Shopify vs CartWhizz for Indian sellers: what you really pay at ₹50,000, ₹2 lakh and ₹10 lakh a month
A fair, worked comparison of Shopify and CartWhizz for stores selling in India: plan fees, Shopify's third-party transaction fee, commission, staff accounts and features, at three sales levels, plus where Shopify is the better choice.
Short answer: for a store selling in India, CartWhizz usually costs less each month than Shopify, mainly because Shopify Payments is not available in India, so Shopify adds its own transaction fee (2% on the Basic plan) on orders paid through Indian gateways, on top of a higher plan fee. At ₹50,000 of monthly sales the difference is about ₹2,200 a month; at ₹10 lakh it is about ₹9,000. Shopify remains the stronger choice if you sell mainly abroad or depend on its app ecosystem.
Why the usual price comparison misleads
Comparing the headline plan prices is not enough. To compare fairly, add up what you pay every month:
- The plan fee.
- Any platform fee or commission on your sales.
- Paid apps you need for features the plan does not include.
- Your payment gateway's own fee. This is roughly the same on both platforms, so we leave it out below.
Shopify's prices in India
| Shopify plan | Billed monthly | Billed yearly (per month) | Third-party payment provider fee | Staff accounts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | ₹1,994 | ₹1,499 | 2% | Not included |
| Grow | ₹7,447 | ₹5,599 | 1% | Up to 5 |
| Advanced | ₹30,164 | ₹22,680 | 0.6% | Up to 15 |
Source: shopify.com/in/pricing, checked 16 October 2026. Shopify also has a Plus plan for large businesses, starting at ₹1,75,000 a month.
Why the third-party fee matters: Shopify Payments is available in 41 countries and regions, and India is not one of them (Shopify Help Center). Indian stores therefore use a third-party gateway such as Razorpay or PayU, and Shopify's help centre says its fee applies to all transactions processed through third-party payment gateways. Cash-on-delivery orders are not paid through a gateway.
CartWhizz prices
| CartWhizz plan | Monthly fee | Commission-free sales each month | Commission above that | Staff accounts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | ₹249 | ₹25,000 | 2% | 1 |
| Growth | ₹799 | ₹1,00,000 | 1.5% | 3 |
| Pro | ₹3,499 | ₹5,00,000 | 1% | 15 |
| Enterprise | ₹29,999 | ₹50,00,000 | 0.5% | Unlimited |
CartWhizz prices are before 18% GST and billed monthly. There is no extra platform fee on payments: the commission applies only to sales above the plan's monthly limit, whichever payment method the customer used.
Three stores, side by side
Assumptions: all orders are paid online through an Indian gateway (the most expensive case on Shopify), no paid apps, monthly billing, and each platform's cheapest plan for that sales level. Gateway fees and GST are left out on both sides.
A store selling ₹50,000 a month
- Shopify Basic: ₹1,994 + 2% of ₹50,000 (₹1,000) = ₹2,994
- CartWhizz Starter: ₹249 + 2% of the ₹25,000 above the limit (₹500) = ₹749
A store selling ₹2,00,000 a month
- Shopify Basic: ₹1,994 + 2% of ₹2,00,000 (₹4,000) = ₹5,994 (Grow would be ₹7,447 + ₹2,000 = ₹9,447)
- CartWhizz Growth: ₹799 + 1.5% of the ₹1,00,000 above the limit (₹1,500) = ₹2,299
A store selling ₹10,00,000 a month
- Shopify Grow: ₹7,447 + 1% of ₹10,00,000 (₹10,000) = ₹17,447 (Basic would be ₹21,994)
- CartWhizz Pro: ₹3,499 + 1% of the ₹5,00,000 above the limit (₹5,000) = ₹8,499
| Monthly sales | Shopify (cheapest plan) | CartWhizz (cheapest plan) | Difference per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| ₹50,000 | ₹2,994 | ₹749 | ₹2,245 |
| ₹2,00,000 | ₹5,994 | ₹2,299 | ₹3,695 |
| ₹10,00,000 | ₹17,447 | ₹8,499 | ₹8,948 |
If you pay Shopify yearly, its plan fees drop (Basic to ₹1,499 a month, Grow to ₹5,599), which narrows the gap by ₹495 to ₹1,848 a month, but CartWhizz still costs less at all three levels. If a large share of your orders is cash on delivery, Shopify's transaction fee applies to fewer orders, which also narrows the gap. The calculator on our pricing page lets you set your own sales, billing period and share of online payments.
Apps and features
Cost also depends on what you have to add. A few differences worth checking for your store:
- AI assistant: CartWhizz AI is included free on every CartWhizz plan, for shoppers and in your admin.
- Staff logins on the cheapest plan: CartWhizz Starter includes 1 staff account; Shopify lists additional staff accounts as not included on Basic.
- GST: CartWhizz has HSN codes on products, CGST/SGST or IGST from the delivery address, and invoices with your GSTIN built in. On any platform, check that invoices meet your CA's requirements.
- Marketplace: CartWhizz has a built-in multi-vendor marketplace mode (included on Enterprise, an add-on on Growth and Pro). On Shopify this is typically done with third-party apps.
- POS: both platforms offer point-of-sale for physical shops. On CartWhizz it is included on Pro and Enterprise and an add-on on Starter and Growth.
Where Shopify is the better choice
- You sell mainly outside India. In countries where Shopify Payments is available, the third-party fee does not apply, and Shopify's international selling tools are mature.
- You depend on a specific app. Shopify's app store is far larger than any other platform's. If your business relies on an app or integration with no equivalent, that can outweigh the savings.
- You want the biggest ecosystem. Shopify has more themes, more agencies and more freelancers who already know it.
- Your team already runs on Shopify and the cost of switching is higher than what you would save.
Where CartWhizz is the better choice
- You sell mainly in India and want rupee pricing with no platform fee on payments below your plan's sales limit.
- You are starting out: ₹249 a month with ₹25,000 of commission-free sales is a low-risk way to begin.
- You want AI, GST invoicing, POS and marketplace options from one provider instead of stacking apps.
- You want support from a team based in India, by email and WhatsApp.
Thinking of moving?
You can export your products from Shopify as a CSV file and import them into CartWhizz, and keep your old product links working. Our guide to moving from Shopify or WooCommerce to CartWhizz explains what moves and what does not.
Frequently asked questions
Is Shopify Payments available in India?
No. As of October 2026, Shopify Payments is not available in India, so Indian Shopify stores use third-party gateways and pay Shopify's transaction fee on those payments.
What is Shopify's transaction fee in India?
On Shopify's India pricing page, the third-party payment provider fee is 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow and 0.6% on Advanced, on top of the gateway's own fee.
Does CartWhizz charge a fee on every order?
No. Each CartWhizz plan includes a monthly amount of sales with no commission. Commission applies only to sales above that amount.
Is CartWhizz cheaper than Shopify?
For stores selling in India, usually yes. In our examples, CartWhizz costs ₹749 against Shopify's ₹2,994 at ₹50,000 of monthly sales, and ₹8,499 against ₹17,447 at ₹10 lakh. Use your own numbers in the pricing calculator.
Can I move my Shopify store to CartWhizz?
Yes. You can import your products from Shopify's CSV export, import your customer list, and add redirects so old links keep working.
Try it with your own catalogue: start a free 7-day trial, or run the numbers.
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