Complete Guide to Shopify Plans & Pricing in Australia 2024: Which Plan is Best for You?

Welcome to the ultimate guide on Shopify plans and pricing for 2024! Whether you’re launching a new e-commerce store or looking to upgrade your current platform, understanding Shopify’s pricing structure is crucial.

With various plans tailored to different business sizes and needs, finding the right one can significantly impact your online success. This comprehensive guide will explore each Shopify pricing tier, compare features, and help determine which plan suits your specific requirements. Let’s dive in and find the perfect Shopify plan to propel your business forward!

1.Shopify Pricing Tiers

Choosing the right Shopify plan for your business requires a thorough understanding of your needs and goals. Shopify offers a tiered pricing structure with various plans tailored to different business sizes and requirements. Below, we break down the primary plans to help you determine which is most suitable for your Australian business in 2024.

Starter 

Ideal for: Beginners testing their business idea

Price: $7 AUD/monthly

Card Rates: 5%

The Starter plan is designed for those just starting. It offers the flexibility to test your product or service's demand without a significant time or financial commitment. You can sell your products through various channels, including social media, email, SMS, WhatsApp, and even in person, allowing you to explore different sales strategies.

Standout Features: 

• A simple online store - including product pages, a contact page, and Shopify's fast and secure checkout
• Linkpop - the link in bio tool designed for commerce to help you boost your sales through social media 
• Shopify POS Lite - to sell in person anywhere and accept payments with just your smartphone

Basic Shopify  

Ideal for: For solo entrepreneurs

Price: $56 AUD/monthly

Card rates: 

• 1.75% + 30¢ AUD online
• 1.95% + 0¢ AUD in person
• 2% 3rd-party payment providers

Once you've established a customer base and proven there is demand for your product, the Shopify Basic plan is a great option for you. It allows you to build a fully customisable online store with all the essential ecommerce features, plus additional tools like abandoned cart recovery, discount codes, gift cards, customer segmentation, and marketing automation, giving you the support you need to grow your business. 

The basic plan also gives you full access to the Shopify App ecosystem to extend your store's functionality and access to over 60 reports to track your store's performance using standard analytics.

Standout Features: 

• Customisable website builder: You can tailor the appearance and functionality of your website to reflect your brand identity and choose from various pre-designed themes and templates.
• Multiple sales channels: Start selling across various sales channels like (Amazon and eBay).
• Inventory locations: Track inventory, fulfil orders, and sell products across up to 10 locations, including retail stores, warehouses, and pop-ups.
• Shopify Shipping: up to 44.2% discounts on shipping rates and access to shipping labels through Shopify Payments. Print shipping labels using a standard printer.

Start for free, then enjoy your first month for $1. Start free trial

Shopify

Ideal for: Small and medium businesses 

Price: $149 AUD/monthly

Card Rates: 

• 1.6% + 30¢ AUD online
• 1.85% + 0¢ AUD in-person
• 1% 3rd-party payment providers

The Shopify Basic plan is ideal for small and medium-sized businesses. It provides tools to delegate responsibilities as your team grows. It includes five staff accounts, allowing you to assign roles such as store manager, marketing specialist, inventory manager, customer service representative, and web developer, among others.

If you need custom development or integration with various third-party tools and services, the API access provided in the Shopify Basic plan is essential for automating processes and ensuring seamless integration with other software.

Standout Features:

• Increased Staff Accounts: Collaborate with a larger team by having up to 5 staff accounts.
• Seamless Integrations: integrate your favourite software tools and services, such as accounting software, CRM systems, and marketing platforms.
• Automated Processes: Using API, you can automatically update inventory levels, process orders, and manage customer data, saving time and reducing manual errors.
• Global Selling: Better tools for international commerce, including setting specific prices for different regions and managing multiple domains for different languages.

Start for free, then enjoy your first month for $1. Start free trial

Advanced Shopify

Ideal for: Growing businesses needing detailed insights

Price: $149 AUD/monthly

Card rates: 

• 1.4% + 30¢ AUD online
• 1.75% + 0¢ AUD in-person
• 0.6% 3rd-party payment providers

As your business scales and your sales grow, you can take advantage of lower card rates and transaction fees. The Advanced Plan is ideal for larger businesses or those with more complex needs, offering enhanced reporting, advanced analytics, more staff accounts, and third-party shipping integrations.  

Standout Features:

• 3rd-party Shipping Calculated Rates: Show calculated rates with your account or third-party apps at checkout
• 15 Additional Staff Accounts: Different departments may need access to the Shopify backend as your business grows. With more staff accounts, you can assign specific roles and permissions to each user. 
• 10x Checkout Capacity: Let more shoppers check out simultaneously during big sales events. Assign anyone who exceeds capacity to a waiting room queue.

Shopify Plus 

Ideal for: High-growth brands and enterprise-level with high sales volumes

Price: $2,300 USD/monthly on a 3 year term

Card rates: Competitive rates for high-volume merchants

Shopify Plus provides a more robust and scalable solution for high-volume businesses that require the highest level of customisation, support, and operational efficiency. This plan is the ultimate solution for managing B2B, up to 200 retail locations, and 50 international markets. Soon, with the reimagined markets, you can manage online, retail, and B2B from a single store and gain an overall view of your business through unified analytics.

The Shopify Plus plan offers all the features of the Advanced Shopify Plan, along with key Shopify Plus benefits such as dedicated account management, extensive customisation options, automation tools, unlimited staff accounts, and increased volume capabilities.

Standout Features:

• Scalability: Shopify Plus can handle many transactions and products, making it suitable for enterprises with extensive product catalogues and high sales volumes.
• Wholesale Channel: Create a separate, password-protected storefront for B2B customers with custom pricing and order requirements.
• Launchpad: Schedule automated promotions, product releases, and online store updates.
• Checkout Extensibility: Convert more buyers with advanced customisations to Shopify Checkout using powerful apps and branding tools.
• Advanced API Access: Enhanced API access enables deeper integration with ERP, CRM, and other enterprise systems for more efficient data management and process automation.
• Custom shopping experiences: Create custom shopping experiences for different international markets and B2B customers, tailoring their stores to the specific needs and preferences of each audience.
• Shopify Audiences: Find high-intent customers at a lower cost. Create custom audiences based on data from your store and other Shopify merchants. These audiences can be used in Meta and Google, making your marketing efforts more effective. 

2.Choosing the Right Shopify Plan

1. Business Size and Revenue: Match the plan to your current sales volume and projected growth.
2. Features and Tools: Evaluate needed features like advanced reporting, staff accounts, and international pricing.
3. Budget: Balance between monthly costs and transaction fees.
4. Customisation Needs: Higher plans offer greater customisation and app integrations.
5. Scalability: Choose a plan that can grow with your business.

Start for free, then enjoy your first month for $1. Start free trial

3. Additional Costs to Consider with Shopify Plans

When considering Shopify plans in Australia, it's crucial to be aware of potential hidden costs that may arise beyond the standard Shopify monthly fees. While Shopify's transparent pricing structure provides a good baseline, additional expenses can accumulate based on how you customise and optimise your online store. 

1.Domain Name Costs 

Shopify plans do not include a custom domain. If you wish to have a unique domain name for your store, you'll need to purchase one, either through Shopify or a third-party provider. The cost can vary depending on the domain's popularity and extension. Here is a breakdown of the pricing of some of the most popular options among Shopify business owners in Australia: 

2. Shopify Themes

Free Themes: Available but limited in customisation.

Premium Themes: $150 to $380 USD one-time fee.

While Shopify offers a selection of free themes, premium themes with advanced features and customisation options come at an extra cost. Investing in a premium theme can provide your store a more professional and unique look, potentially boosting sales and customer engagement. Premium Shopify themes typically range from $150 to $380 USD. 

Some of our favourite premium themes are Flex, Turbo by Out of the Sandbox and Impact by Maestroo.  These themes offer all the essential ecommerce functionalities, great flexibility for customisation, incredible customer service, technical support and regular free theme updates and bug fixes. 

Learn more: How to choose a Shopify theme

Learn More: Top Free & Paid Shopify Themes For Any Purpose

3. Shopify Apps 

Shopify apps can significantly enhance your store's functionality, but it's essential to consider the potential Shopify app costs. While some apps are free, others may charge monthly fees, one-time fees, or additional costs for specific features.

As of 2024, the Shopify app store offers over 10,000 apps designed to improve various aspects of your store, including marketing, store management, store design, and order shipping.

Before installing any apps, take the time to research and budget for them. Remember, installing too many apps can quickly increase your Shopify app costs and may slow down the performance and speed of your ecommerce store. Just a 1-second delay in page load time could reduce conversions by 7% (Eggspert, 2021).

4.Font Licensing

When setting up your ecommerce site on Shopify, using the right fonts can make your store look professional and appealing. However, using fonts isn't just about picking a style you like; you also need to ensure you have the proper licences to use those fonts legally. 

Free Fonts

We recommend using Shopify or Google fonts, which offer a vast library of free fonts optimised for fast loading times and cost-effectiveness.

Shopify Fonts: Shopify fonts are pre-integrated into the Shopify platform, Shopify takes care of all the legal and licensing aspects for their fonts.

Google Fonts: offers a vast library of free, open-source fonts that are easy to integrate into Shopify. Shopify’s platform includes built-in support for Google Fonts.

Web and Desktop Licence for Fonts

If you require custom fonts to match your brand’s aesthetic and have a unique look & feel, you’ll need to purchase a web and desktop licence. 

Web Licence: A web licence allows you to use the font on your website. This licence type is necessary because it ensures the font can be displayed correctly and legally to your visitors online. When you purchase a web font licence, the provider will often give you a special file format (like WOFF or WOFF2) that is optimised for use on websites.

Why You Need It: Without a web licence, you risk legal issues if the font creator discovers their font is being used without permission. Plus, web-optimised fonts ensure your site loads faster and looks good on all devices.

Desktop Licence: A desktop licence allows you to install the font on your computer. This is important if you're using design software (like Canva or Illustrator) to create your site's graphics, logos, or other marketing materials. The desktop licence lets you use the font in these programs to create assets you can upload to your website.

Why You Need It: This licence ensures you can legally use the font in offline applications and create materials that match your website's look and feel. Without it, you can't legally use the font in any desktop-based design work.

Font Licensing Costs

• Web Licence Costs: Typically range from $10 to $100 per year, depending on the font and the number of visitors to your site.
• Desktop Licence Costs: Usually a one-time fee ranging from $20 to $100, depending on the fonts

5. Shopify Transaction Fees

When it comes to transaction fees, you have two choices: opting for Shopify Payments or third-party payment providers such as eway or Stripe.

Shopify Payments

Shopify Payments is Shopify's built-in payment processor. When you use Shopify Payments, you avoid paying additional transaction fees to Shopify. However, you'll still be responsible for paying credit card processing fees, which vary based on your Shopify plan:

Basic Shopify: 2.9% + 30¢ per online transaction

Shopify: 2.6% + 30¢ per online transaction

Advanced Shopify: 2.4% + 30¢ per online transaction

These fees apply to each sale made through your Shopify store.

Third-Party Payment Providers in Australia

If you choose to use a third-party payment provider instead of Shopify Payments, you will be charged transaction fees by Shopify in addition to the fees charged by the third-party provider. These Shopify transaction fees also vary based on your plan:

Basic Shopify: 2.0% per transaction

Shopify: 1.0% per transaction

Advanced Shopify: 0.5% per transaction

In addition, the third-party provider will have its own credit card processing fees around 1.75% + 30¢ per transaction, which can vary based on the volume and negotiation. Depending on the provider, these fees can be similar to or higher than Shopify Payments fees.

1. eWAY:

• Fees: Typically charges 1.75% + 30¢ per transaction for domestic credit cards and 2.9% + 30¢ for international cards.
• Integration: eWAY integrates smoothly with Shopify and offers features like fraud protection and payment gateway options.

1. Stripe:

• Fees: 1.75% + 30¢ per transaction for domestic cards, 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction for international cards, plus an additional 1.15% for international card transactions.
• Integration: Stripe is well-integrated with Shopify and is known for its ease of use, comprehensive developer tools, and support for a wide range of payment methods.

Learn more: eWay vs. Stripe: What’s the Better eCommerce Payment Gateway?

6. Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) Transaction Fees

Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) options allow customers to purchase products immediately and pay for them in instalments over time. While this can make purchasing more accessible for customers, it involves transaction fees that you, as a store owner, need to be aware of. These fees typically range from 3% to 7% of the transaction amount, plus a fixed fee per transaction, depending on the provider.

7. Shopify Shipping Costs in Australia

Shipping can be a significant expense for online retailers. You can opt for Shopify shipping in Australia, which offers discounted rates, particularly for those on higher-tier plans.  However, if you want additional options, several third-party shipping providers, such as Starshipit or Shipstation integrate well with Shopify in Australia. 

Let's compare the costs of Shopify Shipping with the most popular third-party providers to find the best rates for your shipping needs:

Shopify Shipping

Shopify Shipping allows you to purchase and print shipping labels directly through your Shopify admin. Here’s how the costs are structured:

1.Partnered Carriers: Shopify Shipping partners with two main carriers in Australia:

• Australia Post: Offers various services, including standard and express shipping for domestic and international deliveries. Costs depend on package dimensions, weight, and the destination.
• Sendle: A courier service that specialises in door-to-door delivery with competitive rates for both domestic and international shipments, especially for smaller packages.

2. Discounted Rates: Depending on your Shopify plan, you can access discounted shipping rates:

 3. Shipping Label Costs: When you purchase a shipping label through Shopify, the cost is determined by the carrier’s rates, including the discount provided by Shopify. The costs will vary based on the size, weight, and destination of the package.

4. Real-Time Carrier Calculated Shipping: Shopify offers real-time shipping rates at checkout, which means customers will see the actual shipping cost based on their location and package details. This helps you avoid overcharging or undercharging for shipping.

Third-Party Shipping Providers in Australia

If you prefer not to use Shopify Shipping, or you want additional options, several third-party shipping providers integrate well with Shopify in Australia:

Costs: You can integrate Australia Post directly with Shopify using third-party apps. Costs depend on the service selected (e.g., Parcel Post, Express Post).
Features: Offers a wide range of shipping options, including tracking, insurance, and international delivery.

Costs: Variable rates depending on the courier selected through the platform (e.g., Fastway, TNT, CouriersPlease).
Features: Aggregates multiple couriers into one platform, allowing you to compare rates and delivery times. Offers live tracking and automated notifications for customers.

8. Email Hosting

Shopify does not provide email hosting as part of its plans. If you require professional email addresses associated with your domain (e.g., info@yourstore.com), you must invest in third-party email hosting services like Google, Microsoft or Zoho. This is an additional cost to factor into your overall budget. 

9. Marketing and Advertising 

Effective marketing is essential to drive traffic and sales. While Shopify provides some basic marketing tools, you might need to invest in additional advertising campaigns, such as Google Ads, Meta Ads, TikTok Ads or influencer marketing, to reach a wider audience. If you want to run ads on these platforms, it is important to know that the cost per ad varies by (CPC) cost per click or (CPM) cost per thousand impressions. Here is a breakdown of the approximate costs of running ads in Australia in 2024 on these platforms:

Image source: Google Ads

Google Ads:

• CPC: Typically ranges from $1.50 to $3 AUD for most industries, but highly competitive keywords can go much higher.
• Monthly Budget: Small businesses often start with a budget of $440 to $1,470 AUD per month.

Image source: Meta

Meta Ads (Facebook and Instagram):

• CPC: Typically ranges from $0.75 to $3 AUD.
• CPM: Typically ranges from $7.50 to $22.50 AUD.
• Monthly Budget: Small businesses often start with a budget of $300 to $1,470 AUD per month.

Image source: TikTok

TikTok Ads:

• CPC: Typically ranges from $0.15 to $1.50 AUD.
• CPM: Typically ranges from $1.50 to $15 AUD.
• Minimum Budget: TikTok requires a minimum budget of $75 AUD per day for campaigns.

10.SEO

As a Shopify business owner, it's important to understand the costs associated with Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). SEO helps your Shopify store rank higher in search engine results, making it easier for potential customers to find you. The higher your store ranks, the more likely people will click on it.

Unlike paid ads, which stop generating traffic once you stop paying, SEO can drive organic traffic over time. This means you can achieve lasting results without ongoing costs.

SEO costs can vary based on your business needs, the level of competition in your industry, and whether you handle SEO in-house or hire professionals. If you’re handling SEO in-house, you might spend between $50 to $300 per month on tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs or Moz for keyword research and analytics.

Learn more: Shopify SEO in 6 easy steps

4. Optimising Costs with Shopify

Pay Annually instead of Monthly 25% Savings

When deciding on your Shopify best plan, opting for annual payment instead of monthly billing can offer significant savings. This approach can save you up to 25% on total costs, which can be particularly beneficial for businesses looking to manage their expenses effectively. If you are in Shopify Plus, you can save by opting for a one —or three-year term pricing.

Maximise the Best Free Shopify Apps

Before installing any app in your store, it’s important to research and budget for each one. Choosing the right Shopify apps can be overwhelming, so it’s wise to opt for free apps whenever possible to reduce costs. Here are some of the best free Shopify apps for your store:

Choose Fewer, Better-Integrated Paid Shopify Apps

As a Shopify Plus partner with over 15 years of ecommerce experience in Australia, we’ve seen many stores overwhelmed by too many apps. Common issues include apps that serve only a single purpose, duplicate functionalities, unused apps still installed, and poorly integrated solutions. Having too many apps can slow down your Shopify store and impact performance.

Instead, focus on paid apps that offer multiple features. For instance, Okendo combines product reviews, user-generated content, product quizzes, referrals, and loyalty programs—all in one app.

It’s also crucial to select apps that communicate effectively with each other. Opting for fewer apps with better integration helps you accomplish more with less. This approach centralises your customer data management and streamlines store analytics, making your operations smoother and more efficient.

Best Shopify Apps

5. How does Shopify’s pricing compare to other ecommerce platforms?

Naturally, you want to ensure you’re paying a fair price for what you receive. You might wonder if there are better options than Shopify. For solopreneurs and small to medium-sized businesses, alternatives include Wix and Squarespace. However, for growing brands with high sales volumes, the main competitors to Advanced Shopify and Shopify Plus are BigCommerce, WooCommerce, and Magento (Adobe Commerce). Here’s how they compare:

Wix eCommerce

Wix offers an easy-to-use platform with various ecommerce tools, making it a popular choice for small businesses and individuals.

Business Basic Plan: It starts at $23/month and includes secure online payments, customer accounts, a custom domain, and a free domain for one year.
Business Unlimited Plan: It starts at $27/month and includes all Basic features plus, subscription capabilities, multiple currencies, and automated sales tax for 100 transactions/month.

Learn more: WIX vs Shopify: Which is Right for You?

Squarespace 

Known for its beautiful design templates, Squarespace offers integrated e-commerce capabilities, ideal for creative businesses and small online stores.

Business Plan: It starts at $18/month (billed annually) and includes unlimited bandwidth and storage, SEO features, basic website metrics, Squarespace extensions, and 3% transaction fees.

Commerce Plan: Starts at $26/month (billed annually). Includes all Business features plus 0% transaction fees, point of sale, customer accounts, checkout on your domain, and advanced website analytics.

BigCommerce

Known for its scalability and robust features, BigCommerce caters to businesses of various sizes and offers extensive customisation options.

Pro Plan: It starts at $299.95 per month and supports up to $400k in online sales annually. An additional fee of $150 per month is charged for every additional $200k in sales, up to $1M.

Enterprise Plan: Pricing is custom and depends on the client’s requirements and sales volume. Tailored for high-volume stores that need advanced features, this plan offers unlimited API calls, advanced product filtering, price lists, and more. It includes setup and data migration assistance, priority support, and a dedicated account manager.

Learn more: Shopify vs BigCommerce - Which is Best?

Magento (Adobe Commerce) 

A powerful platform known for its advanced features and flexibility, Magento is often chosen by larger enterprises with complex needs.

Pricing: It starts at around $22,000 annually but can increase significantly based on the business's Gross Sales Revenue.

Custom Development: Depending on the complexity of your requirements, you might need custom development, which can be a substantial budget factor.

Maintenance and Updates: Regular updates and maintenance are crucial for security and performance, requiring ongoing investment.

Learn more: Redesign on Magento 2 or replatform to Shopify Plus?

Conclusion

In conclusion, selecting the right Shopify plan involves more than just comparing prices. It’s about aligning your business goals with each plan's features and scalability options. Whether you’re a startup or a growing enterprise, Shopify provides flexible solutions for your e-commerce needs. Take advantage of our guide to make an informed decision and maximise your online presence today!

Need help choosing the right Shopify plan? Let’s talk.

Bibliography

Eggspert, T. (2021, September 30). 20 Ways To Speed Up Your Website – And Improve Conversion By 7%. The Daily Egg. https://www.crazyegg.com/blog/speed-up-your-website/