Feeling stuck with Shopify’s fees or limited customisation? You’re not alone – many Aussie small business owners hit that wall when they realise the platform isn’t a perfect fit for every niche.
That’s where the idea of shopify alternatives swoops in like a helpful sidekick. Instead of forcing your boutique, wholesale, or service‑based shop into a one‑size‑fits‑all mould, you get to pick a platform that actually understands the quirks of Brisbane retailers, Queensland artisans, and the occasional online market stall.
Imagine you run a locally sourced honey brand out of the Sunshine Coast. You need a simple checkout, but also a way to showcase seasonal batch stories, integrate with a local delivery service, and keep costs low during the off‑season. A Shopify plan might feel heavy, whereas a leaner alternative could give you that flexibility without the extra overhead.
Or think about a small‑scale wholesale operation in Toowoomba that needs tiered pricing and bulk order forms. A platform built with those features at its core can save you hours of custom code and endless plugin juggling.
So, what’s the first step? Start by listing the exact pain points you’ve hit – be it transaction fees, limited design freedom, or the dreaded app explosion. Then match those needs to a platform that ticks the boxes. It’s not about chasing the flashiest UI; it’s about finding a tool that lets you focus on what matters: growing your business and serving Aussie customers.
We’ve seen many Queensland entrepreneurs breathe easier once they switch to a solution that aligns with their workflow. In our experience, the right shopify alternatives can cut monthly costs by up to 30 % and shave hours off site maintenance.
Ready to explore options that feel less like a compromise and more like a partnership? Let’s dive into the top alternatives that actually work for small businesses down under.
🐣 The Chick
Punchy advice, no fluff, and occasional chicken puns.
If you’re juggling fees, limited design freedom, or endless apps, shopify alternatives can trim costs and give your Queensland business the flexibility it needs. We’ll show you the top platforms, real‑world examples and quick steps to switch, so you can focus on growing sales instead of wrestling with tech today.
When the Shopify bill starts to feel like a monthly rent, a lot of Aussie owners start Googling “shopify alternatives”. One name that keeps popping up in the Brisbane‑to‑Sunshine Coast circuit is BigCommerce. It’s not just another platform – it’s a toolbox that lets you ditch the hidden transaction fees and still keep a slick storefront.
Here’s why BigCommerce might be the side‑kick your business needs:
BigCommerce charges a flat monthly fee and lets you use Stripe, PayPal or any local Aussie gateway without sneaking in a 2 % surcharge. If you’re selling handcrafted surf wax or boutique jewellery, that extra percentage can quickly eat into your margins.
Think of a Toowoomba wholesaler who needs tiered pricing, bulk order forms and custom price lists. BigCommerce ships those tools out of the box, so you don’t have to stitch together a dozen apps that might break when you hit a sales spike.
Because every click matters when you’re competing with the big players in Queensland, BigCommerce gives you full control over meta titles, URLs and schema markup. Pair that with a post‑launch SEO boost from Rebelgrowth’s automated content engine, and you’ve got a solid chance to rank for those local keywords without hiring an agency.
Does that sound a bit too good to be true? Not really – the platform’s performance scores consistently land in the 90‑plus range on Google PageSpeed, which translates to faster load times for customers on the Gold Coast or out in the Outback.
BigCommerce’s theme store includes Australian‑ready templates that are mobile‑first and easy to tweak with a drag‑and‑drop editor. If you want to showcase a seasonal honey harvest story, you can add a custom page in minutes – no need to hunt down a third‑party app that might cost you extra.
And if you’re wondering about product photography, a quick shoot with a pro can elevate those images. Alfapics offers corporate‑level headshots and product shots that look great on any storefront, big or small.
What about the learning curve? In our experience, the onboarding wizard walks you through store setup in under an hour. You’ll see a clear checklist, and the community forum is full of Aussie merchants sharing tips about everything from GST settings to local delivery integrations.
Now, let’s talk money. A typical Shopify Basic plan runs around $39 AUD a month plus 2 % transaction fees. Switch to BigCommerce’s Standard plan at $39 AUD and you skip those extra charges – that can save a midsize retailer roughly $200 AUD a year, just on fees.
Picture this: you’ve just launched a new line of eco‑friendly tote bags. With BigCommerce, you set up a bulk discount rule, add a custom checkout field for “preferred delivery window”, and your customers finish checkout in under 30 seconds. No extra plugins, no hidden costs.
Need a quick audit of how your current site is performing? Our Effective website management for small business: A practical Australian guide walks you through the basics – from hosting health checks to analytics setup – so you can decide if a migration is worth the effort.
Bottom line: if you’re tired of Shopify’s extra fees and app overload, give BigCommerce a spin. It’s a platform built for growth, with the flexibility to handle everything from single‑item boutique shops to multi‑channel wholesale distributors across Queensland.
Ready to take the next step? Start a free trial, play with the built‑in SEO tools, and see how the numbers look for your business before you commit.
If you’ve been scrolling through endless lists of shopify alternatives, you might have felt a bit overwhelmed – and that’s okay. You’re not the only Aussie entrepreneur wondering whether an open‑source platform can give you the control you crave without the constant app‑hunt. Let’s break it down, one practical benefit at a time.
WooCommerce lives inside WordPress, which means you can tweak every line of HTML, CSS, or PHP if you’ve got a developer on hand. No hidden “locked‑down” sections like some SaaS rivals. For a Brisbane boutique that wants to showcase its handcrafted jewellery with a unique scrolling gallery, that freedom is priceless.
Because it’s open‑source, you’re never paying extra for “premium” features that other platforms lock behind pricey add‑ons. You just install a free plugin or write a snippet, and you’re good to go.
Think of the WordPress plugin directory as a massive toolbox. From advanced shipping calculators that integrate with Australia Post to subscription plugins for monthly box services, there’s almost always a ready‑made solution.
And if you can’t find exactly what you need, the community is quick to help – a developer forum thread will often point you to a code snippet that solves the problem in minutes.
One of the biggest headaches for Queensland retailers is configuring GST‑inclusive pricing. WooCommerce lets you set tax‑inclusive rates right out of the box, so you don’t need a separate app to stay compliant.
That means you can launch a Sunshine Coast surf‑wear store, set a 10% GST rate, and watch the checkout automatically show the correct total – no surprise fees for your customers.
Because WooCommerce is just a plugin, you choose the hosting environment that fits your budget. Start on a modest shared server, then migrate to a managed WordPress host as traffic spikes during a seasonal sale.
Our experience shows that many Queensland SMEs save up to 30 % on hosting costs compared to fixed‑price SaaS plans, especially when they switch to a host that offers built‑in caching and CDN support.
From local meet‑ups in Toowoomba to online Slack channels focused on Australian e‑commerce, there’s a supportive network that speaks your language (and sometimes even your accent!). When you hit a roadblock, chances are someone nearby has already solved it.
Plus, many Australian agencies specialise in WooCommerce optimisation – they know the quirks of the local payment gateways, shipping APIs, and tax rules.
So, where do you start? Grab a notebook and list the exact features you need – whether it’s tiered pricing, custom checkout fields, or integration with a local courier. Then match each need to a WooCommerce extension or a simple code tweak. If the list feels long, remember you can always begin with the core plugin and add extras gradually.
In short, WooCommerce offers a flexible, cost‑effective route for anyone hunting shopify alternatives that won’t lock you into a single vendor’s ecosystem. It’s a little more hands‑on, but for many Aussie small businesses the payoff is a store that truly reflects their brand and their customers’ expectations.
🐣 The Chick
Punchy advice, no fluff, and occasional chicken puns.
Ever felt like you need a single tool that does the heavy lifting while you focus on your honey jars or handmade jewellery? That’s the promise behind Wix eCommerce – a true “all‑in‑one” Shopify alternative that bundles design, payments and marketing under one roof.
When you open Wix’s editor, it’s like sitting down with a mate who hands you a sketchpad. You can pull a product grid, a hero image or a booking button onto the canvas, then tweak colours while the platform whispers suggestions. No code, no endless theme installs – just instant visual feedback.
And if you’re the kind who likes a little AI‑guided help, Wix’s ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence) asks a few quick questions and builds a draft store that mirrors your brand vibe. From there you can fine‑tune each element, which is perfect for Brisbane‑based retailers who don’t have a full‑time designer.
One of the biggest frustrations with Shopify is the endless app marketplace. Wix bundles most of the basics: email marketing, SEO wizard, even a native appointment scheduler. That means you won’t need to juggle a dozen third‑party plugins just to run a simple storefront.
For a Queensland wholesaler who needs bulk‑order forms, the built‑in “Wix Stores” dashboard lets you set tiered pricing without a separate add‑on. You can also turn on Wix Payments to avoid the extra transaction fees that some Shopify plans charge.
Wix offers a free forever plan, but the eCommerce features kick in at the $29 /month “Business Basic” tier (billed annually). Compare that to Shopify’s $29 /month basic plan, and you’ll see the same price point, but Wix throws in more native tools. If you’re watching cash flow, the occasional promotional code can bring the cost down to $26.10 for the first year. The pricing details line up with the recent Wix vs Shopify comparison published by Website Builder Expert.
That price includes up to 50,000 products – more than enough for a boutique surf‑wear line on the Sunshine Coast. And because storage isn’t capped at “unlimited,” you still get a tidy 20 GB on the Business Basic plan, which is plenty for high‑resolution product photos.
If you anticipate scaling to hundreds of SKUs and need deep integration with dozens of marketplaces, you might hit the limits of Wix’s app ecosystem sooner than you’d like. Also, while Wix supports over 80 payment providers, it doesn’t have the same 100+ options that Shopify boasts.
So, ask yourself: Do you need a platform that can grow into an enterprise‑level solution, or are you happy with a solid, hands‑off setup that lets you launch in a weekend?
| Feature | Wix eCommerce | Shopify (as a benchmark) |
|---|---|---|
| Design flexibility | Drag‑and‑drop + ADI AI wizard | Section‑based editor, more restrictive |
| Built‑in marketing tools | Email campaigns, loyalty, SEO checklist | Mostly via third‑party apps |
| Product limit | Up to 50,000 items | Unlimited (but plan‑dependent) |
| Payment providers | 80+ (including Wix Payments) | 100+ (including Shopify Payments) |
| Pricing (annual) | $29 /mo (Business Basic) | $29 /mo (Basic) |
Bottom line? If you’re a small‑to‑mid‑size Aussie business that values speed, built‑in features and a friendly UI, Wix eCommerce makes a compelling Shopify alternative. It lets you get online fast, keep costs predictable, and avoid the app overload that can slow down a lean operation.
In our experience, many of the retail owners we’ve helped in Brisbane and the Gold Coast start with Wix, then migrate only if they outgrow the 50 k product ceiling. For most entrepreneurs, that ceiling never comes close.
Ready to give it a spin? Grab the 3‑day free trial, play with the ADI wizard, and see if the “all‑in‑one” promise lives up to the hype for your unique shop.
When you’re hunting for shopify alternatives that don’t feel like a corporate treadmill, Squarespace Commerce often pops up because it marries sleek design with enough e‑commerce muscle for most Aussie small businesses.
Squarespace’s strength is its curated template library – every theme is built by a design team that thinks about spacing, typography and mobile‑first layouts. You can drop a product block into a landing page and it instantly inherits the same clean aesthetic. That means you spend less time tweaking CSS and more time polishing product photos.
Unlike platforms that force you into a separate “store” section, Squarespace lets you weave product galleries, blog posts, and even event calendars into the same site structure. A Sunshine Coast surf‑wear brand can showcase a seasonal lookbook, then add “Buy Now” buttons right under each photo without a third‑party app.
From inventory tracking to discount codes, the core Commerce plans include everything you need. You get 0% transaction fees, automatic tax calculations (including GST‑inclusive pricing for Queensland), and shipping rules that work with Australia Post straight out of the box. No need to hunt the app store for a “shipping calculator” add‑on.
For a deeper dive on why those built‑in tools matter, check out a comparison of Squarespace vs Shopify for small businesses.
Squarespace offers two Commerce tiers – Basic at $26 / mo (annual) and Advanced at $40 / mo. Both include unlimited products, but the Advanced plan unlocks abandoned cart recovery and advanced shipping options. For a Brisbane boutique just starting out, the Basic plan often covers everything, keeping monthly spend predictable.
Content still rules. Squarespace gives you a full‑featured blog editor, clean URLs (example.com/blog/post), and easy meta‑tag controls. Write a story about your locally sourced honey, tag it with “Queensland honey” and let the platform handle the SEO basics, so you can focus on connecting with customers rather than tinkering with code.
Squarespace lets you set up to six options per product – colour, size, scent, you name it – and combine them into up to 250 variant combos. That’s plenty for a Brisbane jewellery maker who offers gold, silver, and rose‑gold versions in three ring sizes. You don’t have to install a third‑party variant manager; the built‑in editor handles inventory, SKU tracking and price adjustments all in one place.
Bottom line? If you love the look of your site as much as the sales numbers, Squarespace gives you a design‑centric foundation while still checking the boxes most shopify alternatives miss – zero transaction fees, GST‑ready tax, and a unified content system. It’s a solid contender for Queensland retailers who value style without the app overload.
Ready to give Squarespace a go? Start by mapping your current product list in a simple spreadsheet, then use the platform’s import wizard to pull everything in. Test the checkout with a small order, double‑check GST calculations, and tweak mobile breakpoints before you publish. In our experience, a quick 2‑hour audit saves you days of post‑launch tweaks.
Pro tip: enable Squarespace’s built‑in analytics to monitor which pages keep visitors scrolling – it’s a painless way to spot the products that deserve a front‑page spotlight.
🐣 The Chick
Punchy advice, no fluff, and occasional chicken puns.
When you’re hunting for a Shopify alternative that feels like it was built down under, Shift4Shop often slips under the radar. And that’s a good thing – because it means you get a platform that’s quietly tuned to Aussie quirks without the hype‑driven noise.
One of the first things we ask Queensland retailers is: “Are you tired of wrestling with tax plugins?” With Shift4Shop you can flip a switch and set a 10% GST‑inclusive price. No extra add‑on, no hidden fees. A boutique surf‑wear brand on the Gold Coast told us they slashed their checkout testing time from half a day to just an hour after enabling the built‑in GST feature.
Imagine you already have a relationship with a regional payment provider that isn’t on Shopify Payments. Shift4Shop lets you hook up to more than a hundred gateways – from Stripe and PayPal to Australian favourites like eWAY and SecurePay. Because there’s no per‑sale transaction fee, you keep the full margin on each order.
Real‑world tip: after connecting your gateway, run a “dummy” purchase in sandbox mode. Verify the GST total, the currency display, and the receipt email format before you go live. It’s a quick sanity check that catches a lot of embarrassment.
SEO is the lifeblood of any small Aussie business. Shift4Shop bundles Google AMP for product pages, custom URL structures, and automatic 301 redirects. In a recent survey of Queensland e‑commerce owners, 68% said site speed improvements from AMP boosted their organic traffic by double‑digits within a month.
Actionable step: enable AMP in the store’s SEO settings, then run a PageSpeed Insights test. If you see a score above 85, you’re probably on the right track.
Many Queensland entrepreneurs juggle both retail and wholesale. Shift4Shop includes customer groups, tiered pricing, and quote‑request forms without needing a pricey plugin. A Toowoomba wholesale flower supplier set up three customer groups – retailers, event planners, and direct consumers – and saw order volume rise 22% after offering group‑specific discounts.
Quick checklist for setting up B2B:
Shipping can feel like a maze, especially when you need Australia Post’s flat‑rate or regional courier options. Shift4Shop ships with native Australia Post integration, letting you pull real‑time rates and print labels directly from the dashboard. A small‑batch coffee roaster on the Sunshine Coast reported a 15% reduction in shipping errors after switching from a third‑party app to the built‑in integration.
Pro tip: set up shipping zones by state and enable “free shipping over $150” for local orders – it nudges customers toward larger baskets while keeping the logistics simple.
When something goes sideways at 2 am, you need a support team that actually understands local business hours and holidays. Shift4Shop offers round‑the‑clock live chat and phone support staffed by Australians who get the time‑zone challenge.
In our experience, a quick call to support saved a Brisbane fashion label from a checkout freeze that could have cost them a day’s worth of sales.
Shift4Shop’s plans start at around $29 /month for the basic e‑commerce tier – comparable to Shopify but with far fewer add‑on costs. For a startup artisan bakery, that means you can launch with a professional store, GST handling, and SEO tools for the price of a single latte a day.
Bottom line? If you’ve been feeling the sting of Shopify’s app fees, the tax gymnastics, or the limited B2B features, Shift4Shop offers a surprisingly robust set of Aussie‑friendly tools that let you focus on product, not platform.
Want to see the bigger picture of why merchants are looking beyond Shopify? Check out the latest ecommerce market trends report for data on growth and platform shifts.
Take the next step: map your current pain points, match them against the features above, and run a two‑week sandbox trial. You’ll discover fast whether Shift4Shop feels like a natural fit for your Queensland business.
🐣 The Chick
Punchy advice, no fluff, and occasional chicken puns.
Picture this: you’ve already got a tidy WordPress blog about Brisbane‑made surf gear, and you suddenly realise you need a checkout. You could rip everything apart and start from scratch, or you could slip a tiny widget into the page and keep the vibe you’ve already built. That’s the magic of Ecwid – it slides into an existing site like a well‑placed surfboard leash.
First off, Ecwid is a pure “embed” solution. All you need is a snippet of JavaScript, paste it into your theme’s footer or a custom HTML block, and boom – your store lives right where your content lives. No separate domain, no extra hosting, no redesign headaches.
Because it’s built to work with just about any platform – WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, even a static HTML page – you keep the look and feel you love. Your customers never notice they’ve stepped into a different system; they just keep scrolling, reading, and adding to cart.
Take a Sunshine Coast boutique that sells handcrafted wooden toys. The owner already ran a blog that ranked well for “handmade wooden toys Queensland”. Adding Ecwid meant a few lines of code, a quick GST‑inclusive tax setup, and the ability to sell 50 SKUs without touching the blog’s design. Within a month, sales jumped 18 % because shoppers could buy straight from the article they were already reading.
Another story comes from a Toowoomba wholesale florist who used a simple HTML landing page for B2B enquiries. By embedding Ecwid’s bulk‑order form, the florist let retailers select dozens of stems, apply a tiered discount, and submit a quote request without ever leaving the page. The result? A smoother order flow and a 22 % reduction in email back‑and‑forth.
Don’t forget to add a “Return to shop” link on the checkout thank‑you page – otherwise shoppers can feel stranded after buying.
If you already use a caching plugin on WordPress, clear the cache after adding the Ecwid code; otherwise the widget might not load for first‑time visitors.
Because Ecwid’s SEO settings live inside the widget, double‑check that your product titles include local keywords (e.g., “Brisbane artisanal coffee beans”). That way Google still indexes each product page even though it’s served from the widget.
Small retailers who already have a strong content presence – think food trucks with a simple landing page, or a local yoga studio with a class schedule – get instant e‑commerce without the cost of a full‑blown store rebuild.
Even service‑based businesses can benefit. A Brisbane dog‑walking service added an “Add‑on” widget for pet‑care kits. Clients booked a walk and instantly added a flea‑treatment bundle, all without leaving the booking page.
In our experience, the biggest win is the speed of launch. You can go from zero to live in a single afternoon, which is a huge relief when you’re juggling inventory, local market stalls, and a handful of staff.
Ecwid isn’t trying to be the next Shopify; it’s the friendly neighbour who lets you borrow a cup of sugar – or in this case, a shopping cart – without moving house. If you already have a website that you love, and you just need a hassle‑free way to start selling, Ecwid is the low‑maintenance, GST‑ready, Aussie‑friendly solution that slots right in.
Ready to give it a go? Grab the free plan, paste the code, and watch your existing site turn into a revenue‑generating hub faster than you can brew a flat white.
🐣 The Chick
Punchy advice, no fluff, and occasional chicken puns.
If you’ve made it this far, you probably feel a mix of excitement and overwhelm – that’s the exact spot where choosing the right shopify alternatives becomes a real decision.
Remember, the goal isn’t to chase the flashiest platform, but to find a tool that slips into your daily flow, handles GST out of the box, and lets you launch without a month‑long dev sprint.
We’ve seen Brisbane cafés launch an Ecwid widget in an afternoon, a Gold Coast wholesaler switch to BigCommerce and cut transaction fees, and a Sunshine Coast creator thrive on WooCommerce because they already loved WordPress.
So, what should you do next? Grab a pen, list the three features you can’t live without – be it zero transaction fees, built‑in B2B pricing, or drag‑and‑drop design – then match them against the shortlist we covered.
Give yourself a short test run. Most platforms offer a free tier or trial; set up a dummy product, run a test checkout, and see if the experience feels natural.
When the fit feels right, roll it out, monitor the first week’s orders, and tweak the tax or shipping settings. In our experience, that quick loop saves weeks of frustration.
At the end of the day, the best shopify alternatives are the ones that let you focus on your customers, not the code. Happy selling!
🐣 The Chick
Punchy advice, no fluff, and occasional chicken puns.
We’ve seen Brisbane cafés, Gold Coast wholesalers and Sunshine Coast creators all thrive on platforms that fit their budget and tax needs. BigCommerce gives you zero transaction fees and built‑in GST handling. WooCommerce works if you already love WordPress and want total design freedom. Wix is great for a quick, drag‑and‑drop launch, while Shift4Shop shines with native B2B pricing. Pick the one that matches the features you can’t live without – then give it a short test run.
Yes, most of the top alternatives have GST‑inclusive pricing built in. BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Shift4Shop and Ecwid all let you set a 10 % tax rate and display it on the checkout page without extra plugins. That means you avoid the headache of hunting down a separate tax app, which is a huge time‑saver for busy owners juggling inventory and customer service.
Absolutely. All the platforms we’ve mentioned let you point your current domain to the new store – you just update the DNS records at your registrar. In our experience, the process takes under an hour if you follow the platform’s step‑by‑step guide. Just make sure you’ve backed up your Shopify content first, then map the domain and run a quick test checkout to confirm everything works.
Cost varies, but you can often save a few hundred dollars a year. BigCommerce starts at $29 / mo with no extra transaction fees, WooCommerce is free but you’ll pay for hosting (around $10‑$20 / mo). Wix’s Business Basic is $29 / mo and includes a suite of native tools, while Shift4Shop’s basic plan is also $29 / mo with almost everything included. Factor in any extra apps you might still need, but you’ll usually end up cheaper than Shopify’s app‑heavy model.
It’s not rocket science, but you’ll need a plan. Export your product CSV from Shopify, then import it into the new platform’s product manager. Map your URLs so you don’t lose SEO juice – a simple spreadsheet can track old vs new slugs. Test the checkout, GST settings and payment gateway in sandbox mode before you go live. If you’re not comfortable doing it yourself, Free Website Chick can handle the migration for you.
Potentially, if you ignore URL redirects. The key is to set up 301 redirects from every old Shopify URL to its new counterpart. Most platforms have an easy UI for bulk redirects. Keep your meta titles and descriptions the same, and run a quick crawl with a tool like Screaming Frog to catch any orphan pages. With careful planning, you can preserve – or even improve – your rankings.
Start by listing the three features you can’t live without – maybe zero transaction fees, built‑in B2B pricing, or a drag‑and‑drop editor. Then match those needs against the shortlist we covered. If you already have a WordPress blog, WooCommerce is a natural fit. If you need a turnkey solution with minimal setup, Wix or BigCommerce will feel more like a plug‑and‑play option. Run a free trial, add a dummy product, and see which platform feels the most natural to you.
🐣 The Chick
Punchy advice, no fluff, and occasional chicken puns.
