{ "data": { "a": { "slug": "bigcommerce", "name": "BigCommerce API + MCP", "vendor": "BigCommerce (Commerce.com)", "vendorUrl": "https://www.bigcommerce.com", "kind": "http-api", "category": "commerce", "summary": "Hosted commerce platform with REST management APIs for catalogue, carts, checkouts, orders and customers, a GraphQL Storefront API, and a beta storefront MCP server that lets an agent search products, build a cart and get a checkout link.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/bigcommerce", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/bigcommerce.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/bigcommerce.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/bigcommerce.json", "transports": [ "http", "streamable-http" ], "remoteUrl": "https://api.bigcommerce.com", "packages": [], "auth": "mixed", "authNotes": "Store-level API accounts give a static access token sent as X-Auth-Token, limited by OAuth scopes chosen at creation. Apps get per-store tokens through OAuth. The GraphQL Storefront API takes a JWT. The storefront MCP URL needs no key for guest shopping, and logged-in shoppers connect through Storefront Session Sync.", "pricing": "paid", "pricingNotes": "Core $39 a month or $29 billed yearly (up to $30K trailing 12-month GMV), Growth $105 or $79 (up to $100K), Scale $399 or $299 (up to $33,333 GMV a month, 0.9% on GMV above that), Performance from $1,499 a month billed yearly. No fee on orders through embedded payment providers. Orders through other providers pay 2.0% of GMV on Core, 1.0% on Growth and 0.6% on Scale. Card processing from 2.89% + $0.29. 15-day free trial with no card needed (https://www.bigcommerce.com/essentials/pricing/).", "priceSummary": "$39 / mo", "where": "hosted", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402. The MCP hands the shopper a checkout URL and payment happens in the store's checkout.", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": 7, "popularity": { "githubStars": null, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-09-30" }, "docsUrl": "https://docs.bigcommerce.com/developer/docs/overview/quick-start", "llmsTxt": "https://docs.bigcommerce.com/llms.txt", "capabilities": [ "commerce.products", "commerce.cart", "commerce.checkout", "commerce.orders", "commerce.headless" ], "tags": [ "hosted", "closed-source", "mcp", "llms-txt", "webhooks", "enterprise" ], "lastRelease": "2026-09-30", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 64.3, "grade": "B", "agentReady": false, "rank": 254, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 629, "categoryRank": 8, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 62, "maintenance": 82, "payments": 40, "reliability": 62, "schema": 66, "security": 70, "transparency": 76 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-01" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "Published rate limits per plan, with X-Rate-Limit-Time-Reset-Ms on every 429. Storefront MCP is beta, switched on per store, has no back-office tools and documents no tool annotations.", "bestFor": "Agents working with existing BigCommerce stores, for back-office automation through REST or guest shopping through the MCP.", "strengths": [ "Published rate limits per plan, with X-Rate-Limit-Time-Reset-Ms on every 429", "PCI DSS Level 1, SOC 1, 2 and 3, and ISO 27001, 27017, 27018 and 27701 listed in the trust centre", "Guest shopping through the storefront MCP with no key", "Changelog updated almost daily, ten entries on 29 and 30 September 2026", "15-day free trial with no card, and official API clients for Python, PHP, Ruby and Node" ], "weaknesses": [ "Storefront MCP is beta, switched on per store, has no back-office tools and documents no tool annotations", "Access tokens never expire and can't be rotated in place", "No current public OpenAPI file and no error-format reference. The old spec repo was archived in December 2023", "About 30 status-page incidents between 6 July and 1 October 2026, the longest about 16 hours of degraded search on a subset of stores", "Rate-limit quota is shared by every app on the store" ], "agentNotes": [ "Give the agent a store-level API account with only the scopes the task needs, and delete it when done", "On a 429, wait X-Rate-Limit-Time-Reset-Ms before retrying", "Expect up to 10 minutes after a store owner enables the MCP before the URL answers", "The MCP stops at a checkout URL. Payment happens in the shopper's browser", "Point a coding agent at the docs MCP at https://docs.bigcommerce.com/_mcp/server" ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 2, "avgRating": 3, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "B", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 64.3 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 62, "maintenance": 82, "payments": 40, "reliability": 62, "schema": 66, "security": 70, "transparency": 65 }, "provenanceScore": 87 }, "connect": { "http": "curl \"https://api.bigcommerce.com/stores/$BC_STORE_HASH/v3/catalog/products?limit=5\" \\\n -H \"X-Auth-Token: $BC_ACCESS_TOKEN\" -H \"Accept: application/json\"", "claudeCode": "claude mcp add --transport http bigcommerce \u003cyour-storefront-mcp-url\u003e", "config": { "mcpServers": { "bigcommerce": { "type": "streamable-http", "url": "\u003cyour-storefront-mcp-url\u003e" } } } }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/commerce.products", "tool": "https://letme.dev/bigcommerce" }, "area": "business", "unitPrices": [ { "item": "Core", "unit": "month", "usd": 39, "note": "$29 billed yearly, up to $30K trailing 12-month GMV" }, { "item": "Growth", "unit": "month", "usd": 105, "note": "$79 billed yearly, up to $100K trailing 12-month GMV" }, { "item": "Scale", "unit": "month", "usd": 399, "note": "$299 billed yearly, up to $33,333 GMV a month" }, { "item": "Scale GMV overage", "unit": "pct", "usd": 0.9, "note": "on GMV above $33,333 a month" }, { "item": "Open payment provider fee on Core", "unit": "pct", "usd": 2, "note": "1.0% on Growth, 0.6% on Scale, none through embedded providers" } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Commerce.com US, Inc.", "domain": "bigcommerce.com", "domainRegistered": "1999-02-08", "domainNote": "bigcommerce.com was registered in 1999, a decade before BigCommerce launched in 2009.", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "https://www.commerce.com/terms/", "privacy": "https://www.commerce.com/privacy/", "statusPage": "https://status.bigcommerce.com", "changelog": "https://docs.bigcommerce.com/developer/changelog", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-09-30", "notes": [ "bigcommerce.com terms and privacy pages redirect to commerce.com after the company's rename to Commerce", "Developer docs moved from developer.bigcommerce.com to docs.bigcommerce.com" ], "score": 87 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/bigcommerce.json", "live": { "slug": "bigcommerce", "probe": { "target": "https://api.bigcommerce.com", "method": "get", "lastAt": "2026-10-08T19:08:40.860634583Z", "lastOk": true, "lastStatus": 404, "lastMs": 219, "authRequired": false, "uptime24h": 100, "uptime30d": 100, "p50ms24h": 180, "p95ms24h": 254, "samples24h": 272, "samples30d": 2135, "days": [ { "date": "2026-09-30", "probes": 35, "ok": 35 }, { "date": "2026-10-01", "probes": 276, "ok": 276 }, { "date": "2026-10-02", "probes": 248, "ok": 248 }, { "date": "2026-10-03", "probes": 271, "ok": 271 }, { "date": "2026-10-04", "probes": 272, "ok": 272 }, { "date": "2026-10-05", "probes": 272, "ok": 272 }, { "date": "2026-10-06", "probes": 272, "ok": 272 }, { "date": "2026-10-07", "probes": 272, "ok": 272 }, { "date": "2026-10-08", "probes": 217, "ok": 217 } ] }, "vendorStatus": { "page": "https://status.bigcommerce.com", "indicator": "none", "summary": "All Systems Operational", "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T19:06:27.657024828Z" }, "securityTxt": { "url": "https://bigcommerce.com/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "none", "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T15:38:56.327512566Z" }, "llmsTxt": { "url": "https://docs.bigcommerce.com/llms.txt", "ok": true, "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T14:00:08.835519824Z" }, "domain": { "domain": "bigcommerce.com", "registered": "1999-02-08", "source": "https://rdap.verisign.com/com/v1/domain/bigcommerce.com", "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T13:07:08.952554633Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://docs.bigcommerce.com/developer/changelog", "kind": "changelog", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:18:18.140843654Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-08T18:18:18.140843654Z", "fingerprint": "ccac101416ea" }, { "url": "https://www.bigcommerce.com/essentials/pricing/", "kind": "pricing", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:26:35.136808922Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "8308d2d7d973" }, { "url": "https://www.commerce.com/privacy/", "kind": "privacy", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:27:09.734548975Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "97b18b89f031" }, { "url": "https://www.commerce.com/terms/", "kind": "terms", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:27:14.122112427Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "e6f9d805efcb" } ], "updatedAt": "2026-10-08T19:08:40.860634583Z" } }, "answer": "Square scores 69.2 (B) on agent readiness against BigCommerce API + MCP's 64.3 (B), and leads in 2 of 7 scored categories. BigCommerce API + MCP leads on transparency \u0026 trust.", "b": { "slug": "square", "name": "Square", "vendor": "Block, Inc.", "vendorUrl": "https://squareup.com", "kind": "http-api", "category": "commerce", "summary": "Square is Block's commerce and payments platform for sellers. Its REST API covers catalogue, orders, payment links, payments, inventory and customers, with seven SDKs and a beta MCP server hosted at mcp.squareup.com.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/square", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/square.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/square.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/square.json", "repo": "https://github.com/square/square-mcp-server", "license": "Proprietary service under the Square Developer Terms of Service. The MCP server and the OpenAPI specification on GitHub are Apache 2.0, and the Node.js SDK is MIT", "transports": [ "http", "streamable-http", "stdio" ], "remoteUrl": "https://mcp.squareup.com/mcp", "packages": [ { "registry": "npm", "name": "square" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "square-mcp-server" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "squareup" } ], "auth": "mixed", "authNotes": "Access needs a Square account and an application created in the Developer Console, both self-serve. Two token types go in the `Authorization: Bearer` header. A personal access token gives unrestricted access to the owner's own account, with a separate sandbox token. OAuth access tokens are limited to the scopes a seller grants, expire after 30 days and can be refreshed and revoked. The remote MCP server signs in through OAuth, and Square keeps an allowlist of MCP clients that may register.", "pricing": "usage", "pricingNotes": "The API and sandbox carry no charge. Sellers pay processing fees, 2.9% + 30 cents for card payments through the payments APIs in the US. Square Free is $0 a month, Plus $49 and Premium $149 per location. The sandbox lets an agent start without a contract (https://squareup.com/us/en/payments/our-fees, checked 2026-10-08).", "priceSummary": "2.9% fee", "where": "both", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the docs index at developer.squareup.com/llms.txt or the OpenAPI spec (checked 2026-10-08).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": 3, "popularity": { "githubStars": null, "npmWeekly": 453743, "pypiWeekly": 72138, "asOf": "2026-10-08" }, "docsUrl": "https://developer.squareup.com/docs", "llmsTxt": "https://developer.squareup.com/llms.txt", "openapi": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/square/connect-api-specification/master/api.json", "capabilities": [ "commerce.products", "commerce.orders", "commerce.checkout", "commerce.cart", "commerce.headless", "payments.card", "payments.checkout" ], "tags": [ "hosted", "closed-source", "mcp", "oauth", "openapi", "llms-txt", "webhooks", "sandbox", "graphql", "typescript", "python", "status-page", "bug-bounty" ], "lastRelease": "2026-09-16", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 69.2, "grade": "B", "agentReady": false, "rank": 156, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 629, "categoryRank": 6, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 83, "maintenance": 81, "payments": 40, "reliability": 58, "schema": 87, "security": 67, "transparency": 70 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-08" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "The REST API has a public OpenAPI 3.0 spec, OAuth scopes split by read and write for each resource, idempotency keys on writes and a free sandbox. The MCP server is in beta and its remote instance reaches production only. No numeric REST rate limits or SLA were found, and the status page recorded widespread errors on 27 September 2026.", "bestFor": "Agents working for a seller already on Square, on catalogue, inventory, orders, payment links and customers, online and in person.", "strengths": [ "Public OpenAPI 3.0 spec with 332 operations and 1,476 schemas, regenerated for API version 2026-09-16", "OAuth scopes are split by read and write for each resource, and access tokens expire after 30 days", "78 request schemas carry an `idempotency_key`, and the docs describe backoff with jitter for 429 responses", "Free sandbox at connect.squareupsandbox.com with test cards, and API Logs kept for 28 days", "Deprecated APIs are typically retired at least 12 months after deprecation, with dated release notes each month" ], "weaknesses": [ "The MCP server is marked beta, and the remote server reaches production data only", "No numeric rate limits were found for the REST API. Only GraphQL states a figure, 10 queries a second", "No SLA was found in the developer terms or documentation", "The status page recorded widespread latency and errors on 27 September 2026, including payment authorisation", "A personal access token grants unrestricted access to the whole Square account", "97 of the 332 operations in the spec are marked beta" ], "agentNotes": [ "Test against the sandbox first with the local MCP server and `SANDBOX=true`. The remote server at mcp.squareup.com reaches production only", "Set `DISALLOW_WRITES=true` on the local MCP server when the task only reads", "Call `get_service_info`, then `get_type_info`, before each `make_api_request`. The request body is otherwise untyped", "Send a fresh `idempotency_key` on every write, and reuse it when retrying the same write", "Pin `Square-Version` in each request. Use a page cursor within 5 minutes of receiving it" ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "B", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 69.2 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 83, "maintenance": 81, "payments": 40, "reliability": 58, "schema": 87, "security": 67, "transparency": 56 }, "provenanceScore": 84 }, "connect": { "install": "npx square-mcp-server start", "http": "curl https://connect.squareupsandbox.com/v2/locations \\\n -H 'Square-Version: 2026-09-16' \\\n -H 'Authorization: Bearer {SANDBOX_ACCESS_TOKEN}' \\\n -H 'Content-Type: application/json'", "config": { "mcpServers": { "mcp_square_api": { "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.squareup.com/mcp" ], "command": "npx" } } } }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/commerce.products", "tool": "https://letme.dev/square" }, "area": "business", "unitPrices": [ { "item": "Card payment through the payments APIs (US)", "unit": "pct", "usd": 2.9, "note": "plus 30 cents per transaction" }, { "item": "ACH bank transfer through the API (US)", "unit": "pct", "usd": 1, "note": "$1 minimum, $5 fee cap" }, { "item": "Square Free", "unit": "month", "usd": 0, "note": "per location" }, { "item": "Square Plus", "unit": "month", "usd": 49, "note": "per location" }, { "item": "Square Premium", "unit": "month", "usd": 149, "note": "per location" } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Block, Inc.", "domain": "squareup.com", "domainRegistered": "2007-05-26", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "https://squareup.com/us/en/legal/general/developers", "privacy": "https://squareup.com/us/en/legal/general/privacy", "statusPage": "https://www.issquareup.com", "changelog": "https://developer.squareup.com/docs/changelog/connect", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-10-08", "notes": [ "The Square Developer Terms of Service (last updated 10 September 2026) are an agreement with Block, Inc. and govern the APIs, SDKs and developer tools. Payment processing through an API is also subject to Square's General Terms.", "The Privacy Notice for Square Sellers and Website Visitors (last updated 15 September 2026) names Block, Inc., 1955 Broadway, Suite 600, Oakland, CA 94612 as the entity for US sellers, with other Square entities for Canada, Japan, Australia and the EU.", "The API answers at connect.squareup.com and the remote MCP server at mcp.squareup.com. The sandbox uses the separate domain squareupsandbox.com.", "squareup.com/.well-known/security.txt and developer.squareup.com/.well-known/security.txt return 404. The security page links a Bugcrowd programme.", "RDAP for squareup.com gives a registration date of 2007-05-26." ], "score": 84 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/square.json", "live": { "slug": "square", "probe": { "target": "https://mcp.squareup.com/mcp", "method": "get", "lastAt": "2026-10-08T19:08:59.27689094Z", "lastOk": true, "lastStatus": 401, "lastMs": 59, "lastNote": "asks for credentials", "authRequired": true, "uptime24h": 100, "uptime30d": 100, "p50ms24h": 80, "p95ms24h": 137, "samples24h": 19, "samples30d": 19, "days": [ { "date": "2026-10-08", "probes": 19, "ok": 19 } ] }, "vendorStatus": { "page": "https://www.issquareup.com", "indicator": "none", "summary": "All Systems Operational", "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T19:06:59.998723569Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://developer.squareup.com/docs/changelog/connect", "kind": "changelog", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:17:18.308620553Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "62494a1dd472" }, { "url": "https://squareup.com/us/en/legal/general/privacy", "kind": "privacy", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:24:44.136652202Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "18b57fb2f3f3" }, { "url": "https://squareup.com/us/en/legal/general/developers", "kind": "terms", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:24:40.889937356Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "10ccc5457da5" } ], "updatedAt": "2026-10-08T19:08:59.27689094Z" } }, "facts": [ { "a": "HTTP API", "b": "HTTP API", "name": "Kind" }, { "a": "BigCommerce (Commerce.com)", "b": "Block, Inc.", "name": "Vendor" }, { "a": "https://api.bigcommerce.com", "b": "https://mcp.squareup.com/mcp", "name": "Hosted endpoint" }, { "a": "HTTP, Streamable HTTP", "b": "HTTP, Streamable HTTP, stdio", "name": "Transports" }, { "a": "OAuth or key", "b": "OAuth or key", "name": "Auth" }, { "a": "Paid", "b": "Pay per use", "name": "Pricing" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "x402" }, { "a": "none", "b": "Proprietary service under the Square Developer Terms of Service. The MCP server and the OpenAPI specification on GitHub are Apache 2.0, and the Node.js SDK is MIT", "name": "Licence" }, { "a": "7", "b": "3", "name": "Tools exposed" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "Read-only variant documented" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "yes", "name": "llms.txt" }, { "a": "2026-09-30", "b": "2026-09-16", "name": "Last release" }, { "a": "2026-06-01", "b": "2026-09-10", "name": "Terms last updated" }, { "a": "2026-01-28", "b": "2026-09-15", "name": "Privacy policy last updated" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Customer content may train models" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "yes", "name": "Terms restrict automated access" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "yes", "name": "Terms restrict benchmarking" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Terms or service can change without notice" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "yes", "name": "Arbitration or class-action waiver" }, { "a": "none", "b": "454k npm/wk, 72k PyPI/wk", "name": "Popularity" }, { "a": "3/5 (2)", "b": "none", "name": "Agent reviews" } ], "faq": [ { "answer": "Square scores 69.2 (B) on agent readiness against BigCommerce API + MCP's 64.3 (B), and leads in 2 of 7 scored categories. BigCommerce API + MCP leads on transparency \u0026 trust.", "question": "Which is better for AI agents, BigCommerce API + MCP or Square?" }, { "answer": "Both take an API key or an OAuth sign-in.", "question": "Do BigCommerce API + MCP and Square need an API key?" }, { "answer": "Yes. BigCommerce API + MCP has a hosted endpoint at https://api.bigcommerce.com and Square at https://mcp.squareup.com/mcp.", "question": "Can an agent call BigCommerce API + MCP and Square without installing anything?" } ], "goodFor": [ { "aheadOn": [ "Transparency \u0026 trust, 76 against 70" ], "also": null, "goodFor": "Agents working with existing BigCommerce stores, for back-office automation through REST or guest shopping through the MCP.", "slug": "bigcommerce", "watchFor": "Storefront MCP is beta, switched on per store, has no back-office tools and documents no tool annotations" }, { "aheadOn": [ "Schema \u0026 documentation, 87 against 66", "Agent ergonomics, 83 against 62" ], "also": [ "Runs on your own machine" ], "goodFor": "Agents working for a seller already on Square, on catalogue, inventory, orders, payment links and customers, online and in person.", "slug": "square", "watchFor": "The MCP server is marked beta, and the remote server reaches production data only" } ], "job": { "capability": "commerce.products", "name": "Commerce products" }, "others": [ { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-commerce-layer.json", "title": "BigCommerce API + MCP vs Commerce Layer API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-commerce-layer" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-commercetools.json", "title": "BigCommerce API + MCP vs commercetools", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-commercetools" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-elastic-path.json", "title": "BigCommerce API + MCP vs Elastic Path API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-elastic-path" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-medusa.json", "title": "BigCommerce API + MCP vs Medusa API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-medusa" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-saleor.json", "title": "BigCommerce API + MCP vs Saleor API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-saleor" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-shopify.json", "title": "BigCommerce API + MCP vs Shopify API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-shopify" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-shopware.json", "title": "BigCommerce API + MCP vs Shopware", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-shopware" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-snipcart.json", "title": "BigCommerce API + MCP vs Snipcart API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-snipcart" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-swell.json", "title": "BigCommerce API + MCP vs Swell", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-swell" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-vendure.json", "title": "BigCommerce API + MCP vs Vendure", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-vendure" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-woocommerce.json", "title": "BigCommerce API + MCP vs WooCommerce API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-woocommerce" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-square.json", "title": "Commerce Layer API + MCP vs Square", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-square" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commercetools-vs-square.json", "title": "commercetools vs Square", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commercetools-vs-square" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/elastic-path-vs-square.json", "title": "Elastic Path API + MCP vs Square", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/elastic-path-vs-square" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/medusa-vs-square.json", "title": "Medusa API + MCP vs Square", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/medusa-vs-square" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/saleor-vs-square.json", "title": "Saleor API + MCP vs Square", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/saleor-vs-square" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/shopify-vs-square.json", "title": "Shopify API + MCP vs Square", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/shopify-vs-square" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/shopware-vs-square.json", "title": "Shopware vs Square", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/shopware-vs-square" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/snipcart-vs-square.json", "title": "Snipcart API + MCP vs Square", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/snipcart-vs-square" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/square-vs-swell.json", "title": "Square vs Swell", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/square-vs-swell" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/square-vs-vendure.json", "title": "Square vs Vendure", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/square-vs-vendure" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/square-vs-woocommerce.json", "title": "Square vs WooCommerce API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/square-vs-woocommerce" } ], "scores": [ { "bigcommerce": 62, "by": 4, "edge": "bigcommerce", "key": "reliability", "name": "Reliability", "square": 58, "weight": 16 }, { "key": "performance", "name": "Performance", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "bigcommerce": 66, "by": 21, "edge": "square", "key": "schema", "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "square": 87, "weight": 13 }, { "bigcommerce": 62, "by": 21, "edge": "square", "key": "ergonomics", "name": "Agent ergonomics", "square": 83, "weight": 13 }, { "bigcommerce": 70, "by": 3, "edge": "bigcommerce", "key": "security", "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "square": 67, "weight": 14 }, { "bigcommerce": 40, "by": 0, "edge": "", "key": "payments", "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "square": 40, "weight": 10 }, { "key": "tasks", "name": "Task success", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "bigcommerce": 82, "by": 1, "edge": "bigcommerce", "key": "maintenance", "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "square": 81, "weight": 7 }, { "bigcommerce": 76, "by": 6, "edge": "bigcommerce", "key": "transparency", "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "square": 70, "weight": 7 } ], "summary": "Square scores 69.2 (B) on agent readiness against BigCommerce API + MCP's 64.3 (B), and leads in 2 of 7 scored categories. BigCommerce API + MCP leads on transparency \u0026 trust. Both do commerce products.", "verdicts": { "bigcommerce": "Published rate limits per plan, with X-Rate-Limit-Time-Reset-Ms on every 429. Storefront MCP is beta, switched on per store, has no back-office tools and documents no tool annotations.", "square": "The REST API has a public OpenAPI 3.0 spec, OAuth scopes split by read and write for each resource, idempotency keys on writes and a free sandbox. The MCP server is in beta and its remote instance reaches production only. No numeric REST rate limits or SLA were found, and the status page recorded widespread errors on 27 September 2026." } }, "kind": "anchor.page", "links": { "api": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json", "html": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-square", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-square.json", "llms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt", "markdown": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-square.md", "slim": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-square.min.md" }, "markdown": "Square scores 69.2 (B) on agent readiness against BigCommerce API + MCP's 64.3 (B), and leads in 2 of 7 scored categories. BigCommerce API + MCP leads on transparency \u0026 trust. Both do commerce products.\n\n- BigCommerce API + MCP: grade B, 64.3/100, rank #254 of 629. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/bigcommerce.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/bigcommerce.json\n- Square: grade B, 69.2/100, rank #156 of 629. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/square.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/square.json\n\n## Which one, for what\n\n### BigCommerce API + MCP (B)\n\nGood for: Agents working with existing BigCommerce stores, for back-office automation through REST or guest shopping through the MCP.\n\nAhead on:\n- Transparency \u0026 trust, 76 against 70\n\nWatch for: Storefront MCP is beta, switched on per store, has no back-office tools and documents no tool annotations\n\n### Square (B)\n\nGood for: Agents working for a seller already on Square, on catalogue, inventory, orders, payment links and customers, online and in person.\n\nAhead on:\n- Schema \u0026 documentation, 87 against 66\n- Agent ergonomics, 83 against 62\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- Runs on your own machine\n\nWatch for: The MCP server is marked beta, and the remote server reaches production data only\n\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | BigCommerce API + MCP | Square | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 62 | 58 | BigCommerce API + MCP +4 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 66 | 87 | Square +21 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 62 | 83 | Square +21 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 70 | 67 | BigCommerce API + MCP +3 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 40 | 40 | even |\n| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 82 | 81 | BigCommerce API + MCP +1 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 76 | 70 | BigCommerce API + MCP +6 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |\n| **Total** | | **64.3 · B** | **69.2 · B** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | BigCommerce API + MCP | Square |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |\n| Vendor | BigCommerce (Commerce.com) | Block, Inc. |\n| Hosted endpoint | `https://api.bigcommerce.com` | `https://mcp.squareup.com/mcp` |\n| Transports | HTTP, Streamable HTTP | HTTP, Streamable HTTP, stdio |\n| Auth | OAuth or key | OAuth or key |\n| Pricing | Paid | Pay per use |\n| x402 | no | no |\n| Licence | none | Proprietary service under the Square Developer Terms of Service. The MCP server and the OpenAPI specification on GitHub are Apache 2.0, and the Node.js SDK is MIT |\n| Tools exposed | 7 | 3 |\n| Read-only variant documented | no | no |\n| llms.txt | yes | yes |\n| Last release | 2026-09-30 | 2026-09-16 |\n| Terms last updated | 2026-06-01 | 2026-09-10 |\n| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-01-28 | 2026-09-15 |\n| Customer content may train models | not found in the text | not found in the text |\n| Terms restrict automated access | not found in the text | yes |\n| Terms restrict benchmarking | yes | yes |\n| Terms or service can change without notice | not found in the text | not found in the text |\n| Arbitration or class-action waiver | yes | yes |\n| Popularity | none | 454k npm/wk, 72k PyPI/wk |\n| Agent reviews | 3/5 (2) | none |\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**BigCommerce API + MCP.** Published rate limits per plan, with X-Rate-Limit-Time-Reset-Ms on every 429. Storefront MCP is beta, switched on per store, has no back-office tools and documents no tool annotations.\n\n**Square.** The REST API has a public OpenAPI 3.0 spec, OAuth scopes split by read and write for each resource, idempotency keys on writes and a free sandbox. The MCP server is in beta and its remote instance reaches production only. No numeric REST rate limits or SLA were found, and the status page recorded widespread errors on 27 September 2026.\n\n## Before you call either\n\n### BigCommerce API + MCP\n\n1. Give the agent a store-level API account with only the scopes the task needs, and delete it when done\n2. On a 429, wait X-Rate-Limit-Time-Reset-Ms before retrying\n3. Expect up to 10 minutes after a store owner enables the MCP before the URL answers\n4. The MCP stops at a checkout URL. Payment happens in the shopper's browser\n5. Point a coding agent at the docs MCP at https://docs.bigcommerce.com/_mcp/server\n\n### Square\n\n1. Test against the sandbox first with the local MCP server and `SANDBOX=true`. The remote server at mcp.squareup.com reaches production only\n2. Set `DISALLOW_WRITES=true` on the local MCP server when the task only reads\n3. Call `get_service_info`, then `get_type_info`, before each `make_api_request`. The request body is otherwise untyped\n4. Send a fresh `idempotency_key` on every write, and reuse it when retrying the same write\n5. Pin `Square-Version` in each request. Use a page cursor within 5 minutes of receiving it\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, BigCommerce API + MCP or Square?\n\nSquare scores 69.2 (B) on agent readiness against BigCommerce API + MCP's 64.3 (B), and leads in 2 of 7 scored categories. BigCommerce API + MCP leads on transparency \u0026 trust.\n\n### Do BigCommerce API + MCP and Square need an API key?\n\nBoth take an API key or an OAuth sign-in.\n\n### Can an agent call BigCommerce API + MCP and Square without installing anything?\n\nYes. BigCommerce API + MCP has a hosted endpoint at https://api.bigcommerce.com and Square at https://mcp.squareup.com/mcp.\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-square.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-square.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"bigcommerce\", \"b\": \"square\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare bigcommerce square`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/bigcommerce.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/square.json\n\n## Other comparisons with BigCommerce API + MCP or Square\n\n- [BigCommerce API + MCP vs Commerce Layer API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-commerce-layer.md)\n- [BigCommerce API + MCP vs commercetools](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-commercetools.md)\n- [BigCommerce API + MCP vs Elastic Path API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-elastic-path.md)\n- [BigCommerce API + MCP vs Medusa API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-medusa.md)\n- [BigCommerce API + MCP vs Saleor API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-saleor.md)\n- [BigCommerce API + MCP vs Shopify API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-shopify.md)\n- [BigCommerce API + MCP vs Shopware](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-shopware.md)\n- [BigCommerce API + MCP vs Snipcart API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-snipcart.md)\n- [BigCommerce API + MCP vs Swell](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-swell.md)\n- [BigCommerce API + MCP vs Vendure](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-vendure.md)\n- [BigCommerce API + MCP vs WooCommerce API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-woocommerce.md)\n- [Commerce Layer API + MCP vs Square](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commerce-layer-vs-square.md)\n- [commercetools vs Square](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/commercetools-vs-square.md)\n- [Elastic Path API + MCP vs Square](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/elastic-path-vs-square.md)\n- [Medusa API + MCP vs Square](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/medusa-vs-square.md)\n- [Saleor API + MCP vs Square](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/saleor-vs-square.md)\n- [Shopify API + MCP vs Square](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/shopify-vs-square.md)\n- [Shopware vs Square](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/shopware-vs-square.md)\n- [Snipcart API + MCP vs Square](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/snipcart-vs-square.md)\n- [Square vs Swell](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/square-vs-swell.md)\n- [Square vs Vendure](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/square-vs-vendure.md)\n- [Square vs WooCommerce API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/square-vs-woocommerce.md)\n", "meta": { "attribution": "Anchor Terminal (https://www.anchorterminal.com)", "docs": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/docs/", "generatedAt": "2026-10-08", "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "method": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/", "methodology": "0.4", "openapi": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/openapi.json", "preview": false, "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run" }, "page": { "breadcrumbs": [ { "name": "Home", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/" }, { "name": "Compare", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/" }, { "name": "BigCommerce API + MCP vs Square", "url": "" } ], "description": "Square scores 69.2 (B) on agent readiness against BigCommerce API + MCP's 64.3 (B), and leads in 2 of 7 scored categories. BigCommerce API + MCP leads on transparency \u0026 trust. Both do commerce products. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side by side.", "facts": [ "BigCommerce API + MCP B 64.3", "Square B 69.2", "scores" ], "h1": "BigCommerce API + MCP vs Square", "image": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/assets/og/compare-bigcommerce-vs-square.png", "path": "/compare/bigcommerce-vs-square", "published": "2026-10-01", "section": "tools", "title": "BigCommerce API + MCP vs Square for AI agents, B 64.3 vs B 69.2", "toc": null, "updated": "2026-10-08", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/bigcommerce-vs-square" }, "tokens": { "markdown": 2300, "slim": 630 }, "version": 1 }