Best Ecommerce Platform for Small Business in Australia (2026)

For most Australian small businesses, Shopify is the best ecommerce platform to start with: it's quick to set up, priced in AUD and handles hosting, security and payments for you. WooCommerce suits businesses already on WordPress that want full control, Square Online is a good fit if you also sell in person, and Squarespace or Wix work well for a small range sold alongside a content-led website. Here's how to choose, with pricing checked on each vendor's site in October 2026.

Online shopping keeps growing in Australia. According to the 2026 Australia Post eCommerce Report, Australians spent a record $82.6 billion online in 2025, with 9.8 million households (82% of homes) shopping online. The platform you pick shapes how easily you can grab a share of that.

Quick comparison: ecommerce platforms for small business

Platform	Best for	Starting cost
Shopify	Most product businesses that want to sell online with minimal technical work	Basic from $56 AUD a month, or $42 a month paid yearly
WooCommerce	Businesses already on WordPress that want flexibility and control	Free plugin; you pay for hosting, domain and any paid extensions
Square Online	Cafes, retailers and makers who also sell in person	Free plan at $0 a month plus 2.2% per transaction
Squarespace	Small, design-led ranges sold alongside a content website	Check the AUD price at sign-up; 14-day free trial
Wix	Simple stores built with a drag-and-drop editor	Check the AUD price at sign-up; prices vary by location
BigCommerce	Larger catalogues and growing stores	Priced in USD on its Australian site; 15-day free trial

Prices are from the vendors' own pricing pages on 29 October 2026 and can change. Always check the current price and what's included before you sign up.

How to choose the right ecommerce platform

Before comparing features, get clear on these five things. They'll narrow the field quickly.

1. The checkout experience

Your checkout is where you win or lose the sale. Look for a platform with a fast, mobile-friendly checkout, guest checkout and the payment methods your customers expect. Test it on your own phone during the free trial.

2. Payments in Australia

A payment gateway sits between your store and the bank, taking the customer's card details and passing them securely to the payment processor. Check which gateways each platform supports in Australia, what each charges per transaction and whether the platform adds its own fee when you use a third-party gateway.

3. The total monthly cost

The plan price is only the start. Add transaction fees, paid apps or extensions, a premium theme, hosting (for WooCommerce) and your domain. A $56 plan can easily become a few hundred dollars a month once you add apps, so cost out the setup you actually need.

4. Room to grow

Think about where your business will be in two or three years. Can the platform handle more products, more orders, wholesale pricing or selling in person? Moving platforms later is possible, but it's disruptive and expensive.

5. Who will run it

Be honest about the time and skills you have. A hosted platform such as Shopify or Squarespace handles security, updates and hosting for you. WooCommerce gives you more control, but someone has to look after updates, backups and hosting.

The best ecommerce platforms for small business in 2026

Shopify

Shopify is the platform I recommend most often to small businesses selling products online. You can launch without writing code, and it handles hosting, security and payments. It also connects with social and marketplace channels, and has a large app store for extra features.

Shopify's Australian pricing starts with Basic at $56 AUD a month, or $42 a month paid yearly. Grow is $149 a month ($114 paid yearly), Advanced is $575 a month ($431 paid yearly), and Plus starts at $3,700 a month. Online card rates through Shopify start at 1.7% + 30c on Basic. If you use a third-party payment provider instead, Shopify adds its own fee of 2% on Basic, dropping on higher plans. New stores can currently try it for 3 days free, then $1 a month for 3 months.

Shopify also now lists an Agentic plan at $0 a month for selling through AI channels: you add products to Shopify's Catalog and pay only when you make a sale. It's new, so watch how it develops before relying on it.

• Good: easy to use, reliable, strong inventory tools, priced in AUD, huge range of themes and apps.
• Watch for: app subscriptions add up quickly, and deeper theme changes may need a developer.

WooCommerce

WooCommerce is a free ecommerce plugin for WordPress, with no monthly platform fees. It's a strong choice if your business already runs on WordPress, you publish a lot of content, or you need custom features a hosted platform can't easily handle.

• Good: full control and ownership, near-unlimited customisation, works well with content and SEO.
• Watch for: you're responsible for hosting, security, updates and backups. Paid extensions, premium themes and good hosting add to the real cost. It suits businesses with technical help on hand.

Square Online

If you have a shop, cafe or market stall, Square Online keeps your in-person and online sales in one system. Its Australian plans are Free ($0 a month), Plus ($36 a month) and Premium ($99 a month), each with a 2.2% transaction rate listed.

• Good: very low cost to start, simple to set up, connects directly with Square's point-of-sale.
• Watch for: fewer design and marketing options than Shopify, so it suits a simpler store.

Squarespace

Squarespace is known for polished templates and a clean editor. Its plans are Basic, Core, Plus and Advanced, and every site starts with a 14-day free trial with no credit card required. It suits creatives, studios and small brands selling a modest range alongside a content-rich site.

• Good: beautiful templates, easy content editing, everything in one place.
• Watch for: templates rely on good photography, and it's less flexible than Shopify as your range grows.

Wix

Wix offers a drag-and-drop editor and a set of ecommerce plans. Its Core, Business and Business Elite plans all let you accept payments, with more advanced ecommerce features on the higher tiers. Wix notes that prices and currency vary by location, so check the AUD price when you sign up.

• Good: flexible visual editor, quick to get a simple store live.
• Watch for: the Free and Light plans don't include accepting payments, so you'll need one of the ecommerce plans.

BigCommerce

BigCommerce is built for stores with larger catalogues and more complex needs. Its plans are Core, Growth, Scale and Performance. Each plan is tied to how much you sell, and its Australian site lists prices in US dollars excluding tax. There's a 15-day free trial with no credit card needed.

• Good: strong built-in features for larger product ranges, no BigCommerce order fee with its embedded payment providers.
• Watch for: USD pricing, and plans step up as your sales grow.

My recommendation by business type

• Starting your first online store: Shopify Basic.
• Already on WordPress with good technical support: WooCommerce.
• Selling in person and online: Square Online, or Shopify if you want more marketing tools.
• A small range alongside a portfolio or content site: Squarespace or Wix.
• A large catalogue or complex product options: Shopify or BigCommerce.

Once your store is live: getting sales

The platform is only half the job. A store needs traffic, and the businesses that grow fastest plan their marketing before launch. Search ads catch people already looking for what you sell, and social ads build demand with people who don't know you yet. When I ran social media advertising for an electric bike startup, leads rose by 71% and cost per acquisition fell by 37%. For ideas, see these Facebook ads examples from fast-growing companies, or read about my Google Ads management service.

Before launch, set up Google Analytics 4 and mark purchases as key events, so you know which channels bring in sales rather than just visitors.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best ecommerce platform for small business in Australia?

For most Australian small businesses, Shopify is the best starting point. It's priced in AUD, easy to run and grows with you. WooCommerce is a strong alternative if you're already on WordPress and have technical support.

Is WooCommerce cheaper than Shopify?

The WooCommerce plugin is free, but you pay for hosting, a domain, any paid extensions and maintenance. Once those are added, the total cost can be similar to Shopify, so compare the full monthly cost rather than the plan price.

Can I start an online store for free?

Square Online has a free plan with a 2.2% transaction rate, which suits a simple store. Most hosted platforms offer a free trial rather than a free plan, and WooCommerce is free to install but needs paid hosting.

If you'd like help choosing a platform and building a store that sells, take a look at my website design service, or book a free call and we'll work out the right setup for your business.