In this article · 11 sections
If you're starting an online store in India, the two names you'll hear most are Shopify and WooCommerce. Both run thousands of successful Indian stores. The right choice depends on your budget, how much control you want and who will manage the store day to day.
Pricing and features change, so confirm current details on each platform's website.
The basic difference
- Shopify is a hosted platform. You pay a monthly subscription; Shopify handles hosting, security and updates.
- WooCommerce is a free plugin for WordPress. You pay for hosting, a domain and any paid extensions, and you (or your developer) handle updates and security.
Cost
Shopify
- Monthly plan (Shopify offers India-specific pricing)
- Paid apps for extra features (reviews, COD verification, WhatsApp, GST invoices), which can add up
- Theme: free or a one-time paid theme
- Transaction fees may apply if you don't use Shopify's own payments; check current terms for India
WooCommerce
- Plugin is free
- Hosting: from a few thousand rupees a year for small stores; more as you grow
- Paid extensions as needed (often yearly licences)
- Developer time for setup and maintenance
Rule of thumb: Shopify has predictable monthly costs. WooCommerce can be cheaper to run, but needs more technical care.
Ease of use
Shopify is easier for non-technical owners: add products, manage orders, done. WooCommerce has a steeper learning curve, but many owners manage fine once it's set up properly.
Indian payments and COD
Both support Indian payment gateways (Razorpay, PayU, Cashfree, PhonePe and others) through apps or plugins, plus UPI. Both support Cash on Delivery. COD verification, partial COD advance and RTO control usually need an extra app or plugin. See reducing COD returns.
GST invoices
Neither generates fully GST-compliant invoices out of the box in every format you might need. Both have apps and plugins for GST invoices with HSN codes and tax breakup. Confirm the format with your CA. See GST basics for online sellers.
Shipping
Both integrate with Indian shipping aggregators such as Shiprocket and courier partners for rate calculation, label printing and tracking. See shipping for Indian online stores.
SEO and content
- WooCommerce on WordPress has strong blogging and SEO flexibility, full control over URLs and schema.
- Shopify handles SEO basics well, but URLs follow fixed patterns (
/products/,/collections/), and blogging is simpler.
For content-led stores that rely on Google traffic, WooCommerce has an edge. For ad- and social-led stores, the difference matters less. See e-commerce SEO.
Flexibility
WooCommerce can be customised in almost any way: custom pricing rules, B2B wholesale features, unusual product types. Shopify is flexible through apps, but deep customisations may hit platform limits or need Shopify Plus.
Ownership
On WooCommerce, you own the store files and database and can move hosts anytime. On Shopify, you can export products and customers, but the store itself lives on Shopify's platform.
Side by side
| Shopify | WooCommerce | |
|---|---|---|
| Setup speed | Very fast | Moderate |
| Technical upkeep | Low | Medium |
| Monthly cost | Predictable subscription + apps | Hosting + extensions |
| Customisation | Good (via apps) | Very high |
| SEO/blog flexibility | Good | Very good |
| Ownership | Platform-hosted | Fully yours |
Who should choose what
- Choose Shopify if you want to launch fast, sell mainly through ads and social media, and don't want to think about hosting or updates.
- Choose WooCommerce if you want low running costs, full control, strong SEO and content, or custom features like B2B pricing.
- Consider a custom store if you have a small catalogue and specific needs (for example, enquiry-based ordering). See custom online store vs Shopify.
We build online stores from ₹12,999 on WooCommerce or custom PHP and can advise on Shopify. Discuss your store.