Shopify vs WooCommerce for Australian Businesses: Which Should You Choose?

Short answer: for most Australian small and growing businesses, Shopify vs WooCommerce leans towards Shopify, because Shopify Payments is available in Australia (so there’s no extra platform fee per sale), local apps for Afterpay, Zip, Australia Post and Xero are easy to add, and hosting and security are handled for you. WooCommerce is the better fit when you already run a content-heavy WordPress site, need deep customisation, or want full control over hosting and data.

Our general Shopify vs WooCommerce guide compares features. This post looks only at what changes for businesses selling in Australia.

Payments: Shopify Payments works in Australia

Australia is on Shopify’s list of supported countries for Shopify Payments. That matters, because Shopify’s pricing overview explains that stores using an outside payment provider pay an extra third-party transaction fee. Australian stores on Shopify Payments avoid it.

WooCommerce has no platform fee per sale. You connect a payment provider such as Stripe, Square or PayPal through a plugin and pay that provider’s charges only.

Buy now pay later: Afterpay and Zip

Many Australian shoppers expect to pay in instalments. On Shopify, Afterpay and Zip both have apps in the Shopify App Store — the Afterpay and Clearpay app lists Australia among its countries, and Zip’s Zip (AU) app is built for Australian stores. WooCommerce also supports buy now pay later through plugins; check each provider’s current WooCommerce plugin and requirements.

Shipping: Australia Post and couriers

• Shopify: apps connect to Australia Post (MyPost Business, eParcel, StarTrack) and couriers for live rates at checkout, labels and tracking.
• WooCommerce: plugins do the same, and you can build more unusual shipping rules — but each plugin is one more thing to update and test.

See our best Shopify apps for Australian businesses for specific shipping, payment and accounting apps.

Hosting and speed for Australian shoppers

Shopify hosts your store on its own global infrastructure, so there’s nothing to choose or maintain. With WooCommerce, you pick the host — choose one with Australian servers or a good CDN so pages load fast for local shoppers, and make sure it meets WooCommerce’s server recommendations. Cheap shared hosting is the most common reason WooCommerce stores feel slow.

GST and tax settings

Both platforms can show prices including GST and calculate tax at checkout once configured. Shopify handles this in its tax settings; WooCommerce uses its built-in tax rules (or a tax plugin). Set them up with your accountant’s advice, and test a few orders to make sure invoices show tax correctly.

Accounting with Xero and MYOB

Xero and MYOB are common in Australian businesses. Both platforms connect through apps or plugins that send orders, payouts and fees to your accounting software. On Shopify, apps such as Account Sync: Easy Xero Sync are built for Australian merchants. Choose a connector your bookkeeper is happy with before launch.

Running costs compared

• Shopify: monthly plan, card processing (Shopify Payments), paid apps, paid theme (optional). Hosting, security and updates are included.
• WooCommerce: free plugin, hosting, domain, premium plugins, card processing, and ongoing maintenance (updates, backups, security).

For a full breakdown of Shopify costs, read how much a Shopify website costs in Australia.

Which one should an Australian business choose?

Choose Shopify if you…

• Want to launch quickly and avoid looking after hosting and updates.
• Will use Shopify Payments and want Afterpay, Zip and Australia Post apps that just work.
• Have a small team without in-house technical help.
• Sell in person too and want online and point-of-sale in one system.

Choose WooCommerce if you…

• Already have a strong WordPress site with lots of content that ranks well.
• Need custom features or checkout logic that Shopify apps can’t handle.
• Want full control over hosting, data and code.
• Have reliable technical support for updates and security.

Thinking of switching?

Moving between platforms is very doable, but plan URL redirects carefully so you keep your Google rankings. Our guide on how to migrate a website to Shopify covers the steps.

Tocal builds on both platforms for Australian businesses as a remote team, with fast delivery and reasonable pricing. See our Shopify developers for Australia and WooCommerce development pages, or book a free call for an honest recommendation.