Ecommerce website cost in India (2026): what you really pay
The website is only part of the bill. A plain-language breakdown of what an online store costs in India: build vs platform, monthly fees, payment charges, domain, shipping and the hidden extras.
Short answer: in India you can run an online store on a hosted platform for a few hundred rupees a month plus payment gateway charges, while a custom-built website usually costs much more upfront and needs paid maintenance. The real monthly cost is the platform fee + payment gateway fees + any commission or apps + domain + shipping and packaging. Add those up for your own expected orders before you compare options.
The two ways to build a store
Custom development
You pay a developer or agency to build a site for you, usually on an open-source system like WooCommerce or Magento, or from scratch. You own the code and can change anything, but you pay for the build, hosting, security updates, bug fixes and every new feature. When the developer moves on, you need someone else who knows your setup.
Hosted store platform (SaaS)
You sign up to a platform such as Shopify, Wix, Dukaan or CartWhizz and pay a monthly subscription. Hosting, security, updates and the checkout are included. You customise the design with themes and settings rather than code. For most small and medium sellers this is the cheaper and faster route.
Every cost to budget for
| Cost | One-time or recurring | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Platform subscription or hosting | Monthly or yearly | What is included, product limits, staff accounts |
| Platform commission or transaction fee | Per order | Whether the platform takes a cut on top of the gateway |
| Payment gateway fees | Per payment | Rates for UPI, cards and net banking; settlement time |
| Domain name | Yearly | .in and .com prices, renewal price (not just the first year) |
| Theme or design | One-time | Free themes may be enough to start |
| Apps and add-ons | Monthly | Reviews, invoices, COD rules, POS: built in or paid extra? |
| Shipping and packaging | Per order | Courier rates by weight and zone, COD charges, returns |
| Photos and content | One-time and ongoing | Product photos, descriptions, blog posts |
| Marketing | Ongoing | Ads, influencers, offers |
The costs people forget
- Paid apps. On some platforms, features that Indian sellers need (GST invoices, COD controls, WhatsApp buttons, reviews) are paid apps. Five small apps can cost more than the plan itself.
- Transaction fees on top of the gateway. Some platforms charge their own fee per order unless you use their payment system.
- Renewal prices. Domains and some plans are cheap in year one and cost more on renewal.
- Returned COD parcels. Every refused parcel costs shipping both ways.
- Your own time. Hours spent fixing a self-hosted site are hours not spent selling.
How to compare platforms fairly
- Estimate your monthly orders and average order value for the next 12 months.
- For each platform, add the plan fee, any commission or transaction fee at your sales level, and the paid apps you would need.
- Add the same gateway, domain and shipping costs to every option (they are mostly the same everywhere).
- Compare the totals, not the headline plan prices.
A sample monthly budget for a small store
To see how the pieces add up, take a store that sells ₹60,000 a month across 60 orders. The figures below are placeholders to show the method; fill in your own quotes.
| Item | How to work it out |
|---|---|
| Platform fee | Plan price for the month |
| Platform commission | Commission rate × sales above any free limit |
| Gateway fees | Gateway rate × online payments (COD orders pay courier COD charges instead) |
| Shipping | Average cost per parcel × orders, plus returns |
| Packaging | Cost per order × orders |
| Domain | Yearly price ÷ 12 |
| Apps and add-ons | Monthly price of each one you need |
Do this calculation for each platform you are considering, with the same sales numbers, and the cheapest option for you becomes obvious. Then repeat it for twice your current sales: some pricing models get cheaper as you grow and others get more expensive.
When a custom build makes sense
A custom website can be the right choice when your business has needs no platform covers, such as a unique ordering process or deep links to your own factory systems, and you have the budget for a development team over several years. For most new and growing sellers, starting on a platform and spending the difference on products and marketing is the better use of money.
Questions to ask any platform before you sign up
- Is there a free trial, and do I need a card for it?
- What happens to my data if I leave? Can I export products, customers and orders?
- Are GST invoices, COD and Indian payment gateways built in, or paid extras?
- Can I use my own domain on the plan I am choosing?
- How do I get help, and how quickly?
Costs that grow with you
As sales grow, look again at your plan: a higher plan with a lower commission rate or more commission-free sales can cost less overall once you sell more each month. Review your plan, gateway rates and courier contracts every six months, because what was cheapest at the start is not always cheapest later.
What CartWhizz costs
CartWhizz plans have a monthly fee and no commission until your sales cross the plan's monthly limit. Above the limit you pay a small commission only on the extra sales.
| CartWhizz plan | Monthly fee | Commission-free sales each month | Commission above that |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | ₹249 | ₹25,000 | 2% |
| Growth | ₹799 | ₹1,00,000 | 1.5% |
| Pro | ₹3,499 | ₹5,00,000 | 1% |
| Enterprise | ₹29,999 | ₹50,00,000 | 0.5% |
Prices as of 16 October 2026, before GST. Commission is charged only on completed sales above the plan's monthly limit. Current prices are always on the pricing page.
For example, a Starter store that sells ₹40,000 in a month pays the ₹249 plan fee plus 2% on the ₹15,000 above the ₹25,000 limit, which is ₹300, before GST. A month with ₹20,000 of sales pays only the ₹249 fee.
Every plan includes hosting, a free store address on cartwhizz.com, connecting your own domain, and CartWhizz AI. You also get a 7-day free trial with no card needed. Payment gateway fees are paid to your gateway, as on any platform. Use the calculator on the pricing page with your own numbers.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to make an ecommerce website in India?
On a hosted platform, from a few hundred rupees a month plus payment gateway fees. A custom-built site usually costs much more upfront, plus hosting and maintenance.
Is Shopify or a custom website cheaper in India?
Neither is always cheaper. Add up plan fees, transaction fees, paid apps and maintenance for your expected sales, and compare totals rather than headline prices.
What are the monthly costs of an online store?
Platform fee, payment gateway charges, any platform commission, paid apps, domain renewal (yearly), and shipping and packaging per order.
Do I have to pay GST on the platform subscription?
Yes, Indian platforms charge GST on their fees. CartWhizz plan prices are shown before GST.
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