If you are starting an online store in India, you will hear two names again and again: Shopify and WooCommerce. Both work. The right choice depends on three things that matter a lot in India: what you will really pay each month, how you handle cash on delivery (COD), and how you issue GST invoices.
This post compares them on those points, using figures from 2026 guides. Most of these guides are written by agencies and software companies, and some of them lean toward one platform. Where the guides disagree, we say so. Shopify changes its prices from time to time, so check its current pricing page before you decide.
The basic difference
Shopify is a hosted service. You pay a monthly fee, and Shopify runs the store’s technical side for you. WooCommerce is a free plugin that turns a WordPress website into a store. You pay for hosting yourself and look after the site, or pay someone to do it.
That one difference explains most of what follows. Shopify is quicker to start. WooCommerce gives you more control.
What each one costs
Shopify. One 2026 guide lists the Basic plan at ₹1,499 a month on annual billing. Two other guides list it at ₹1,994 a month. The difference is most likely annual versus monthly billing, though the guides do not always say. One guide adds that GST brings the effective cost to about ₹1,769 a month.
WooCommerce. The plugin is free. You pay for hosting, which one guide puts at ₹449 to ₹1,200 a month and another at ₹6,000 to ₹24,000 a year. A domain is extra. The second guide estimates the total yearly cost of a WooCommerce store, including hosting, a theme, security plugins and extensions, at ₹35,000 to ₹1,07,000. That is a wide range, and it depends heavily on what you add.
So Shopify has the lower starting bill. WooCommerce can cost less per month on a small store, but its costs vary more, and it usually needs more setup.
Payment fees
This is where many Indian sellers get caught out. Per the May 2026 guide, Shopify Payments is not available in India. That means you use an outside gateway such as Razorpay, PayU or Cashfree. Both guides say that Shopify then charges its own transaction fee on top of the gateway’s fee, in the range of 0.5% to 2% depending on the plan.
WooCommerce has no platform fee. You pay only the gateway. One guide gives Razorpay’s rate as 2% plus GST. Using the same guide’s example, a ₹2,000 order on Shopify can lose about 5.8% in total fees, while WooCommerce avoids the platform layer. Check your own gateway’s current rates, since they change.
Cash on delivery
Both platforms can offer COD. The difference is in how much control you get.
One guide says WooCommerce allows conditional COD rules without paid add-ons. For example, you can switch COD off for large orders, certain pin codes or certain product categories. The same guide says Shopify needs paid apps or custom scripts to do the same.
If you want to limit COD on expensive items or in certain areas, test this feature on both platforms before you choose.
GST invoices
Neither platform produces a fully compliant GST invoice out of the box. Both need extra tools.
On Shopify you add a paid app. One guide quotes ₹2,000 to ₹8,000 a year. Another quotes ₹500 to ₹1,500 a month. On WooCommerce there are free and paid plugins, listed at ₹0 to ₹12,000 a year, and they need to be set up correctly.
In both cases, ask your accountant what the invoice must contain before you pick a tool. We are not tax advisers, and GST rules are best confirmed with a qualified professional.
Which one suits whom
Shopify tends to suit a seller who wants to launch quickly, does not want to manage hosting and updates, and is happy to pay a monthly fee for that. The guides describe it as easier to set up.
WooCommerce tends to suit a seller who wants full control, plans custom features, or expects high sales volumes. One guide says the fee savings start to outweigh Shopify’s convenience at roughly ₹15 to ₹25 lakh of monthly sales. That is one guide’s estimate, not a rule, but it shows why the answer changes as a store grows.
A simple way to decide
- Write down your expected monthly orders and average order value.
- List the must-have features: COD rules, GST invoices, your payment gateway, any custom checkout.
- Get the total monthly cost for each platform, including apps, gateway fees and hosting.
- Test a demo store on both platforms before you commit.
If you are still unsure after that, a short call with a developer who has built stores on both can save you months of rework.
Sources: Shipmozo, best ecommerce platform in India, Prateeksha, Shopify vs WooCommerce India 2026 (May 2026), and Zoko, Shopify India pricing. Prices and fees change, so confirm them on the platforms’ own pages.