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
Most Popular
Basic
$56/mo
AUD exc GST
Full e-commerce store for solo entrepreneurs. Includes online store, blog, unlimited products, 2 staff accounts, and basic analytics. Online card rate: 1.75% + 30¢. In-person: 1.95%. Third-party gateway fee: 2%.
  • Products: unlimited
  • Staff Accounts: 2
  • Online Store: Yes
  • Sales Channels: unlimited
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

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 plans in Australia range from $7/mo for Starter (social selling only) to $575/mo for Advanced (ex-GST, billed monthly). The most popular Basic plan costs $56/mo or $42/mo with annual billing. A 25% discount applies to annual plans. The Grow plan is $149/mo ($114/mo annual) and Advanced is $575/mo ($431/mo annual). Shopify Plus starts at approximately $3,700/mo on a yearly contract. All prices are in AUD and exclude GST.
Does Shopify handle GST for Australian stores?
Yes. Shopify automatically calculates 10% GST on applicable products and can display tax-inclusive prices as required by Australian Consumer Law. It generates GST reports useful for BAS preparation. However, Shopify does not lodge BAS directly to the ATO — you'll need to integrate with Xero or MYOB for BAS lodgement and full accounting.
Can I use Afterpay with Shopify in Australia?
Yes. Afterpay can be added as a payment option at checkout on your Shopify store. Customers can split purchases into four interest-free instalments. Afterpay charges merchants a commission (up to 6% + 30¢ per transaction plus GST), which is separate from Shopify's card processing fees. The integration is available through the Shopify admin payments settings.
Does Shopify integrate with Australia Post?
Yes. Australia Post's MyPost Business integrates directly with Shopify, allowing you to print shipping labels, calculate real-time shipping rates at checkout, and automatically assign tracking numbers to orders — all from within your Shopify admin. Several third-party apps on the Shopify App Store also provide enhanced Australia Post integration with additional features like bulk label printing and StarTrack/eParcel support.
Where is Shopify data hosted for Australian merchants?
Shopify stores data primarily in data centres in the US and Canada. Australian merchants are serviced through Shopify Commerce Singapore Pte. Ltd. for the APAC region. Website content is delivered via Fastly CDN with global edge nodes for fast loading in Australia, but core merchant and customer data does not reside on Australian servers. There is no option to choose an AU-specific hosting location.
What are Shopify's transaction fees in Australia?
Using Shopify Payments, online card rates range from 1.75% + 30¢ AUD (Basic) to 1.4% + 30¢ (Advanced). In-person rates via Shopify POS range from 1.95% (Basic) to 1.75% (Advanced). If you use a third-party payment gateway instead of Shopify Payments, an additional fee applies: 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, and 0.6% on Advanced. These fees are on top of whatever the third-party gateway charges.