Best Ecommerce Platform in Australia 2026: Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce and More Compared

Picking an ecommerce platform is a five-year decision dressed up as a monthly fee. The plan price is the part everyone compares. The parts that actually decide your costs and your workload are payment fees, how GST is charged, whether Afterpay and Zip work cleanly, how shipping rates reach the checkout, and how orders land in Xero or MYOB. This guide compares the platforms Australian businesses really shortlist on all of those, using prices we fetched from each platform’s own pricing page.

A few terms, once. An ecommerce platform is the software your online store runs on: product pages, cart, checkout and order management. Hosted (or SaaS) platforms, such as Shopify and BigCommerce, run the servers and security for you. Self-hosted platforms, such as WooCommerce and Magento Open Source, run on hosting you choose and maintain. GMV (gross merchandise value) means the total value of the orders you sell. BNPL means buy now, pay later services such as Afterpay and Zip.

A disclosure before we start. FactoryJet is an ecommerce services company and a registered Shopify Partner. We design, build, implement and support stores on Shopify, Shopify Plus, BigCommerce, WooCommerce and Adobe Commerce. We also make Commerceflo by FactoryJet, our own AI commerce operator, and we say clearly below where it fits and where it does not.

The 8 best ecommerce platforms in Australia for 2026, at a glance

These are the options that come up again and again when Australian businesses ask which ecommerce platform to use. Each has a clear best-fit customer. None is best for everyone.

1. Shopify: best overall for small and mid-sized stores. Hosted, billed in AUD, quick to launch, and the largest pool of apps, themes and Australian agencies.
2. Shopify Plus: best for high-volume and B2B-plus-DTC brands. Checkout customisation, unlimited B2B catalogues and expansion stores for other markets.
3. BigCommerce: best for avoiding platform transaction fees. No extra fee with its embedded payment providers, strong built-in B2B features, but priced in US dollars.
4. WooCommerce: best for WordPress businesses that want control. No platform fee and full ownership, in exchange for hosting and maintenance responsibility.
5. Maropost Commerce Cloud (formerly Neto): best Australian-built option for inventory-heavy retail. Priced in AUD with a monthly sales allowance built into each plan.
6. Adobe Commerce (Magento): best for complex enterprise catalogues. Deep customisation and multi-store power, with the budget and developer team that requires.
7. Wix and Squarespace: best for very small catalogues. Website builders first, stores second. Good for a service business that sells a handful of products.
8. Commerceflo by FactoryJet: for brands selling DTC, B2B, marketplace and in store from one stock pool. Our own platform, in early access. Only where it fits.

Ecommerce platform pricing in Australia: AUD list prices, USD traps and GST

Here is what each platform publishes for its plans, taken from the platform’s own Australian pricing page where one exists. Read the last column carefully. Two platforms bill Australian stores in AUD, one prices its Australian plans in US dollars, and GST is handled differently by each.

The USD point matters more than it looks. BigCommerce’s Australian pricing page states that its prices are in US dollars and exclude all forms of tax, including GST. So an Australian store’s BigCommerce bill moves with the exchange rate, and GST is on top. Shopify and Maropost show AUD prices, so your monthly platform cost is fixed in the currency you earn in.

GST on Shopify. Shopify’s help centre says Australian stores pay 10% GST on their Shopify subscription and shipping labels, unless they register for GST and add their ABN to the Shopify account. The exemption applies to invoices issued after the ABN is added, so add it on day one if you are registered.

Sales caps and auto-upgrades. BigCommerce plans are tied to trailing twelve-month sales: Core covers up to US$30K and Growth up to US$100K, after which you are upgraded automatically. Maropost plans include a monthly sales allowance (from $50K on Build to $10M on Enterprise) and bill a small percentage of sales above it, from 0.30% on Build down to 0.05% on Enterprise. Shopify lists its standard plans at a flat monthly fee.

Platform fees are not the whole cost. Themes, apps, a designer or developer, migration and ongoing support usually cost more in year one than the plan itself. For build budgets, see our Shopify cost guide for Australia and website cost guide for Australia, which give sourced Australian market ranges for design and development.

What each platform takes from a $100 sale

Monthly fees are easy to compare. Per-order fees are where the real money goes once you are selling. The table below works through a single $100 order on each setup, using the published rates. Payment provider fees other than Shopify Payments vary by provider and contract, so they are shown as “plus your provider’s fee” rather than guessed.

Two practical takeaways. First, on Shopify, staying with Shopify Payments is what keeps fees low. The moment you route payments through another provider, Shopify adds its own third-party transaction fee (2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced and 0.2% on Plus) on top of that provider’s charge. Second, on BigCommerce, the provider you choose decides whether you pay a platform fee at all. Its Australian page lists Stripe, PayPal, Afterpay, Zip Money and others as embedded providers with no extra order fee.

One caution on BigCommerce: the headline PayPal Braintree card rate on its pricing page (from 2.89% plus 29 cents) is only for United States-based businesses, according to the same page. Australian stores pay the Australian rate of whichever provider they choose.

The Australian checklist: Afterpay and Zip, Australia Post, Xero and MYOB

Most global “best ecommerce platform” lists skip the things Australian stores deal with every day. This table shows how each platform handles them. Where a platform’s own page confirms something, we say so. Where it depends on an app or on current integrations, we tell you what to check rather than guess.

Afterpay and Zip on Shopify. Shopify’s list of payment methods for Shopify Payments in Australia covers cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Shop Pay, but not Afterpay or Zip. Those connect as separate payment providers. Before launch, check whether Shopify’s third-party transaction fee applies to them on your plan, because that changes the maths in the table above.

Delivery options matter to Australian shoppers. The Australia Post eCommerce Report 2026 found that 69% of shoppers want a range of delivery options at checkout, and 26% expect same or next-day delivery when things are urgent. So live carrier rates, parcel locker and collection options, and clear delivery times at checkout are not extras. Every platform here can do this, but some need an app or a developer to do it well.

Accounting. Every platform in this guide can send orders to Xero, and most to MYOB, through an app, extension or connector. The differences are in the detail: whether each order posts separately or as a daily summary, how GST and payment fees are coded, and how refunds flow back. Ask your bookkeeper to look at a test month of data before you choose. Our Shopify development team in Australia sets these connections up and tests them as part of a build.

Each ecommerce platform in detail

1. Shopify: the best ecommerce platform for most Australian small businesses

Shopify is a hosted platform, which means Shopify runs the servers, security and updates, and you manage products, orders and design. On its Australian pricing page, plans are listed in AUD: Basic at $56 a month ($42 paid yearly), Grow at $149 ($114 yearly) and Advanced at $575 ($431 yearly). There are no setup fees. Shopify Payments card rates start at 1.7% plus 30 cents on Basic and fall on each higher plan.

Strengths: quickest route to a professional store, the largest app ecosystem, strong checkout, point of sale for physical shops, B2B features (up to 3 B2B catalogues on standard plans), and a big pool of Australian developers. Watch-outs: app subscriptions add up, the third-party transaction fee penalises other payment providers, and deep checkout changes need Shopify Plus.

Best for: most DTC stores from first sale to several million in revenue, and shops that sell in person and online. If you want help, our Shopify development service in Australia covers design, build, integrations and support after launch.

2. Shopify Plus: what it is and when it pays off

Shopify Plus is Shopify’s plan for larger and more complex businesses. Its Australian Plus pricing page lists it from $3,700 AUD a month on a 3-year term, or $4,000 AUD a month on a 1-year term, with a variable platform fee based on revenue for more complex businesses. Your main store and 9 expansion stores are included; more stores cost $500 AUD a month each.

What Plus adds over the standard plans: a fully customisable checkout, unlimited B2B catalogues, unlimited staff accounts, up to 200 point-of-sale Pro locations, priority support and the lowest Shopify Payments card rates (from 1.15% plus 30 cents). Shopify vs Shopify Plus comes down to this: if you are not blocked by checkout limits, B2B catalogue limits or multi-market needs, the standard plans are enough.

3. BigCommerce: best for stores that want no platform transaction fees

BigCommerce is also hosted. Its Australian pricing page lists Core at US$39 a month (US$29 billed yearly), Growth at US$105 (US$79 yearly), Scale at US$399 (US$299 yearly) and Performance from US$1,499 a month billed yearly. Prices are in US dollars and exclude GST. Plans are tied to sales: Core to US$30K and Growth to US$100K in trailing twelve-month sales, with automatic upgrades.

Strengths: no BigCommerce order fee with embedded payment providers (the list includes Afterpay, Zip Money, Stripe and PayPal), real-time shipping quotes from carriers including Australia Post, price lists for B2B customer groups, and extra storefronts from one account. Watch-outs:USD billing, sales-based upgrades, and a smaller theme and app ecosystem than Shopify. We compared the two in detail in BigCommerce vs Shopify after the 2026 fee change.

4. WooCommerce: best for WordPress businesses that want full control

WooCommerce is a free plugin that turns a WordPress website into a store. Its pricing page (global, in US dollars) says there is no monthly subscription and no revenue share. Instead, you choose your own hosting, which WooCommerce estimates at US$25 to US$350 a month for most stores, and add paid extensions at US$29 to US$299 a year each.

Strengths: you own everything, you can change anything, content and store live on one site, and there is no platform cut on orders. Watch-outs: someone has to own hosting, plugin updates, security and backups. Most WooCommerce problems we see are not platform problems; they are upkeep that nobody was responsible for. If you want WooCommerce but not the upkeep, our website maintenance and care plans in Australia exist for exactly that.

5. Maropost Commerce Cloud (formerly Neto): the Australian-built option

Maropost Commerce Cloud grew out of Neto, an Australian-built platform, and is aimed at retailers that run warehouses and wholesale. With the currency switch on its pricing page set to AUD, plans list at $49 a month for Build (including $50K in monthly sales), $299 for Essentials (including $500K), $1,179 for Professional (including $2M) and $2,989 for Enterprise (including $10M). Paying yearly takes 20% off every plan except Build.

Strengths: inventory, multiple stock locations and fulfilment are central, not add-ons, and plans are sold in AUD. Watch-outs: a smaller ecosystem of themes, apps and developers than Shopify, so check that the integrations you rely on are current. Maropost vs Shopify usually comes down to operations: if your pain is stock and fulfilment across locations, look hard at Maropost; if it is marketing, conversion and apps, Shopify is usually the easier fit.

6. Adobe Commerce (Magento): best for complex enterprise catalogues

Adobe Commerce is the enterprise version of Magento. Adobe’s Australian product page does not publish a price; you book a demo and receive a quote. Magento Open Source, the open edition, is downloaded and self-hosted, so you pay for hosting and developers rather than a licence.

Strengths: very large catalogues, complex pricing rules, multi-brand and multi-store setups, and near-total customisation. Watch-outs: it needs an experienced development team and a maintenance budget to match. Many mid-sized Australian stores on older Magento versions are now weighing a Magento to Shopify Plus migration.

7. Wix and Squarespace: best for a handful of products

Wix and Squarespace are website builders with ecommerce plans. They are easy to use and look polished, which makes them a fair choice for a café, studio or service business selling a few products or gift vouchers. Both can show different prices depending on where you browse from, so check their pricing pages from Australia. As a catalogue grows past a few dozen products, or you need wholesale pricing, deeper shipping rules or serious marketing apps, a dedicated ecommerce platform becomes the better home.

8. Commerceflo by FactoryJet: our own platform, and when it fits

Full disclosure: Commerceflo is ours. It is an AI commerce operator that puts DTC, B2B, marketplace and in-store selling on one data model, with AI agents that propose changes (to stock, pricing, content and customer follow-up) and act only after a person approves them or within limits the merchant sets. It is in early access, there are no public prices, and evaluation accounts are set up after a scoping call. We built Belle Maison’s DTC and B2B storefront on it.

It fits a specific kind of business: one selling to consumers, trade customers and marketplaces from the same stock, where keeping those channels in sync is the daily headache. For most Australian stores, especially new ones, a mainstream platform is the better choice, and that is what we recommend. Read more on our Commerceflo overview.

Head to head: the three comparisons Australians search for most

Shopify vs WooCommerce

In one line: Shopify trades some control for less upkeep; WooCommerce trades upkeep for full control. If nobody in your business will own updates and security, choose Shopify.

BigCommerce vs Shopify

Both are hosted and both are strong. Shopify wins on ecosystem, AUD billing and ease. BigCommerce wins if you want to use a payment provider such as Stripe, PayPal, Afterpay or Zip Money without a platform order fee, and if built-in B2B price lists matter. The deciding question is usually: will the USD pricing and sales-based upgrades cost you more than Shopify’s third-party fee would? Model it on last year’s orders.

Maropost vs Shopify

Maropost is the Australian-built choice for retailers where the warehouse is the hard part: stock across locations, wholesale and fulfilment. Shopify is the choice where growth and marketing are the hard part: apps, themes, conversion and channels. Many businesses moving from Neto to Shopify do it for the ecosystem; many that stay do it for the operations. Neither choice is wrong if it matches where your time goes.

The best ecommerce platform for your type of business

Open the one that sounds like you. Each gives a first choice and a runner-up.

Selling online in Australia: ABN, GST and the Australian Consumer Law

These rules apply whichever platform you pick, so set them up properly on day one.

• ABN and GST. According to business.gov.au, you must register for GST once your GST turnover reaches $75,000, even if your profit is lower. Its example is an online clothing store selling $80,000 a year that must register while making $40,000 profit. Turn on GST-inclusive pricing and tax settings in your platform before you launch.
• Consumer guarantees. The ACCC says online businesses have the same responsibilities to consumers as physical businesses, including the consumer guarantees. Your refund and returns pages, and the wording in your checkout, need to reflect that on any platform.
• Platform fees and GST. Shopify adds 10% GST to its subscription unless you are GST-registered and add your ABN. BigCommerce’s USD prices exclude GST. Ask your accountant how to treat GST on payment processing fees.
• The market is there. The Australia Post eCommerce Report 2026 says 82% of Australian households (9.8 million) shopped online in 2025, and online now makes up 24% of all retail spend.

How to choose your ecommerce platform in 7 steps

1. Write down your next 3 years, not your first month. Expected orders, catalogue size, B2B, physical stores and marketplaces.
2. Decide who will look after the store. If nobody is accountable for updates and security, rule out self-hosted platforms.
3. Model a year of fees. Plan fee plus payment fees on your real order count and average order value, plus the apps or extensions you need. Use the $100 table above as a starting point.
4. Check the Australian must-haves. AUD billing, GST handling, Afterpay and Zip, Australia Post or courier rates, and a maintained Xero or MYOB connector.
5. Test your hardest workflow. Trade pricing, bundles, pre-orders, subscriptions or multi-location stock. Run it in a free trial before you commit.
6. Plan for search from day one. Clean URLs, fast pages, product schema and a redirect plan if you are moving. Our ecommerce SEO service for Australian stores covers this.
7. Pick a partner who stays after launch. The platform matters less than the team that designs, builds and supports it. Ask every agency what happens in month two.

Switching platforms (Neto, Magento or WooCommerce to Shopify) without losing rankings

Replatforming is common, and it goes wrong in predictable ways. Products, customers and order history can be moved with migration tools. The risk is everything around them: every old URL needs a 301 redirect to its new address, or you lose the Google rankings those pages earned. Reviews, gift card balances, customer passwords (which usually cannot move), Xero or MYOB connections and shipping rules all need a plan.

A safe migration runs in this order: audit what ranks and sells today, map every URL, build and test the new store, move data in a trial run, check totals, switch at a quiet trading time, then watch search and orders daily for a few weeks. We run these moves as part of our ecommerce development service in Australia.

Where FactoryJet fits

FactoryJet is an ecommerce services company, founded in 2014 and led by founder and CEO Bhavesh Barot, and we have served more than 500 businesses. We are a registered Shopify Partner and work across Shopify, Shopify Plus, BigCommerce, WooCommerce and Adobe Commerce. We design, build, implement and support the store, and you own it.

For timelines: stores of up to 5 pages come with 7-day delivery once content is ready; a custom-theme store on a platform typically takes 3 to 5 weeks; advanced builds with subscriptions, B2B or migration take 5 to 8 weeks; and headless or fully custom builds take 8 to 14 weeks. We keep 97% of projects on time. We quote a fixed scope after a call, and we will tell you if a cheaper platform or a DIY start is the smarter move.

More for Australian businesses: our FactoryJet Australia home page, the ecommerce development and Shopify development services, and our list of the best ecommerce agencies for Australian small businesses.

Sources, checked 26 September 2026: Shopify AU pricing, Shopify Plus AU pricing, Shopify help: GST on billing in Australia, Shopify Payments methods in Australia, BigCommerce AU pricing, Maropost pricing (AUD view), WooCommerce pricing, Adobe Commerce AU, Australia Post eCommerce Report 2026, business.gov.au GST registration, ACCC: selling online. Prices change; check the platform’s page before you commit.