Square
Pay-as-you-go EFTPOS and online payments with no monthly fees or contracts.
Est. cost
$304/mo
Best for
Small retail, hospitality, and pop-up businesses
- Entry plan
- $0 (Free)
- Tx fee
- 0%
- Free themes
- ~3
- Apps
- Square Marketplace
10 providers
Compare E-commerce Platforms in Australia
Compare e-commerce platforms for Australian businesses. See subscription costs, transaction fees, features, and integrations side by side.
Self-hosted platforms require separate hosting. Estimates use entry-level managed hosting. Actual costs vary by hosting provider, traffic, and extensions.
Square | WooCommerce | PrestaShop | GoDaddy Online Store | Ecwid by Lightspeed | BigCommerce | Shopify | Squarespace | Wix | Adobe Commerce (Magento) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Est. platform cost | $0/mo | $4/mo | $5/mo | $13/mo | $25/mo | $30/mo | $42/mo | $40/mo | $29/mo | $50/mo |
| Est. processing fees | $304/mo | $321/mo | $321/mo | $321/mo | $321/mo | $321/mo | $319/mo | $321/mo | $341/mo | $321/mo |
| Est. total cost | $304/moCheapest | $325/mo | $326/mo | $334/mo | $346/mo | $351/mo | $361/mo | $361/mo | $370/mo | $371/mo |
| Plans & Pricing | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry plan /mo | $0 (Free) | $0 (free plugin) | $0 (open source) | USD $13/mo | $0 (5 products) | USD $29.95/mo | $42/mo (annual) | USD $40/mo (Commerce Basic) | USD $29/mo (Core) | $0 (Open Source) |
| Third-party gateway fee | 0% | 0% | Varies | 0% | 0% | 0% | 2% (Basic) | 3% (Personal) / 0% (Commerce) | 0% | Varies |
| Native processing rate | 1.9% + $0.10 (AU) | 1.75% + $0.30 (WooPayments) | Via Stripe | Via GoDaddy Payments | Via Lightspeed Payments | Via BigCommerce Payments | 1.75% + $0.30 (Basic) | Via Squarespace Payments | 1.9% + $0.30 (Wix Payments) | Via Braintree |
| Typical app costs /mo | $0 | $0 to $50/mo | $10 to $100/mo | $0 to $20/mo | $0 to $30/mo | $20 to $100/mo | $50 to $200/mo | $0 to $30/mo | $0 to $50/mo | $100 to $500/mo |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes (open source) | Yes (open source) | No | Yes (5 products) | No | No | No | Yes (no e-com) | Yes (Open Source) |
| Hosting (if self-hosted) | Included | $4 to $45/mo | $5 to $30/mo | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included | $50 to $200+/mo (self-hosted) |
| Pricing currency | AUD / USD | Free (USD hosting) | Free | USD | USD | USD | AUD | USD | USD | Free / USD |
| Contract required | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No (open source) |
| Platform & Store | ||||||||||
| Products allowed | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | 5 (free) to Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited (Commerce) | Unlimited (Business+) | Unlimited |
| App/plugin ecosystem | Square Marketplace | Thousands | 5,000+ | Limited | 100+ | 1,000+ apps | 10,000+ apps | 40+ extensions | 500+ apps | 4,000+ |
| Free themes | ~3 | Thousands | Hundreds | ~50 | 70+ | ~14 free | ~13 free | 100+ | 900+ | Hundreds |
| Staff accounts | Limited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | 1 | Unlimited | 2 (Basic) | 1 to 2 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Integrations & Support | ||||||||||
| Payment gateways | Square only | 100+ | 100+ | 3 gateways | 70+ | 65+ | 100+ | Stripe, PayPal | 70+ | 100+ |
| Abandoned cart recovery | Yes | Yes (via plugins) | Yes | Yes | Yes (Business+) | Yes (Plus+) | Yes (all plans) | Yes (Commerce) | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-currency | No | Yes (via plugins) | Yes | Limited | Yes (Unlimited) | Yes | Yes | No | Limited | Yes |
| Customer support | Business hours AU | Community + paid | Community + paid | 24/7 phone, chat | Business hours | 24/7 chat, phone, email | 24/7 chat, email, phone | 24/7 email; phone (business hrs) | 24/7 online | 24/7 (Enterprise) |
Estimates based on $15,000/mo volume. Best-in-row cells are highlighted in emerald. Rates can change without notice, confirm current pricing with the provider before signing on.How we calculate fees
Frequently asked
How the comparison works.
A few things to know before you switch.
An e-commerce platform is software that lets you create and manage an online store. It handles product listings, shopping cart, checkout, payments, and order management. Some platforms include hosting (like Shopify and BigCommerce), while others are self-hosted and require you to arrange your own web hosting (like WooCommerce and PrestaShop).
Costs range from $0 for open-source platforms like WooCommerce (plus hosting from $4/mo) to $56/mo AUD for Shopify Basic, up to $575/mo for advanced plans. Most SaaS platforms charge USD $25 to $80/mo for their standard plans. Some platforms also charge a transaction fee (1 to 3%) on each sale if you don't use their built-in payment processor.
Shopify is the major platform with AUD pricing on its AU website. Square Online's free plan is also in AUD. Most other platforms (BigCommerce, Squarespace, Wix, Ecwid) price in USD, so your actual cost will vary with the exchange rate.
A transaction fee is a percentage the platform charges on each sale, on top of your payment processing fees. Shopify charges 0.6 to 2% if you don't use Shopify Payments, and Squarespace charges 3% on non-Commerce plans. BigCommerce, Wix, and Ecwid charge 0% transaction fees on all plans. Self-hosted platforms like WooCommerce don't charge transaction fees either.
Hosted (SaaS) platforms like Shopify, BigCommerce, and Squarespace include hosting, security updates, and technical maintenance in your subscription. Self-hosted platforms like WooCommerce and PrestaShop are free to install but you need to arrange hosting, security, and updates yourself. Choose hosted if you want simplicity. Choose self-hosted if you want full control and have developer resources.
Yes, but switching involves migrating products, customers, orders, and design. Most platforms offer import tools, and migration services exist to help. The more customised your store, the more complex the migration. Consider your long-term needs before committing, as switching costs increase over time.
Most SaaS platforms offer a built-in payment processor (Shopify Payments, BigCommerce Payments, Wix Payments) so you can accept card payments without a separate provider. Self-hosted platforms like WooCommerce require you to connect a payment gateway such as Stripe, PayPal, or Square. Using the platform's native processor usually avoids additional transaction fees.
It depends on your needs. Shopify is the market leader with AUD pricing and the largest app ecosystem. BigCommerce offers zero transaction fees. WooCommerce gives maximum flexibility at the lowest cost (if you have developer support). Squarespace is ideal for design-focused stores. Square Online works well if you already use Square for in-person payments. Use our comparison tool to see which platform fits your budget and feature requirements.
Not sure which e-commerce platform is right for your business?
Our team can help you evaluate your options based on your products, budget, and growth plans.