WooCommerce vs Shopify for Indian Brands (2026)
How WooCommerce and Shopify compare on real costs for an Indian store: plan fees, hosting, extensions and the fee Shopify adds to every online payment.
WooCommerce usually costs less in platform fees, and Shopify usually asks less of your team. For most Indian brands, the choice comes down to who will look after the store. We build on Shopify, so weigh our view with that in mind.
What each one costs
| Cost | WooCommerce | Shopify |
|---|---|---|
| Software | Free core plugin | ₹1,499 to ₹22,680 a month on yearly billing, Basic to Advanced |
| Hosting | $25 to $350 a month for most stores | Included |
| Add-ons | $29 to $299 a year per extension | App prices vary |
| Platform fee on sales | None | 0.6% to 2% with a third-party gateway |
The WooCommerce figures are from WooCommerce’s pricing page, and the Shopify figures are from Shopify’s India pricing page, both on 3 November 2026. You pay your payment gateway’s fee on either platform. Shopify Payments is not available in India, so Shopify’s fee applies to online payments. Our payment gateway guide has the totals.
How that fee adds up
At ₹5 lakh a month in online sales, Basic’s 2% comes to ₹10,000 a month. Grow costs ₹5,599 and its 1% fee comes to ₹5,000, a total of ₹10,599. WooCommerce has no such fee, so that amount is what its hosting, extensions and upkeep have to beat. As sales grow, Shopify’s percentage grows with them, while hosting usually rises in steps.
What you take on with each
With WooCommerce, you or your developer handle hosting, backups, plugin updates, security and compatibility between plugins. You also get full access to the code and database, which helps if your store needs unusual logic.
With Shopify, the platform handles hosting and core updates. You work inside its rules, and customising beyond them can need paid apps or a developer, so app bills can grow quietly. Our app audit guide shows how to review them.
Which suits which store
WooCommerce tends to suit you when:
- Your site is mainly content on WordPress and the store is a smaller part of it
- You have a developer on hand to maintain it
- Your sales are high enough for Shopify’s percentage to outweigh that upkeep
- You need custom logic that Shopify’s rules make difficult
Shopify tends to suit you when:
- Selling is the main job of the site and you have no developer on staff
- Outages or plugin conflicts have already cost you orders
- You want your team changing products and offers without developer help
- You expect traffic spikes from sales or ads and would rather not manage hosting
If you are already on WooCommerce
Staying is often right if the store is stable and someone maintains it. Moving makes sense when upkeep keeps taking time away from selling. Our migration guide covers redirects, data and what to test, and the Kristore case study shows one brand’s move.
