Shopify30 Sept 20268 min read

Shopify vs WooCommerce for Australian Retailers

Shopify or WooCommerce for an Australian store: fees, GST, security and upkeep from each vendor's own documentation, and which suits which business.

SABy Saad Ali
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Choose Shopify if you want one company to run the hosting, security and checkout for a fixed monthly fee, and you would rather spend your time selling than maintaining software. Choose WooCommerce if you already run a WordPress site that brings in customers, want control over your hosting, code and payment provider, and have someone, on your team or on a care plan, to keep it updated. This guide sets out the differences in cost, fees, security and upkeep for a store based in Australia, using only Shopify's and WooCommerce's own documentation, each with the date we read it.

WordPress or Shopify: the same question

WordPress on its own publishes pages. WooCommerce is the free, open-source plugin that turns a WordPress site into a store (WooCommerce pricing page, read 27 September 2026). So "WordPress vs Shopify" and "WooCommerce vs Shopify" are the same decision: a hosted platform you pay for by subscription, or an open-source store you run on hosting you choose.

Shopify and WooCommerce side by side

Shopify's prices and rates and WooPayments' fees below are the ones each vendor publishes for a business based in Australia. WooCommerce's hosting and extension ranges are its general estimates, not Australian prices. Every figure was last checked on 27 September 2026, and the sources are listed at the end.

Topic Shopify WooCommerce
Platform fee A$56 a month on Basic, or A$42 a month paid yearly, rising to Plus from A$3,700 a month. 10% GST on the subscription unless you are registered for GST and add your ABN. Free to download and use, with no platform fee and no revenue share.
Hosting and SSL Included in every plan. You choose and pay for hosting. WooCommerce estimates $25 to $350 a month for most stores (see the currency note below). The host must meet WooCommerce's server requirements, including PHP 8.3 or later and HTTPS support.
Card payments through the vendor's own processor Shopify Payments, domestic online cards: 1.7% + A$0.30 on Basic, falling to 1.15% + A$0.30 on Plus. WooPayments, cards: 1.75% + $0.30, plus 1.50% for cards issued overseas and 2.00% when currency conversion applies. 10% GST on WooPayments' fees unless you are GST-registered and give a valid GST ID.
Using a different payment provider A Shopify transaction fee of 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced or 0.2% on Plus, on top of the provider's own fees. No extra charge from WooCommerce for using another gateway.
Card security (PCI DSS) Shopify is certified Level 1 PCI DSS compliant, and stores on it are PCI compliant by default. Compliance is the store owner's responsibility. The core plugin is not PCI certified, and your hosting, plugins and access policies all count.
Updates Hosting comes with automatic updates, and Shopify says it helps keep stores secure automatically. You update WordPress, WooCommerce, extensions and the theme. WooCommerce advises a current backup and a test on a staging site before updating.
Add-ons Apps, priced by each developer; the App Store listings we checked bill in US dollars. Extensions, which WooCommerce estimates at $29 to $299 a year each.
Variants per product Up to 2,048 variants and three options; more needs an app or custom theme code. WooCommerce's pricing page states no variant limit.
Checkout changes Limited customisation on Basic, Grow and Advanced; full customisation on Plus. WooCommerce says you can customise the checkout without a forced upgrade.
Selling in person Shopify POS with Shopify Payments, including EFTPOS cards; in-person card rate 1.85% on Basic; POS Pro A$129 a month per location for advanced shop features. WooPayments in person: 1.7% + $0.10 per payment, plus $5.00 a month per active card reader.

A note on currency: WooCommerce's pricing page gives its hosting and extension estimates in dollars without naming the currency, and WooPayments' Australian fee table shows dollar amounts without naming one either. Confirm them in Australian dollars before you budget. Shopify's plan prices, card rates and POS Pro are stated in Australian dollars on its Australian pricing page.

What each one costs to run

Shopify's running costs are predictable: a monthly plan in Australian dollars, a card rate on each sale, and whatever theme and apps you add. The bill grows with the plan and the apps you choose, not with the size of a server. Our guide to what a Shopify store costs in Australia lists every Shopify fee in more detail.

WooCommerce's costs are spread across more suppliers: hosting, a domain, paid extensions, a payment provider, and the time it takes to keep everything updated. For a small store run by someone comfortable maintaining WordPress, that total can come in below a Shopify plan. Once you pay a developer for updates, security checks and fixes, compare the full yearly cost rather than the platform fee alone, because the plugin being free does not make the store free to run.

Which one suits your business

There is no single right answer. Find the description closest to your business.

A new product brand with no developer on staff

Shopify. Hosting, card security, checkout and payments come in one plan, so you run the store from one admin without looking after servers or plugins. Start on the plan that fits your team today and move up when you need more staff accounts or lower card rates.

A shop with a counter, a market stall or pop-ups

Usually Shopify, because it sells online and in person from one platform, and Shopify Payments takes EFTPOS cards in person in Australia through Shopify POS. WooPayments also offers in-person payments in Australia, so a WordPress store is not ruled out, but check that the card reader and stock syncing you need are supported before you commit.

A business whose WordPress content already brings in customers

WooCommerce. Your articles, guides and landing pages stay where they already rank, and the store sits on the same site. Moving that content to Shopify is possible, but it means rebuilding the pages and redirecting every old URL.

A large or unusual catalogue

Either can work. Shopify allows 2,048 variants and three options per product, beyond which you need an app or custom theme code; WooCommerce states no variant limit. For product builders and made-to-order items, most of the cost is custom work on either platform, so compare quotes for that work rather than the platform fees.

Wholesale or B2B next to retail

Either. Shopify includes B2B selling on every plan, with up to three B2B catalogues on Basic, Grow and Advanced and unlimited catalogues on Plus. WooCommerce adds wholesale pricing through extensions sold in its marketplace, such as B2B & Wholesale Suite. The deciding factor is how complex your price lists, customer groups and ordering rules are.

A business tied to a particular payment provider

WooCommerce, or Shopify on a higher plan. If you must keep an existing merchant facility, Shopify adds 2% per sale on Basic and 0.2% on Plus on top of that provider's fees, while WooCommerce adds nothing for using another gateway.

An owner who wants the lowest running cost and can maintain WordPress

WooCommerce can cost less to run, because the plugin is free and there is no per-sale platform fee. The saving only holds while someone does the updates, backups and staging tests WooCommerce recommends. If you would pay someone for that work, add it to the comparison.

Switching later

Moving from one platform to the other is possible but not cheap. The design is rebuilt for the new platform, products, customers and orders are migrated, and every old URL needs a redirect so search results and links keep working. Choose the platform you expect to use for the next few years, not the one that is cheapest this month.

Common questions

Is WooCommerce really free?

The plugin is free to download and use, but you still pay for hosting, a domain, any paid extensions and your payment provider's fees (WooCommerce pricing page, read 27 September 2026).

Does Shopify charge transaction fees in Australia?

Only when you use a payment provider other than Shopify Payments: 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced and 0.2% on Plus; with Shopify Payments you pay only the card rate for your plan, from 1.7% + A$0.30 for a domestic online card on Basic (Shopify Australia pricing page, last checked 27 September 2026).

Which is more secure?

Shopify takes on the card-security work: it is certified Level 1 PCI DSS compliant and stores on it are compliant by default, while with WooCommerce compliance is the store owner's responsibility and depends on your hosting, plugins, updates and payment gateway (Shopify pricing page and WooCommerce PCI documentation, read 27 September 2026).

Do both charge GST on their fees?

Yes, 10% in each case unless you are registered for GST: Shopify charges it on the subscription and shipping labels until you add your ABN, and WooPayments charges it on its fees unless you provide a valid GST ID (Shopify Help Center and WooPayments fee documentation, read 27 September 2026).

Do you build on both platforms?

Yes. Digitalis Global builds and migrates stores on both Shopify and WooCommerce, and we are a Shopify Partner.

Get a recommendation for your store

We recommend a platform after a free scoping call, then send a fixed proposal covering scope, price, timeline and exclusions: ask for a quote. You can also browse our case studies or see what our e-commerce development service covers.

Sources

Every source below was read on 27 September 2026. Both vendors change prices and features without notice, so check the linked page before you decide.

Drafted with AI assistance; researched and reviewed by Saad Ali.

TagsShopifyWooCommerceWordPressE-commerceAustralia
SA
Written by
Saad Ali
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Founder / CEO

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