Short answer: Pick Shopify if you want a hosted checkout, app ecosystem, and less server babysitting — and you accept a subscription + Shopify third-party fee + Razorpay (or similar) stack because Shopify Payments is not available in India. Pick WooCommerce if you want WordPress ownership, no Shopify platform surcharge on prepaid orders, and you (or an agency) will own hosting, plugins, security, and GST invoice tooling.

Key takeaway: In India, Shopify Payments is unavailable — budget subscription + platform third-party fee + gateway MDR. Woo shifts cost to hosting + plugins + your (or agency) ops time.

GST registration still follows your supply and turnover rules — not “Shopify needs GST / Woo does not.”

> Not tax advice. TechyXen is an IT firm, not a CA firm. Confirm registration, invoicing, and place-of-supply with a Chartered Accountant. Fee % below are from vendor docs at research time (8–9 Sep 2026) — verify live on your dashboard/invoice.

Written 9 September 2026 by Nabiulla Ahmed at TechyXen (techyxen.com), India-remote IT for startups and SMBs. Tagline: Build. Launch. Thrive! We build client stores — we are not a marketplace, not Techxen Solutions (Pakistan), not the “TechXen” ThemeForest theme. Phone +91 92705 93725, 10:00–19:00 IST, or contact.

This is not our GST channel matrix (own site vs Amazon vs IG/WA). That piece answers when GST/TCS thinking changes by channel. This page answers Shopify vs Woo for the store you control.

Snapshot comparison (India 2026)

Fees you actually feel (prepaid stack)

Shopify plan (India list prices — annual billing shown on shopify.com/in/pricing at research time):

• Basic — ₹1,499/mo (monthly billing listed higher, e.g. ₹1,994/mo)
• Grow — ₹5,599/mo
• Advanced — ₹22,680/mo
• Plus — from ₹1,75,000/mo

> Callout — GST on the subscription: SaaS subscriptions in India commonly attract 18% GST on the plan charge. Enter a valid GSTIN in billing if your CA says you can claim ITC. Exact invoice line = what Shopify bills you — not this blog.

Why Indian Shopify stores pay an extra platform % on prepaid

• Shopify’s own FAQ on India pricing: third-party transaction fees may apply when you use a third-party provider instead of Shopify Payments.
• Shopify Payments is country-gated. As of research (Sep 2026), India is not a Shopify Payments market — so Indian merchants use Razorpay, PayU, Cashfree, etc. (Shopify India payment gateways).
• Shopify Help: third-party fees vary by plan, stack on top of the gateway’s own processing fee, and do not apply to manual payment methods including cash on delivery (COD) (third-party transaction fees).

Plan-tiered Shopify third-party rates (verify on your bill): Razorpay’s Shopify explainer and multiple 2026 India fee breakdowns summarise the common published tiers as:

Treat these as check-your-invoice numbers. Shopify’s public India page states fees exist and depend on plan; your admin/bill is authoritative.

Razorpay (same gateway on both platforms) — from razorpay.com/pricing (India, May 2026 card / public page):

• Standard domestic platform fee: 2% per successful transaction
• 18% GST on the platform fee (not on the full order value)
• Setup ₹0, AMC ₹0 on the standard published card
• Enterprise / volume pricing: often discussed above ~₹5L/month GMV — ask Razorpay sales
• Premium methods (EMI, some cards, international) can be higher — confirm in dashboard

Rough prepaid math (illustrative only):

On Shopify Basic + Razorpay, a prepaid UPI/card order often sees:

1. Razorpay ~2% + GST on that fee → effective ~2.36% of GMV to the gateway stack
2. Shopify third-party ~2% on Basic

→ ballpark ~4%+ of prepaid GMV before apps/shipping — before your product margin.

On Woo + Razorpay, you typically pay the Razorpay stack only (~2.36% effective on standard domestic), plus hosting/plugins/dev time — no Shopify platform %.

> Callout — COD changes the Shopify fee line: Per Shopify Help, COD as a manual method does not incur Shopify’s third-party transaction fee. You still pay courier COD/RTO costs. Woo COD is a core offline method (Woo docs). Neither platform magically fixes RTO — OTP/NDR apps are separate spend.

GST: platform logo ≠ registration trigger

Keep three buckets separate:

1. Law (registration / TCS) — CBIC: if you sell your own products on your own website, Section 52 TCS does not apply (e-commerce FAQ Q24; Registration flyer). Thresholds and compulsory categories (e.g. many inter-state goods) still matter. Full channel matrix: our GST sell-channels article.
2. Invoice / tax display on the store — Shopify apps or Woo tax/GST plugins so CGST/SGST/IGST and GSTIN print correctly after your CA confirms you must.
3. Gateway KYC — Razorpay (and others) may ask for GSTIN as commercial policy even when you are still under a legal threshold. That is KYC, not “Shopify law.”

TechyXen will wire GSTIN footer fields, tax plugins, and invoice-friendly checkout when your CA says so. TechyXen will not pick your HSN, file GSTR-1/3B, or tell you “Shopify always needs GST.”

COD and India checkout reality

• Shopify: enable COD / manual payment; use Shiprocket / GoKwik / Razorpay Magic Checkout–class apps if you need OTP, address intelligence, or RTO controls (app fees extra).
• Woo: enable core COD; layer Shiprocket / custom OTP / WhatsApp confirmations via plugins or custom code.
• Both: COD share is a risk and logistics problem, not a theme problem. Budget returns, NDR calls, and prepaid incentives separately.

Razorpay on both — what changes

Total cost of ownership (honest ranges)

Do not compare “₹0 Woo” to “₹1,499 Shopify.”

Shopify all-in (typical early D2C): plan (+ GST) + third-party % on prepaid + Razorpay + paid apps (GST invoice, upsell, COD tools) + theme if paid + agency setup if any.

Woo all-in (typical early D2C): quality hosting/CDN + SSL + premium theme or custom + GST/SEO/security/backup plugins + Razorpay + developer retainer or agency for updates and breaks + downtime risk if nobody watches it.

At low prepaid volume, Shopify’s ops simplicity often wins the calendar. At high prepaid GMV on Basic, the ~2% Shopify third-party line can exceed the plan upgrade cost — run the math on your prepaid mix (COD-exempt on Shopify’s fee) before you lock a plan.

Who should pick what

Lean Shopify when:

• You want launch in days/weeks, not a hosting project
• Team is marketing/ops-first, not WordPress-first
• You value app marketplace speed for COD/RTO tooling
• You accept the India fee stack while Payments stays unavailable

Lean WooCommerce when:

• You already live in WordPress (content + store)
• You need custom checkout/pricing/B2B rules Shopify’s plan won’t allow cheaply
• Prepaid volume makes avoiding Shopify’s third-party % material
• You have (or will hire) someone to own security updates

Either is fine when: TechyXen scopes a client store on e-commerce solutions or a custom/Woo build under web development — platform follows your ops and margin math, not a blog “winner.”

What TechyXen will and will not do

Will:

• Scope and build Shopify or Woo / custom catalogue stores for Indian SMBs
• Wire Razorpay, COD rules, GSTIN display, and invoice-friendly tax setup per your CA checklist
• Keep NAP honest; no fake “#1 Shopify partner in India” claims

Will not:

• File GST or act as your CA
• Hard-sell packaged day-rate desks from this article
• Promise a fee % that overrides your live Shopify/Razorpay invoice

Light CTA (full services only)

Need a store built or rescued?

• E-commerce solutions — client D2C / catalogue builds
• Web development — Woo / custom / hybrid sites
• Contact — scoped quote

Call +91 92705 93725, 10:00–19:00 IST.

Owner checklist (bring to your call)

• [ ] Monthly GMV split: prepaid % vs COD %
• [ ] Preferred stack: Shopify SaaS vs WordPress ownership
• [ ] CA note on GST registration / invoice needs (own-site rules)
• [ ] Razorpay (or PayU/Cashfree) KYC status
• [ ] Who owns hosting/security if Woo
• [ ] Apps you already pay for (Shiprocket, Magic Checkout, GST PDF, etc.)
• [ ] Request TechyXen scope via e-commerce / web-dev / contact — not a package pitch from this page

FAQ

Is Shopify or WooCommerce cheaper for an Indian store in 2026?

It depends on prepaid volume and who maintains the site. Shopify looks simple on the plan price but adds a third-party transaction fee on gateway-prepaid orders in India. Woo looks “free” until you add hosting, plugins, and a developer. Run TCO on your prepaid/COD mix — not a headline ₹/month.

Does Shopify charge transaction fees in India?

Yes, when you use a third-party gateway (the normal India case because Shopify Payments is unavailable). Fees are plan-tiered and stack on the gateway’s MDR. Shopify Help: fees do not apply to manual methods including COD. Confirm exact % on your Shopify bill.

How much does Razorpay cost on Shopify vs WooCommerce?

Same published gateway card on both: standard domestic 2% + 18% GST on the fee, ₹0 setup / ₹0 AMC on Razorpay’s public India pricing page (verify live). Shopify adds its own third-party % on prepaid; Woo does not.

Do I need GST registration to sell on Shopify or WooCommerce?

The platform name does not decide. Own-website supplies follow CBIC thresholds / compulsory categories; selling your own products on your own site does not create Section 52 TCS (CBIC e-commerce FAQ Q24). Confirm with a CA. See our GST channel article for marketplace vs own-site.

Can I offer Cash on Delivery on both platforms?

Yes. Shopify: COD / manual payment (no Shopify third-party fee on that manual COD per Help docs). Woo: core Cash on Delivery method. RTO reduction tools are extra on both.

Which should TechyXen build for me?

Whichever matches your ops and fee math. We build client stores on e-commerce solutions and Woo/custom under web development. Start at contact or +91 92705 93725, 10:00–19:00 IST. We are not a CA firm and this page is not a package hard-sell.