Wix vs Squarespace vs Shopify: 2026 prices for an Australian small business
Updated November 2, 2026 · 3 min read
Wix suits service businesses that take bookings: its Core plan, A$42 a month billed yearly, includes payments and scheduling. Squarespace is the cheapest for a good-looking site, from A$17 a month billed yearly, but bookings need a separate scheduling product. Shopify is built for selling products, from A$42 a month billed yearly, and its card rates are lower than Squarespace's. On all three, the monthly plan is only part of the cost: fees on every sale and your own time add to it.
Prices side by side
| Wix | Squarespace | Shopify | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheapest plan | Light, A$21 a month: no payments | Basic, A$17 a month: online store with a 2% fee on sales | Basic, A$42 a month |
| Plan most small businesses need | Core, A$42: payments, basic online store, scheduling | Core, A$28: no fee on store sales | Basic, A$42 |
| Next plan up | Business, A$55: standard online store | Plus, A$49 | Grow, A$114 |
| Card rate online | Not shown on the plans page | 1.8% + A$0.30 (Basic, Core) | 1.7% + A$0.30 (Basic) |
| Bookings | Included from Core | Separate scheduling product | Through apps |
Monthly prices for yearly billing, from each company’s Australian pricing page in November 2026. Paying monthly costs more: A$24 instead of A$17 for Squarespace Basic, A$56 instead of A$42 for Shopify Basic. Wix shows yearly prices, including GST; its top plan, Business Elite, is A$199 a month.
Two break-even points worth knowing
- Squarespace Basic or Core. Basic charges 2% on store sales; Core costs A$11 a month more and charges nothing. Once you sell more than about A$550 a month online, Core is cheaper.
- Shopify Basic or Grow. Grow costs A$72 a month more on yearly billing and lowers the online card rate from 1.7% to 1.55%. That only pays for itself at about A$48,000 of online sales a month.
What a year costs
| Example business | Wix | Squarespace | Shopify |
|---|---|---|---|
| A salon taking bookings, no online shop | A$504 (Core) | A$336 (Core), plus the scheduling product | Not built for this |
| A shop selling A$5,000 a month in 40 online orders | A$660 (Business), plus card fees | A$336 (Core) plus about A$1,220 in card fees | A$504 (Basic) plus about A$1,160 in card fees |
Example figures at the listed rates. Card fees are 40 orders of A$125 a month, at 1.8% + A$0.30 on Squarespace and 1.7% + A$0.30 on Shopify. Wix’s plans page doesn’t list its card rate, so check it before you compare.
For a shop, the gap between Squarespace and Shopify is small at this size; the choice comes down to what you sell. Shopify has more tools for stock, shipping and selling in person; Squarespace has more design choice for a small range.
Which to choose
- You take bookings and sell services: Wix Core, because scheduling and payments are in the plan.
- You want a polished site and sell a little: Squarespace Core.
- Selling products is the business: Shopify Basic, moving up only when your sales justify it.
- You sell in a shop as well as online: Shopify, whose in-person rate on Basic is 1.85%.
What none of the plans include
- Your time. You write the pages, choose the photos and keep everything up to date.
- A domain after the first year. Wix includes a free domain for one year on its yearly plans; after that you pay to renew it.
- Apps and add-ons. Booking, reviews, email marketing and accounting links often cost extra each month.
- Email at your own domain. Usually a separate subscription.
Sources
- Wix: Plans (November 2026)
- Squarespace: Pricing (November 2026)
- Shopify: Pricing, Australia (November 2026)
Prices were checked on 2 November 2026 and can change.
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