You search “Australia Post WooCommerce plugin,” install the free one from WordPress.org, and checkout starts showing Regular and Express. Then a customer in London needs a quote. Or you ship in satchels. Or you want Extra Cover, a handling fee, or a tracking number in the Completed email.
The free plugin stops there — on purpose. It is a live Regular / Express calculator for own packaging. Pro is the full checkout-rate product. Labels Pro is a separate license for printing labels from WooCommerce.
This is the honest edition map: what the free plugin actually does, what Pro unlocks, and when you should skip Pro and go straight to Labels Pro.
Show live Australia Post rates at WooCommerce checkout → Get Australia Post Pro
The three editions (not two)
WPRuby’s Australia Post family is one product line with three stopping points. Comparing only “free vs paid” hides the fact that Pro does not print labels.
| Edition | Where you get it | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Free | WordPress.org | Live Regular and Express (own packaging) at cart/checkout |
| Pro | WPRuby from $79/year | Full PAC rates: Courier, international, satchels, letters, extras, packing, manual tracking |
| Labels Pro | Same product page, from $129/year | Everything in Pro, plus MyPost Business / eParcel labels, bulk print, pickups, contract postage |
You cannot run Free and Pro at the same time. Activating Pro deactivates the lite plugin so two calculators do not fight on the same zone.
Pro quotes public Australia Post prices at checkout (PAC). Labels Pro adds the business-account connection, the label printer, bulk fulfilment, and tracking written back from the label. Full walkthroughs: live rates troubleshooting, print labels, connect MyPost Business.
Feature comparison
| Capability | Free | Pro | Labels Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Live Regular / Express (own packaging) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Shipping zones | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Domestic delivery time on the rate | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Courier Post | — | Yes | Yes |
| International parcels | — | Yes | Yes |
| Prepaid satchels (Regular / Express / Courier) | — | Yes | Yes |
| Letters (domestic + international) | — | Yes | Yes |
| Custom boxes + 3D packing | — | Yes | Yes |
| Custom rate titles | — | Yes | Yes |
| Handling fee or discount | — | Yes | Yes |
| Extra Cover / Signature on Delivery | — | Yes (classic checkout for optional fees) | Same, plus toggles on the label |
| Cheapest-rate mode / fallback price | — | Yes | Yes |
| Dropshipping postcode / ship individually | — | Yes | Yes |
| Manual tracking number on the order | — | Yes | Yes |
| Print labels from the order | — | — | Yes |
| Bulk label PDF | — | — | Yes |
| MyPost Business / eParcel connection | — | — | Yes |
| Contract postage at checkout | — | — | Yes |
| Consignments on the orders list + email table | — | — | Yes |
| MyPost pickups | — | — | Yes |
| International customs on the label (HS, origin, DG) | — | — | Yes |
If a row is blank for Free, it is not a hidden setting. The lite plugin does not quote those services.
What the free plugin actually does
The WordPress.org plugin — Australia Post WooCommerce Extension — talks to Australia Post’s Postage Assessment Calculator and returns Regular Post and Express Post for your own packaging. It respects WooCommerce shipping zones and can append a delivery-time estimate to the rate.
That is enough when:
- You only ship inside Australia
- You pack in your own cartons (not prepaid satchels or letters)
- Regular vs Express is the choice you want customers to make
- You are happy to buy postage on auspost.com.au, in MyPost, or at a counter after the order is paid
It is not a MyPost Business plugin. It does not print labels, book pickups, or write a consignment ID onto the WooCommerce order. Reviews that say “too limited” are usually looking for satchels, letters, international, or a handling fee — all of which sit in Pro.
What Pro adds (the real “paid rates” upgrade)
Pro is for stores that have outgrown Regular/Express-only checkout. Same PAC calculator, more of the catalogue Australia Post actually sells, plus the packing and extras that make the quote match how you ship.
Services at checkout
- Courier Post (metropolitan Courier network — not a nationwide same-day promise)
- International parcels — Economy Sea/Air, Standard, Express, Courier International
- Prepaid satchels — Regular, Express, and Courier sizes, including Extra Small where it fits
- Letters — domestic Regular / Express / Priority groups and international letter groups, when the pack qualifies as a letter
Tracked-letter options in Pro are merchant-set prices, not live PAC quotes. Do not expect Australia Post to calculate those envelope prices the way it calculates a parcel.
Packing that feeds the quote
Pro packs the cart with 3D BoxPacker against custom boxes you define (mm/g), plus satchels when they fit. You can set default weight and size for incomplete products, ship a SKU individually, or give a product a dropshipping postcode so that line quotes from a supplier origin instead of the store.
Wrong rates are usually packing, not “the API is broken.” If checkout is empty, walk the 12-check rates guide before you assume you need a different plugin.
Price controls and extras
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Handling fee / discount | Fixed amount or %, positive or negative |
| Custom titles | Rename Regular / Express / etc. at checkout |
| Cheapest-rate mode | Show only the lowest AusPost option |
| Fallback price | Still offer shipping if PAC returns nothing |
| Extra Cover | Bundle into the rate, or let the shopper tick it |
| Signature on Delivery | Same; Extra Cover over $500 forces signature (AusPost rule) |
Optional Extra Cover / Signature checkboxes run on classic cart and checkout. They are not on WooCommerce Checkout Blocks. Core rates still appear on Blocks via WooCommerce shipping.
Domestic rates can show PAC delivery time. International rates in the current product do not.
Tracking (typed, not printed)
Pro lets you attach a tracking number and shipping date on the order. The customer gets a Track button in My Account and a shipped-on sentence in email. You still buy the label somewhere else. Step-by-step: How to Add Australia Post Tracking to WooCommerce Orders.
Pro does not show a live “Accepted / In transit / Delivered” timeline on the customer account. That is Australia Post Track, via the link.
When Labels Pro is the upgrade (not Pro)
Stay on Pro if checkout rates are the whole job and staff are fine creating labels on MyPost or eParcel.
Buy Labels Pro when the pain is fulfilment: re-typing addresses into auspost.com.au, paying postage in another tab, then pasting the consignment back into WooCommerce.
Labels Pro includes Pro, then adds:
- Connect MyPost Business or eParcel in WooCommerce → Australia Post Centre (OAuth for MyPost; API key + password for eParcel)
- Print from the order — calculate, create the shipment, download a PDF (A4 1–4 per page or thermal A6)
- Bulk Fulfillment — a day’s orders in one PDF, with weight / phone / customs fixes in the queue
- Tracking written back — consignment on the order, Shipment Tracking column on WooCommerce → Orders, table in emails, staff scan events on the printer
- Optional contract postage at checkout (independent of printing — you can keep public PAC rates and still print labels)
- MyPost pickups (same-day PU1 or next-business-day PU3) and international customs on the label (HS tariff, origin, dangerous goods, landed-costs payer)
You need a MyPost Business or eParcel account. Public PAC rates cannot generate a paid label. Printing does not auto-complete the WooCommerce order.
Guides: print labels · connect MyPost.
Which edition should you buy?
| Your store | Edition |
|---|---|
| Testing AusPost at checkout, AU-only, Regular vs Express is enough | Free |
| Need satchels, letters, Courier, international, handling, Extra Cover, or typed tracking | Pro |
| Already create labels in MyPost / eParcel and hate copy-paste | Labels Pro |
| Have an AusPost contract and want those prices at checkout | Labels Pro (contract mode is optional) |
| 10+ labels a day and want one PDF | Labels Pro (Bulk Fulfillment) |
| Only asked “does it do tracking?” and you print labels elsewhere | Pro is enough (manual metabox) |
If you already know you will print from WooCommerce, buy Labels Pro first. You do not need to own Pro separately — Labels Pro includes the rates product.
Pricing on the current product page: Pro $79/year (or $249 lifetime) · Labels Pro $129/year (or $399 lifetime). Annual licenses keep running if they expire; updates and support need an active license. 30-day money-back on both.
How to move from Free to Pro
- Buy Pro or Labels Pro from the product page
- Install the zip under Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin
- Activate it — Pro deactivates the free plugin automatically
- Confirm Australia Post is still Enabled on the shipping zone (WooCommerce → Settings → Shipping → Shipping zones)
- Open WooCommerce → Australia Post Centre (v7 hub for settings, Health, license — Labels Pro also uses it for Bulk and Labels Orders)
- Turn on the services you actually ship (Courier, satchels, letters, international) instead of leaving every toggle on
Do not leave Free and Pro both active. Two methods named Australia Post on one zone is a common reason rates disappear.
Treat Pro as a new method, not a skin on the lite settings screen. Re-check origin postcode, enabled services, and product weights after the switch.
What neither paid edition is
Keep these out of the buying decision:
| Expectation | Reality |
|---|---|
| Pro prints labels | Only Labels Pro, with MyPost or eParcel |
| Live scan timeline on My Account | Customers get a Track link to Australia Post, not an in-account event feed |
| Optional Extra Cover / signature on Checkout Blocks | Classic cart/checkout only |
| International delivery days on the rate | Domestic PAC delivery_time only |
| Label print marks the order Completed | Manual (including a bulk status change after print) |
| Free + Pro together for “more options” | Pro deactivates Free; one calculator per store |
FAQ
Is the free plugin a trial of Pro?
No. It is a separate, maintained Regular/Express calculator. Pro is a different zip with a license. Settings are not a one-click “upgrade in place.”
Does Pro include label printing?
No. Labels Pro does. Pro is live rates (and manual tracking). See how to print Australia Post labels in WooCommerce.
Do I need MyPost Business for Pro?
No. Public PAC rates do not use a business account. You need MyPost or eParcel only to connect and print.
Can I keep Free and just buy Labels Pro?
Install the Labels Pro zip and license it. It includes Pro’s rates. Deactivate the WordPress.org plugin so you are not running two calculators.
Will customers see Courier, satchels, and letters on Free if I tick something?
No. Those services are Pro (and Labels Pro). Free is Regular and Express, own packaging.
Does “live tracking” on the product page mean a GPS map?
No. Pro: you type a number. Labels Pro: the consignment is saved when the label is generated. Shoppers open Australia Post Track.
Start with the checkout you actually need
Use Free while Regular vs Express is the whole offer. Move to Pro when checkout must match how you pack and where you ship — satchels, letters, Courier, overseas, extras, typed tracking. Move to Labels Pro when the order screen should be the place you buy postage, not a second website.
Compare Pro and Labels Pro → Australia Post WooCommerce Extension