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When it comes to e-commerce platforms, Shopify is one of the most popular options among Australians. However, it’s not the only choice. If you’re looking for Shopify alternatives, there are a number of other e-commerce platforms worth considering. We researched platforms with similar features and functionality as well as standout elements worth noting. You may prefer a platform with drag-and-drop capabilities or one with no subscription fee.
Featured Partners
1
Wix
Starting price
$23 AUD
Drag-and-drop interface
Yes
SSL certificate included
Yes
2
Shopify
Starting price
From $US39 per month
E-commerce included in entry-level plan
Yes
Current Offers
Sign up for a free trial and enjoy 3 months of Shopify for $1/month
3
Squarespace
Starting price
$34 AUD
Drag-and-drop interface
Yes
SSL certificate included
Yes
4
GoDaddy
Starting Price
$US7.95 ($12 AUD) per month
Drag-and-Drop Interface
Yes
Standout Features
Email included, multiple payment options
Whichever features you prefer, the best Shopify alternatives are easy to use, affordable and feature-rich.
The Forbes Advisor Small Business team is committed to bringing you unbiased rankings and information with full editorial independence. We use product data, strategic methodologies and expert insights to inform all of our content and guide you in making the best decisions for your business journey.
We reviewed 12 e-commerce platforms using a detailed methodology to help you find these seven Shopify alternatives. Our ratings considered factors, such as the value each provider offers on both free and paid plans; what sort of features each plan comes with, such as inventory management and secure sockets layer (SSL) certificates; and a deep dive by our experts looking at customer experiences with each platform as noted on popular review sites. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.
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Choosing the right e-commerce platform is essential for any online business in Australia. There are several factors to consider, including cost, ease of use, features and customer support. To help you choose the right Shopify competitor for your business, we’ve evaluated the leading options based on twelve different characteristics.
Here are the categories we used to rank the providers that made the top of the list.
Whether a Shopify alternative offered a free version was a key consideration. Additionally, we took a close look at the plans offered by each provider―both in regard to the cost of their plans and what upgrade each higher-tier plan offered. Those providers whose plans we considered to be in an easily affordable range fared better in our rankings. Pricing accounted for 20% of our weighted scoring.
When it comes to features, there are a couple that we considered to be essential for small ecommerce retailers: having a drag-and-drop interface and providing SSL certificates. However, there were additional features we felt also were needed to help retailers succeed, including offering inventory management, social media integration, email tools and an application programming interface (API). We weighted these features at 40% of the total score.
We researched reviews from real users to gauge their opinion of each platform as part of our expert analysis. For this, we reviewed notable third-party review website, focusing on four specific criteria: ease of use, stand-out features, popularity and value for the money. This final analysis made up 40% of the total score.
The first thing to consider when choosing a Shopify alternative is price. While many of the platforms we’ve reviewed offer a free plan, they all have paid plans with varying price points. If you’re just getting started with your online store, you may want to start with a free plan to see how the platform works for you. But if you’re serious about growing your business, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan eventually.
Another consideration is fees. Does the platform charge both a monthly fee as well as processing or transaction fees on each purchase? Do you have to use a separate payment gateway, or can you use the platform’s built-in payment processing? These are important questions to ask when evaluating pricing.
Another important consideration is hosting. Some platforms, such as Shopify and Wix, include hosting as part of their monthly subscription fee. Others, such as Ecwid and WooCommerce, don’t include hosting, but make it easy to set up your store on a hosting platform, such as WordPress.
If you’re not sure which option is right for you, think about how much control you want over your store’s hosting. If you want the platform to handle everything, then a hosted solution such as Shopify or Squarespace might be the right choice. But if you’re comfortable setting up your own hosting, then a self-hosted solution such as WooCommerce might be a better option.
When you’re setting up your online store, you want it to look professional and branded. That means choosing a platform with a wide range of themes and design options. Some platforms, such as Shopify and Wix, offer hundreds of themes to choose from. Others, such as Ecwid and Squarespace, offer a smaller selection of themes but allow you to customize your store’s design more.
Think about how important design is to your business. If you want a wide selection of themes to choose from, then a customizable platform might be the right choice. And if you’re comfortable working with code and want more control over your store’s design, then a platform with open source or API might be the best option. With these types of platforms, you can often find platform-provided themes, hire a web designer or even buy a premade theme from a marketplace such as Etsy.
Another important consideration is ease of use. You want a platform that’s easy to set up and use, especially if you’re new to e-commerce. Even if you’re not new to e-commerce, and you’re simply looking to migrate to a new platform, consider if there’s a migration service, or a step-by-step guide to transferring to your new platform. The last thing you want is a platform that’s so complex that it takes weeks or months to learn.
To evaluate ease of use, take advantage of free trials and demos offered by various platforms. Consider how long it takes to set up a basic store, how easy it is to add products and categories and how intuitive the platform’s interface is.
When you’re running an online store, security is always a top concern. You want to make sure your customers’ data is safe and secure, and that your store is protected from hackers. To evaluate security, look for a platform that offers features such as SSL encryption and PCI compliance. SSL encryption is important for protecting your customers’ data, while PCI compliance ensures that your store is secure from hackers.
You should also look for a platform that is regularly updated with the latest security patches. This helps to ensure that your store is always protected from the latest threats.
We touched on payment gateways under our pricing and fees section, but it’s worth mentioning again. You’ll want to make sure that the platform you choose offers a wide range of payment processing options. This includes credit and debit cards, as well as popular payment providers such as PayPal, Stripe or Apple Pay.
You should also consider whether the platform offers any additional features, such as the ability to set up subscription-based payments or recurring orders. These features can be very valuable for businesses that sell products or services on a recurring basis.
If you want your store to be successful, you need to make sure it’s visible to potential customers. That means optimizing your site for search engines such as Google. To evaluate a platform’s SEO features, look for features such as a built-in blog, customizable URLs, meta tags and social sharing buttons. These features will help you to optimize your site for search engines and drive traffic to your store.
You should also consider whether the platform offers any additional features that can help with SEO, such as the ability to create custom pages or add structured data. These features can help you improve your site’s ranking in the search results and get more traffic to your store.
Finally, you’ll want to consider customer support when choosing an e-commerce platform. Things will inevitably go wrong from time to time, and you’ll need to be able to rely on your platform’s customer support team to help you resolve any issues.
To evaluate customer support, look for features such as 24/7 support, live chat, community support group, email support and a knowledge base. These features will help you to get the help you need when you need it. You should also consider the quality of the customer support team. Look for reviews from other users to see what their experiences have been like. Do their marketing promises live up to the hype?
In addition to Shopify, there are other online retail options available for Australian businesses. These include:
Featured Partners
1
Wix
Starting price
$23 AUD
Drag-and-drop interface
Yes
SSL certificate included
Yes
2
GoDaddy
Starting Price
$US7.95 ($12 AUD) per month
Drag-and-Drop Interface
Yes
Standout Features
Email included, multiple payment options
3
Squarespace
Starting price
$34 AUD
Drag-and-drop interface
Yes
SSL certificate included
Yes
4
Shopify
Starting price
From $US39 per month
E-commerce included in entry-level plan
Yes
Current Offers
Sign up for a free trial and enjoy 3 months of Shopify for $1/month
The best e-commerce platform is the one that’s best for your business, which may not be the same as what’s best for other businesses. To find the best platform for your business, consider your budget, the size of your inventory and whether you need features such as POS or multichannel selling. Our top-rated e-commerce platforms include Squarespace, Square and Ecwid.
There are a number of affordable Shopify alternatives, including, Sellfy, WooCommerce and Ecwid. Each of these has a completely free option, although there are some limitations such as limited storage space, transaction fees or a lack of certain features.
Dropshipping is a way for a customer to place an order from a business and have it shipped directly to them from the supplier. This cuts out the middleman, which can save time and money. Both WooCommerce and BigCommerce are viable Shopify alternatives for dropshipping. BigCommerce has a few more features specifically for dropshippers, such as inventory management and order tracking.
Yes, there are several free alternatives to Shopify, however, some have restrictions you need to consider. For example, Ecwid offers a free plan, but it’s best suited for small stores because you can only have up to ten products.
The best Shopify alternative for you will depend on your unique website needs. The key is to find an alternative that offers the features you need, from e-commerce-specific features such as unlimited product listings, inventory management or shipping calculators to a user-friendly site builder and a price tag that fits your budget.
Shopify isn’t the only e-commerce website builder on the market, nor is it the best fit for every online store. For example, it’s not the most beginner-friendly, nor is it the most affordable option. Learn more about the best e-commerce platforms in our guide.
Unfortunately, Shift4Shop is currently not available to the Australian user base, and it is only offering its free e-commerce plan to US residents. However, there are other free providers that would assist you with your hosting needs and do provide a range of services and features to Australian businesses. Our top-rated free e-commerce platforms include WooCommerce, Sellfy and Ecwid.
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