Shopify vs WooCommerce comes down to convenience versus control. Shopify is a fully-hosted, all-in-one platform that's faster to launch and easier to run, with predictable monthly fees and transaction charges. WooCommerce is a free WordPress plugin that gives you full ownership, no platform fees, and unlimited customisation — but you manage hosting, security, and maintenance yourself. For most Australian small stores it's a genuine toss-up that depends on how hands-on you want to be.
If you're starting an online store in Australia, the platform choice usually narrows to these two. Both run a huge share of the world's eCommerce, and both can absolutely work — but they suit different owners. Here's the honest breakdown.
The fundamental difference
Shopify is a hosted, all-in-one eCommerce platform. You pay a monthly subscription and Shopify handles hosting, security, updates, and payments — you just run your store.
WooCommerce is a free, open-source plugin that turns a WordPress site into a store. It's enormously flexible and you own everything, but WordPress hosting, security, and maintenance are your responsibility (or your agency's).
In short: Shopify rents you a managed store; WooCommerce gives you a store you own and maintain.
Cost and fees
This is where it gets nuanced. Shopify looks simpler but the fees add up:
- Shopify: monthly plans (roughly A$38–$400+/month) plus transaction fees if you don't use Shopify Payments, plus paid apps for features beyond the basics
- WooCommerce: the plugin is free, but you pay for hosting, a theme, premium extensions, and payment gateway fees — and you (or someone) maintains it
Over a few years the totals are often closer than they first appear. Shopify's costs are predictable but ongoing and rising with apps; WooCommerce has a higher build/maintenance component but no platform subscription. For the full picture of what an online store costs to build either way, see our eCommerce website cost guide — and if you're shopping locally, our eCommerce website design in Melbourne page.
Ease of use
Shopify wins for getting started. It's designed so a non-technical owner can launch and run a store without touching code. Setup is guided, and the admin is clean.
WooCommerce has a steeper curve. It's more powerful but assumes some comfort with WordPress, plugins, and the occasional technical hiccup. Many WooCommerce owners work with a developer rather than going fully solo.
Customisation and ownership
WooCommerce wins on control. Because it's open-source WordPress, you can customise virtually anything and you own your site and data outright — you can move hosts or developers freely. Nothing is locked behind a platform.
Shopify is more constrained. You work within its system and its app ecosystem. That's part of what makes it easy, but it also means platform lock-in: leaving Shopify later means rebuilding elsewhere.
SEO
Roughly even, with WooCommerce having a slight ceiling advantage. Because WooCommerce is WordPress, you get WordPress's full technical SEO control and content capabilities — a real edge for stores that compete on content and organic traffic. Shopify's SEO is solid and has improved, but it's a little more restrictive in areas like URL structure.
For most stores the platform won't make or break SEO — build quality and content will. If organic search is central to your strategy, WooCommerce's flexibility is worth weighing.
Scalability and maintenance
Shopify scales smoothly because it's managed — you don't worry about servers as traffic grows, though costs rise with apps and plan tiers.
WooCommerce can scale to very large stores, but performance and security depend on good hosting and maintenance. A neglected WooCommerce store gets slow and vulnerable, which is exactly why ongoing website maintenance matters for it.
So which should you choose?
Choose Shopify if:
- You want the fastest, simplest path to a working store
- You'd rather pay predictable fees than manage technical upkeep
- You don't need deep customisation
- You're not heavily reliant on content-driven SEO
Choose WooCommerce if:
- You want full ownership and control over your store
- You're content/SEO-focused and want WordPress's flexibility
- You want to avoid ongoing platform fees
- You have development support (or an agency) for maintenance
If you're weighing platforms more broadly before committing, our comparison of WordPress, Squarespace and Framer covers the non-store options too.
We build and maintain stores on both, and recommend based on your products, budget, and how hands-on you want to be — not a house preference. If you want a straight recommendation for your situation, our eCommerce website design service starts with that conversation. Get in touch and we'll point you the right way.