Comparison · 30 September 2026

Best online store builders in India with cash on delivery and UPI (2026)

Most Indian shoppers pay one of two ways: cash at the door, or UPI. A store builder that handles both badly costs you orders, returned parcels and hours of matching screenshots. We judged seven builders on seven COD and UPI questions, and ranked them.

Our pick for an Indian store that needs both cash on delivery and UPI is SitesPlaced. It is the only builder in this comparison that puts all seven things on a ₹0 plan: a store-wide COD switch, an optional extra COD charge that prints on the invoice, UPI through your own Razorpay, PhonePe or Cashfree account with 0% commission, WhatsApp checkout, order limits that stop fake COD orders by default, and a PDF invoice for every order.

It is not the pick for everyone. No builder here gives you per-product COD or a pincode list, SitesPlaced included. If you need a marketplace’s built-in traffic, a store builder is the wrong tool. And we have only verified the COD and UPI flow for Indian sellers; sellers elsewhere should check the integrations page first.

TL;DR

• Best overall: SitesPlaced. COD switch, COD charge, own-account UPI, WhatsApp checkout, fake-order limits and invoices, all free, 0% commission.
• Best paid WhatsApp-first option: WSTORES. COD, UPI, cards and WhatsApp checkout on its ₹399/month Basic plan as of August 2026; invoices and shipping cost ₹499/month on Pro.
• Best tiny free store with COD: Shop2Host, if ten products is enough and its built-in UPI suits you.
• Works, but through apps: Shopify. COD, UPI and WhatsApp usually each need a paid app, and external gateways can carry a transaction fee.
• The one setting that matters most: an extra COD charge the buyer sees before they order. It is the lever that moves people to prepaid.

How cash on delivery actually works in an online store

Cash on delivery, or COD, means the buyer pays when the parcel arrives. It is popular in India because a first-time buyer does not have to trust an unknown shop with money up front, and it is the source of most of a small store’s problems, so it helps to know what happens to the money.

Who collects the cash

Not you, and not your store builder. The courier’s delivery person collects it at the door. The courier company, or the aggregator you booked through (Shiprocket, Shipmozo and the like), holds the cash and pays it to your bank in a later settlement cycle, after deducting shipping and any COD handling charge of its own.

Courier COD charges may apply

Most couriers charge more for a COD parcel than a prepaid one, because someone has to carry cash and reconcile it. The figure depends on your courier and plan, so check your rate card. The point is that a COD order earns less than the same order paid online, before you count the parcels that come back. The builder’s job is to let you pass some of that cost on, or nudge the buyer to prepay.

What the builder does on a COD order

It records the order as unpaid, prints the invoice, deducts stock, hands the address to your courier and, if you set a COD charge, adds it to the total so the invoice and the courier’s collection amount match. The money never passes through the builder. So “supports COD” can mean a proper switch with a charge and an invoice line, or a checkbox that changes a label. For what a refused parcel costs and how to keep COD profitable, read cash on delivery for small online stores in India.

How UPI actually works in an online store

There are two very different things people call “accepting UPI on my website”, and only one of them scales.

UPI through a payment gateway

A payment gateway sits between your store and the banks; in India that usually means Razorpay, PhonePe or Cashfree. The buyer approves the payment in their UPI app, the gateway tells your store the money arrived, and the order is marked paid with no screenshot and no checking. It settles to your bank on its cycle, minus its own fee. The detail that matters is whose gateway account it is: if yours, the money is yours when it settles and the builder takes nothing; if the builder collects on your behalf, you depend on its payout schedule and it can take a cut.

UPI by ID, screenshot and WhatsApp

The other version is the one every Instagram seller starts with: the buyer orders, you send your UPI ID, they pay, they send a screenshot. It works for a handful of orders a day and stops working for a simple reason: nothing connects the payment to the order. You open your UPI app, find a ₹1,299 that arrived at roughly the right time from roughly the right name, and match it to a message. Two buyers with the same order value on the same evening and you are guessing. A screenshot can also be edited, which you discover after the parcel has gone.

A good builder supports both: it shows your UPI ID to buyers who want to pay the direct way and puts it on the invoice, and offers a real gateway for buyers who want to pay in the checkout. SitesPlaced calls these Pay the store directly and Pay online with Razorpay (or PhonePe, or Cashfree). See accepting UPI payments on your website and Razorpay vs PhonePe vs Cashfree.

The seven questions we judged every builder on

Each builder is scored on the same list, from its own plan page as recorded in our earlier comparisons (August and September 2026), or from our own settings screens for SitesPlaced. Where a listing did not mention something, we say “not listed” rather than guess.

A COD switch. Can you turn cash on delivery on or off for the whole store in one place?
An extra COD charge. Can you add a fixed amount to COD orders only, shown before the buyer confirms, and printed on the invoice?
A reason to prepay. Does the buyer see what they save by paying online? This is what a “prepaid discount” is in practice.
UPI through your own gateway account. Does the buyer pay through a Razorpay, PhonePe or Cashfree account that belongs to you, with no commission from the builder?
WhatsApp checkout. For buyers who want to ask before they pay, can the cart be sent to your WhatsApp as a proper order, and is that order still recorded?
Order limits against fake COD. Is there a block list and a cap on how many orders one person can place, enforced on the server?
Invoices. Is there a PDF invoice per order that shows the COD charge as its own line and carries your UPI ID, without a separate app?

The ranked list

1. SitesPlaced

Free to build and publish · Starter ₹199/month · Growth ₹499/month · 0% commission

SitesPlaced answers yes to all seven questions on the free plan. Cash on delivery is a single Show Cash on Delivery tick under Settings → Checkout, on by default. Next to it is an Extra COD charge field: enter ₹50 and it appears beside the COD option at checkout, is added only to COD orders, and prints as its own “COD charge” line on the invoice. Online and WhatsApp orders are never charged it.

The prepaid nudge comes from the same setting. On the eleven brand-style templates and the General Store, the line under the buy button reads Cash on delivery · save ₹50 by paying online as soon as a COD charge is set. There is no separate “prepaid discount” feature, and we would rather say so than dress the COD charge up as one; the effect on the buyer is the same, in one setting instead of two. (That line is not on the Premium, Simple Fashion, Grocery or Astrology templates.)

UPI runs through your own Razorpay, PhonePe or Cashfree account; the money settles to your bank and SitesPlaced takes 0%. For buyers who prefer to pay after ordering, Pay the store directly shows your UPI ID and bank details on the order-placed screen, in the confirmation email and on the invoice. WhatsApp checkout is free: the order is saved to your Orders tab first, then WhatsApp opens with a message already written listing every item, the address, any coupon, delivery and the total.

Fake-order protection is on for every store by default: 5 orders per customer per day, 3 unpaid COD orders open at once per buyer, 15 orders an hour from one device, each adjustable or settable to 0, plus a block list you can add to from a junk order. Invoices are a one-click PDF from any order; there is no separate tax column, so a GST-registered seller puts their GSTIN in the “From” wording and prices inclusive of tax.

Good at: all seven checks on ₹0; the saving shown before the order; server-side limits by default; Shiprocket, Shipmozo, Shippo and Rehbar Post with a Track Order page; paid plans where store pages answer about 4× faster.
Not good at: no per-product COD, pincode restriction or delivery slots; no marketplace traffic; the free address is yourbrand.sitesplaced.site with a small badge until you pay ₹199/month for your own domain; verified for Indian sellers only.

Proof it is used: 45 real customer stores with 1,300+ products on the live stores showcase. Set-up: start free at /start, then how to offer cash on delivery; before deciding on COD at all, the free COD vs prepaid calculator shows what a COD order really earns after returns.

2. WSTORES

Basic ₹399/month · Pro ₹499/month · 7-day trial with a UPI AutoPay mandate (as listed in August 2026)

WSTORES is the most complete of the paid WhatsApp-first builders we have looked at. As listed in August 2026, its ₹399/month Basic plan includes unlimited products, WhatsApp checkout, UPI, cards and cash on delivery, plus a store management app: four of our seven questions answered on the entry plan, which is more than most manage.

The catches are the trial and the split. The 7-day trial asks for a UPI AutoPay mandate before you see the product, with billing from day 8, and shipping, invoices, product badges and a custom domain sit on the ₹499/month Pro plan, so a seller who wants a printed invoice with the COD line is on Pro from the start. We did not find a COD charge or order limits in the listing. Our WSTORES pricing explainer goes through the tiers. Prices change; check their pricing page.

Good at: COD, UPI, cards and WhatsApp checkout together on the entry plan; a merchant app; staff logins, Google Sheets sync and a QR code, which SitesPlaced does not list.
Not good at: no free plan; invoices and shipping are Pro; mandate before the trial; COD charge and fake-order limits not listed.

3. Shop2Host

Free tier capped at 10 products · Razorpay on Pro (as listed in August 2026)

Shop2Host is the only other builder here whose free plan explicitly lists cash on delivery. As listed in August 2026, the free tier gives a maximum of 10 products on a Shop2Host subdomain, with COD and their own built-in UPI, called S2H Pay, and there is a phone support number in the header, which is rare at this price.

The limits are the product cap and the gateway. Ten products is a test, not a catalogue, and Razorpay sits behind Pro, so on free your UPI runs through the builder’s own payment product rather than an account you hold, which is exactly the “whose account is it” question above. If ten products and that arrangement suit you, it is a genuinely free way to take COD and UPI; past that, the free plan is a trial with no clock on it. Prices change; check their pricing page.

Good at: COD plus UPI on a real ₹0 plan; phone support.
Not good at: 10-product cap; Razorpay is Pro-only; WhatsApp checkout, COD charge, order limits and invoices not listed.

4. Shopexer

One free plan, unlimited products (as listed in August 2026)

Shopexer’s strength is simplicity. As listed in August 2026 it shows a single free plan with unlimited products on a Shopexer subdomain, UPI and card payments, integrated shipping, WhatsApp order updates, and merchant apps on both Google Play and the App Store; it was the only builder in our eight-builder comparison with an iOS app.

The listing did not spell out cash on delivery, a COD charge, a WhatsApp checkout (as distinct from order updates), order limits or invoices, and it published no upgrade path. It ranks fourth because UPI on free with no product cap is real and useful, and no higher because we cannot confirm the COD half of the question. Check their current plan page.

Good at: free, unlimited products, UPI and cards, shipping, an iOS app.
Not good at: COD, COD charge, order limits and invoices not listed; no published paid tier.

5. StartupInMinutes

Free Forever at ₹0, 3 images per product, 0% platform fee (as listed in August 2026)

StartupInMinutes aims squarely at Instagram and WhatsApp sellers tired of taking orders in DMs. Its free plan, as listed in August 2026, gives unlimited products with up to three images each, a 0% platform fee, Razorpay on free and WhatsApp notifications. Razorpay on a free plan is the rarer feature, and it puts UPI on your own account from day one.

Shipping is on the paid plan, and the listing did not spell out cash on delivery, a COD charge, order limits or invoices. Like Shopexer, it earns its place on the UPI side; the COD side is unconfirmed. Check their current plan page.

Good at: Razorpay on ₹0; 0% platform fee; built for DM sellers.
Not good at: shipping is paid; three images per product; COD, COD charge, limits and invoices not listed.

6. Dukaan

Free tier plus paid plans; advanced features and custom domains on higher tiers (as of September 2026)

Dukaan is the fastest path from “I want to sell online” to a working store with checkout and shipping. It is catalogue-first: list products, pick a theme, and Razorpay, WhatsApp and Shiprocket are wired up sensibly. For a seller who wants the minimum number of decisions, it is a reasonable choice.

It ranks sixth because our earlier reviews found advanced features and a custom domain on the higher paid tiers, we have not recorded what the free tier includes for COD, a COD charge or invoices (check their current plan page), and every Dukaan store looks like every other Dukaan store, a trust problem for a first-time buyer deciding whether to pay up front. Our Dukaan alternatives post covers the switch. Prices change; check their pricing page.

Good at: speed of setup; Razorpay, WhatsApp and Shiprocket in one place.
Not good at: generic storefront; free-tier COD, COD charge, limits and invoices unverified by us.

7. Shopify (and a note on Wix and Squarespace)

Basic from about $29/month, roughly ₹2,500 · transaction fees of up to about 2% on external gateways (2026)

Shopify is the most powerful platform here and the worst fit for the question. It is a paid, hosted platform with an app store, and in India that is the problem: UPI, cash on delivery and WhatsApp usually each need a paid app, and without Shopify Payments (limited in India) an external gateway such as Razorpay can carry a transaction fee of up to about 2% on top of the gateway’s own fee. A COD charge, order limits and GST invoices are more apps. It all works; it is a monthly bill to assemble what the builders above include.

Wix and Squarespace are general website builders with store add-ons, not Indian store builders; whether COD exists as a proper switch with a charge depends on plan and region and we have not verified it, so check their plan pages. Our Shopify alternatives post is the better read if you are choosing among the three. Prices change; check each pricing page.

Good at: scale, apps for everything, multi-channel selling.
Not good at: COD, UPI and WhatsApp are apps, not defaults; transaction fees on external gateways; the bill for a small Indian store adds up.

Comparison table

Builder	Price	Cash on delivery	UPI	WhatsApp checkout	Fake-order limits	Invoices
SitesPlaced	₹0 · Starter ₹199/mo	Yes, store-wide switch + optional COD charge	Own Razorpay, PhonePe or Cashfree account, 0% commission	Yes, free	Yes, on by default	PDF, free
WSTORES	₹399/mo Basic (Aug 2026)	Listed on Basic; charge not listed	UPI and cards on Basic	Yes, Basic	Not listed	Pro, ₹499/mo
Shop2Host	₹0 (10 products)	Listed on free; charge not listed	Built-in S2H Pay on free; Razorpay on Pro	Not listed	Not listed	Not listed
Shopexer	₹0, unlimited products	Not listed	UPI and cards on free	Order updates listed; checkout not listed	Not listed	Not listed
StartupInMinutes	₹0 (3 images per product)	Not listed	Razorpay on free	Notifications listed	Not listed	Not listed
Dukaan	Free tier + paid	Check plan page	Razorpay	Yes	Not listed	Check plan page
Shopify	From ~$29/mo	Usually via an app	Via a gateway app; up to ~2% fee on external gateways	Via an app	Via apps	Via apps

“Not listed” means the plan page we recorded in August or September 2026 did not mention it; the feature may exist. Competitor prices are as recorded then and change; check each pricing page. SitesPlaced figures are the published rate as of 30 September 2026.

Which one for whom

You take most orders on COD and want to cut returns: SitesPlaced. The COD charge with the “save ₹X by paying online” line, plus the default order limits, are the two levers that work, and both are free. Read how to reduce RTO and fake COD orders for the rest of the playbook.
You want UPI in the checkout and your own bank settlement, for ₹0: SitesPlaced, StartupInMinutes or Shopexer. Only SitesPlaced also gives you a confirmed COD switch and invoice on the same free plan.
You want to pay monthly for a WhatsApp-first tool with a merchant app and staff logins: WSTORES, budgeting for Pro if you need invoices and shipping.
You have fewer than ten products and want to test COD this week: Shop2Host’s free tier, knowing you will move when the catalogue grows.
You are already on Shopify and it works: stay, unless the app bill for COD, UPI and WhatsApp is what brought you here.
You need shoppers a marketplace already has: none of these. A store builder gives you a shop, not Amazon’s footfall. Many sellers run both.

Frequently asked questions

Which online store builder in India has cash on delivery and UPI on the free plan?

SitesPlaced has both on its ₹0 plan: cash on delivery as a store-wide switch with an optional COD charge, and UPI, cards and net banking through your own Razorpay, PhonePe or Cashfree account with 0% SitesPlaced commission. As of August 2026, Shop2Host also lists COD and its own built-in UPI on a free plan capped at 10 products, and Shopexer and StartupInMinutes list UPI or Razorpay on free plans without spelling out COD. Prices and plans change; check each builder's pricing page.

Who collects the cash on a COD order?

The courier's delivery person collects it at the door. The courier company or aggregator (Shiprocket, Shipmozo and so on) holds the cash and pays it to you in a later settlement cycle, after deducting shipping and any COD handling charge of its own. Your store builder never touches the cash; it records the order, prints the invoice and, if you set one, adds your COD charge to the total.

Can I charge customers extra for cash on delivery?

Yes. On SitesPlaced, Settings → Checkout has an Extra COD charge field. Enter ₹50, say, and it is shown next to the COD option at checkout, added to COD orders only and printed as its own line on the invoice; online and WhatsApp orders are never charged it. The product page then reads Cash on delivery · save ₹50 by paying online, which is the nudge that moves buyers to prepaid.

Can I turn COD off for one product only?

Not on SitesPlaced. COD is a store-wide switch, and there is no per-product COD setting or pincode restriction. For one fragile or high-value item you do not want to send on COD, say so in its description, or use the COD charge to make prepaid the obvious choice. We have not verified a per-product COD setting on any other builder here; check their current plan page.

Do I need a payment gateway to accept UPI, or is my UPI ID enough?

Your UPI ID is enough to start, but it does not scale. With a gateway on your own account (Razorpay, PhonePe or Cashfree), the buyer pays inside the checkout, the order is marked paid automatically and the money settles to your bank. With a bare UPI ID, the buyer pays after ordering, sends a screenshot, and you match it by hand. SitesPlaced supports both: a Pay the store directly option that shows your UPI ID on the order-placed screen, the confirmation email and the invoice, and the three gateways for automatic confirmation.

How does a store builder stop fake COD orders?

Look for order limits and a block list enforced on the server, not in the browser. SitesPlaced switches limits on for every store by default: 5 orders per customer per day, 3 unpaid COD orders open at once per buyer, and 15 orders an hour from one device, each adjustable or settable to 0. You can also block a phone number or email straight from a junk order. A refused buyer only sees that the order could not be placed, never which rule caught them.

Does UPI or COD cost anything on SitesPlaced?

SitesPlaced takes 0% commission on every payment method on every plan. Your gateway charges its own fee on online payments, settled between you and Razorpay, PhonePe or Cashfree. Courier COD charges, where they apply, come from your courier or aggregator wallet. SitesPlaced adds nothing on top of either.

Verdict

If your buyers pay by cash at the door and by UPI, SitesPlaced is the builder to start on: the only one here with the COD switch, the COD charge with the saving shown to the buyer, UPI on your own gateway account, WhatsApp checkout, fake-order limits and invoices on ₹0 with 0% commission. Starter at ₹199/month adds your own domain, removes the badge and makes store pages answer about 4× faster; the code FREE7 gives 7 days free on Starter or Growth with autopay, and you pay nothing if you cancel before the first charge.

Pick WSTORES if you would rather pay monthly for staff logins, Shop2Host if ten products is your whole catalogue, Shopify if you are scaling past a small builder and can carry the app bill. And if what you really need is a marketplace’s traffic, none of us is the answer; a store is where you keep the margin, not where you find the crowd.

Take COD and UPI orders on your own store, free

Cash on delivery with a COD charge, UPI through your own Razorpay, PhonePe or Cashfree account, WhatsApp checkout, order limits and PDF invoices, all on the ₹0 plan with 0% commission. Pay only when you want your own domain.

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