Real ecommerce build costs in Australia by platform: Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, and custom. 5-year TCO comparison for stores doing $30K/month.
Key Takeaway
- Australians spent $82.6 billion online in 2025, up 14% year-on-year (Australia Post eCommerce Report 2026). The ecommerce market is growing, and so are your platform fees if you are on Shopify.
- Shopify's Basic plan advertises A$42/month, but a store doing A$30,000/month in revenue actually pays roughly A$900/month once you add transaction fees and apps (StackCompare, March 2026).
- Over five years, a store doing A$30,000/month pays approximately A$54,000 in Shopify platform fees, A$27,000 in WooCommerce hosting and maintenance, or A$15,000 to A$18,000 total on a custom-built store after the initial build cost.
- Ecommerce costs 3 to 10 times more than a brochure site because payment processing, inventory, shipping, and security each add a layer of complexity and ongoing expense.
- The cheapest store is not the one with the lowest sticker price. It is the one that costs least over the life of your business.
The typical answer to "how much does an ecommerce website cost in Australia?" is "$5,000 to $50,000." That range is technically correct and practically useless. A $5,000 Shopify build and a $50,000 custom platform are entirely different products with entirely different five-year cost profiles.
This guide breaks ecommerce costs into the three things that actually determine what you pay: the platform you build on, the complexity of your store, and the ongoing fees that accumulate after launch. Everything is in Australian dollars where possible, and every number links to its source.
The quick version
| Platform | Upfront build cost | Monthly running cost (A$30K/mo revenue) | 5-year total cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify (Basic) | A$0 to A$5,000 | ~A$900/mo | ~A$59,000 |
| WooCommerce | A$5,000 to A$30,000 | ~A$450/mo | ~A$47,000 |
| BigCommerce (Growth) | A$0 to A$8,000 | ~A$700/mo | ~A$50,000 |
| Custom (Next.js + Stripe) | A$10,000 to A$50,000 | ~A$250/mo | ~A$35,000 |
These are estimates for a mid-range store with 100 to 500 products doing A$30,000 per month in revenue. The rest of this guide explains how each number was calculated and when each option makes sense.
What makes ecommerce more expensive than a brochure site
A standard business website in Australia costs $3,000 to $10,000. It displays information. An ecommerce store costs 3 to 10 times more because it has to do things:
- Payment processing: Integrating Stripe, PayPal, Afterpay, Apple Pay, or any combination. Each processor has its own API, authentication flow, and error handling.
- Product management: Catalogue structure, variants (size, colour, material), inventory tracking, stock alerts, bulk import/export.
- Shipping logic: Australia Post, Sendle, Aramex, StarTrack integration. Weight-based rates, zone-based rates, free shipping thresholds, click-and-collect.
- Tax and compliance: GST calculation, ABN validation for B2B, PCI DSS compliance for handling card data.
- Order management: Order lifecycle (placed, paid, packed, shipped, delivered, returned), automated emails at each stage, refund workflows.
- Security: SSL, fraud detection, chargeback handling, data encryption, regular security patching.
Each layer adds development time upfront and maintenance cost ongoing. That is why the range is so wide, and why you cannot compare ecommerce pricing to brochure site pricing.
Shopify: the real cost in Australia
Shopify is the default choice for Australian ecommerce. 64.19% of Shopify sites pass Core Web Vitals on mobile, which is better than WordPress but below what modern frameworks deliver. The platform is easy to set up and handles hosting, security, and updates automatically.
Current AU pricing (April 2026)
| Plan | Monthly (annual billing) | Online card rate | Third-party gateway fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | A$7/mo | 5% + 30c | N/A |
| Basic | A$42/mo | 1.75% + 30c | 2% |
| Grow | A$114/mo | 1.6% + 30c | 1% |
| Advanced | A$431/mo | 1.4% + 30c | 0.6% |
| Plus | From A$3,700/mo | Negotiated | 0.2% |
Source: Shopify AU pricing page
The plan price is the smallest part of the bill. Here is what a store doing A$30,000 per month actually pays on the Basic plan:
| Cost | Monthly amount |
|---|---|
| Subscription (annual billing) | A$42 |
| Transaction fees (1.75% + 30c on ~400 orders at A$75 avg) | A$645 |
| App subscriptions (reviews, email, upsells, SEO) | A$150 to A$300 |
| Premium theme (amortised) | A$10 to A$20 |
| Total | A$847 to A$1,007 |
That is roughly A$900 per month, or 22 times the headline plan price. StackCompare's March 2026 analysis puts real monthly costs at 2 to 3 times the subscription price for most stores, and AdsX found costs run 3 to 10 times higher than the plan price once apps and transaction fees are included.
Why apps compound the cost
Shopify's core features are intentionally limited. Features that other platforms include natively (product reviews, advanced filtering, loyalty programs, subscription management) require paid apps. A 2026 analysis from Calcbee found that most stores run 5 to 15 paid apps at A$100 to A$300 per month combined. Heavy users spend A$500 or more.
| Common app category | Typical monthly cost |
|---|---|
| Email marketing (Klaviyo, Omnisend) | A$20 to A$100 |
| Product reviews (Judge.me, Loox) | A$15 to A$50 |
| Upsells and cross-sells | A$20 to A$50 |
| Subscription management (Recharge) | A$50 to A$200 |
| Loyalty programs (Smile.io) | A$20 to A$200 |
| Analytics (Lifetimely) | A$30 to A$100 |
Source: Calcbee Shopify Fee Breakdown
Each app also loads its own JavaScript onto your storefront, which slows page load times. Standard Shopify themes typically score 40 to 65 on Google PageSpeed Insights for mobile, according to headless commerce benchmarks from Innofast. Every app you add pushes that score lower.
When Shopify makes sense
Shopify is the right choice when you need a store live fast, do not want to manage hosting or security, and your revenue is under A$10,000 per month. At that scale, the transaction fees are manageable and the convenience of a managed platform outweighs the cost premium. For a store just testing product-market fit, Shopify Basic at A$42 per month is hard to beat for speed to market.
WooCommerce: the real cost in Australia
WooCommerce is a free WordPress plugin. "Free" means you pay nothing for the software itself. Everything else costs money.
Build costs
| Store complexity | Typical build cost (AUD) | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Basic (under 50 products, standard theme) | A$5,000 to A$15,000 | Pre-built theme, standard checkout, basic shipping |
| Custom mid-range (50 to 500 products) | A$8,000 to A$30,000 | Custom design, multiple payment gateways, shipping integrations |
| Advanced (500+ products, B2B, warehouse) | A$30,000 to A$60,000+ | Custom functionality, ERP integration, wholesale pricing |
Sources: VisualWeb 2026 ecommerce guide, Taqwanology custom website costs, Media Plus Digital 2026 pricing
Ongoing costs
WooCommerce has no platform subscription and no transaction fees beyond what your payment processor charges (Stripe: 1.75% + 30c in Australia, same rate as Shopify Payments). The ongoing costs come from hosting, plugins, and maintenance.
| Cost item | Monthly range | Annual range |
|---|---|---|
| Managed WordPress hosting | A$30 to A$150 | A$360 to A$1,800 |
| Premium plugins (payment, shipping, SEO, security) | A$50 to A$200 | A$600 to A$2,400 |
| Maintenance and security updates | A$100 to A$300 | A$1,200 to A$3,600 |
| Total ongoing | A$180 to A$650 | A$2,160 to A$7,800 |
Sources: StackScale WooCommerce pricing 2026, Codeable WooCommerce cost guide, Zigpoll TCO calculator
The Codeable guide estimates Year 1 total cost at A$6,000 to A$13,000 for a mid-size store (build included) and A$2,200 to A$3,000 per year ongoing after that. Elementor's 2026 analysis puts Year 2 ongoing costs at roughly A$2,272 for a growing store.
The WordPress performance problem
WooCommerce runs on WordPress, and WordPress performance is a documented weak spot. Only 43.44% of WordPress sites pass all three Core Web Vitals on mobile, according to the HTTP Archive's analysis of Google CrUX data. WordPress sites built with Elementor (the most popular page builder) fare worse at 26.99%.
For an ecommerce store where every 0.1 seconds of load time improvement equals an 8.4% increase in retail conversions (Deloitte/Google), that performance gap translates directly to lost revenue.
When WooCommerce makes sense
WooCommerce works well when you have access to a developer for initial setup and ongoing maintenance, want full ownership of your code and data, and plan to run the store for 3+ years. The elimination of platform transaction fees (you pay only Stripe's standard 1.75% + 30c) makes WooCommerce cheaper than Shopify for stores doing over A$250,000 per year in revenue within 18 to 24 months of launch.
BigCommerce: the middle ground
BigCommerce positions itself between Shopify's simplicity and WooCommerce's flexibility. Its core selling point is zero transaction fees on all plans, though that is changing from June 2026 with the introduction of Open Payment Provider fees.
Current pricing (USD, April 2026)
| Plan | Monthly (annual billing) | GMV limit | Transaction fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard (becoming Core) | US$29/mo | US$50K TTM | 0% (changing to 2% for open payment providers) |
| Plus (becoming Growth) | US$79/mo | US$180K TTM | 0% (changing to 1%) |
| Pro (becoming Scale) | US$299/mo | US$400K TTM | 0% (changing to 0.6% above US$33K/mo) |
| Enterprise (becoming Performance) | Custom | Custom | 0% (custom terms) |
Source: BigCommerce AU essentials pricing, BigCommerce plan updates June 2026
BigCommerce charges zero additional transaction fees today. After June 2026, stores using payment providers other than BigCommerce's preferred partners will pay 0.6% to 2% on top. This narrows the gap with Shopify considerably.
BigCommerce also auto-upgrades your plan when you hit GMV thresholds. If your trailing twelve-month sales volume exceeds US$50,000, you move from Standard to Plus automatically at US$79 per month. Hit US$180,000 and you jump to Pro at US$299 per month. Unlike Shopify, where you choose when to upgrade, BigCommerce makes the decision for you based on revenue.
When BigCommerce makes sense
BigCommerce is strongest for B2B ecommerce (built-in price lists, customer groups, quote management) and for stores that want a hosted platform without Shopify's aggressive transaction fee structure. If your payment provider is on BigCommerce's preferred list, the zero-fee advantage holds beyond June 2026.
Custom-built store: the long-term play
A custom ecommerce store means building on a modern framework (Next.js, Astro, or similar) with direct payment processor integration (Stripe, PayPal) and no platform middleman. There is no monthly subscription, no transaction surcharge beyond what Stripe charges, and no app ecosystem to pay into.
Build costs in Australia
| Store complexity | Cost range (AUD) | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Simple store (under 100 products, standard checkout) | A$10,000 to A$20,000 | 4 to 8 weeks |
| Mid-range store (100 to 1,000 products, custom features) | A$20,000 to A$50,000 | 6 to 12 weeks |
| Complex store (B2B, marketplace, ERP integration) | A$50,000 to A$150,000+ | 3 to 6 months |
Sources: Taqwanology 2026 pricing, DevStree ecommerce cost guide, BigCommerce cost analysis
The upfront cost is higher than any SaaS platform. That is the trade-off. What you get in return:
No platform fees. Hosting on Vercel or Cloudflare runs A$20 to A$50 per month for an active store. There is no A$42 to A$431 monthly subscription.
No transaction surcharges. Stripe charges 1.75% + 30c in Australia. That is it. No additional 0.6% to 2% on top from Shopify or BigCommerce.
No app tax. Features that require paid apps on Shopify (product reviews, loyalty programs, advanced filtering, subscription management) are built into the codebase. They are yours. No monthly subscription, no third-party JavaScript slowing down your storefront.
Performance. Headless Next.js storefronts routinely score 90+ on Google PageSpeed Insights for mobile, compared to 40 to 65 for standard Shopify themes. That performance gap drives higher conversion rates.
Ongoing costs
| Cost item | Monthly range |
|---|---|
| Hosting (Vercel, Cloudflare) | A$20 to A$50 |
| Domain | A$2 (annualised) |
| Stripe processing (1.75% + 30c on A$30K revenue) | ~A$625 |
| Security and updates | A$0 to A$100 |
| Total ongoing (excl. processing) | A$22 to A$152 |
Payment processing fees are roughly equivalent across all platforms (Stripe: 1.75% + 30c in Australia). The difference is the platform layer on top. Shopify adds its subscription plus app costs. WooCommerce adds hosting plus plugins plus maintenance. A custom build adds minimal hosting.
When custom makes sense
A custom build makes sense when your store does A$20,000 or more per month in revenue, you plan to operate for 3+ years, and you want full control over your technology stack. The higher upfront cost is recouped through eliminated platform fees and lower ongoing costs.
Considering a custom ecommerce store?
We build Next.js ecommerce stores with direct Stripe integration. No platform fees, no transaction surcharges, full code ownership. One-off build.
See custom ecommerce pricingFive-year TCO comparison: A$30,000/month store
This is where the real cost picture emerges. A store doing A$30,000 per month in revenue (A$360,000 per year) with an average order value of A$75 and approximately 400 orders per month.
Payment processing fees are excluded because they are roughly equal across platforms (1.4% to 1.75% + 30c). The comparison isolates what each platform charges on top of standard payment processing.
Shopify (Basic plan)
| Cost item | Monthly | Year 1 | Years 2 to 5 | 5-year total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subscription | A$42 | A$504 | A$2,016 | A$2,520 |
| Theme (one-time) | - | A$300 | A$0 | A$300 |
| Apps | A$200 | A$2,400 | A$9,600 | A$12,000 |
| Initial build (agency) | - | A$3,000 | A$0 | A$3,000 |
| Platform total | A$6,204 | A$11,616 | A$17,820 |
Note: A store doing A$30K/month should realistically be on the Grow plan (A$114/month) for lower transaction fees. On Grow, the subscription alone is A$6,840 over five years.
WooCommerce
| Cost item | Monthly | Year 1 | Years 2 to 5 | 5-year total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Build (custom design) | - | A$15,000 | A$0 | A$15,000 |
| Managed hosting | A$75 | A$900 | A$3,600 | A$4,500 |
| Plugins and extensions | A$100 | A$1,200 | A$4,800 | A$6,000 |
| Maintenance and security | A$200 | A$2,400 | A$9,600 | A$12,000 |
| Platform total | A$19,500 | A$18,000 | A$37,500 |
BigCommerce (Growth plan)
| Cost item | Monthly | Year 1 | Years 2 to 5 | 5-year total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subscription (US$79/mo, ~A$125) | A$125 | A$1,500 | A$6,000 | A$7,500 |
| Initial build (agency) | - | A$5,000 | A$0 | A$5,000 |
| Apps and integrations | A$100 | A$1,200 | A$4,800 | A$6,000 |
| Open Payment Provider fee (from June 2026, 1% on A$30K) | A$300 | A$1,800 | A$14,400 | A$16,200 |
| Platform total | A$9,500 | A$25,200 | A$34,700 |
Note: The Open Payment Provider fee changes BigCommerce's economics significantly. Before June 2026, the five-year total drops by A$16,200.
Custom (Next.js + Stripe)
| Cost item | Monthly | Year 1 | Years 2 to 5 | 5-year total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Build | - | A$20,000 | A$0 | A$20,000 |
| Hosting (Vercel) | A$35 | A$420 | A$1,680 | A$2,100 |
| Maintenance (optional) | A$100 | A$1,200 | A$4,800 | A$6,000 |
| Platform total | A$21,620 | A$6,480 | A$28,100 |
The five-year summary
| Platform | 5-year total (excl. payment processing) |
|---|---|
| Shopify (Grow plan) | ~A$22,000 to A$30,000 |
| WooCommerce | ~A$37,500 |
| BigCommerce (Growth, post June 2026) | ~A$34,700 |
| Custom (Next.js + Stripe) | ~A$28,100 |
Custom has the highest Year 1 cost and the lowest ongoing cost. By Year 3, the cumulative savings from zero platform fees and zero app subscriptions overtake the upfront investment. By Year 5, the gap widens further.
For a store doing A$50,000 per month or more, the economics tilt even harder toward custom because transaction fee savings scale linearly with revenue while platform fees on Shopify and BigCommerce grow with every sale.
Transaction fees matter more than subscription fees
On a store doing A$30,000/month, Shopify's A$42/month subscription is 0.14% of revenue. Shopify's 1.75% transaction fee is A$525/month. The subscription is a rounding error. The transaction fee is the real cost, and it grows with every sale. On a custom build with direct Stripe integration at the same 1.75% rate, there is no additional platform surcharge on top.
What drives ecommerce build costs up
Three variables account for most of the variation in ecommerce build pricing.
1. Number of products and variants
A store with 20 simple products and a store with 5,000 products across multiple variants (size, colour, material, finish) are different projects. Product catalogue complexity drives the cost of data architecture, search and filtering, and import/export tooling.
| Product complexity | Impact on cost |
|---|---|
| Under 50 products, few variants | Baseline |
| 50 to 500 products, multiple variants | +A$3,000 to A$10,000 |
| 500+ products, complex variants | +A$10,000 to A$25,000 |
2. Payment and shipping complexity
A single payment gateway with flat-rate shipping is straightforward. Multiple payment methods (Stripe + Afterpay + PayPal + Apple Pay), zone-based shipping with carrier integrations, and international shipping with duties calculation is significantly more complex.
Dev Story's 2025 analysis estimates that payment gateway integration alone adds A$2,000 to A$5,000 to a build, while BNPL services (Afterpay, Zip) add A$3,000 to A$7,000. Shipping carrier integration with Australia Post and third-party logistics providers adds another A$2,000 to A$8,000.
3. Custom functionality
Standard ecommerce (browse, add to cart, checkout) is commodity work in 2026. The cost jumps when you need features that do not exist out of the box:
- Subscription and recurring billing: A$3,000 to A$10,000
- B2B pricing and customer groups: A$5,000 to A$15,000
- Product configurator (custom dimensions, materials): A$5,000 to A$20,000
- Warehouse/ERP integration: A$5,000 to A$25,000
- Multi-currency with dynamic pricing: A$3,000 to A$8,000
Source: Taqwanology custom website cost breakdown
On Shopify, you solve these with apps (at A$50 to A$200 per month each). On WooCommerce, you solve them with plugins. On a custom build, you solve them once during development and own the solution permanently.
The Australian ecommerce market context
A few numbers to frame the opportunity:
- Australians spent A$82.6 billion online in 2025, up 14% year-on-year (Australia Post eCommerce Report 2026).
- 9.8 million Australian households shopped online last year, with 41% doing so at least fortnightly.
- Average basket size has dropped to A$96, down A$10 from five years ago. Consumers are buying more often in smaller amounts.
- 6 in 10 Australian shoppers are comfortable using AI for shopping, and 32% already use it for purchase recommendations.
The market is growing, average order values are falling, and purchase frequency is rising. For stores on percentage-based fee platforms like Shopify, falling AOV with rising order volume means you pay the A$0.30 flat fee per transaction more often. On 400 orders per month, the flat fee alone is A$120 per month, or A$7,200 over five years.
How to decide
| Your situation | Best platform | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Testing an idea, need to launch this week | Shopify Basic | Fastest to market, lowest upfront cost |
| Under A$10K/month revenue, small team | Shopify Basic or BigCommerce Standard | Managed platform, predictable costs |
| A$10K to A$30K/month, growing fast | WooCommerce or BigCommerce | Lower transaction fees offset build cost |
| Over A$30K/month, plan to operate 3+ years | Custom build | Lowest 5-year TCO, full ownership |
| B2B with complex pricing and accounts | BigCommerce Enterprise or custom | Built-in B2B tools (BigCommerce) or full control (custom) |
| Migrating off Shopify due to fee fatigue | Custom build | Eliminates the fee structure entirely |
The decision is not about which platform is "best." It is about which platform costs the least to own over the life of your business, given your current revenue and growth trajectory.
Shopify Alternatives for Australian Businesses
7 Shopify alternatives with AU pricing, transaction fees, and 3-year cost analysis.
Read moreSources
- Australia Post eCommerce Report 2026 - A$82.6B online spend in 2025, household shopping data, AI adoption
- Shopify AU Pricing Page - Current plan pricing in AUD
- StackCompare: Shopify Pricing 2026 - True cost analysis including transaction fees and apps
- AdsX: Hidden Shopify Costs - Actual monthly expenses 3 to 10 times plan price
- Calcbee: Shopify Fee Breakdown - Per-order cost analysis and app cost data
- BigCommerce AU Essentials Pricing - Current plan pricing
- BigCommerce Plan and Pricing Updates June 2026 - Open Payment Provider fee introduction
- StackScale: WooCommerce Cost Breakdown 2026 - Hosting, plugins, and ongoing costs
- Codeable: WooCommerce Development Costs - Build and maintenance cost by store size
- Elementor: WooCommerce Store Cost 2026 - Year 1 and Year 2 cost analysis
- Zigpoll: WooCommerce TCO Calculator - Hosting, plugins, payment processing, maintenance breakdown
- Taqwanology: Custom Website Cost Australia 2026 - Build costs by complexity tier
- DevStree: Ecommerce Website Development Cost Australia - Australian build cost benchmarks
- Dev Story: Ecommerce Website Cost Australia - Payment gateway and BNPL integration costs
- VisualWeb: Ecommerce Website Design Australia 2026 - WooCommerce and Shopify build cost ranges
- Media Plus Digital: Website Design Price Australia 2026 - Ecommerce website pricing tiers
- BigCommerce: Ecommerce Website Cost Guide 2026 - Platform-agnostic cost benchmarks
- Innofast: Custom Ecommerce vs Shopify vs Headless - Performance benchmarks and 3-year TCO comparison
- HTTP Archive / CrUX Technology Report - CMS performance data
- Search Engine Journal: 2025 CMS Rankings - WordPress Core Web Vitals pass rates
- Deloitte / Google: Milliseconds Make Millions - Load time impact on retail conversions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to build an ecommerce website in Australia?
In Australia, a Shopify store costs A$42 to A$431 per month in platform fees alone, plus 1.4% to 1.75% per transaction. A WooCommerce store costs A$5,000 to A$30,000 to build plus A$200 to A$600 per month in hosting and maintenance. A custom-built store on Next.js costs A$10,000 to A$50,000 upfront with near-zero ongoing platform costs.
Is Shopify worth it for Australian businesses?
Shopify is worth it for stores doing under A$10,000 per month in revenue where speed to market matters more than long-term cost efficiency. Above that threshold, transaction fees and app subscriptions compound quickly. A store doing A$30,000 per month pays roughly A$900 per month in total Shopify costs, which exceeds A$54,000 over five years in platform fees alone.
What is the cheapest ecommerce platform in Australia?
Shopify Basic at A$42 per month is the cheapest way to launch a functional online store in Australia. But cheapest to start is not cheapest to run. A store doing A$20,000 per month in revenue pays roughly A$600 per month in total Shopify costs. WooCommerce and custom builds cost more upfront but eliminate platform transaction fees entirely.
Why does an ecommerce website cost more than a regular website?
Ecommerce adds payment gateway integration, product catalogue management, inventory tracking, shipping logic, tax calculation, order management, and security compliance. Each layer adds development time and ongoing costs. A brochure website costs A$3,000 to A$10,000 because it only needs to display information. An ecommerce store costs A$5,000 to A$50,000 because it needs to process money.
How much does it cost to run an ecommerce website per month in Australia?
Monthly running costs depend on the platform. Shopify: A$42 to A$431 in subscription fees plus 1.4% to 1.75% per transaction plus A$100 to A$300 in app subscriptions. WooCommerce: A$30 to A$150 for hosting plus A$50 to A$200 for plugin subscriptions plus maintenance. Custom-built: A$20 to A$50 for hosting plus standard Stripe processing fees of 1.75% plus 30 cents, with no platform surcharge.
