Shopify vs WooCommerce vs custom e-commerce
For most Indian D2C brands, choose Shopify: hosting, security and updates are handled for you, from ₹1,499 a month billed yearly plus GST and a 1–2% fee on most sales. WooCommerce costs less to run but needs someone to maintain it. Go custom only for unusual catalogues, checkouts or scale.
Run your own numbers.
Your store
Everything paid through your store's checkout, including prepaid orders.
Shopify plans billed yearly, plus 18% GST. Shopify adds a fee on every sale through Razorpay, PayU or another gateway because Shopify Payments isn't available in India. WooCommerce: hosting plus paid plugins, before maintenance.
Platform cost per month
- Cheapest Shopify plan: Grow₹11,607
- WooCommerce₹1,617–₹7,500
At ₹5L a month in sales, Shopify costs about ₹11,607 a month on the Grow plan. That's at least ₹4,107 a month more than WooCommerce's hosting and plugins, even at the top of their range: worth switching only if someone reliable maintains the store.
| Platform | Plan + fees | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify Basic | ₹1,769 + ₹10,000 | ₹11,769 |
| Shopify Grow | ₹6,607 + ₹5,000 | ₹11,607 |
| Shopify Advanced | ₹26,762 + ₹3,000 | ₹29,762 |
| WooCommerce | Hosting + plugins | ₹1,617–₹7,500 |
Shopify India plans (Basic ₹1,499, Grow ₹5,599, Advanced ₹22,680 a month billed yearly) and third-party fees (2%, 1%, 0.6%): Shopify India pricing, 2026, via avada.io and bybtraction.com. WooCommerce: hosting from ₹1,200 (Cloudways 2 GB) to ₹5,000 a month (managed WordPress) and ₹5,000–₹30,000 a year of plugins, rajeshrnair.com and bloomagency.in 2026 guides; busy stores need the top of that range, and maintenance is extra. Payment gateway fees apply on every platform and are left out.
Not sure which platform fits?
Tell us about your store. We build on Shopify, WooCommerce and custom code, and we'll recommend the one that suits your catalogue and budget.
Which platform suits whom?
| If you are… | Usually the best fit |
|---|---|
| A D2C brand launching or growing an online store and wanting to focus on selling | Shopify |
| A business already on WordPress with a content-heavy site and a developer you trust | WooCommerce |
| A brand on a tight running budget with high sales, willing to own hosting and updates | WooCommerce |
| A business with an unusual catalogue, pricing, checkout or integrations no platform handles well | Custom build |
| A brand testing whether people will buy online at all | Shopify Basic |
How do the options compare?
| Compared on | Shopify | WooCommerce | Custom build |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platform cost | Basic ₹1,499, Grow ₹5,599, Advanced ₹22,680 a month billed yearly (₹1,994, ₹7,447, ₹30,164 billed monthly), plus 18% GST | The plugin is free; managed hosting from about ₹1,200 a month | No licence; hosting and maintenance are yours |
| Fee on each sale | 2% (Basic), 1% (Grow) or 0.6% (Advanced) on top of the payment gateway's fee, because Shopify Payments isn't available in India | None from WooCommerce; only the payment gateway's fee | None; only the payment gateway's fee |
| Typical build cost in India | ₹20,000–₹40,000 basic, ₹40,000–₹1,50,000 mid-sized, ₹50,000–₹3,00,000 agency-built | ₹35,000–₹1,50,000 to set up | ₹80,000–₹5,00,000 |
| Themes, apps and plugins | Free and paid themes; many features come from paid monthly apps | Premium themes about ₹4,000–₹15,000; plugins about ₹5,000–₹30,000 a year | Built for you, so no app fees, but every feature is development time |
| Hosting, security and updates | Handled by Shopify | Yours: hosting, backups, plugin and WordPress updates | Yours, or your developer's |
| Speed to launch | Fastest | Fast | Slowest |
| Flexibility | High, within Shopify's rules | High, with plugins and code | Unlimited |
| Biggest risk | App and transaction fees grow with sales | Plugin conflicts, slow hosting or missed updates | Cost, time and depending on one development team |
When does each option win?
When Shopify wins
- You want to launch quickly and spend your time on products and marketing, not servers.
- You don't have a developer on call for updates and security.
- You'll use Meta, Google and marketplace feeds: Shopify's integrations for them are mature.
- Watch out for: the 2%, 1% or 0.6% fee on sales through Razorpay or other gateways, and paid apps that add up.
When WooCommerce wins
- Your site already runs on WordPress and content matters as much as the shop.
- Your sales are high enough that Shopify's per-sale fee costs more than hosting and maintenance.
- You have a reliable developer or agency to keep hosting, plugins and backups in order.
- Watch out for: cheap shared hosting and too many plugins slow the store down and hurt conversion.
When a custom build wins
- Your catalogue, pricing, subscriptions or checkout don't fit any platform without heavy workarounds.
- You need deep integrations with your own ERP, warehouse or B2B systems.
- You sell at a scale where platform and app fees outweigh the cost of your own team.
- Watch out for: the highest upfront cost and the longest time to launch.
What does each option cost in the first year?
Build cost plus a year of platform fees, before payment gateway fees, apps you choose and marketing. Shopify's per-sale fee is extra and depends on your sales: use the calculator above.
| Compared on | To build | To run for a year |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify Basic | ₹20,000–₹40,000 (basic store) | About ₹21,200 for the plan with GST, plus 2% of sales through your gateway |
| Shopify Grow | ₹40,000–₹3,00,000 (mid-sized or agency-built) | About ₹79,300 for the plan with GST, plus 1% of sales |
| WooCommerce | ₹35,000–₹1,50,000 | About ₹19,400–₹90,000 for hosting and plugins, plus maintenance |
| Custom build | ₹80,000–₹5,00,000 | Hosting and maintenance, agreed with your developer |
- Shopify Basic
- Shopify Grow
- WooCommerce
- Custom build
Which should you choose?
| Your situation | What we'd recommend |
|---|---|
| You're launching a D2C brand and want to run Meta ads to it | Shopify. Start on Basic, and move to Grow once monthly online sales pass about ₹4.8 lakh, where Grow's lower per-sale fee makes it cheaper overall. |
| You already sell ₹50 lakh+ a month on Shopify | Compare Advanced (0.6% fee) with a WooCommerce or custom move using the calculator. Migration has a real cost and risk, so switch only for a clear, lasting saving. |
| You have a WordPress blog with traffic and want to add a shop | WooCommerce, on good managed hosting, so you keep your content and rankings in one place. |
| Your products need configurators, custom pricing or B2B accounts | Talk to us about a custom build or a headless setup; we'll tell you honestly if a platform app can do it first. |
| You're not sure people will buy online yet | Shopify Basic with a free theme: the lowest-risk way to test before you invest in a bigger build. |
Where does pSkyro Labs fit, and when are we not the right choice?
pSkyro Labs builds online stores on Shopify, WooCommerce and custom code, so we earn the same whichever you pick. Other services get a fixed quote after a short call, and we say which platform fits your catalogue, team and budget.
We are probably not the right fit if:
- You want to set up a standard theme yourself and don't need design or custom work: Shopify's own themes and help centre will do.
- You only plan to sell through marketplaces and don't need your own store.
Questions people ask.
Is Shopify or WooCommerce cheaper in India?
WooCommerce usually costs less to run: hosting from about ₹1,200 a month and ₹5,000–₹30,000 a year of plugins, with no per-sale platform fee. Shopify costs ₹1,499–₹22,680 a month billed yearly plus 18% GST, plus a 0.6–2% fee on sales through third-party gateways. But WooCommerce needs someone to maintain it, and that time costs money too.
Why does Shopify charge a transaction fee in India?
Shopify Payments, which removes Shopify's own transaction fee, isn't available in India, so stores use gateways such as Razorpay or PayU. Shopify then adds 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow or 0.6% on Advanced, on top of the gateway's own fee.
When should I move from Shopify Basic to Grow?
When Grow's lower fee saves more than its higher plan price. With GST, that's at about ₹4.8 lakh a month of online sales through a third-party gateway. Grow to Advanced pays off at about ₹50 lakh a month.
Is WooCommerce good for SEO?
Both can rank well. WooCommerce runs on WordPress, which is flexible for content and blogs; Shopify handles the technical basics for you. Page speed, content and site structure matter more than the platform.
Can I move from WooCommerce to Shopify, or the other way?
Yes. Products, customers and orders can be migrated with tools or apps, but URLs change, so set up redirects to keep your Google rankings. Plan it as a small project, not a weekend task.
When is a custom e-commerce build worth it?
When your catalogue, pricing, checkout or integrations don't fit a platform without fragile workarounds, or when you're at a scale where platform and app fees outweigh running your own team. For most D2C brands in India, it isn't worth it at the start.
Which platform does pSkyro Labs recommend?
For most D2C brands, Shopify. We also build on WooCommerce and custom code, and we'll tell you on a free call which one fits your catalogue, team and budget.
Not sure which option fits?
Book a free 30-minute strategy call. We'll look at where your brand is and tell you honestly which model makes sense.