Popular Ecommerce Platforms

Updated 29 November 2023

The most widely used ecommerce platforms for operating online stores, both in Australia and worldwide, are certainly WooCommerce and Shopify. However, there are many other great platforms that are developed specifically for ecommerce and one of these could be an alternative to WooCommerce and Shopify.

Just because a platform is popular doesn't mean it's the best option for your online business.

In some cases another platform may have features that are more suited to your business and therefore a better option for your online store.

Technologies Used in Australia

These are the statistics from Builtwith for ecommerce technologies used by Australian websites. The website numbers can be quite different from other sources, but the percentages seem similar from all sources.

What all sources agree on is there doesn't seem to be any doubt that Shopify is the most used, followed by WooCommerce, Squarespace and Wix. These four platforms account for around 70% of technologies used, but it doesn't mean they're the best suited for your business.

Platform		Websites	%
	Shopify	148,247	21.46
	WooCommerce	99,713	14.44
	Squarespace	88,993	12.88
	Wix	69,880	10.12
	Ecwid	27,165	3.93
	Magento	4,027	0.58
	Weebly	3,605	0.52
	OpenCart	2,862	0.41
	Bigcommerce	2,827	0.41
	Shopify Plus	2,807	0.41
	Neto	2,093	0.30
	PrestaShop	1,072	0.16
	Big Cartel	1,058	0.15
	Magento Enterprise	304	0.04

(source) Builtwith - eCommerce Usage Distribution in Australia »

Shopify

Shopify is known for its user-friendly interface, making it easy for users with varying levels of technical expertise to set up and manage an online store. The platform provides a simple and intuitive dashboard where users can manage products, orders, and other aspects of their store.

Platform/Technology

SaaS (Software as a Service). A proprietary ecommerce platform developed by Shopify and used exclusively for Shopify.

Pricing

*Trial Period: 3 days, no credit card required, then $1/month for 3 months.
**Shopify Plus: Starting at USD$2,000 per month (or a variable fee for higher volume businesses).
Pricing for Shopify »

Transactions

1.75% + 30¢ AUD online.
1.95% + 0¢ AUD in person.
Transaction percentages decrease on higher paid plans.

Setup

Easy. Shopify is wholly cloud-based, which means there is no need for users to install or manage any software. There is a simple and intuitive dashboard that allows for a quick and hassle-free setup process.

Security and Maintenance

Shopify takes care of security, including hosting, compliance and maintenance. The platform includes SSL encryption for secure transactions and it is Level 1 PCI DSS compliant.
Being a proprietary platform Shopify has a large team ensuring everything is working all the time. You don't need to worry about updates or anything to do with system operation.

Scalability

You can start with a basic plan and seamlessly scale up to their enterprise plan as your business grows.

Support

Chatbot, live chat and email support. No telephone numbers available.

WooCommerce (self-hosted)

WooCommerce is a WordPress plugin that allows users to turn their WordPress sites into fully functional online stores. It's popular in Australia, and globally, and is especially well-integrated with WordPress.

Platform/Technology

Open source, original source code freely available. The open source free WooCommerce plugin is owned and maintained by Automattic. Developed in PHP, generally run on a Linux Apache/Nginx server and MySQL database.

Pricing (example)

WP Engine Hosting Prices

These are the monthly hosting hosting plans from WP Engine.
There are many other hosting companies that may be suitable and will cost you less.

^‡Custom: Starting at $1,120 per month (contact WP Engine sales for information).
Pricing for WP Engine hosting »

Transactions

1.75% + 30¢ AUD (Stripe).

Setup

Easy. If you're already comfortable with WordPress, then WooCommerce will likely be easier to navigate. A little more difficult if you're having to learn the setup from scratch.

Security and Maintenance

Mostly dependent on your hosting provider, but you're ultimately responsible for the security of your shop and customer information.
Updates to WordPress, WooCommerce and plugins occurs on almost a daily basis. Essentially maintainenance and updates are the shop owner's responsibility and often a third-party is used, often the hosting company, to do these things. Generally anybody can run updates, but often these updates cause other issues and conflicts that can crash your website.

Scalability

Yes, highly scalable, but this will be dependent on your hosting infrastructure. With the appropriate hosting setup, WooCommerce can handle high-traffic stores.

Support

Community help only. If purchased official WooCommerce extensions then chatbot, live chat and "Submit a request" form for email support.

Woo Express (WooCommerce SaaS)

Woo Express is a platform and system (SaaS) operated by Automattic (WooCommerce and WordPress.com owner) that includes everything you need in one place. Like Shopify all you need to do is setup your store through the user interface. It is still WooCommerce and WordPress, but all the hosting and security is taken care of. You simply pay your monthly fee.

Platform/Technology

SaaS, however it is still open source and you can take your website away (include all code) and install with another hosting company.
Open source, developed in PHP, generally run on a Linux Apache/Nginx server and MySQL database.

Pricing^†

^†Converted from USD to AUD at 0.65.
^††Trial period 14 days, no credit card required, then USD$1 for first 3 months.
^†††Enterprise starting at USD$2,000 per month.
Pricing for Woo Express »

Transactions

1.75% + 30¢ (Stripe).

Setup

Easy, especially if you have WordPress experience. No configuration required, it's similar to Shopify, where you sign up for an account and build your online shop in the website administration. Not as user-friendly as Shopify, but is still quite easy and intuitive (for non-WordPress users).

Security and Maintenance

Security, maintenance, compliance and SSL certificate are provided by Woo Express as part of your monthly plan. You don't need to do anything here.
Being a SaaS product Woo Express is responsible for the system and WooCommerce platform operation. It runs on the high performanced managed hosting from WordPress.com and this ensures everything is online 24/7. You don't need to worry about updates or anything to do with system operation. The available extensions have been designed to work together seamlessly and extension updates are rolled out automatically.

Scalability

Yes, similar to Shopify, as your business grows and expands Woo Express will scale with you. Simply increase your plan to match the performance required for your high traffic store.

Support

chatbot, live chat and "Submit a request" form for email support. No telephone numbers available.

Squarespace

Squarespace is an all-in-one provider that is beginner-friendly, has well-designed templates for online shops. It includes the necessary tools to create and promote your online shop and is suitable for small to medium-sized businesses.

Platform/Technology

SaaS, fully-managed web service, a proprietary system developed by Squarespace.

Pricing

Trial period 14 days, no credit card required.
Pricing for Squarespace »

Transactions

3.0% on Business plan, 0% on higher plans.

Setup

Easy. Intuitive administration dashboard to build and manage your website. Use provided themes or create custom theme with the Squarespace website builder.

Security and Maintenance

Included. All plans include secure fully-managed cloud hosting. Squarespace team are responsible for websites being available at all times.

Scalability

Yes. There are also Enterprise custom plans if your online business requires additional capacity. You will have to contact Squarespace sales for further information.

Support

Chatbot, live chat and email. No telephone numbers available.

Wix

Wix is an all-in-one website builder that includes ecommerce from its Core plan upwards. It's user-friendly and offers 900+ customisable templates to build online stores.

Platform/Technology

SaaS, proprietary system developed by Wix.

Pricing^†

*Try any Wix Premium plan and cancel with 14 days to get your money back.
Pricing for Wix »

Transactions

2.9% + 30¢.

Setup

Easy. Use one of their customisable themes and the drag and drop Wix website builder.

Security and Maintenance

Included. Wix runs, in their words, "an enterprise grade foundation engineered for your limitless scalability and peace of mind", that includes hosting, security, maintenance, etc.

Scalability

Yes. Increase your plan size as your store grows. Then, "limitless scalability" with their enterprise solutions.

Support

Chatbot, live chat, email and submit a ticket to request a telephone callback. No telephone numbers available.

Ecwid (by Lightspeed)

*Free: Up to 5 products maximum on free plan.
Pricing for Ecwid by Lightspeed »

Transactions

Fees from providers only, e.g. - Lightspeed Payments: 2.3%; Stripe 1.75% + 30¢; Square 2.9% + 30¢.
There are no transaction fees added by Ecwid.

Setup

Easy. Use one of their themes and you're up and running in a few minutes. Their dashboard and editor has similarities to WordPress/WooCommerce dashboard and customiser.

Security and Maintenance

Included. Wix runs, in their words, "an enterprise grade foundation engineered for your limitless scalability and peace of mind", that includes hosting, security, maintenance, etc.

Scalability

Yes. Increase your plan size as your store grows. Then, "limitless scalability" with their enterprise solutions.

Support

Chatbot, live chat, email and submit a ticket to request a telephone callback. No telephone numbers available.

Magento Open Source

Magento is an open-source ecommerce platform that is highly customizable and scalable. It's suitable for businesses of various sizes, but it will require technical expertise.

Platform/Technology

Open source, developed in PHP, generally run on a Linux Apache/Nginx server and MySQL database.

Pricing (example)

Digital Pacific Hosting Prices

Transactions

Connect your preferred payment gateway, there are many available, e.g. Stripe with 1.75% + 30¢ per transaction fees.

Setup

Complex.

Security and Maintenance

You are responsible for hosting, domain name, securing an SSL certificate and all security, maintenance and updates.

Scalability

Yes. Can be used by enterprise stores, but it will require experienced developers as it is complex and resource intensive.

Support

Magento community only.

Adobe Commerce (Magento)

Magento acquired by Adobe, is now called Adobe Commerce powered by Magento or simply Adobe Commerce (Magento).
It is an enterprise-level fully-featured product that includes marketing, PCI compliance, technical support and performance monitoring.

Platform/Technology

SaaS.

Pricing

Adobe Commerce Pro (on-premise) starts at USD$22,000 per year for gross sales up to $1 million.
Adobe Commerce Cloud (hosted) starts at USD$40,000 per year for gross sales up to $1 million.
Adobe Commerce (Magento) pricing package information »

Setup

Complex.

Security and Maintenance

Everything is included with Adobe Commerce Cloud.

Scalability

Yes. Suitable for high-volume, high-traffic ecommerce businesses.

Support

Paid support plans are extra and provide support via online, phone, forums, videos.

Weebly (eCommerce by Square)

Weebly eCommerce is a fully-hosted solution where you use the Square Online website builder to create free websites using a square.site sub-domain or on paid plans use your own domain name.
It is aimed at small to medium-sized online stores that want to start selling online quickly. There's no complicated setup and it's perfect for beginners and users not wanting anything too technical.

Platform/Technology

SaaS.

Pricing

^†Free plan cannot use a custom domain.
Pricing for Weebly eCommerce by Square »

Transactions

2.9% + 30¢ (Stripe, Square, PayPal Express) - Weebly payment gateways »

Setup

Easy. Use their website builder or customise one of their responsive themes for your online store.

Security and Maintenance

Included in the proprietary fully-hosted environment.

Scalability

Yes, marginal. Probably best suited to smaller online shops.

Support

Community forum, chat and email support. The Professional and Performance plans offer phone support. There is an Australian telephone number listed on the https://squareup.com/help/au/en website.

OpenCart Cloud

OpenCart is an open-source ecommerce platform that is easy to set up and use. It's suitable for small to medium-sized businesses and offers a range of extensions for additional functionalities.

Platform/Technology

SaaS, however it is still open source and you can take your website away (include all code) and install with another hosting company.
Open source, developed in PHP, generally run on an Apache server and MySQL database.

Pricing^†

^†Converted from USD to AUD at 0.65.
^††Trial period 7 days, credit card required.
Pricing for OpenCart Cloud »

Transactions

$0 from OpenCart. You will have the usual transaction fees from your selected payment gateway, e.g. Stripe with 1.75% + 30¢ per transaction.

Setup

Reasonably easy. Use their extension store to build your online shop using themes and extensions.

Security and Maintenance

Included. Their network is built on AWS, constant network monitoring and security provided.

Scalability

Yes. Their Gold plan includes a 4xCPU/8GxRAM cloud server for high-traffic stores.

Support

Email and dedicated paid support. Their website has an office telephone number.

BigCommerce

BigCommerce is an enterprise-level cloud-based ecommerce platform known for its scalability and integrations. Includes enterprise B2C and B2B, multi-storefront, localisation and omnichannel integrations.

Platform/Technology

SaaS, proprietary system developed by BigCommerce.

Pricing^†

^†Converted from USD to AUD at 0.65.
Pricing for BigCommerce plans »

Transactions

No additional transaction fees from BigCommerce.
BigCommerce has also negotiated lower payment gateway fees available from selected providers.

Setup

Easy. Extensive theme and app library available.

Security and Maintenance

Included. Enterprise-level performance, security and uptime.

Scalability

Yes. Enterprise capable for the largest high-volume, high-traffic ecommerce businesses.

Support

24/7 via chat, email and US-based telephone support. Telephone numbers prominent on their website.

Neto (by Maropost)

Neto is an Australian-based platform that provides a range of features, including inventory management, order management and shipping, POS terminals and multi-channel marketplace integration.

Platform/Technology

SaaS, proprietary system developed by Neto.

Pricing

No free or trial period available. Contact Neto to book a demonstration.
Pricing for Neto plans »

Transactions

No additional transation fees from Neto. Usual payment gateway fees from your provider apply.

Setup

You'll need to book a demo to see if you think it's easy.

Security and Maintenance

All security, compliance, performance and systems maintenance is part of the SaaS platform including PCI DSS Level 1.

Scalability

Yes. High-traffic, high-volume ecommerce stores use this platform.

Support

Live chat, email, phone and also by appointment.

PrestaShop

PrestaShop is an open-source ecommerce solution with built-in features for managing product listing, payments, shipping, manufacturers and suppliers.

Platform/Technology

Open source, developed in PHP, generally run on a Linux Apache/Nginx server and MySQL database.

Pricing

There are multiple options available from prestashop.com.
Classic: Free download for a self-hosted setup.
Hosted: From $40/month with a 14 day free trial.
Custom: Contact PrestaShop to create a custom ecommerce site.

Big Cartel

Essentially developed as an ecommerce platform exclusively for creatives such as artists, hobbyists and makers.

Platform/Technology

SaaS.

Pricing^†

^†Converted from USD to AUD at 0.65.
Pricing for Big Cartel »

Transactions

No transaction fees from Big Cartel. Only fees are from the provider you choose, e.g. 1.75% + 30¢ per transaction using Stripe.

Setup

Easy. Use Big Cartel's intuitive dashboard and themes to launch an online store.

Security and Maintenance.

Included as part of the SaaS platform.

Scalability

Limited. Mostly suitable for small online stores.

Support

Support team of 12 staff available Monday-Friday 8am-6pm EST (USA time) via email or in-app chat in Big Cartel admin.