Neto vs Shopify: Which is the Best Fit for Your Australian Business?

Editor’s note: The original version of this article was published in May 2019. It was updated in February 2025 to reflect changes to both Neto / Maropost Commerce Cloud and Shopify, as well as wider changes in the ecommerce ecosystem. Since posting the original, we have observed the migration of several larger Australian brands away from Neto, including the likes of TentWorld, OzTrail and ProSpeed Racing. 

Implementing the best ecommerce platform for your business’ needs is critical to success. Whilst the right solution can empower rapid, cost-efficient growth, an inadequate platform can restrict opportunities and lead to a build-up of technical debt.

As a leading Shopify Premier Partner agency with over a decade of experience helping clients navigate the world of online retail, we’ve long championed Shopify as the most flexible, reliable and affordable ecommerce platform on the market.

However, we understand that there are a range of different factors at play when choosing an ecommerce platform for your business, including unique functional requirements, integration needs, and stakeholder preferences. Whilst we build exclusively on the Shopify platform, we regularly examine other ecommerce solutions to ensure we are providing accurate and transparent advice to the brands we work with.

Today, we want to give you a holistic review of our preferred platform – Shopify – and the local incumbent in Australia – Neto – to help you decide which one is right for your Australian business.

First though, let’s begin with an introduction to, and brief history of, each platform.

What is Shopify?

Shopify was born in early 2004 when Tobi Lutke, the platform’s German-Canadian Founder, set about creating an ecommerce store for his snowboarding products.

The technical and cost limitations imposed by the available ecommerce platforms left Tobi feeling restricted, frustrated and unable to turn his designs and ideas into realities. He was driven by this dissatisfaction to create his own improved ecommerce solution for business owners just like him.

Shopify was originally designed to be user friendly and reliable – with the value of ecommerce managers’ time and money in mind. To this day, the multi-channel platform’s aim is to make it easier for users to take their products to market locally and globally, without the costs and limitations of older, self-hosted technology.

As a result, retailers using the platform can funnel their time and money into actively promoting, marketing, building and growing their businesses.

Today, Shopify is one of the most popular out-of-the-box ecommerce solutions in the world.

What is Neto / Maropost Commerce Cloud?

Designed and developed by a team in Brisbane, Neto – like Shopify – was born out of its Founder’s own business challenges. In early 2009, Australian entrepreneur Ryan Murtagh found that eBay’s management tools were too limited to keep up with his store’s rapid growth. His response? Developing his own cloud-based ecommerce solution for Australian business owners just like him.

Neto was designed to help Australian businesses manage every aspect of their business from a single tool. As a combined point of sale (POS) and online package, it simplifies the process of selling across multiple channels, including ecommerce stores, marketplaces, brick-and-mortar stores, and wholesale.

It aligns closely with Australian business requirements, making it particularly well-suited to local businesses.

In 2021, Neto was acquired by martech leader Maropost, unlocking access to powerful marketing automation functionality for retailers. It is now known as Maropost Commerce Cloud, but for the purposes of this article, we will continue to refer to it as Neto.

Neto vs Shopify: Comparing key aspects

When considering which of these platforms is right for you, there are a number of factors to consider, including:

• Scale and reliability
• Ease of use
• Apps and integrations
• Inventory and order management
• Marketplace selling
• Scalability and internationalisation
• Support
• Security
• Cost of ownership

Let’s explore each of these in more detail.

Scale & reliability

When it comes to market share, Shopify dominates Neto. Millions of retailers worldwide use Shopify to sell their products – with the platform processing more than $500 billion USD in GMV yearly.

The APAC region is one of Shopify’s fastest-growing markets. Shopify powers over 150,000 Australian retailers, whilst Shopify Plus is the solution of choice for over 3,000 businesses, including big-name brands like JB Hi-Fi, Budgy Smuggler, Strandbags, Meshki, Culture Kings, Himile, and Triangl Swimwear.

Neto, meanwhile, has a much smaller overall market presence than Shopify. According to data from BuiltWith, as of February 2025 there are thought to be only around 2,500 websites live on Neto across the globe. Whilst the majority of Neto users are Australian brands, its local portfolio is still considerably smaller than Shopify’s (approximately 2,300 live sites).

For retailers choosing a new ecommerce platform, or wondering whether to migrate from Neto to Shopify, the sheer scale of the Shopify platform and the high number of retailers trusting in it is a reassuring indicator of credibility and stability in the market.

Whilst Shopify’s retail portfolio in Australia is rapidly growing, Neto’s is on the decline. Common frustrations that are inspiring migrations away from Neto (gleaned from online user reviews and our own conversations with Neto users) include unreliable customer support, a clunky and overly-complex interface, and costly add-ons.

Ease of use for ecommerce teams

As mentioned above, Shopify is well known for its ease of use. The intuitive drag-and-drop store builder empowers ecommerce teams to easily implement changes themselves, without needing to be clued up on coding.

The introduction of Shopify Online Store 2.0 has made it even easier to make on-site changes. Users can add, remove and rearrange sections on key pages and customise their store’s appearance without needing the support of a developer. They can also create unique landing pages intuitively thanks to 2.0’s advanced functionality.

Ultimately, Shopify offers a fast, simple way to launch new products and marketing strategies. This empowers retailers to remain agile in the face of changing customer behaviours and fast-evolving market demands.

Whilst Neto offers a robust feature set, its interface is widely regarded as more complex compared to Shopify, requiring a steep learning curve for new users. We often hear Neto retailers sharing their frustrations around having to rely on developers to make simple changes, or the need for advanced coding knowledge to implement any sort of customisation.

Not being able to easily make changes can delay on-site merchandising, stifle experimentation and ultimately constrain growth. Increased developer reliance can also translate to inflated costs.

Of course, for more experienced Neto users or ecommerce teams with advanced technical knowledge, navigating the platform’s interface and making customisations won’t be as challenging – allowing them to more easily make the most of the platform and its functionality.

Apps & integrations

A unique aspect of Shopify’s offering is its extensive ecosystem of third-party apps and integrations. With over 13,000 ‘plug-and-play’ commerce apps to choose from – all of which are thoroughly tested prior to release – retailers are presented with a range of options to extend store functionality depending on their needs and ambitions.

What’s more, tech vendors are increasingly developing apps and integrations with a Shopify-first mindset – indicating the currency that the platform holds in the market.

Meanwhile, Neto has a much more limited offering of third-party integrations (or ‘modules’ as they are known in Neto), with an often complex installation process. This is a common cause of frustration amongst the Neto users we speak to as an agency.

However, it should be noted that Neto does have strong native integrations with key Australian business tools and services, which can reduce reliance on external apps for local businesses operating within the region.

Inventory & order management

This is an area where Neto’s native capabilities are generally considered to excel. It provides advanced built-in inventory and order management tools, making it ideal for businesses with complex, multi-channel logistics. Features like real-time stock synchronisation, automated purchasing, dropshipping support and barcode scanning come out-of-the-box with Neto, reducing reliance on third-party integrations.

Shopify offers basic inventory and order management natively, allowing users to add products, track inventory and manage stock levels across multiple locations. However, it often requires integrations with third-party apps to achieve the same level of functionality as Neto.

For Shopify brands seeking more advanced features like batch tracking and multi-warehouse management, we typically recommend integrations with solutions like Linnworks. Linnworks provides a comprehensive suite of tools to centralise and automate retail operations, with tools for supporting international expansion. Swanky is excited to be collaborating with Linnworks in Australia, delivering best-in-class strategy and tech to retailers across the region.

Marketplace selling

Neto’s marketplace management capabilities have historically been seen as a strength when compared against Shopify. The platform offers strong built-in marketplace integrations with the likes of eBay, Amazon and Catch – making it easier for Australian retailers to navigate multi-channel selling without having to rely on external apps.

However, Shopify’s own Marketplace Connect now very nearly matches the native functionality of Neto. The app offers a fast and easy way to sell across global marketplaces, with listings, orders, inventory and performance managed in one central location.

What’s more, Neto is largely focused on domestic marketplaces, limiting its value compared with incorporating a true channel management solution like Linnworks in tandem with Shopify.

Our discussions with larger Neto retailers have also revealed frustrations with stock syncing, where inventory isn’t updating quickly enough between Neto and marketplaces. In some cases, this has led to overselling, along with the associated poor customer experience and marketplace penalty fees.

Scalability & internationalisation

Neto caters for retailers of all sizes, with different plans available according to revenue. This starts with an Essential Plan, with just one sales channel, to a more comprehensive Enterprise Plan, incorporating all sales channels, advanced inventory features and access to Glew Ecommerce Analytics, for example.

Neto’s advanced inventory and order management features make it a solid choice for businesses handling high-volume sales, but, as it’s designed specifically for Australian businesses, it may not scale as efficiently for global expansion compared to Shopify.

Shopify similarly supports businesses of all sizes, at various stages of growth. It offers plans for fledgling startups through to established enterprises, with enterprise-level features available through Shopify Plus and Commerce Components by Shopify.

Available to retailers worldwide on all Shopify plans, Shopify International (previously known as Shopify Markets) simplifies international selling with its free, native localisation features. Brands can manage global operations from a single store, create localised shopping experiences for customers around the world, and track international performance –  making Shopify a great choice for brands looking for rapid international ecommerce growth.

Support

Neto offers Australian-based assistance to all users regardless of their plan via phone, email and chat. However, this support lacks the 24/7 availability that Shopify offers, and retailers often cite it as being a slow or inadequate service that can cause significant delays to project timelines.

Whichever Shopify plan you’re on, 24/7 chat support is a given, with an online Merchant Help Centre providing a wealth of resources at retailers’ fingertips. For brands on Advanced and Plus plans, support becomes more comprehensive, with priority round-the-clock phone assistance available.

Shopify’s large, global reach means that there is an abundance of highly experienced and knowledgeable platform experts to draw on for advice, strategy and implementation – from individuals posting in the Shopify Community, all the way up to official Shopify Partner agencies like Swanky.

Security

Both Neto and Shopify have security features in place to protect retailers and their customers.

For example, Shopify users can be sure that payment information and customer data is safe, thanks to 3D Secure checkouts, SSL certification, PCI-compliant servers, and payment data encryption.

Neto’s robust security measures include SSL certification and PCI compliance, with a focus on Australian data protection standards.

Where Shopify excels is in its built-in fraud analysis tools, empowering retailers to identify suspicious transactions. For Shopify Plus users, advanced fraud prevention features like machine learning-based risk detection take security to the next level.

Whilst Neto does provide fraud detection tools, users may need third-party add-ons to deliver the enhanced fraud protection that Shopify offers out-of-the-box.

Cost of ownership

Shopify and Neto offer tiered pricing plans, with subscription costs increasing as functionality becomes more comprehensive. For both platforms, these costs include the likes of hosting and security.

On top of plan fees, Shopify charges transaction fees (ranging from 0.5% to 2%), unless you’re using Shopify Payments. Neto, on the other hand, doesn’t charge transaction fees.

A critical challenge for Neto retailers can be the high costs involved with store maintenance. Having to rely on developers to implement simple site changes and deploy new functionality can quickly drain an ecommerce budget. Meanwhile, on Shopify, being able to easily make changes within your team can save money on development costs – allowing budget to be directed elsewhere.

We’re also aware of larger Neto retailers having to invest significantly in custom engineering solutions to propel their business growth, as the platform lacks the mature app ecosystem needed to support users. For example, we’ve spoken to brands who’ve been forced to pay for bespoke developed integrations to enable functionality that’s available on Shopify at the relative click of a button.

Overall, total cost of ownership (TCO) will depend on your unique use case; your business size, required functionality, and reliance on third-party apps, for example. For brands migrating to Shopify from other platforms, we typically see a reduction in TCO, complemented by uplifts to site performance, SEO and conversion rate.

Neto to Shopify migrations: Real-world results

Now that we have compared Neto vs Shopify on a number of fundamental aspects, let’s examine some examples of Australian businesses that have seen successful results after migrating from Neto to Shopify with Swanky.

Childrenswear brand Love Henry increases conversion rate & revenue on Shopify

Seeking increased flexibility, customisability and scalability, Australian childrenswear brand Love Henry engaged Swanky to support the brand’s ecommerce migration from Neto to Shopify.

The Love Henry team can now make changes to their website in just a few clicks, which has vastly improved merchandising and allowed them to pivot according to market trends. They also have access to the thousands of apps and integrations in Shopify’s ecosystem, unlocking significant opportunities for digital growth.

In the year following the brand’s move to Shopify:

• conversion rate increased by 50%;
• the number of transactions increased by 22%; and
• top line revenue increased by 12%.

Find out more about this project in our Neto to Shopify migration case study.

Department store Hannas generates 7-figure additional revenue stream since moving to Shopify

Frustrated by their clunky Neto-powered ecommerce store, the team at family-owned department store Hannas were seeking a faster, more agile and user-friendly ecommerce solution.

With its code-free customisations, trusted and diverse app store, and extensive support offering, Shopify made the perfect choice.

Swanky completed a seamless migration and implemented an optimised Shopify tech stack to support Hannas with online selling.

Replatforming to Shopify had unlocked a seven-figure additional revenue stream for this Australian business, as well as opening up a new international market.

Read more in our ecommerce migration case study.

Neto vs Shopify: Swanky’s bottom line

The importance of choosing the right ecommerce platform cannot be underestimated. When deciding between Neto vs Shopify for your Australian business, ultimately the answer will depend on your specific use case.

For local businesses looking for a homegrown, unified platform that can natively support multi-channel selling and complex inventory requirements, Neto could provide the support you need. However, it could prove restrictive if you decide to expand cross-border, or if platform agility is a priority for your ecommerce team.

For Australian retailers looking to not only grow rapidly in their local market, but also expand internationally and sell to a diverse customer base, Shopify is a compelling choice. A highly scalable, versatile and intuitive platform with robust global infrastructure and extensive app ecosystem, we believe that its uncapped growth potential sets it apart from other platforms in the market.

Talk to our Australian ecommerce experts about building on Shopify

Looking to replatform or build your store with a leading Shopify agency in Australia?

Contact Swanky’s friendly team of ecommerce experts to find out how we could help you migrate from Neto and unlock the powerful benefits Shopify has to offer.

We work with brands in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and beyond, launching online stores on Shopify and then growing businesses with smart, data-driven strategy.