooks”
   • [community] “I did try BigCommerce, but there were many issue with them. The software was very slow, and the app ecosystem was rather incomplete. From wh…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Swell✓fullprobed7/10

   Docs confirm a backend API with authentication (secret keys), stock adjustments, purchase links, product purchase options, official Node/PHP client libraries, and admin/backend workflows covering products, orders, stock, and purchase configuration — indicating broad programmatic control of commerce entities. However, explicit admin-API endpoints for issuing refunds and triggering fulfillments are not directly cited, and no OpenAPI spec or independent hands-on test of order/refund/fulfillment flows is available (openapi probes 404). missing for 10: explicit refund/fulfillment endpoint documentation, OpenAPI reference, independent/hands-on verification of order-edit and refund calls.

   • [claimed-docs] “Official libraries for the Swell API are available for Node and PHP.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Keys are environment-specific: secret keys prefixed sk_test_ route requests to your store's test environment, while sk_live_ keys target liv…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Purchase links allow you to configure a pre-selected group of products within a cart and direct a customer to its checkout through a designa…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Products can support both purchase options simultaneously.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Stock adjustments are used to keep track of inventory changes over time.”
   • [claimed-docs] “authenticate with basic auth using your store ID as the username and a secret key as the password”
   • [probe] “PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://developers.swell.is/openapi.json, https://developers.swell.is/swagger.json, https://develope…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Headless

1. developerBuild a fully custom headless storefront on a documented storefront API or first-party frontend framework

   weight 3 · round drawn
   BigCommerce✓fullcommunity8/10

   BigCommerce provides well-documented GraphQL Storefront API and a first-party headless frontend framework (Catalyst, built on Next.js), plus REST/GraphQL management APIs, SDKs, and sandbox tooling for developers to build fully custom storefronts (bigcommerce-docs-1, -2, -7, -18, -25, -29, -36). Community evidence corroborates decent API/dev experience for local development with live data (bigcommerce-comm-1), though older complaints exist about API reliability and Stencil theme complexity that are tangential to the modern headless stack. Missing for 10: recent independent hands-on validation specifically of Catalyst/GraphQL Storefront API at production scale, and clearer confirmation the API throttling issues (from older community reports) have been resolved.

   • [claimed-docs] “go fully headless with the GraphQL Storefront API”
   • [claimed-docs] “Build with Catalyst (Next.js), customize Stencil themes, or go fully headless”
   • [claimed-docs] “Catalyst: Headless Storefronts Made Easy”
   • [claimed-docs] “GraphQL Storefront API overview”
   • [claimed-docs] “The BigCommerce suite of APIs empowers you to create apps, automate store processes, and build headless ecommerce solutions.”
   • [claimed-docs] “or go fully headless with the GraphQL Storefront API.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Checkout SDK | SDK | [checkout-sdk-js]”
   • [community] “I actually helped my previous company migrate from Magento to BigCommerce, and found their offering incredibly compelling compared to Shopif…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Swell✓fullprobed8/10

   Swell provides a documented backend REST API with authentication, official Node/PHP libraries, and explicit support for building frontends 'with any framework,' plus a CLI and serverless functions for custom logic — all core pieces needed for a fully custom headless storefront (swell-docs-1,7,8,33,39). missing for 10: a discoverable OpenAPI/machine-readable spec (probe hits 404) and independent/hands-on developer corroboration beyond first-party docs.

   • [claimed-docs] “Build frontends for storefronts and admin workflows with any framework.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Deploy serverless functions to customize logic and connect to external APIs.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Official libraries for the Swell API are available for Node and PHP.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Keys are environment-specific: secret keys prefixed sk_test_ route requests to your store's test environment, while sk_live_ keys target liv…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Swell CLI is a command-line interface that helps you create and work with apps, themes, and storefronts.”
   • [claimed-docs] “authenticate with basic auth using your store ID as the username and a secret key as the password”
   • [probe] “PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://developers.swell.is/openapi.json, https://developers.swell.is/swagger.json, https://develope…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Channels

1. merchantList and sync products to external channels — marketplaces, social commerce, shopping feeds — from one catalog

   weight 2 · round to BigCommerce
   BigCommerce~partialclaimed3/10

   BigCommerce's marketing pages reference an 'Omnichannel Ecommerce Software Solution' and a large app marketplace (1,200+ apps) that could include channel-sync apps, but the evidence pack contains no concrete documentation of specific marketplace/social/shopping-feed integrations (e.g., Amazon, Google Shopping, Facebook/Instagram) or a dedicated channel-manager feature. Missing for 10: explicit docs on channel listing/sync workflows, named integrations (Amazon, eBay, Google Shopping, TikTok, Instagram), and any first-party or independent confirmation these work reliably.

   • [claimed-docs] “Omnichannel Ecommerce Software Solution”
   • [claimed-docs] “Omnichannel Ecommerce Software Solution | BigCommerce”
   • [claimed-docs] “Over 1,200 apps to help you grow.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Swell—none0/10

   Swell's evidence covers catalog management, CSV import/export, custom models, and webhooks/APIs for building integrations, but there is no mention of built-in or official connectors for marketplaces (Amazon, eBay), social commerce (Instagram/Facebook Shop), or shopping feeds (Google Shopping). Webhooks and APIs could theoretically be used to build such sync, but no evidence shows this capability shipped or documented as a channel-sync feature.

   • [claimed-docs] “Seamlessly import or export products from CSV files, including product categories.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Webhooks enable real-time communication between the Swell platform and external services, by subscribing to any number of model events.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Webhooks can be configured to call a URL when a particular event occurs, enabling outgoing calls to external services.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Global

1. merchantSell internationally with localized storefronts, multi-currency pricing, translations, and duties handled

   weight 2 · round to Swell
   BigCommerce~partialclaimed2/10

   BigCommerce's 'Multi-Site' solution promotes 'Multiple Brands and Regions' which gestures at localized storefronts, but the evidence pack contains no explicit documentation of multi-currency pricing, storefront translations, or duty/tax handling for international sales. Missing for 10: explicit multi-currency pricing docs, translation/localization tooling, duties/customs handling, and any independent confirmation these features work end-to-end.

   • [claimed-docs] “Multi-Site: One Platform, Multiple Brands and Regions”
   • [claimed-docs] “Multi-Site: One Platform, Multiple Brands and Regions | BigCommerce”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Swell~partialclaimed5/10

   Swell docs claim multi-language content and dynamic currency conversion with local-currency pricing via supported gateways (swell-docs-43), which covers localized storefronts and multi-currency/translation aspects of the story. However, there is no evidence addressing duties, customs, or cross-border tax handling, and no independent corroboration of the localization features in practice. Missing for 10: duties/customs handling, cross-border tax automation, hands-on/independent verification of translation and currency features.

   • [claimed-docs] “Localize your stores with multiple content languages and dynamic currency conversion, plus pricing in local currencies with supported paymen…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Pos

1. merchantSell in person with a point-of-sale that shares the same catalog, inventory, and customers as my online store

   weight 2 · round drawn
   BigCommerce—none0/10

   Evidence covers headless APIs, theming, B2B, multi-store, payments, and webhooks, but there is no mention of a native point-of-sale product or integration that syncs catalog/inventory/customers with a physical retail POS system. Omnichannel page is referenced but no details show POS capability.

   ⚑ flag

   Swell—none0/10

   No evidence pack item mentions a point-of-sale (POS) product, in-person selling, or a POS syncing with online catalog/inventory/customers; only wholesale/retail catalog unification (swell-docs-30) is mentioned, which is not POS. The axis is applicable since e-commerce platforms commonly offer POS integrations, but no evidence shows Swell delivers this.

   ⚑ flag

1. ai-native userDo everything through the API that I can do in the UI

   weight 2 · round to Swell
   BigCommerce~partialcommunity6/10

   BigCommerce documents broad REST and GraphQL API coverage for products, orders, customers, store settings, checkout, webhooks, B2B, and multi-store management, suggesting most UI operations have API equivalents, and even provides sandbox/trial environments and an API Request Runner for testing. However, there is no explicit vendor statement guaranteeing 100% UI-to-API parity, and a community report notes historical issues with reliably connecting to the API without throttling. Missing for 10: an explicit parity guarantee/documentation mapping every control-panel action to an API endpoint, and independent hands-on confirmation that all admin UI actions (e.g., full theme/store configuration) are API-accessible without gaps.

   • [claimed-docs] “The BigCommerce suite of APIs empowers you to create apps, automate store processes, and build headless ecommerce solutions.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Use REST and GraphQL APIs to manage products, orders, customers, and store settings programmatically.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Navigate to **Settings > API Accounts** in your store control panel. Create credentials with the scopes you need.”
   • [claimed-docs] “You can experiment with our REST Management APIs using the **Request Runner**, which is built in to the [API Reference]”
   • [claimed-docs] “To create a sandbox for your own general use, select **Partner Use Sandbox**”
   • [community] “I did try BigCommerce, but there were many issue with them. The software was very slow, and the app ecosystem was rather incomplete. From wh…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Swell~partialprobed7/10

   Swell is headless-commerce with a backend API, custom-model/schema introspection, webhooks and CLI, and docs explicitly state you can 'build frontends for storefronts and admin workflows with any framework,' implying API parity for admin-side tasks. However there's no explicit UI-to-API parity guarantee, no OpenAPI spec (404 on probes), and no independent confirmation that every UI action (e.g., theme editing, reporting) has an API equivalent. Missing for 10: explicit parity documentation, discoverable OpenAPI/schema spec, and third-party confirmation that all admin UI actions are API-accessible.

   • [claimed-docs] “Build frontends for storefronts and admin workflows with any framework.”
   • [claimed-docs] “One call returns a store’s whole schema at runtime: every model—standard, merchant custom and app-installed alike—with field types and relat…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Data models can alter a store's database schema, either by adding fields to existing models (like products and orders) or creating completel…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Swell CLI is a command-line interface that helps you create and work with apps, themes, and storefronts.”
   • [probe] “PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://developers.swell.is/openapi.json, https://developers.swell.is/swagger.json, https://develope…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

2. ai-native userExport all of my data in open formats and leave

   weight 3 · round to BigCommerce
   BigCommerce~partialclaimed4/10

   BigCommerce exposes REST and GraphQL APIs that can be used to pull products, orders, customers, and settings programmatically (bigcommerce-docs-30, bigcommerce-docs-25), which gives a technical path to extract data in open JSON formats, but there is no documented bulk 'export all my data' feature, data-portability guarantee, or migration-out tooling. missing for 10: explicit full-account data export/download feature, documented data portability/GDPR-style export policy, and evidence of successful full data migration away from BigCommerce.

   • [claimed-docs] “Use REST and GraphQL APIs to manage products, orders, customers, and store settings programmatically.”
   • [claimed-docs] “The BigCommerce suite of APIs empowers you to create apps, automate store processes, and build headless ecommerce solutions.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Use REST and Gra”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Swell~partialclaimed3/10

   Swell only documents CSV import/export for products and categories, not a comprehensive open-format export of all store data (orders, customers, custom models, etc.), and there's no documented full data-portability or account-closure export mechanism. Missing for 10: evidence of full-store data export (all models/entities) in open formats, a documented data portability/export-all endpoint, and any confirmation that a merchant can fully migrate away with all their data.

   • [claimed-docs] “Seamlessly import or export products from CSV files, including product categories.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

3. ai-native userRead the product's source under an open license

   weight 2 · round drawn
   BigCommerce—none0/10

   BigCommerce is a proprietary SaaS platform; no evidence indicates its core source code is published under an open license (only design system and SDKs like the Checkout SDK/design system are noted as open source, not the platform itself). missing for 10: any statement that BigCommerce's core product source is open-licensed or publicly viewable.

   • [claimed-docs] “Our open source design system. Use to build BigCommerce Apps that feel native inside the control panel.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Swell—none0/10

   Swell is a closed commercial SaaS platform; no evidence of any open-source license or public source repository is present in the evidence pack, and probes for open API/spec artifacts returned 404s.

   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://developers.swell.is/llms.txt”
   • [probe] “PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://developers.swell.is/openapi.json, https://developers.swell.is/swagger.json, https://develope…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Processing

1. merchantChoose among third-party payment gateways and charge in multiple currencies when the built-in option doesn't fit

   weight 2 · round to Swell
   BigCommerce~partialclaimed3/10

   BigCommerce has a dedicated payments page referencing multiple payment providers/credit card solutions, implying support for third-party gateways, but there is no explicit documentation confirming a marketplace of alternative gateways or multi-currency charging capability. missing for 10: explicit list/count of supported third-party payment gateways, documentation of multi-currency checkout/settlement support, and independent confirmation of gateway flexibility.

   • [claimed-docs] “Ecommerce Payment Providers & Credit Card Solutions”
   • [claimed-docs] “Ecommerce Payment Providers & Credit Card Solutions | BigCommerce”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Swell~partialclaimed5/10

   Evidence shows multiple third-party gateway integrations (PayPal, Braintree/Apple Pay) and multi-currency support via dynamic conversion and localized pricing with supported payment gateways, indicating merchants can use alternate gateways and multi-currency pricing. However, there's no evidence of a general gateway marketplace/plugin system letting merchants freely choose among many third-party gateways, nor detail on how currency charging interacts with each gateway. Missing for 10: comprehensive list/marketplace of supported gateways, clarity on which gateways support multi-currency charging, and independent confirmation of ease of switching gateways.

   • [claimed-docs] “Added Apple Pay support for subscriptions via Braintree.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Implemented PayPal gateway for direct card payments”
   • [claimed-docs] “Localize your stores with multiple content languages and dynamic currency conversion, plus pricing in local currencies with supported paymen…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

2. merchantTake payments with the platform's integrated processing — published card rates, payouts, and fraud tooling — without wiring a third-party gateway

   weight 3 · round to BigCommerce
   BigCommerce~partialclaimed3/10

   Evidence only shows a page title 'Ecommerce Payment Providers & Credit Card Solutions' (BigCommerce Payments) exists, confirming some integrated payments offering, but there is no detail on published card rates, payout schedules, or fraud tooling specifics, nor any independent confirmation it works without a third-party gateway. Missing for 10: documented rate sheet, payout timing details, fraud/chargeback tooling specifics, and hands-on/community corroboration of using it without a third-party gateway.

   • [claimed-docs] “Ecommerce Payment Providers & Credit Card Solutions”
   • [claimed-docs] “Ecommerce Payment Providers & Credit Card Solutions | BigCommerce”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Swell—none0/10

   Evidence shows Swell relies on third-party gateways (PayPal, Braintree) for payment processing rather than offering its own integrated processing with published card rates, payouts, or fraud tooling. No mention of native rates, payout schedules, or fraud tools is present anywhere in the evidence pack.

   • [claimed-docs] “Added Apple Pay support for subscriptions via Braintree.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Implemented PayPal gateway for direct card payments”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

1. ai-native userChoose where my data is stored (region/residency)

   weight 2 · round drawn
   BigCommerce—none0/10

   No evidence of data residency/region selection controls anywhere in the pack; docs only cover APIs, theming, headless commerce, and multi-store branding, none of which address data storage location choice.

   ⚑ flag

   Swell—none0/10

   No evidence in the pack mentions data residency, region selection, or hosting location choices for stores or data; Swell's docs focus on functions, themes, CLI, and commerce features without addressing data storage location controls.

   ⚑ flag

2. ai-native userControl data retention and deletion

   weight 2 · round drawn
   BigCommerce—none0/10

   No evidence addresses AI-native data retention/deletion controls—nothing about data lifecycle policies, deletion APIs, or retention settings for AI agents or data processed by AI tools; evidence only covers commerce APIs, theming, and app ecosystem.

   ⚑ flag

   Swell—none0/10

   Swell is an e-commerce platform; the evidence pack covers catalog, storefront, apps, and API features but contains no mention of data retention policies, deletion controls, or privacy/data-lifecycle management for AI-native users or otherwise. No evidence exists to support this axis being delivered.

   ⚑ flag

3. ai-native userOpt out of telemetry and usage tracking

   weight 2 · round drawn
   BigCommerce—none0/10

   No evidence in the pack addresses telemetry/usage-tracking opt-out controls for AI-native users; all docs and community items concern APIs, theming, and commerce features. missing for 10: any mention of telemetry, analytics opt-out, or privacy/data-collection settings.

   ⚑ flag

   Swell—none0/10

   No evidence in the pack addresses telemetry, usage tracking, or opt-out mechanisms for Swell's CLI, apps, or AI tooling; the pack covers commerce features and developer tooling but never mentions data collection or privacy settings.

   ⚑ flag

Content

1. merchantManage content — pages, blogs, media — alongside my products from the same admin

   weight 1 · round drawn
   BigCommerce—none0/10

   The evidence pack covers storefront theming (Stencil), headless APIs, webhooks, and apps, but contains no mention of an admin-side content/blog/pages/media management module for merchants; the only content-adjacent evidence is about theme file structure and API-driven storefront building, not admin content authoring.

   ⚑ flag

   Swell—none0/10

   The evidence pack shows Swell's admin covers products, categories, pricing, inventory, subscriptions, and custom data models, but there is no mention of built-in pages, blog, or media management features in the admin UI — only vague 'custom content' via custom models (swell-docs-19), which is not the same as a CMS/blog/media library. No documentation of pages, blogs, or media assets being managed alongside products.

   ⚑ flag

Theme dev

1. developerCustomize storefront code with a documented templating layer, local preview, and version-controlled theme deploys

   weight 2 · round to Swell
   BigCommerce!disputedcontradicted5/10

   BigCommerce documents a Handlebars-based theme engine (Stencil) as its templating layer, and a hands-on HN comment confirms local development with live product data. However another hands-on account describes the same theme system as having 'hundreds of theme files' and a 'maddeningly incomplete and inconsistent templating tag system,' directly contradicting the claim that customization is well-documented and smooth. Missing for 10: no dedicated docs on Stencil CLI local preview workflow, no explicit version-controlled/git-based theme deploy pipeline evidence, and no independent corroboration resolving the conflicting community reports.

   • [claimed-docs] “BigCommerce's Handlebars-based theme engine for building hosted storefronts.”
   • [claimed-docs] “BigCommerce’s Handlebars-based theme engine for building hosted storefronts.”
   • [community] “I actually helped my previous company migrate from Magento to BigCommerce, and found their offering incredibly compelling compared to Shopif…”
   • [community] “I've never had a worse webdev experience than attempting to create a BigCommerce theme. There are hundreds of theme files, and a maddeningly…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Swell~partialclaimed7/10

   Swell documents a Liquid-based templating layer with Shopify-theme compatibility and a visual theme editor, plus a CLI (`swell app init`, `swell app push`) for creating apps/themes and pushing configs to a development store, which supports a deploy workflow. However there's no explicit mention of a local preview server or git-based version-controlled deploy pipeline beyond pushing to a dev store. missing for 10: explicit local preview/dev-server tooling, explicit version-control (git) integration for theme deploys, independent/hands-on confirmation of the workflow.

   • [claimed-docs] “Create themes using Liquid, with compatibility for Shopify theme tags, filters and objects, supported by our visual theme editor.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Proxima is Swell's first official storefront app intended to help merchants get started quickly by supporting compatibility with the well-kn…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Swell CLI is a command-line interface that helps you create and work with apps, themes, and storefronts.”
   • [claimed-docs] “swell app init: initialize an app in the current directory with a default config file and folder structure”
   • [claimed-docs] “swell app push: push configuration files to a development store”
   • [claimed-docs] “A storefront app, such as Proxima, may implement themes and thereby support the Swell Theme Editor as well as a number of storefront feature…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Themes

1. merchantLaunch a polished storefront from professionally designed themes and customize layout, sections, and branding without code

   weight 3 · round to BigCommerce
   BigCommerce~partialcommunity6/10

   BigCommerce docs confirm a Stencil theme engine for hosted storefronts and marketing copy stating stores can be built 'with or without code,' implying pre-designed themes plus customization options, alongside marketplace apps for extending functionality (bigcommerce-docs-6, bigcommerce-docs-8, bigcommerce-docs-10). However, a hands-on community account explicitly describes BigCommerce theme customization as one of the worst web-dev experiences due to 'hundreds of theme files' and an 'inconsistent templating tag system' (bigcommerce-comm-6), undercutting the no-code simplicity claim for anything beyond basic use. Missing for 10: explicit documentation of a visual drag-and-drop page builder/section editor for non-technical merchants, a gallery of professionally designed themes, and independent praise confirming ease of no-code branding/layout changes.

   • [claimed-docs] “BigCommerce's Handlebars-based theme engine for building hosted storefronts.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Build your store with or without code.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Over 1,200 apps to help you grow.”
   • [community] “I've never had a worse webdev experience than attempting to create a BigCommerce theme. There are hundreds of theme files, and a maddeningly…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Swell~partialclaimed5/10

   Swell offers a visual theme editor and Liquid-based themes compatible with Shopify Online Store 2.0 structure, plus a first-party storefront app (Proxima) meant to help merchants get started quickly and customize look/feel, along with no-code drag-and-drop category management. However, the bulk of Swell's documentation frames storefronts as developer-built (custom frontends, CLI, JSON model files, functions), suggesting the 'no-code for merchants' experience is thinner than the theme-editor claim implies, and there's no evidence of a marketplace of multiple professionally designed themes beyond Proxima. Missing for 10: evidence of a broader theme marketplace, hands-on/independent proof the visual editor supports full no-code section/layout customization, and clarity on how much coding is truly unnecessary for typical merchants.

   • [claimed-docs] “Create themes using Liquid, with compatibility for Shopify theme tags, filters and objects, supported by our visual theme editor.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Themes are optionally implemented by storefront apps to make it easier for merchants to customize the look and feel of their store.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Design category trees to help your customers find products. Manage it all with simple drag-and-drop.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Proxima is Swell's first official storefront app intended to help merchants get started quickly by supporting compatibility with the well-kn…”
   • [claimed-docs] “A storefront app, such as Proxima, may implement themes and thereby support the Swell Theme Editor as well as a number of storefront feature…”
   • [claimed-docs] “may implement themes and thereby support the Swell Theme Editor as well as a number of storefront features such as the ability to upgrade, d…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Shipping

1. operations leadCheckout shows live carrier rates and I can buy labels and track shipments from the platform

   weight 2 · round drawn
   BigCommerce—none0/10

   No evidence pack items reference live carrier rate shopping, label purchasing, or shipment tracking within BigCommerce checkout; the evidence focuses on APIs, theming, headless commerce, and marketplace apps, not shipping/carrier integration. This is a fair axis for an ecommerce platform (shipping apps and carrier integrations are common in the category), but nothing shows BigCommerce natively delivers it.

   ⚑ flag

   Swell—none0/10

   No evidence of live carrier rate shopping, label purchasing, or shipment tracking integrations anywhere in the evidence pack; only stock adjustments and general inventory tracking are mentioned, which is unrelated to shipping/carrier functionality.

   ⚑ flag

Taxes

1. merchantSales tax and VAT are calculated automatically per jurisdiction, with rates kept current and reports I can file from

   weight 2 · round drawn
   BigCommerce—none0/10

   No evidence pack items mention tax/VAT calculation, jurisdiction-based rates, rate updates, or tax filing/reporting features; the evidence covers APIs, theming, headless commerce, and B2B/webhooks instead.

   ⚑ flag

   Swell—none0/10

   No evidence in the pack mentions automatic sales tax or VAT calculation, jurisdiction-based rate updates, or tax filing/reporting; the pack only covers themes, apps, CLI, catalog, and dev tooling.

   ⚑ flag