What are the main differences between Magento and Shopify for AU merchants?

The main differences for Australian merchants are: (1) Hosting and maintenance: Shopify is fully hosted and managed; Magento requires self-managed servers, security patching, and regular PHP/Magento version updates. (2) Cost structure: Magento has no licence fee for open-source but high total cost of ownership; Shopify has a monthly subscription but much lower ongoing developer cost. (3) AU payment gateways: both support Afterpay, Zip, PayPal, and major card processors, but Shopify Payments is simpler to configure. (4) Ecosystem: Shopify has a larger app ecosystem and faster new feature rollout. (5) B2B: Magento has more native B2B configuration options; Shopify Plus and B2B apps like Miko B2B Wholesale House close most gaps.

Does Shopify support Australian payment gateways?

Yes. Shopify fully supports Australian payment gateways including Shopify Payments (available in Australia, powered by Stripe, no transaction fees on Shopify plans), Afterpay, Zip Pay, Zip Money, PayPal, Braintree, eWAY, and Tyro. Shopify Payments in Australia accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Shop Pay. Merchant of Record is local for Australian Shopify Payments users.

How long does a Magento to Shopify migration take for an Australian business?

A Magento to Shopify migration for an Australian business typically takes 8 to 16 weeks from kickoff to launch. Smaller Magento stores with straightforward catalogues can be done in 6 to 10 weeks. Large Magento stores with complex attribute structures, multi-store setups, B2B pricing logic, or ERP integrations take 14 to 20 weeks. The existing Magento store stays live throughout the migration process.

What happens to my Magento SEO when I move to Shopify?

With a properly executed migration, most SEO authority is preserved. This requires mapping all Magento URLs (product, category, CMS) to their Shopify equivalents with 301 redirects, migrating all meta titles and descriptions, setting up the Google Search Console for the new Shopify domain, and submitting an updated sitemap immediately after launch. Most Australian merchants see a 2 to 6 week ranking fluctuation followed by recovery. Some see improvements due to Shopify's generally faster page speeds and better Core Web Vitals.

Does Shopify integrate with MYOB and Xero for Australian businesses?

Yes. Shopify integrates with both MYOB and Xero, which are the two most common accounting platforms for Australian businesses. Xero integration is available via native Xero app or third-party connectors like A2X (recommended for high order volume). MYOB integration is available via third-party apps. For more complex ERP integrations (MYOB Advanced, SAP, Oracle), custom middleware or an integration app is required.

Is Shopify Plus worth it for Australian enterprise businesses?

Shopify Plus costs $2,300 USD per month (approximately $3,500 AUD/month). It becomes worth it for Australian businesses when: annual revenue exceeds $2 to $3 million AUD (transaction fee savings alone can justify the cost), when B2B Shopify Markets and wholesale features are needed without third-party apps, when custom checkout logic (Shopify Functions) is required, or when multiple storefronts need to be managed from one admin. Most AU merchants under $2M AUD annual revenue are better served by Shopify Advanced.

StrategyJune 2026

Shopify vs Magento for Australian Businesses: The 2026 Migration Guide

Magento was the enterprise default for a decade. In 2026, more Australian businesses are migrating off it than onto it. Here is an honest assessment of when it makes sense to move, what it costs in AUD, and what the risks are — from a team that has done it many times.

Magento (now Adobe Commerce) is a powerful platform. But power comes with cost, and for most Australian ecommerce businesses the math has shifted dramatically in Shopify's favour. Adobe Commerce licences cost $22,000 to $125,000 USD per year. Even Magento Open Source, which is free software, costs $30,000 to $80,000 AUD per year in hosting, developer maintenance, security patching, and extension management.

That money, redirected toward Shopify and actual growth initiatives, changes the trajectory of most businesses.

The Real Cost of Magento in Australia (2026)

Magento Open Source annual total cost of ownership for a typical AU business:

Dedicated or cloud hosting (required for performance): $6,000 to $24,000 AUD/year
Security patches and Magento version updates: $3,000 to $12,000 AUD/year in developer time
Extension licences (payment, shipping, B2B, SEO): $2,000 to $8,000 AUD/year
Regular performance and bug fix work: $5,000 to $20,000 AUD/year
Total: $16,000 to $64,000 AUD/year before any new features or redesign

Shopify equivalent annual cost for the same AU business:

Shopify Advanced ($299 USD/month): approx $5,800 AUD/year
Apps replacing Magento extensions: $1,200 to $4,800 AUD/year
Developer cost (new features only, no maintenance overhead): $3,000 to $15,000 AUD/year
Total: $10,000 to $25,600 AUD/year

The saving for a mid-sized AU business is typically $15,000 to $40,000 AUD per year. Most migrations pay for themselves within 18 months.

Note on Adobe Commerce (Magento Enterprise): Adobe Commerce licences start at approximately $22,000 USD/year and scale with revenue. If you are on Adobe Commerce rather than Magento Open Source, your licence cost alone likely justifies a migration assessment.

What Magento Does Better Than Shopify

An honest comparison has to acknowledge where Magento still leads:

Native B2B catalogue complexity: Magento's native B2B module handles customer-group pricing, shared catalogues, and quote requests with more configuration depth than Shopify Plus's equivalent out of the box.
On-premise or private cloud hosting: For AU businesses with strict data sovereignty or compliance requirements, self-hosted Magento on AU data centre infrastructure gives more control than Shopify's US-based cloud.
Custom database queries: Magento allows complex custom reporting and data manipulation at the database level. Shopify's data access is through APIs only.
Completely custom checkout flow: Magento's checkout can be rewritten entirely. Shopify's checkout is customisable via Checkout Extensions but the core flow is controlled by Shopify.

What Shopify Does Better Than Magento for AU Merchants

Page speed and Core Web Vitals: Shopify's CDN and architecture delivers faster load times with less optimisation effort. Most Magento stores struggle with Core Web Vitals; Shopify stores hit Lighthouse 90+ with proper theme development.
Shopify Payments for Australia: Available natively, no transaction fees on Shopify plans, supports Afterpay, Zip, Apple Pay, Google Pay out of the box.
AU shipping integrations: Shopify has native or well-maintained app support for Australia Post, Sendle, Aramex AU, and Shippit. Easier to configure than Magento shipping extensions.
App ecosystem: 8,000+ apps vs Magento's Marketplace. Most AU-specific tools (Afterpay, Zip, MYOB, Xero, Shippit, StarShipit) have Shopify apps maintained by the tool providers themselves.
Merchant team independence: Content, product, and collection updates in Shopify do not require developer involvement. Magento admin is notoriously difficult for non-technical teams.
Shopify Plus B2B Markets: For AU wholesale merchants, Shopify Plus now includes native B2B catalogues, net terms, and company accounts. Combined with apps like Miko B2B Wholesale House, the B2B gap between Shopify and Magento has closed significantly.

Australian Payment Gateways on Shopify

One common concern from AU merchants on Magento is payment gateway compatibility. Shopify fully supports all major AU gateways:

Shopify Payments (AU): Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Shop Pay. No transaction fees on Shopify plans.
Afterpay: Native integration, Australia's most popular BNPL
Zip Pay and Zip Money: Available via Zip's official Shopify app
PayPal and Braintree: Full support
eWAY: Popular with AU merchants, supported natively
Tyro: Available for AU merchants who use Tyro EFTPOS

Accounting and ERP Integrations for Australian Businesses

Two questions we hear constantly from AU Magento merchants:

Does Shopify work with Xero? Yes. The Xero Shopify app or A2X (recommended for 100+ orders/day) handles invoice creation, payment reconciliation, and tax mapping. MYOB AccountRight and MYOB Business both have Shopify integration apps.

What about MYOB Advanced or SAP? These require custom integration middleware. Tripster Developers builds custom Shopify integrations with ERP systems including Odoo, NetSuite, SAP, and MYOB Advanced. We also maintain our own Shopify-to-Odoo connector as a live app.

The Magento to Shopify Migration Process

For Australian merchants considering the move, here is what a professional migration actually involves:

Discovery and data audit (1-2 weeks): Map all Magento data structures, product attributes, customer groups, order history, and extension functionality. Identify what maps directly to Shopify and what needs custom handling.
URL mapping for SEO (1 week): Export all Magento product, category, and CMS URLs. Map every one to its Shopify equivalent. Magento category URLs (/menswear/jackets/) become Shopify collection URLs (/collections/jackets/) — every path needs a 301 redirect.
Data migration (2-4 weeks): Products with all variants, metafields for custom attributes, customer records, historical orders (for loyalty and purchase history), and blog content migrated via Shopify Admin API.
Theme build (3-8 weeks, parallel): Custom Shopify Liquid theme built to design spec while data migration runs in parallel. AU-specific configuration: Afterpay display, AU shipping zones, GST-inclusive pricing setup.
QA, redirects, and launch (1-2 weeks): Full site test on staging. Redirect file uploaded to Shopify. DNS cutover. Google Search Console updated. Sitemap submitted.
Post-launch monitoring (4 weeks): Search Console monitoring for crawl errors, 404s, and ranking fluctuations.

Migrating from Magento in Australia? Tripster Developers is a certified Shopify Partner serving Australian merchants. We handle the full migration including data, theme, AU payment and shipping configuration, and SEO redirect mapping. Fixed-price quotes for all projects.

View Our Migration Service Get a Free Migration Assessment

Frequently Asked Questions

Should Australian businesses move from Magento to Shopify?

For most AU businesses, yes. If your annual Magento maintenance and hosting costs exceed $20,000 AUD, if your team spends more time managing the platform than growing the business, or if page speed and conversions are suffering, Shopify is worth migrating to. The total cost of ownership is lower and the platform requires significantly less developer involvement to maintain.

How much does a Magento to Shopify migration cost in Australia?

A Magento to Shopify migration in Australia costs $15,000 to $60,000 AUD depending on catalogue size, complexity, and whether a new theme is included. Data-only migrations start around $10,000 to $20,000 AUD. Full re-platforms including a new custom Shopify theme cost $25,000 to $60,000 AUD.

Does Shopify support Afterpay and Zip for Australian merchants?

Yes. Both Afterpay and Zip (Pay and Money) have official Shopify apps and are fully supported. Shopify Payments is also available in Australia with no transaction fees on Shopify plans.

What happens to my SEO when I migrate from Magento to Shopify?

With proper 301 redirect mapping, most SEO authority transfers. Magento category and product URLs are mapped to Shopify equivalents, meta data is migrated, and the sitemap is resubmitted to Google on launch day. Most AU merchants see a 2 to 6 week fluctuation followed by recovery, often with improvement from faster Shopify page speeds.

Does Shopify work with MYOB and Xero for Australian businesses?

Yes. Xero has a native Shopify integration. A2X is recommended for higher order volumes. MYOB Business and MYOB AccountRight both have Shopify connection apps available. For MYOB Advanced or complex ERP requirements, custom middleware is required.

★★★★★

"We spent six years fighting Magento security patches and plugin conflicts. The migration to Shopify took 10 weeks and our developer costs have dropped by $35,000 AUD per year. I wish we had done it sooner."

General Manager, AU Industrial Supplies Brand