Shopify Review Australia 2026

E-Commerce Platforms
4.0 / 5SoftwareHQ editorial score

Editorial score, not a user-review average. How we score · How we test

Editorial verdict

Best All-Round E-Commerce Platform for AU Online Sellers

Shopify remains the default hosted AU storefront: Basic $56 / Grow $149 / Advanced $575 monthly ex GST (yearly $42 / $114 / $431), Plus from $3,700. Card rates and third-party gateway fees match the US-016 POS check. Basic does not include extra staff seats. Live carrier-calculated rates are Advanced (add-on on Grow). Data is not in Australia. Starter $7 is still a social-selling SKU, not a full store.

Best for
Online retailers who want a fully-managed, scalable e-commerce platform with strong AU integrations (Australia Post, Afterpay, Xero/MYOB) and omnichannel selling capabilities.
Not ideal for
Buyers who need AU data residency, extra staff logins on the cheapest full store, live AusPost-style carrier rates without Advanced, or a $0 platform fee (WooCommerce).
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SoftwareHQ does not currently have an affiliate arrangement with Shopify. Scores are independent of commercial relationships. Affiliate disclosure

Pricing verified 8 Sep 2026 · Hosting verified 8 Sep 2026

By SoftwareHQ Editorial Team — Updated

Overview

Shopify is the world's leading e-commerce platform for au online sellers. Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, it serves Australian businesses.

Feature highlights

These highlights come from vendor documentation and editorial analysis of public sources. They are not firsthand test results or a claim that every listed capability was exercised in a trial.

  • AUD list $56 / $149 / $575 monthly

    Basic $56, Grow $149, Advanced $575 billed monthly (yearly $42 / $114 / $431). GST added at checkout. Plus from $3,700 AUD/mo.

  • Shopify Payments AU card rates

    Online 1.75% + 30¢ (Basic) to 1.4% + 30¢ (Advanced); Plus from 1.2% + 30¢. Third-party providers add 2% / 1% / 0.6% / 0.2%.

  • Unlimited products; 10 locations on standard plans

    Full store plans sell unlimited products. Inventory locations are 10 on Basic–Advanced and 200 on Plus.

  • Basic has no extra staff seats

    Compare table: additional staff accounts are not included on Basic. Grow 5, Advanced 15, Plus unlimited. Stored '2 staff on Basic' is false.

  • Live carrier rates wait until Advanced

    Buy/print labels and up to 44.2% shipping discount on all plans. Live 3rd-party calculated rates are not on Basic (add-on on Grow; included on Advanced).

  • Not AU-hosted

    GCP regions rebalanced dynamically. APAC contract is Shopify Commerce Singapore. Melbourne/Sydney offices are not a data region.

AU Compliance Scores

These scores apply to Australian tax, payroll and banking capabilities where they are relevant to Shopify. They are SoftwareHQ editorial judgements from public documentation, not firsthand product tests.

Not applicable means this product type is not scored on that dimension (for example BAS lodgement on a CRM). Not supported means the vendor does not offer it. Unknown means we could not verify it from public sources — that is not the same as unsupported.

BAS LodgementNot applicable

E-commerce platform. BAS stays in accounting software (Xero/MYOB), not in-product ATO lodgement.

STP Phase 2Not applicable

No native AU payroll.

Payday SuperNot applicable

No payroll.

Modern AwardsNot applicable

No payroll.

GST Handling
4/5Verified

GST on orders; tax-inclusive display supported. Plan prices advertised ex GST (GST added at checkout). No native BAS lodgement.

Bank FeedsNot applicable

Not a bank-feeds product. Reconciliation via accounting integration.

When this was checked

Status as of (page snapshot) against a 90-day review target. Checked dates are not updated when the site is rebuilt.

Editorial article date: . That is not proof that pricing, hosting, or compliance was re-checked.

  • PricingVerified

    Verified — checked 8 September 2026.

    shopify.com/pricing

    AUD ex GST. Basic $56 / Grow $149 / Advanced $575 monthly; yearly $42/$114/$431. Plus from $3,700. Starter $7 alternative SKU. Online 1.75/1.6/1.4% + 30¢; third-party 2/1/0.6/0.2%. Basic additional staff not included. 10 inventory locations. Intro 3 days free + $1/mo for 3 months. Reuses US-016 POS dollars.

  • HostingVerified

    Verified — checked 8 September 2026.

    help.shopify.com/manual/privacy-and-security

    GCP regions dynamically rebalanced. APAC merchants: Shopify Commerce Singapore Pte. Ltd. No AU region. Not AU-sovereign. Reused from US-016 Shopify POS.

  • GST handlingVerified

    Verified — checked 8 September 2026.

    shopify.com/pricing

    GST calculated on orders. Plan prices advertised ex GST. Not ATO lodgement.

Pricing (AUD)

All prices below are in Australian dollars and exclude GST. Verified — checked 8 September 2026. Source: shopify.com/pricing.

Starter
$7/mo
AUD ex GST
shopify.com/au/pricing (8 Sep 2026) alternative SKU: $7 AUD/month. Social/messaging and a simple storefront — not the full Basic online store. Not on the main Basic/Grow/Advanced cards.
  • Products: unlimited
  • Staff Accounts: 1
  • Online Store: No
Most Popular
Basic
$56/mo
AUD ex GST
AUD ex GST. Monthly $56 / yearly $42. Compare table: additional staff accounts not included. Online 1.75% + 30¢; in-person 1.95%; third-party 2%. Unlimited products. 10 inventory locations. Live 3rd-party shipping rates not included.
  • Products: unlimited
  • Staff Accounts: 0
  • Inventory Locations: 10
  • Online Store: Yes
Grow
$149/mo
AUD ex GST
AUD ex GST. Monthly $149 / yearly $114. 5 staff. Online 1.6% + 30¢; in-person 1.85%; third-party 1%. 3rd-party calculated shipping is an add-on.
  • Products: unlimited
  • Staff Accounts: 5
  • Inventory Locations: 10
  • Online Store: Yes
Advanced
$575/mo
AUD ex GST
AUD ex GST. Monthly $575 / yearly $431. 15 staff. Online 1.4% + 30¢; in-person 1.75%; third-party 0.6%. Live 3rd-party shipping rates included. Local storefronts by market.
  • Products: unlimited
  • Staff Accounts: 15
  • Inventory Locations: 10
  • Online Store: Yes
  • Custom Reports: Yes
  • Duties And Taxes: Yes
Plus
$3700/mo
AUD ex GST
AU card: from $3,700 AUD/mo. Online from 1.2% + 30¢; third-party 0.2%. Unlimited staff. Up to 200 POS Pro locations with Shopify Payments (20 included). Fully customisable checkout. Yearly 1- or 3-year terms. Not the US $2,300 3-year card.
  • Products: unlimited
  • Staff Accounts: unlimited
  • Inventory Locations: 200
  • Online Store: Yes
  • B2b: Yes

Estimate first-year cost for Shopify

Observed price changes

Recorded when a listed price changed. This is not a complete vendor timeline.

  1. AU list unchanged vs US-016 POS check: Basic $56 / Grow $149 / Advanced $575 monthly; yearly $42/$114/$431. Plus from $3,700 AUD. Basic additional staff accounts not included (stored 2 was wrong). Starter still $7 as an alternative SKU.
  2. Basic · $56 → $56 · AU list unchanged vs US-016: Basic $56 / Grow $149 / Advanced $575 monthly. Plus from $3,700. Basic additional staff accounts not included.

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • AU list still $56 / $149 / $575 monthly ($42 / $114 / $431 yearly) ex GST
  • Unlimited products on full store plans
  • Shopify Payments AU online from 1.75% + 30¢ (Basic) to 1.4% + 30¢ (Advanced)
  • 3-day trial then $1/mo for 3 months on Basic–Advanced
  • 24/7 live chat on Basic–Advanced
  • Labels + up to 44.2% shipping discount on every plan

Cons

  • Basic has no additional staff accounts
  • GST added on top of advertised plan prices
  • Third-party gateways add 2% / 1% / 0.6% / 0.2%
  • Live 3rd-party calculated shipping is not on Basic
  • Not AU-hosted (GCP + Singapore contracting entity)
  • Starter $7 is not a full online store

How this review was made

Reviews separate vendor documentation, editorial analysis and firsthand records. They are not interchangeable.

  • Vendor documentation — Public pages from Shopify and other sites. Recorded HTTP(S) URLs are listed under Sources. A source URL is a document we recorded, not a claim that every sentence on this page was checked against that URL.
  • Editorial analysis — SoftwareHQ's written verdict and scores for Australian buyers. The header score is an editorial assessment, not a user-review average, not a lab result, and not a number derived from how many evidence records exist.
  • Firsthand records — This review has no firsthand observation records, trial walkthroughs, or screenshots from a logged-in SoftwareHQ account. Missing tests stay not tested.

This page does not rank products by speed or security from documentation or from evidence count.

Checked by SoftwareHQ Editorial Team. There is no named author profile for this page; attribution stays with the SoftwareHQ editorial team. How we test and the editorial policy for scoring, independence and affiliate rules.

Sources

Public pages recorded when this review was compiled. They are not a checklist that every claim was verified, and they are not evidence of hands-on product testing.

Shopify Alternatives

If Shopify doesn’t quite fit your needs, consider these alternatives for Australian businesses:

  • WooCommerce — Free open-source e-commerce plugin for WordPress. Free plan available.
  • BigCommerce — Australian-founded SaaS e-commerce platform built for growth. From $39/mo ex GST.
  • Squarespace — Design-first website builder with integrated e-commerce. From $24/mo ex GST.
  • Neto (Maropost Commerce Cloud) — Australia's all-in-one B2B and multi-channel ecommerce platform. From $199/mo ex GST.

Related Compliance Guides

Guide
BAS Lodgement Guide for Australian Businesses
Business Activity Statements must be lodged quarterly or monthly with the ATO, reporting GST, PAYG i...
Guide
Data Sovereignty in Australia — Where Is Your Business Data Stored?
Australian businesses are increasingly concerned about where their financial and employee data is ho...
Guide
GST Registration Guide for Australian Businesses
Australian businesses must register for GST once their annual turnover reaches or is expected to rea...
Guide
Tax Invoice Requirements in Australia — What You Must Include
Australian businesses registered for GST must issue tax invoices for taxable sales of $82.50 or more...

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does Shopify cost per month in Australia?
shopify.com/au/pricing (8 Sep 2026), AUD ex GST: Basic $56/mo ($42 yearly), Grow $149 ($114), Advanced $575 ($431), Plus from $3,700/mo. Starter $7/mo is an alternative social-selling SKU. Intro: 3 days free then $1/mo for 3 months. GST is added at checkout.
Does Shopify handle GST for Australian stores?
Shopify calculates GST on applicable orders and can show tax-inclusive prices. Plan prices are advertised ex GST. It does not lodge BAS to the ATO — use Xero or MYOB.
Can I use Afterpay with Shopify in Australia?
Afterpay is a checkout payment method on Shopify AU stores (separate merchant fee, commonly 6% + 30¢ ex GST on Afterpay's own schedule). It is not a Shopify plan feature and was not re-printed as a dollar row on the AU pricing cards this check.
Does Shopify integrate with Australia Post?
Pricing table: buy and print shipping labels and up to 44.2% shipping discount on all plans. Live 3rd-party calculated rates (the carrier-at-checkout path) are not on Basic, add-on on Grow, included on Advanced. Australia Post MyPost Business remains a shipping integration, not a native BAS tool.
Where is Shopify data hosted for Australian merchants?
Not in Australia. Help: GCP regions are dynamically rebalanced. APAC merchants contract with Shopify Commerce Singapore Pte. Ltd. European at-rest storage is not an AU option.
What are Shopify's transaction fees in Australia?
Shopify Payments AU online: Basic 1.75% + 30¢, Grow 1.6% + 30¢, Advanced 1.4% + 30¢, Plus from 1.2% + 30¢. In-person 1.95% / 1.85% / 1.75%. Third-party gateways add 2% / 1% / 0.6% / 0.2% on top of the processor.

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