SitesPlaced Stores vs Shopify — the real India cost
Shopify is a great global platform. For an Indian Instagram or WhatsApp seller doing 50–500 orders a month, it's also overpriced, over-engineered, and missing the basics (UPI, WhatsApp checkout, GST invoices). Here is what the real cost looks like.
SitesPlaced Stores is the right choice for Indian small sellers who want a real storefront — UPI checkout, WhatsApp orders, Shiprocket shipping, GST invoices, and COD — at a price that doesn't eat into already-thin margins. Shopify becomes the right choice once your business needs international payments, multi-currency, advanced inventory across warehouses, or an existing Shopify ecosystem of apps and integrations.
TL;DR
- • Shopify Basic — $29/month base (~₹2,500). Add WhatsApp app, GST invoice app, COD app, payment gateway: realistic monthly cost ₹4,000–6,000+. Plus 2% Shopify transaction fee on Basic plan if you don't use Shopify Payments.
- • SitesPlaced Stores — free to build AND publish. Razorpay UPI, Shiprocket, WhatsApp checkout, GST invoices, COD, dedicated setup person — built-in. 0% commission. Pay from ₹199/month (Starter) only for a custom domain, removing the SitesPlaced badge, AI, and higher limits.
- • Migration — free Shopify → Stores rebuild, and your store publishes free.
Real cost comparison
| Item | SitesPlaced Stores | Shopify (India use) |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to build & publish | Free (₹199/mo, Starter, for custom domain + no badge + AI) | $29 / month (~₹2,500) |
| Transaction fee | 0% (Razorpay's standard MDR only) | 2% on Basic plan + payment gateway MDR |
| Built-in payment gateway | Razorpay (UPI + cards + netbanking) | Shopify Payments (no UPI on basic) — or 3rd-party with extra fee |
| Shipping integration | Shiprocket native | Shopify Shipping + add-on apps (paid) |
| WhatsApp checkout | Built-in, structured order messages | Requires paid app |
| Templates for Indian verticals | 16 — clothing, beauty, jewellery, food, etc. | Generic global themes |
| Dedicated setup person | Yes, until your first sale | Self-serve / partner agency (extra cost) |
| Migration from dm2buy / Instamojo | Free, one working day | Manual / partner agency |
| Custom domain | Included from ₹199/mo (Starter; free sites use username.sitesplaced.com) | Buy separately + SSL setup |
| GST / Indian invoice format | Built-in | Requires app |
| COD configuration | Native | Requires app |
| Support timezone | IST, WhatsApp + email | Mostly North-American hours via chat |
What Shopify does brilliantly
Shopify is the gold standard for global ecommerce. Its app ecosystem is unmatched — there's a paid app for almost every workflow you can imagine. Their themes are professional, their checkout is conversion-tested, and their support for international payments, multi-currency stores, and complex inventory is best-in-class.
If you sell globally, run a 500+ order/day operation, or need bespoke integrations into ERP / WMS systems, Shopify earns its price. It's been built for that scale.
Where Stores wins for Indian sellers
For an Indian seller doing 50–500 orders a month, Shopify is buying a fighter jet to commute to work. Stores is the right-sized vehicle:
- India-first by default. UPI, Razorpay, Shiprocket, WhatsApp, COD, GST invoices, INR pricing — none of it is a "paid app", it's just there.
- Honest pricing. Free to build and publish — pay from ₹199/month (Starter) only for a custom domain or to remove our badge (it also adds AI and higher limits). No 2% transaction fee. No hidden paid apps to enable basic India workflows.
- 16 genre-fit templates. Pick the Clothing Store for apparel, the Beauty Store for skincare, the Jewellery Store for jewellery, the Food Store for snacks. Each is laid out like a leading Indian D2C brand in that genre, not a “generic shop”.
- Setup done for you. Your dedicated POC builds the store and walks you through the first sale on WhatsApp. Shopify expects you to figure it out from documentation.
- Support that knows India. WhatsApp support in IST. They've heard your question before because they live in the same market.
Who should move from Shopify to Stores?
- • You're an Indian small seller and your monthly Shopify bill (plan + apps + transaction fees) is above ₹3,000.
- • Most of your traffic comes from Instagram or WhatsApp — not Google Shopping or paid ads.
- • You're paying for a WhatsApp-checkout app, a GST-invoice app, and a COD app — Stores has all three native.
- • You don't sell internationally and don't need multi-currency.
- • You'd rather have a dedicated person set things up than spend weekends on YouTube tutorials.
When Shopify is still the right call
- • You sell internationally — international payments and multi-currency matter.
- • You need a specific Shopify-only app or theme that's load-bearing for your operation.
- • You run 500+ orders/day and need warehouse-level inventory tracking across locations.
- • You have an in-house developer who's already comfortable in the Shopify ecosystem.
Frequently asked questions
Is Shopify too expensive for Indian small sellers?
For most Indian sellers doing under 200 orders a month, yes. Shopify's $29/month Basic plan converts to roughly ₹2,500 — and then you add a payment gateway, WhatsApp app, shipping app, GST app, COD app. Real-world monthly cost lands ₹4,000–6,000+ before you sell anything. SitesPlaced Stores is free to build and publish (your store goes live on a username.sitesplaced.com URL with a small SitesPlaced badge), with all of those India features built in. You pay from ₹199/month (Starter) only when you want a custom domain, the badge removed, AI, and higher product/storage limits.
Why use SitesPlaced Stores instead of Shopify in India?
Three reasons: cost (free to publish, then ₹199 (Starter) for a custom domain and removing the badge vs ₹2,500+), India-fit (Razorpay UPI, Shiprocket, WhatsApp checkout, COD all native — no apps), and setup (a real person builds your store vs hours of YouTube tutorials). Shopify is a great global platform — Stores is built for how Indian Instagram and WhatsApp sellers actually sell.
Can I migrate my Shopify store to SitesPlaced Stores?
Yes. Share your Shopify store URL or product export on WhatsApp, and our team rebuilds it on SitesPlaced — products, photos, prices, shipping zones — usually within one to two working days. Migration is free, and so is going live: your store publishes for free, with ₹199/month (Starter) adding a custom domain, badge removal, AI, and higher limits.
Does Stores support GST invoices like Shopify does?
Yes. PDF invoices with GST format, your business details, and UPI / bank payment info are built in. On Shopify, the same requires a paid third-party app.
What's the catch with SitesPlaced being so much cheaper?
No catch — different positioning. Building and publishing your store is free; you only pay from ₹199/month (Starter) for a custom domain, badge removal, AI, and higher limits. Shopify is a global platform competing with WooCommerce and BigCommerce for sellers worldwide. Stores is built specifically for Indian Instagram and WhatsApp sellers, so it ships with exactly the features Indian sellers need (Razorpay, Shiprocket, WhatsApp, COD, GST) and skips the rest. Smaller surface area = lower price.
Save ₹3,000+ a month
Free Shopify → Stores migration, and your store publishes free in one to two working days — Razorpay, Shiprocket, WhatsApp, GST already wired. Add a custom domain and remove our badge for ₹199/month (Starter) whenever you’re ready.
