Once maintenance is counted, Shopify is usually cheaper over two years for a small Australian or UK store, even though WooCommerce card fees are lower. WooCommerce suits businesses already on WordPress, with unusual requirements or with someone to keep plugins updated. On either platform, card fees cost more than the plan.
We build stores on both platforms. Prices were checked in late 2026 from the linked sources; confirm current rates before committing.
Shopify fees in Australia and the UK
Shopify charges a monthly plan fee plus card fees on every sale. Annual billing cuts the plan fee by around 25%.
| Plan | Australia (monthly / yearly billing, per month) | UK (monthly / yearly billing, per month) |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | A$56 / A$42 | £25 / £19 |
| Grow | A$149 / A$114 | £65 / £49 |
| Advanced | A$575 / A$431 | £344 / £259 |
Card fees through Shopify Payments for online sales:
| Plan | Australia, domestic cards | UK cards |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | 1.75% + 30c | 2.0% + 25p |
| Grow | 1.6% + 30c | 1.7% + 25p |
| Advanced | 1.4% + 30c | 1.5% + 25p |
With a third-party payment provider, Shopify adds 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow and 0.6% on Advanced.
Sources: Aspire (Australia, September 2026) and Charle (UK, May 2026).
WooCommerce cost
The plugin is free. Hosting, a domain, an SSL certificate (often included with hosting), usually a premium theme and paid plugins for features such as shipping rules or subscriptions are not. With Stripe, domestic cards in Australia cost 1.65% + A$0.30 and standard UK cards 1.5% + 20p, while premium UK cards cost 2.8% + 20p (Stripe Australia, Stripe UK).
Comparisons often leave out maintenance: updating WordPress, the theme and plugins, checking backups and fixing anything an update breaks. Either you do it or you pay someone to.
Which is cheaper over two years? A worked example
An Australian store with A$10,000 a month in online sales and an average order of A$80 handles 3,000 orders over two years. The figures for extras are our assumptions, typical for a store this size.
- Plan or hosting
- Card fees (percentage)
- Card fees (per order)
- Apps or plugins
- Maintenance
| Two-year cost (Australia) | Shopify Basic, yearly billing | WooCommerce with Stripe |
|---|---|---|
| Plan or hosting | A$1,008 | A$960 (A$40 a month hosting) |
| Card fees, percentage | A$4,200 (1.75%) | A$3,960 (1.65%) |
| Card fees, per order | A$900 | A$900 |
| Apps or premium plugins | A$1,200 (A$50 a month) | A$800 (A$400 a year) |
| Maintenance | Included in the platform | A$2,400 (A$100 a month) |
| Total | about A$7,300 | about A$9,000 |
A UK store with £8,000 a month in sales and an average order of £64, again 3,000 orders over two years:
| Two-year cost (UK) | Shopify Basic, yearly billing | WooCommerce with Stripe |
|---|---|---|
| Plan or hosting | £456 | £600 (£25 a month hosting) |
| Card fees, percentage | £3,840 (2.0%) | £2,880 (1.5%, standard UK cards) |
| Card fees, per order | £750 | £600 |
| Apps or premium plugins | £960 (£40 a month) | £600 (£300 a year) |
| Maintenance | Included in the platform | £1,920 (£80 a month) |
| Total | about £6,000 | about £6,600 |
WooCommerce has lower fees in both countries, so maintenance decides the result. If you handle updates yourself, WooCommerce comes out ahead in the UK example; with paid maintenance, Shopify is cheaper in both. Build cost is excluded, as a store with up to 50 products costs about the same to build on either.
When to upgrade your Shopify plan
Upgrade only when the lower card rate covers the higher plan fee. Approximate break-even points on annual billing:
- Australia: Grow costs A$72 a month more than Basic and saves 0.15% on card fees, which pays off only above roughly A$48,000 a month in online sales.
- UK: Grow costs £30 a month more and saves 0.3%, which needs about £10,000 a month in sales.
Below these levels, stay on Basic unless you need a specific Grow feature.
When WooCommerce is the better choice
- You have a WordPress site with years of blog content and rankings to protect.
- You need complex B2B pricing, custom product builders or a membership area linked to the shop.
- Your volume makes the card-fee difference significant.
- Someone in house or on a support plan will keep the site updated.
When Shopify is the better choice
Shopify suits non-technical teams, businesses that want to start selling within weeks and owners who prefer a predictable monthly fee to managing plugin conflicts. For most stores with two or three staff and a few hundred products, we recommend Shopify.
Switching later is possible but costly. Product data moves easily, while URLs, reviews, customer passwords and SEO need careful handling, so choose for where the business will be in three years.
Frequently asked questions
Is Shopify or WooCommerce cheaper in Australia?+
For a store selling around A$10,000 a month, Shopify Basic is usually cheaper over two years once maintenance is included, despite slightly higher card fees.
Is Shopify or WooCommerce cheaper in the UK?+
It is close. WooCommerce with Stripe has lower fees on standard UK cards, so it can be cheaper if you maintain the site yourself. With paid maintenance, Shopify Basic usually costs less.
Does Shopify charge transaction fees?+
Not with Shopify Payments, where you pay the card rate only. With another provider, Shopify adds 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow and 0.6% on Advanced on top of that provider's fees.
Is WooCommerce really free?+
The plugin is free. Hosting, a domain, premium plugins, a theme and maintenance are not, and together they can match the cost of a Shopify plan.
Can I move from WooCommerce to Shopify later?+
Yes. Products, customers and orders can be migrated, and old URLs should be redirected to protect rankings. A rushed migration is the most common cause of lost search traffic.
Which platform is better for SEO?+
Both can rank well. WordPress offers more control over content and structure, while Shopify has fewer technical points of failure. Strong product pages and fast loading matter more than the platform.