Shopify vs WooCommerce in India: Which One Should You Choose?
Choose Shopify if you want a store that launches fast and runs without you managing hosting, security or updates. Choose WooCommerce if you want full control and no platform fee on each order, and you have someone to look after hosting and plugins. For most Indian stores, the deciding number is Shopify's extra fee on every order paid through Razorpay or another Indian gateway.
Key Takeaways
- Shopify: the quicker way to launch, with hosting and security handled for you. In India it adds 2%, 1% or 0.6% per order (by plan) on top of your payment gateway fee.
- WooCommerce: the core is free and there is no platform fee per order, but you pay for hosting, paid extensions and regular upkeep.
- The big number: as your monthly sales grow, Shopify's per-order fee usually costs more than its monthly plan. Work out a yearly total for both.
- Both work in India: Razorpay and PhonePe connect to both platforms, and both can rank well on Google.
India's online shopping market is growing fast. IBEF puts it at Rs 10.56 lakh crore (US$125 billion) in 2024 and projects Rs 32.82 lakh crore (US$345 billion) by 2030 (IBEF, September 2026). Whether you are a brand in Delhi, Noida or Gurgaon or an Indian business selling abroad, the platform you pick now decides your fees, your checkout and how much control you have for years.
Shopify and WooCommerce are the two names most store owners compare. Both are mainstream: WordPress, which WooCommerce runs on, powers 39.6% of all websites and Shopify powers 5.3% (W3Techs, October 2026). Here is how they compare for Indian businesses, in plain terms.
1. Shopify vs WooCommerce at a glance
| Point | Shopify | WooCommerce |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A hosted, all-in-one store you rent every month | A free plugin that turns a WordPress site into a store |
| Platform cost | Plans from Rs 1,499 a month (yearly billing) | Free core; you pay for hosting and paid extensions |
| Extra fee per order in India | 2%, 1% or 0.6% on third-party gateways, by plan | None from WooCommerce |
| Hosting, security, updates | Handled by Shopify | Your job, or your developer's |
| Indian payments | Razorpay, PhonePe and others through apps | Razorpay, PhonePe and others through plugins |
| Customisation | Themes and apps, within Shopify's limits | Full code access; almost anything can be built |
| SEO control | Good basics, fixed URL paths | Full control over URLs and structure |
| Suits | Fast launch, small teams, D2C brands | Custom needs, content-led stores, tight margins per order |
2. What each platform really costs in India
Every online store pays a payment gateway fee. Razorpay's standard rate is 2% per successful transaction plus 18% GST on that fee, with no setup or annual fee (Razorpay pricing). That cost is the same on both platforms. The difference is what you pay on top.
Shopify plans in India
| Plan | Monthly billing | Yearly billing (per month) | Fee on third-party gateways |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | Rs 1,994 | Rs 1,499 | 2% |
| Grow | Rs 7,447 | Rs 5,599 | 1% |
| Advanced | Rs 30,164 | Rs 22,680 | 0.6% |
| Plus | From Rs 1,75,000 | Not listed | 0.2% |
Source: Shopify India pricing, checked on 21 October 2026. Prices change, and taxes may apply on top.
Why the extra fee? Shopify Payments, Shopify's own gateway, is not available in India (Shopify's list of supported countries). Indian stores therefore use a third-party gateway such as Razorpay, and Shopify charges its fee on those transactions.
WooCommerce costs
WooCommerce itself is free. Its own pricing page estimates hosting at $25 to $350 a month for most stores, and paid extensions at $29 to $299 a year each (WooCommerce pricing). Small stores can start lower, but the cost to plan for is upkeep: updates, backups, security and someone to fix things when a plugin breaks.
A worked example (illustration, not a quote)
Take a store that sells Rs 5 lakh a month, with every order paid online through Razorpay. Using the published prices above:
- Gateway fee on either platform: 2% is Rs 10,000, plus Rs 1,800 GST on the fee.
- Shopify Basic (yearly billing): Rs 1,499 plan + Rs 10,000 Shopify fee (2%) = Rs 11,499 a month on top of the gateway fee.
- Shopify Grow (yearly billing): Rs 5,599 plan + Rs 5,000 Shopify fee (1%) = Rs 10,599 a month on top of the gateway fee.
- WooCommerce: no platform fee; you pay for hosting, extensions and maintenance instead.
The per-order fee is the big number. On yearly billing, Shopify Grow costs less than Basic once your online sales cross about Rs 4.1 lakh a month, and Advanced costs less than Grow from about Rs 42.7 lakh a month. Re-check this every year as you grow.
3. Payments and checkout for Indian buyers
Checkout is where stores lose money. Baymard Institute puts the average cart abandonment rate at 70.22%. Among the reasons shoppers give: extra costs too high (40%), being forced to create an account (18%), a long or complicated checkout (17%) and not enough payment methods (9%) (Baymard Institute). For Indian buyers, that means offering UPI, cards, netbanking and wallets, plus cash on delivery where your category needs it.
- Shopify: add the All-in-one Razorpay Payment Gateway app or PhonePe's Shopify integration. Setup is quick; just remember Shopify's extra fee on these orders.
- WooCommerce: Razorpay's WooCommerce plugin and PhonePe's WooCommerce integration connect directly, with no platform fee. Someone needs to keep the plugin updated.
- Selling abroad: if your business is registered in a country where Shopify Payments is available, such as the UAE, the UK or the US, Shopify's own gateway removes the third-party fee there.
4. GST invoices and accounting
Indian customers, and business buyers in particular, expect a proper GST invoice. On both platforms, most Indian stores use an app or plugin to create invoices with the GSTIN, HSN codes and the correct CGST and SGST or IGST split. Before launch:
- Place a test B2C order and a test B2B order with a GSTIN, and check both invoices.
- Ask your CA whether e-invoicing applies at your turnover.
- If you use Tally or other accounting software, plan the sync early. WooCommerce allows fully custom syncing; Shopify relies on apps.
5. SEO and speed
Shopify handles hosting and SSL for you, so the basics are reliable. Its URL paths are fixed (for example /products/ and /collections/), and every app you add can load extra scripts that slow pages down.
WooCommerce gives full control over URLs, page structure and structured data, and WordPress is strong for blogging. Speed depends on your hosting, theme and plugins: cheap hosting and too many plugins make a slow store.
Both can rank on Google. Useful product pages, fast mobile pages and regular articles matter more than the platform name.
6. Which one fits? Three examples
These are illustrations to show how the choice works, not CoregenX clients.
- A D2C clothing brand in Delhi with 150 products, a two-person team and Instagram ads planned for the festive season. They need to launch fast and do not want to manage servers. Shopify fits. Once online sales cross about Rs 4.1 lakh a month, moving to Grow cuts the per-order fee.
- A B2B hardware supplier in Noida with 2,000 products, separate prices for dealers and retail buyers, and orders that must sync with accounting. WooCommerce fits better: custom pricing rules, full code access and no fee on each order. They need a developer on call.
- An organic food startup in Gurgaon that wants Google traffic from recipes and guides. Either can work. If content is the main growth channel and the team knows WordPress, WooCommerce gives more control; if the team wants less upkeep, Shopify's blog covers a simple content plan.
Public example (not CoregenX work): Indian clothing brand Mulmul moved from Adobe Commerce (Magento) to Shopify Plus over slow pages and costly customisation. Shopify reports a 10x growth in its online sales and technical implementation costs falling from 6% to 2% of revenue.
7. How to decide in 6 steps
- Write down your numbers: products, expected monthly orders, average order value and monthly sales.
- List how buyers will pay: UPI, cards, cash on delivery. Then choose a gateway.
- Work out a yearly cost for each option: Shopify plan + Shopify fee + gateway fee, against hosting + extensions + maintenance + gateway fee.
- Check GST needs: B2C or B2B, HSN codes, and how invoices reach your accounts.
- List integrations: shipping (Shiprocket, Delhivery), WhatsApp updates, CRM and marketplaces.
- Be honest about upkeep: who will update plugins, take backups and fix problems? If nobody, lean towards Shopify.
8. When to choose Shopify and when to choose WooCommerce
Choose Shopify if
- you want to launch quickly and never think about hosting or security
- your team is small and not technical
- your products and pricing are simple
- your margins can absorb a 0.6% to 2% fee per online order, or your sales justify a higher plan
Choose WooCommerce if
- you want no platform fee on each order
- you need custom pricing, B2B features or deep integrations
- content and SEO are your main growth channels
- you have a developer or partner to maintain the site
9. How CoregenX can help
CoregenX builds Shopify and WooCommerce stores for businesses in Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon, across India and abroad. We are an authorized partner of Shopify, Razorpay and PhonePe, and our team has 15+ years of experience.
- In a free consultation, we look at your products, orders and payment needs and tell you which platform fits.
- We set up Indian payments, shipping, GST invoices and WhatsApp order updates.
- We build a fast, mobile-first store with SEO basics in place from day one.
- A store usually takes 3 to 6 weeks, depending on scope.
See our ecommerce website development services, or contact us with your product count and monthly orders.
10. FAQs
Is Shopify cheaper than WooCommerce in India?
For a small store the gap is small. Shopify Basic costs Rs 1,499 a month on yearly billing and adds a 2% fee on orders paid through gateways such as Razorpay. WooCommerce has no platform fee, but you pay for hosting, paid extensions and upkeep. As monthly sales grow, the per-order fee on Shopify usually becomes the bigger number, so work out a yearly total for both before you decide.
Can I use Razorpay or PhonePe with Shopify and WooCommerce?
Yes. Razorpay has a Shopify app and a WooCommerce plugin, and PhonePe lists integrations for both platforms. On Shopify, an order paid through any third-party gateway also carries Shopify's own fee of 2%, 1% or 0.6% depending on your plan, because Shopify Payments is not available in India.
Which is better for SEO, Shopify or WooCommerce?
Both can rank well. WooCommerce gives you full control over URLs, page structure and the blog. Shopify handles hosting and SSL for you but uses fixed URL paths such as /products/ and /collections/. Useful product content, fast mobile pages and regular articles matter more than the platform.
Can I move from WooCommerce to Shopify, or the other way, later?
Yes. Products, customers and orders can be moved. Plan the move carefully: map every old URL to its new one with 301 redirects, and test payments and GST invoices before you switch. A careful migration protects your Google rankings.
How long does it take to build a Shopify or WooCommerce store?
An ecommerce store usually takes 3 to 6 weeks, depending on scope: the number of products, the design, payment and shipping setup, and integrations such as a CRM or accounting software.
By the CoregenX Team
Technology and web engineering consultants at CoregenX in New Delhi. We design, develop, and scale responsive websites, ecommerce stores, and digital solutions for clients across India and globally.
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