Quick answer: A small, professional online store in India typically costs ₹25,000 to ₹60,000 to set up on WooCommerce, plus ₹8,000 to ₹20,000 a year for hosting, domain and plugins. On top of that, every order carries payment gateway fees (about 2.36% including GST) and shipping. Shopify costs less to start but charges a monthly plan fee and, in India, an extra transaction fee on every sale. A custom store or multi-vendor marketplace usually starts above ₹2,00,000.
This guide breaks down the full e-commerce website cost in India — setup, monthly running costs and per-order fees — and shows you how to compare WooCommerce and Shopify with real numbers.
E-commerce website cost by type of store
| Type of store | Typical setup cost in India | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Basic store (up to about 50 products) | ₹25,000–₹60,000 | New brands and local shops starting to sell online |
| Growing store (custom design, shipping and CRM integrations) | ₹60,000–₹1,50,000 | Brands with steady orders that need automation |
| Shopify store setup | ₹15,000–₹40,000 + monthly plan | Sellers who want a hosted platform and fast launch |
| Multi-vendor marketplace | ₹1,50,000–₹5,00,000+ | Platforms where many sellers list their products |
These figures cover building the store. Hosting, domain, payment gateway fees and shipping come on top, as explained below.
Three ways to sell online in India
- Your own WooCommerce store (WordPress). You own the website, choose your own hosting and payment gateway, and pay no platform commission. Best for most small and growing brands that want control.
- A Shopify store. A hosted platform: quick to start, but you pay a monthly subscription and an extra fee on each sale when you use a third-party payment gateway. You rent the platform rather than own the site.
- Marketplaces only (Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho and others). No website to build, but you pay commissions and fees on every order, the customer belongs to the marketplace, and you compete on price beside other sellers.
Many brands use a marketplace for reach and their own store for repeat customers and better margins. The rest of this guide focuses on the cost of your own store.
One-time setup costs
| Item | What it covers | Typical cost in India |
|---|---|---|
| Store design and build | Home, shop, product, cart, checkout, account and policy pages; mobile-friendly design | ₹25,000–₹60,000 (small store); ₹1,00,000+ (custom design) |
| Product upload | Adding products with photos, prices, variations and descriptions | ₹100–₹500 per product, or included for the first few |
| Payment gateway integration | Connecting Razorpay, PayU, Cashfree or similar | Often included; the gateway itself has no setup fee on standard plans |
| Shipping integration | Connecting a shipping aggregator, live rates, tracking | ₹2,000–₹10,000 if not included |
| Extra features | OTP login, COD rules, WhatsApp order alerts, GST invoices, wholesale pricing | ₹2,000–₹25,000 each, depending on complexity |
| Product photography | Clean product photos on a white or styled background | ₹150–₹1,000 per product |
Monthly and yearly running costs
- Hosting: a store needs more power than a brochure website. Budget roughly ₹5,000–₹15,000 a year for good hosting for a small store, more as traffic grows.
- Domain: roughly ₹400–₹1,500 a year for a .in or .com.
- Payment gateway fees: Razorpay’s standard pricing is 2% per successful domestic payment plus 18% GST on that fee — about 2.36% in total — with no setup fee or annual maintenance charge. On a ₹1,000 order, that is about ₹23.60.
- Shipping: aggregators such as Shiprocket advertise rates starting at around ₹20–₹29 per 500 g (before GST), depending on the plan. Real costs depend on weight, distance and cash-on-delivery charges.
- Plugins and apps: many needs are covered by free plugins; premium ones typically cost ₹3,000–₹15,000 a year each.
- Maintenance: updates, backups, security and small fixes — either your own time or a monthly care plan.
Shopify vs WooCommerce cost in India
Shopify’s India plans (billed yearly, before 18% GST) are listed at about ₹1,499 a month for Basic, ₹5,599 for Grow and ₹22,680 for Advanced. Indian stores generally use a third-party payment gateway such as Razorpay, and Shopify then adds its own transaction fee on each sale — 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow and 0.6% on Advanced — on top of the gateway’s fee.
Here’s what that means for a store selling ₹2,00,000 a month:
| Monthly cost | Shopify Basic | Shopify Grow | WooCommerce |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platform plan (incl. 18% GST) | ₹1,769 | ₹6,607 | ₹0 |
| Shopify transaction fee | ₹4,000 (2%) | ₹2,000 (1%) | ₹0 |
| Payment gateway (2% + GST) | ₹4,720 | ₹4,720 | ₹4,720 |
| Hosting | Included | Included | about ₹1,000 |
| Approximate total per month | ₹10,489+ | ₹13,327+ | about ₹5,720 |
At this level of sales, a WooCommerce store saves roughly ₹4,700 a month — over ₹56,000 a year — which more than pays for a professionally built store. Shopify’s paid apps and themes can add more. Shopify still makes sense for some sellers: it’s quick to launch and fully hosted. But if you plan to grow, run the numbers on your own expected sales first. Check the latest figures on Shopify’s India pricing page and Razorpay’s pricing page, as both change from time to time.
A worked example: a clothing brand with 40 products
Say you sell ethnic wear and want to launch with 40 products on your own WooCommerce store:
- Store build with 10 pages and the first 10 products: ₹25,000 + GST
- 30 extra products at ₹300 each: ₹9,000
- Good hosting for the first year: ₹6,000–₹12,000
- Domain: about ₹900
First-year total: roughly ₹41,000–₹47,000 plus GST, and then about ₹7,000–₹13,000 a year for hosting and domain. Payment and shipping fees are paid per order, as part of the cost of each sale.
Hidden costs to plan for
- Returns and RTO. Cash-on-delivery orders that are refused still cost you shipping both ways. Many stores limit COD or add a COD fee.
- Product photos and descriptions. Poor photos kill conversions. Budget time or money for them.
- Premium plugins. Ask which paid plugins your store depends on and what they cost each year.
- GST and invoices. Talk to your CA about GST registration and invoicing before you start selling online; it affects how your checkout and invoices are set up.
- Marketing. A store doesn’t sell by itself. Set aside a monthly budget for Google, Meta or influencer marketing.
How we price a WooCommerce store
Our professional WooCommerce store is a fixed-price package: ₹25,000 + GST for a custom-designed store, typically delivered in about 5 days once we have your content. It includes:
- 10 pages: Home, About, Shop, Product, Cart, Checkout, Contact, Login/Register, Terms & Conditions, and Return & Refund
- Setup of your first 10 products (extra products from ₹300 each)
- Payment gateway integration using your own gateway account
- WhatsApp integration, basic on-page SEO and hands-on training
You buy hosting directly in your own name — we recommend the right plan for your store — so you stay in full control. Shipping integrations, OTP login and premium plugins are quoted separately, only if you need them. Payment is 50% to start and 50% before handover.
Building something bigger, such as a multi-vendor marketplace or a store connected to your ERP, Tally or CRM? Webuncles, our parent agency, offers full e-commerce development solutions. For one-off features WooCommerce can’t do out of the box, custom WordPress plugin development is often cheaper than a paid app you rent forever.
Not selling products yet and just need a business website? See our full guide to website cost in India.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest way to start an online store in India?
Selling through Instagram or WhatsApp with a payment link costs almost nothing to start. When you need a proper catalogue, cart and checkout, a small WooCommerce store is usually the lowest-cost option over time, because there’s no monthly platform fee or extra commission per sale.
Is WooCommerce free?
The WooCommerce plugin itself is free. You still pay for hosting, a domain, any premium plugins and the work to design and set up the store.
How much does a payment gateway cost in India?
Standard pricing at major gateways is around 2% per successful domestic transaction, plus 18% GST on the fee. Razorpay’s standard plan has no setup fee and no annual maintenance charge. International cards, EMI and some card types cost more.
How many products can a small store handle?
A well-hosted WooCommerce store can comfortably run hundreds or thousands of products. What changes with size is the hosting you need and the time it takes to add and manage products.
How long does it take to launch an online store?
A fixed-scope store can launch in about a week once your products, photos and policies are ready. Custom stores with special features take several weeks.
How much does a multi-vendor ecommerce website cost in India?
A multi-vendor marketplace, where many sellers list products and you take a commission, usually starts at about ₹1,50,000 and can go well past ₹5,00,000. Vendor dashboards, commission rules and payouts make it far more complex than a single-brand store.
Do I need a mobile app as well as an online store?
Not at the start. A fast, mobile-friendly store works well for most new brands. A separate app is a much bigger budget and only makes sense once you have many repeat customers.
How much does ecommerce website maintenance cost?
Plan for about ₹1,000–₹5,000 a month for updates, backups, security and small fixes, depending on the size of the store and how many plugins it uses.
Platform, gateway and shipping prices were checked in November 2026 and change often — confirm the latest prices before you decide.
