Shopify Review Australia 2026

Ecommerce
4.0 / 5— SoftwareHQ AU Rating
Pricing verified 2026-03-18

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.

The world's leading e-commerce platform for AU online sellers

AU Compliance Scores

BAS Lodgement
0/5
STP Phase 2
0/5
Payday Super
0/5
Modern Awards
0/5
GST Handling
4/5
Bank Feeds
0/5
Modern Awards NoteNot applicable — e-commerce platform without workforce management features.

Pricing (AUD inc. GST)

All prices below are in Australian dollars (GST not included). Pricing verified as of 2026-03-18.

Starter
$7/mo
AUD exc GST
Lightweight plan for social selling and link-in-bio storefronts only. No full online store — sell via social media, messaging apps, and shareable links. Includes Shopify Payments at 5% + 30¢ per transaction.
  • Products: unlimited
  • Staff Accounts: 1
  • Online Store: No
Grow
$149/mo
AUD exc GST
For small teams scaling up. Includes everything in Basic plus 5 staff accounts, professional reports, and better card rates. Online card rate: 1.6% + 30¢. In-person: 1.85%. Third-party gateway fee: 1%.
  • Products: unlimited
  • Staff Accounts: 5
  • Online Store: Yes
  • Sales Channels: unlimited
Advanced
$575/mo
AUD exc GST
For scaling businesses with global reach. Includes custom reports, 15 staff accounts, calculated duties and import taxes at checkout, and lowest card rates. Online card rate: 1.4% + 30¢. In-person: 1.75%. Third-party gateway fee: 0.6%.
  • Products: unlimited
  • Staff Accounts: 15
  • Online Store: Yes
  • Sales Channels: unlimited
  • Custom Reports: Yes
  • Duties And Taxes: Yes
Plus
$3700/mo
AUD exc GST
Enterprise-grade plan for complex, high-volume businesses. Billed yearly on 1- or 3-year terms. Includes B2B selling, customisable checkout via Checkout Extensibility, lowest transaction rates, and dedicated support. Pricing is approximate and varies by contract.
  • Products: unlimited
  • Staff Accounts: unlimited
  • Online Store: Yes
  • Sales Channels: unlimited
  • Custom Reports: Yes
  • B2b: Yes
  • Dedicated Support: Yes

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Complete hosted platform — no server management, automatic SSL, PCI compliance, and 99.99% uptime SLA
  • Largest e-commerce app ecosystem with 8,000+ integrations including Xero, MYOB, Australia Post, and Afterpay
  • Competitive AU card processing rates from 1.4% + 30¢ via Shopify Payments — no separate gateway needed
  • Native Australia Post MyPost Business integration for automated shipping labels and real-time rate calculation
  • True omnichannel selling across online store, social media, marketplaces, and in-person POS from one dashboard
  • Automatic GST calculation with tax-inclusive pricing display for Australian Consumer Law compliance
  • 3-day free trial plus $1/month for 3 months promotional pricing for new merchants
  • Scales from solo entrepreneur ($56/mo) to enterprise ($3,700/mo+) without platform migration

Cons

  • Monthly plan costs plus per-transaction fees make it more expensive than self-hosted alternatives like WooCommerce
  • Additional 0.6%–2% fee charged when using third-party payment gateways instead of Shopify Payments
  • Data hosted in US/Canada — no Australian data sovereignty or option to select AU hosting location
  • No AU-based support team — global 24/7 support may lack Australian-specific product expertise
  • Does not handle BAS lodgement, payroll, or superannuation — requires Xero or MYOB integration for tax compliance
  • Free trial limited to 3 days (compared to 14–30 days offered by competitors)
  • Starter plan ($7/mo) is very limited — no full online store, only link-in-bio and social selling

Who Is Shopify Best For?

  • Small Business
  • Medium Business
  • Online Retailer
  • D2c Brand

Shopify may not be the best fit for:

  • Sole Trader
  • Budget Conscious
  • Data Sovereignty Required

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 inc. GST.
  • Squarespace Design-first website builder with integrated e-commerce. From $24/mo inc. GST.
  • Neto (Maropost Commerce Cloud) Australia's all-in-one B2B and multi-channel ecommerce platform. From $199/mo inc. GST.

Related Compliance Guides