Best Ecommerce Platforms in India (2026): Compared on Price, UPI, COD and GST

The best ecommerce platform for most small businesses in India is one priced in rupees, with UPI, cash on delivery and GST invoices built into every plan. BizzPocket fits that brief and is free to build, with a ₹1 one-time verification to go live. Shopify suits brands selling abroad, WooCommerce suits sellers with a developer, Zoho Commerce suits Zoho users, and Instamojo suits payment-link selling.

That is the short answer. The rest of this guide shows the numbers behind it: each platform's plan prices and per-order fees in rupees, taken from their own pricing pages, plus which one fits which kind of seller. We make BizzPocket, so we have tried to state every competitor's strengths plainly and link to the source for each figure.

What a small business in India should compare

Most "best platform" lists are written for American stores. Indian sellers have a different checklist:

1. Total cost in rupees. Plan price, any platform or transaction fee per order, the gateway fee, and whether renewals are billed in another currency.
2. UPI and cash on delivery at checkout. UPI is how most Indians pay online, and COD still decides many first orders. Both should be core features, and COD should be limitable by pincode or order value.
3. GST invoices. Every order should produce a proper invoice, with or without a GSTIN, without a plugin.
4. WhatsApp and Instagram selling. For most small sellers, the store link lives in chats and bios, so those orders should land in the same dashboard as website orders.
5. Shipping. Courier pickups, labels and tracking from the order screen, with COD cash remitted by the courier.
6. Low maintenance and ownership. A one- or two-person business cannot be its own IT department, and your domain, customer list and product data should leave with you.

Comparison table: prices and fees in rupees

Prices were checked on 15 Oct 2026 on each company's official pricing page (linked). They exclude GST unless the page says otherwise. Several include introductory offers that end, so confirm before you buy. "Not stated" means the pricing page does not say, not that the feature is missing.

Platform	Entry paid plan	Mid plan	Platform / transaction fee	COD	UPI	GST invoices
BizzPocket	Free to build; ₹1 one-time verification to go live (Starter)	₹999/month (Growth)	2% / 1% / 0% by plan	Yes, all plans, pincode and order-value limits	Yes, via your Razorpay or Cashfree	Yes, all plans
Shopify	₹1,994/month (Basic; ₹1,499 billed yearly)	₹7,447/month (Grow)	2% Basic, 1% Grow, 0.6% Advanced with third-party gateways	Not stated	Via gateway	Not stated
Dukaan	₹2,500/year (Starter offer; list ₹14,399)	₹8,000/year (Growth offer)	Not stated	Listed on Starter	Not stated	Not stated
Wix	₹250/month (Core, billed yearly, 50% offer; list ₹500)	₹450/month (Business; list ₹900)	Not stated	Not stated	Not stated	Not stated
WooCommerce	Free plugin + hosting (e.g. Hostinger ₹149/month intro, renews ₹449)	Same	None; gateway fee only	Via plugins	Via Razorpay plugin	Via plugins
Instamojo	₹0/year (Lite); ₹6,999/year (Starter)	₹14,999/year (Growth)	5% + ₹3 (Lite, Starter); 2% + ₹3 (Growth), includes gateway	Yes, all store plans	Yes	Not stated
Zoho Commerce	₹99/month (Starter, annual only)	₹599/month billed yearly (Standard; ₹999 monthly)	0% on all plans	Not stated	Not stated	Not stated
StoreHippo	₹15,000/month (Business)	₹30,000/month (Enterprise)	1% Business, 0.5% Enterprise	Not stated	Not stated	Not stated

Gateway fees are extra everywhere except Instamojo. Razorpay lists a standard 2% + GST on domestic payments, including UPI (razorpay.com/pricing), and Cashfree a 1.95% standard platform fee (cashfree.com). Both advertised introductory 0% offers for new merchants when we checked.

BizzPocket is free to build. ₹1 one-time verification before you go live. It confirms a real seller runs each store and is never auto-debited, which keeps fake and spam stores off the platform.

Which ecommerce platform is best in India?

For a small business selling mainly to Indian buyers, the best platform is one that puts Indian checkout and compliance in the core product rather than in paid apps. Measured that way, BizzPocket is the strongest fit for most sellers: it is free to build with a ₹1 one-time verification to go live, paid plans are priced in rupees, every plan includes UPI, cards, net banking and wallets through your own Razorpay or Cashfree account, cash on delivery with pincode and order-value limits, GST-ready invoices with or without a GSTIN, Shiprocket and Delhivery bookings, and WhatsApp order sharing. Shopify is the better choice if you sell abroad or need its app ecosystem, and it is the most polished global product. WooCommerce wins on control if you have a developer. Zoho Commerce suits businesses that already run on Zoho, and Instamojo suits sellers whose "store" is really a set of payment links. The right answer depends on where your buyers are and who will maintain the store.

What is the cheapest ecommerce platform for small business in India?

On fixed cost alone, the cheapest options are BizzPocket's Starter plan (free to build, ₹1 one-time verification to go live) and Instamojo's Lite plan at ₹0 a year. But the plan price is only half the bill; the per-order fee matters more once orders arrive. On a ₹1,000 online order, Instamojo Lite takes ₹53 (5% + ₹3, including the gateway), while BizzPocket Starter takes ₹20 plus about ₹20 to your gateway at Razorpay's standard 2%, so ₹40 in total. Zoho Commerce's Starter at ₹99 a month on annual billing has no transaction fee, only the gateway fee, which makes it cheap if its feature limits suit you. WooCommerce has no platform fee but needs hosting, which on Hostinger's WordPress plans starts at ₹149 a month on a long prepay and renews higher. Shopify's ₹20-a-month offer for three months is cheap to try, but Basic is ₹1,994 a month on monthly billing afterwards. Add up plan, platform fee and gateway fee at your expected monthly sales before choosing.

Is Shopify good for small businesses in India?

Shopify is an excellent product, and for brands selling internationally it is often the right choice. For a small business selling mainly within India, the trade-off is cost. Basic is ₹1,994 a month on monthly billing (₹1,499 on yearly), and when you use a third-party gateway such as Razorpay, Shopify adds 2% per order on Basic on top of the gateway's own fee. Many features Indian sellers want, such as COD rules, regional-language support or GST invoice formats, are handled through apps, some of them paid. At ₹1 lakh a month in sales, that 2% alone is ₹2,000 a month before the gateway and apps. If your buyers are mostly Indian and your orders come from WhatsApp and Instagram, an India-first platform usually costs less for the same result. Our BizzPocket vs Shopify comparison works through a full monthly cost example.

Best for: our picks by seller type

• Best overall for Indian small businesses: BizzPocket. India-first checkout and GST invoices on every plan, free to build with a ₹1 one-time verification to go live, support in Hindi, Gujarati and English. See plans.
• Best for brands selling abroad: Shopify. Global payments, multi-currency and the biggest app store. Read BizzPocket vs Shopify.
• Best for full control with a developer: WooCommerce. Free software, your own hosting. Read BizzPocket vs WooCommerce.
• Best for Zoho users: Zoho Commerce. Low annual pricing and 0% transaction fees, tied into Zoho's business apps.
• Best for payment links and digital products: Instamojo. Read BizzPocket vs Instamojo.
• Best for a design-led website that sells a little: Wix. Read BizzPocket vs Wix.
• Best for a quick phone-made catalogue: Dukaan. If you are outgrowing it, see our guide to Dukaan alternatives.
• Best for large enterprises with custom needs: StoreHippo, with plans from ₹15,000 a month.

The platforms in more detail

BizzPocket

An India-first platform made in Surat by BizzPocket Technologies Private Limited. You choose from nine designer themes built for Indian categories, add products with size and colour variants, and get a mobile store with UPI, card and COD checkout. Orders from WhatsApp, Instagram and your website land in one queue, couriers are booked from the order screen, and every buyer becomes a customer record you own. Starter is free to build with a ₹1 one-time verification to go live (2% platform fee), Growth ₹999 (1%, plus custom domain, staff accounts and abandoned-cart recovery) and Scale ₹2,999 (0%). Annual billing saves about 20%. Not for you if you sell mainly outside India or need a large third-party app marketplace.

Shopify

The global standard for hosted stores, with polished themes, strong checkout and thousands of apps. Indian sellers typically pay a third-party transaction fee on top of their gateway. Not for you if you want low fixed costs for an India-only store.

WooCommerce

A free WordPress plugin that gives you full ownership of code and data. You handle hosting, security, updates, backups and plugin conflicts, or pay someone to. Not for you if nobody on your team is technical.

Wix

A design-led website builder with ecommerce plans. Great for content and portfolio sites that sell a few items; check Indian checkout specifics such as COD rules and GST invoices before committing.

Dukaan

Known for getting a catalogue online from a phone in minutes. Paid plans are billed yearly, with offer prices well below the list prices; the transaction fee is not stated on the pricing page.

Instamojo

Payments-first, with a free store plan funded by a higher per-payment fee. Strong for services, courses and digital goods.

Zoho Commerce

Part of the Zoho suite, with 0% transaction fees on every plan. Best if you already run accounting or inventory on Zoho.

Marketplaces (Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho)

Not platforms for your store, but places to list in someone else's. They bring traffic and trust; they keep the customer relationship and set the rules. Most successful small sellers run both: a marketplace for discovery and a branded store for margin and repeat buyers. See Meesho vs BizzPocket.

Which platform fits your category?

• Sarees and ethnic wear: buyers want close-ups of the pallu, border and blouse piece, and many orders start on WhatsApp. See BizzPocket for saree sellers.
• Jewellery: trust, zoom and careful COD limits on high-value orders matter most. See BizzPocket for jewellery sellers.
• Fashion and apparel: size and colour variants, size guides and easy exchanges. See BizzPocket for fashion sellers.

GST matters for every category, and rates changed on 22 Sep 2025. Clothes up to ₹2,500 a piece are now 5% and above that 18%; jewellery is 3%. Our GST guide for online sellers has the details.

How to choose in four steps

1. Where are your buyers? Mostly India: shortlist India-first platforms. Mostly abroad: Shopify.
2. Where do orders come from? WhatsApp and Instagram: make sure those orders and buyers land in one dashboard.
3. What will you pay at your expected sales? Add plan price, platform fee and gateway fee at ₹25,000, ₹1 lakh and ₹5 lakh a month.
4. Who maintains it? No developer: choose a hosted platform.

For a side-by-side checklist of eight questions to ask any platform, see the compare page. If you are just starting, read how to start an ecommerce business in India.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which ecommerce platform is best for a small business in India?

For most Indian small businesses selling to Indian buyers, BizzPocket is the strongest fit: free to build with a ₹1 one-time verification to go live, UPI, COD and GST invoices on every plan, and WhatsApp order sharing. Shopify suits brands selling abroad, and WooCommerce suits owners with a developer.

What is the cheapest way to start an online store in India?

BizzPocket's Starter plan (free to build, ₹1 one-time verification to go live) and Instamojo's Lite plan at ₹0 a year have the lowest fixed cost. Compare per-order fees too: on a ₹1,000 order, Instamojo Lite takes ₹53 and BizzPocket Starter about ₹40 including Razorpay's standard gateway fee.

Does Shopify charge a transaction fee in India?

Yes, when you use a third-party gateway such as Razorpay. Shopify's India pricing page lists 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced and 0.2% on Plus, on top of the gateway's own fee (checked 15 Oct 2026).

Do I need GST to sell on these platforms?

You need GST registration if you ship goods to another state or your turnover crosses ₹40 lakh for goods. Small sellers selling only within their state can use marketplaces with a GST enrolment number. Details in our GST guide.

Should I sell on a marketplace or my own website?

Both, eventually. Marketplaces bring discovery but take fees and keep the customer. Your own store keeps margin and repeat buyers. Many sellers start on a marketplace and move repeat buyers to a branded store.

Ready to try a store built for Indian buyers? See BizzPocket plans or create your free store.