“Should we use Shopify or WooCommerce?” is usually the first question when a business decides to sell online. Both are good platforms, and a custom-built store is a third option. The right choice depends less on features than on what you sell, how much you sell, and who will run the store day to day.
This guide compares the three for a business in India, with the running costs worked out in rupees.
The short answer
- Shopify suits businesses that want the simplest possible setup and management, and are happy to pay a monthly fee for it.
- WooCommerce suits businesses that want low running costs and full control, and have someone (in-house or an agency) to keep it updated.
- A custom store suits businesses with unusual workflows, such as B2B price lists, bulk ordering or tight integration with stock and accounting systems.
The fee most Indian Shopify stores miss
Shopify has its own payment system, Shopify Payments, which removes Shopify’s transaction fee. Shopify Payments is not available in India (Shopify’s list of supported countries). Indian stores take payments through a third-party gateway such as Razorpay instead, and Shopify then charges a fee on every order on top of the gateway’s fee.
Shopify’s prices for India in October 2026 (Shopify pricing):
| Plan | Monthly price (billed yearly) | Shopify’s fee on third-party payments |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | ₹1,499 | 2% |
| Grow | ₹5,599 | 1% |
| Advanced | ₹22,680 | 0.6% |
The payment gateway charges separately. Razorpay’s standard rate is 2% per transaction plus GST for Indian cards, UPI, net banking and wallets (Razorpay pricing). WooCommerce and custom stores pay the same gateway fee, but no platform fee.
What it costs in practice: an example
Take a store selling ₹5 lakh a month online, paid through Razorpay.
| Shopify Basic | Shopify Grow | WooCommerce or custom | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platform plan | ₹1,499 | ₹5,599 | None |
| Platform fee on sales | ₹10,000 (2%) | ₹5,000 (1%) | None |
| Razorpay fee (2% + GST) | ₹11,800 | ₹11,800 | ₹11,800 |
| Hosting | Included | Included | Your hosting plan |
| Monthly total, before hosting and apps | ₹23,299 | ₹22,399 | ₹11,800 |
Two things stand out:
- On these numbers, Shopify costs about ₹1.3–1.4 lakh a year more than a self-hosted store, before paid apps. That gap grows with your sales.
- Above roughly ₹4.1 lakh a month in sales, Shopify’s Grow plan is cheaper than Basic, because its lower fee outweighs the higher plan price. Many stores stay on Basic long after this point.
At low volumes the picture changes. A store selling ₹50,000 a month pays Shopify about ₹2,500 a month in plan and fees, which can be worth it for the convenience.
Shopify: easiest to run
Good for: retailers and D2C brands that want to launch quickly and manage everything themselves.
- Hosting, security, updates and backups are handled by Shopify. There is nothing to patch.
- The admin panel is the easiest of the three for non-technical staff.
- Thousands of apps for reviews, shipping, GST invoices and marketing, though useful ones often have their own monthly fees.
- You are limited to what Shopify and its apps allow, and you pay the platform fee on every sale for as long as the store runs.
WooCommerce: lowest running cost, most control
Good for: businesses that want to keep costs down, already use WordPress, or need content (guides, blog posts, product information) alongside the shop.
- The WooCommerce plugin is free. You pay for hosting, the domain and any paid extensions.
- No platform fee on sales; only the payment gateway’s fee.
- WordPress gives you strong content and SEO tools for blog posts and category pages.
- It needs looking after. WordPress, WooCommerce and plugins must be updated regularly, and a cheap host or too many plugins makes the store slow. Budget for website maintenance or have someone in-house who will do it.
Custom-built: when your workflow doesn’t fit a platform
Good for: manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors whose ordering doesn’t look like a normal shop.
- Customer-specific price lists, minimum order quantities, credit terms and bulk ordering.
- Direct connections to your stock, accounting or ERP system.
- No platform fee and no dependence on third-party apps.
- The highest build cost, and changes need a developer. It only makes sense when the platforms would force you into workarounds.
Side-by-side comparison
| Shopify | WooCommerce | Custom | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setup cost | Low | Low to medium | Highest |
| Monthly platform cost | Plan + fee on every sale | None (hosting only) | None (hosting only) |
| Ease of management | Easiest | Good, with some learning | Built around your team |
| Updates and security | Handled by Shopify | Your responsibility | Your developer’s |
| Flexibility | Limited to Shopify and its apps | High, through plugins and code | Unlimited |
| Content and blog | Basic | Strong (WordPress) | As built |
| Best for | Small-to-mid retail, fast launch | Cost-conscious stores, content-led brands | B2B and unusual workflows |
Questions to answer before you choose
- How much do you expect to sell online each month in the first year, and in the third?
- Who will add products, process orders and handle refunds?
- Will someone keep the software updated, or do you want that handled for you?
- Do you need anything a normal shop doesn’t do: B2B pricing, bulk orders, integration with your billing software?
- Do you plan to publish guides or articles to attract customers from Google?
If your answers are “low volume, non-technical team”, start with Shopify. If they are “steady volume, cost matters, someone to maintain it”, choose WooCommerce. If the ordering process itself is unusual, talk to a developer about a custom build.
Whichever you choose, run through our website launch checklist before taking real orders, and place a few test orders, including a refund.
Need help choosing?
Tell us what you sell and how you sell it, and we will recommend a platform with the running costs worked out for your numbers. See our eCommerce website development service or the eCommerce package.