Shopify vs WooCommerce in India: Costs, Control & Support

Quick answer: WooCommerce has no platform subscription fee — you pay only for hosting and optional premium plugins, which usually makes it cheaper for small Indian stores. Shopify's Basic plan costs ₹1,499/month on annual billing plus a 2% transaction fee on non-Shopify Payments transactions (Shopify Payments isn't available in India, so every Indian merchant pays this fee) — Grow is ₹5,599/month at 1%, Advanced is ₹22,680/month at 0.6%, per Shopify's official India pricing page (checked September 2026). WooCommerce gives you full data ownership and easier migration; Shopify gives you managed hosting, security, and support bundled in. MetaReach builds and manages both — WooCommerce from ₹14,999 and Shopify stores from ₹14,999.

Setup, Recurring Costs & Maintenance Responsibility

	Shopify	WooCommerce
Platform fee	₹1,499-₹22,680/month depending on plan (Shopify official pricing, annual billing)	None — WooCommerce itself is a free, open-source WordPress plugin
Hosting	Included in the platform fee, managed by Shopify	Separate — you (or MetaReach) choose and manage hosting
Transaction fee	2% (Basic) / 1% (Grow) / 0.6% (Advanced) on top of your payment gateway's own fee, since Shopify Payments isn't available in India	None from the platform — only your payment gateway's own fee
Security & updates	Handled by Shopify	Your responsibility (or covered under a MetaReach maintenance plan)
Who maintains it day-to-day	Mostly hands-off — Shopify manages the infrastructure	Needs active plugin/core updates — see our maintenance plans

India-Relevant Payment & Shipping Integrations

Since Shopify Payments doesn't operate in India, both platforms end up using the same Indian payment gateways in practice — the difference is whether Shopify also takes its own transaction-fee cut on top.

	Shopify	WooCommerce
Payment gateways	Razorpay, PayU, Cashfree via app integrations — plus Shopify's own transaction fee on each sale	Razorpay, PayU, CCAvenue, Instamojo — direct plugin integration, no extra platform fee
UPI support	Via the connected Indian gateway's app	Via the connected Indian gateway's plugin
Domestic shipping	Shiprocket, Delhivery via Shopify App Store integrations	Shiprocket, Delhivery via WooCommerce plugins
GST invoicing	Via third-party apps (added cost)	Via plugins, often free or low-cost

Catalogue, Customisation, Ownership & Migration

	Shopify	WooCommerce
Catalogue size	Handles large catalogues well with managed infrastructure	Handles large catalogues, but performance depends on hosting quality
Customisation	Theme-based; deep custom logic often needs paid apps or Shopify's own dev framework	Fully open — any custom PHP/plugin logic is possible since it's your own WordPress install
Data ownership	Your data lives on Shopify's platform; exportable but not fully portable	You own the database and files directly on your own hosting
Migrating away later	Products/customers export, but theme and app data usually need rebuilding elsewhere	Easier — it's your own WordPress site; migration is mostly a hosting change

Three Example Scenarios

Small Store — First-Time Seller, Tight Budget

A handful of products, low order volume, wants to keep monthly costs minimal while testing demand. WooCommerce's zero platform fee and low-cost shared hosting keep the running cost lowest during the validation phase.

Usually WooCommerce

Growing Brand — Scaling Fast, Wants Hands-Off Infrastructure

Order volume is climbing, the team doesn't want to manage hosting/security/updates themselves, and predictable monthly cost matters more than the lowest possible fee. Shopify's managed infrastructure and bundled support reduce operational overhead as the store scales.

Usually Shopify

Custom Workflow — Unique Business Logic

Needs deep customisation — custom pricing rules, a B2B wholesale tier, or integration with an existing internal system — that doesn't fit either platform's standard app ecosystem cleanly. WooCommerce's open codebase makes custom development more direct; for very complex needs, see our Custom Web Application Development page instead of forcing it into either platform.

Usually WooCommerce, or custom-built

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Shopify or WooCommerce cheaper for an Indian store? ▼

WooCommerce has no platform subscription fee — you pay only for hosting (typically far less than Shopify's monthly plans) plus any premium plugins you choose. Shopify's Basic plan costs ₹1,499/month on annual billing, plus a 2% transaction fee on non-Shopify-Payments transactions. For a small store watching costs closely, WooCommerce is usually cheaper upfront; Shopify's cost is more predictable since hosting, security, and updates are bundled in.

Is Shopify Payments available in India? ▼

No. Indian Shopify merchants must use a third-party payment gateway such as Razorpay, PayU, or Cashfree, and Shopify charges an additional transaction fee (2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced) on top of whatever the gateway itself charges. WooCommerce stores also use these same Indian gateways, but without an extra platform-level transaction fee.

Which platform is easier to migrate away from later? ▼

WooCommerce, generally. Since it runs on WordPress with your own hosting, you own the database and files directly. Shopify stores can export products and customers, but theme customisation and some app data don't transfer cleanly to another platform — migrating off Shopify usually means rebuilding the storefront.

Which is better for a large product catalogue? ▼

Both handle large catalogues well. Shopify's infrastructure is managed for you, so performance stays consistent as you scale without server tuning. WooCommerce can also scale to large catalogues, but performance depends on your hosting quality and how well the store is optimised — it needs more hands-on management as it grows.

Sources: Shopify plan pricing and transaction fees from shopify.com/in/pricing (official Shopify India pricing page, checked September 2026). WooCommerce's free/open-source licensing model is publicly documented at woocommerce.com. Figures may change — always confirm current pricing directly with the platform before committing.

Shopify vs WooCommerce in India — Costs, Control & Support