Shopify vs SHOPLINE
We give Shopify a 2.8 GPA and SHOPLINE a 2.2, out of 4.0. Shopify grades higher on features, ease of use and platforms. SHOPLINE grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Shopify
Hosted commerce platform for online, in-person and social selling
SHOPLINE
Ecommerce platform joining online, social and in-store selling
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAShopifyGood | 2.2GPASHOPLINEFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CBasic is $29 a month on yearly billing ($39 monthly), with your own domain and unlimited products. That's right at this category's middle. Shopify takes no extra cut if you use Shopify Payments, but adds 2% to each sale on Basic if you use another payment provider. | CStarter is A$41 a month on yearly billing (A$49 monthly), in Australian dollars, as the listing comes from SHOPLINE's Australian site. That's the ordinary middle here. SHOPLINE adds 2% to sales taken through a third-party payment provider on Starter. |
| Free plan and trial | DNo free plan, and the trial is just 3 days, though it needs no card. After that it's $1 a month for 3 months, which is a cheap start rather than a free one. | CNo free plan, but a 14-day trial with no card needed, which is enough to set a store up and see how it feels. |
| Features | AThe whole job and then some: themes, checkout, stock across up to 10 locations, discounted labels, email campaigns, selling at pop-ups from your phone, marketplace and social sync, even listing products in AI chats. More than 13,000 apps cover the rest. | BIt covers the whole job: themes, one-page checkout, 10 kinds of discount, stock across 15 locations on Starter, online, social and in-store selling, 1,000 SmartPush emails and 100+ reports. The app marketplace and marketing automation wait for Essential. |
| Ease of use | A4.7 from about 42,800 App Store ratings, far more than any other store here. A theme or a written prompt gets the storefront going, and Sidekick answers questions and does jobs in the admin. | CNo store rating on record. It's a web admin where you build the store from themes and components, and with this many staff, location and channel settings there's a fair bit to set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Amazon, eBay, Walmart, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Google and YouTube, plus APIs for custom apps. There's no desktop app, which keeps it off an A. | CWeb only on record, and the named connections are PayPal, Stripe, Atome and Facebook. The app marketplace needs Essential and the developer APIs need Premium at A$341 a month, so the entry plan is fairly closed. |
| Best for | stores selling online, in person and on social | retailers selling online, on social and in shops |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Shopify and SHOPLINE. How we grade
Where they differ
- Shopify starts at $29 per month, billed yearly ($39 billed monthly). SHOPLINE starts at A$41 per month, billed annually (A$49 monthly; Australian site).
- Only Shopify lists iOS and Android apps.
- Shopify also covers shipping labels.
- SHOPLINE also covers reports.
At a glance
| Shopify | SHOPLINE | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $29 per month, billed yearly ($39 billed monthly) | A$41 per month, billed annually (A$49 monthly; Australian site) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 3-day free trial, no credit card required | 14-day free trial, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Shopify | SHOPLINE |
| Price read from | shopify.com | au.shopline.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Shopify
- Brands that sell online and in person from one stock count
- Growing stores that want to add staff and channels without moving platforms
- Sellers who will use Shopify Payments and its shipping discounts
SHOPLINE
- Retailers selling online, on social channels and in physical shops
- Growing teams that need many staff accounts and stock locations
- Fashion, skincare and kitchenware brands
Worth knowing
Shopify
- Using a payment provider other than Shopify Payments adds a fee of 2% per sale on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced and 0.2% on Plus.
- The free trial lasts 3 days; Basic, Grow and Advanced then cost $1 a month for 3 months before the regular price.
- POS Pro for physical shops costs $89 a month per location, and syncing more than 50 marketplace orders a month costs 1%, up to $99 a month.
- Plus is sold only on a 1- or 3-year term, starting at $2,300 a month on the 3-year term.
SHOPLINE
- SHOPLINE's US site and help centre answered with a bot check, so the prices here are from its Australian site, in Australian dollars.
- Payments through a third-party provider carry a SHOPLINE fee of 2% on Starter, 0.8% on Essential and 0.5% on Premium (Australian site figures).
- The app marketplace, marketing automation and advanced reports need Essential; developer tools and APIs need Premium.
- Staff accounts are capped at 5 on Starter, 35 on Essential and 100 on Premium.
Key features
Shopify
- Store builder and themes
- Build the storefront from a theme (Shopify lists more than 200) or from a written prompt, with hosting, SSL and a custom domain on every plan and no cap on products.
- Checkout and Shopify Payments
- Shopify's own checkout and payment processing are built in, with fraud analysis, local currencies and local payment methods where Shopify Payments is offered.
- Inventory, orders and shipping
- Track stock across up to 10 locations (200 on Plus), buy and print discounted shipping labels, with live third-party carrier rates included from Advanced up.
- Selling in person and on other channels
- Sell at pop-ups from the mobile app or a card reader, and sync products to marketplaces and social channels. A separate $0 Agentic plan lists products in AI chats.
- Marketing email and automations
- Email campaigns, customer segments, abandoned checkout recovery, discount codes and gift cards come with every plan; SMS campaigns are paid per send.
- Sidekick AI assistant and apps
- Sidekick answers questions and takes actions in the admin, and the Shopify App Store lists more than 13,000 apps for features the core plans lack.
SHOPLINE
- Store builder and themes
- Build the store without code from official and third-party themes, add components for custom layouts, and apply ready-made policy pages.
- Checkout and payments
- One-page or three-page checkout, with cards and gateways such as PayPal, Stripe and Atome, plus 10 kinds of discount logic and gift cards.
- Stock across locations
- Manage inventory across shops and warehouses for shipping and pickup, from 15 locations on Starter to 300 on Enterprise.
- Online, social and in-store selling
- Sell through the online store, social commerce and SHOPLINE's own POS, with orders, customers and stock kept in one system.
- Email marketing and automation
- SmartPush sends marketing email (1,000 emails on Starter), abandoned-checkout reminders recover sales, and SHOPLINE Flow runs actions when set events occur.
- Reports and analytics
- More than 100 built-in reports on traffic, conversion and revenue with funnel views, and advanced reporting and customer segments from Essential.
Plans
Shopify
Basic$29
per month, billed yearly ($39 billed monthly)
For solo sellers: online and in-person sales, card rates from 2.9% + 30¢ online, and a 2% fee on sales taken through another payment provider.
Grow$79
per month, billed yearly ($105 billed monthly)
Up to 5 staff accounts, card rates from 2.7% + 30¢ online and a 1% fee on sales through other payment providers.
Advanced$299
per month, billed yearly ($399 billed monthly)
Up to 15 staff accounts, live third-party shipping rates, card rates from 2.5% + 30¢ and a 0.6% fee with other payment providers.
Plus$2,300
per month and up, billed yearly on a 3-year term
On a 1- or 3-year term: unlimited staff, a fully customizable checkout, card rates from 2.25% + 30¢ and a 0.2% fee with other providers.
SHOPLINE
StarterA$41
per month, billed annually (A$49 billed monthly)
Australian site price. 5 staff accounts, 15 stock locations, store, checkout, 1,000 SmartPush emails and AI tools; 2% fee on third-party payments.
EssentialA$108
per month, billed annually (A$129 billed monthly)
35 staff accounts, advanced reports, customer segments, SmartPush automation and the app marketplace; 0.8% fee on third-party payments.
PremiumA$341
per month, billed annually (A$409 billed monthly)
100 staff accounts, 30 stock locations, AI recommendations, developer tools and APIs, and POS selling; 0.5% fee on third-party payments.
EnterpriseCustom
Unlimited staff, 300 stock locations, multi-store and organization management, advanced checkout customization and priority API access.
Ways to pay less
Shopify
- Annual discount
Pay yearly to save about 25%
Basic costs $29 a month billed yearly against $39 billed monthly, Grow $79 against $105, and Advanced $299 against $399.
- Other savings
$1 a month for the first 3 months
After the 3-day free trial, the Basic, Grow and Advanced plans cost $1 a month for the first 3 months, then the regular price.
SHOPLINE
- Annual discount
Pay annually to get 2 months free
On the Australian site, Starter costs A$41 a month billed annually against A$49 monthly, Essential A$108 against A$129, and Premium A$341 against A$409.
