SitesPlaced vs every store builder you are weighing up
Fifteen side-by-side comparisons for Indian Instagram and WhatsApp sellers — seven Indian WhatsApp-store builders, four Indian catalogue and payment tools, and the four global platforms. Each page answers first, shows the facts in one table, names what the other side does well, and ends with how to move in one paste.
By Manan Agrawal, Founder · Updated August 23, 2026
Short answer: SitesPlaced is the only builder on this page that publishes a real store for ₹0 with unlimited products, 0% commission, and Razorpay, cash on delivery, WhatsApp checkout, Shiprocket and Shipmozo shipping and PDF invoices all on the free plan. The paid plan is ₹499/month early-bird (₹999 after the first 50 stores) and adds a custom domain, branding removal, AI copy, analytics, Meta Pixel + Conversions API and WhatsApp Business API alerts. The pages below are where the other builders win — a branded customer app, managed store setup, an iOS merchant app, a global app ecosystem — so you can pick honestly.
At a glance: starting price, free plan, commission
| Builder | Cheapest paid plan | Free plan | Commission |
|---|---|---|---|
| SitesPlaced | ₹499/month early-bird (₹999 after the first 50 stores) | Yes — unlimited products, Razorpay, COD, WhatsApp checkout, shipping, invoices | 0% |
| WSTORES | ₹399/month Basic (incl. GST); ₹5,999 one-time for 3 years | No — 7-day trial that requires a UPI AutoPay mandate; auto-billed on day 8 | 0% transaction fees |
| Shopexer | Free (only plan shown; their /pricing page returned a 404 in August 2026) | Free forever — ₹0/month, unlimited products, a Shopexer subdomain | Zero commission on the Shopexer shipping plan |
| FlexiCommerce | ₹999/month Starter (₹799/month billed annually); Business ₹1,999/month | No — 14-day free trial, no card — 1 theme, 10 products, 3 categories; the store goes offline after the trial | 0% |
| StartupInMinutes | ₹999/month Pro (early-bird, shown against ₹1,500) or ₹2,500/quarter | Free Forever ₹0 — unlimited products, up to 3 images per product, 0% platform fee | 0% platform fee |
| Shop2Host | ₹690/month Pro (₹586/month billed annually) | Free Forever ₹0 — max 10 products, COD + built-in S2H Pay UPI, Shop2Host subdomain | not listed |
| StoreMaker | ₹222/month Starter (30 products); ₹499/month Growth; ₹2,999 for 2 years | No — 7-day trial for ₹50 | not listed |
| StoreBase | ₹99/month + 10% of sales, capped at ₹999/month total | No | 10% of sales until the ₹999/month cap |
| DM2Buy | Free tier with branding and limits, plus paid tiers (see their pricing page) | Free tier with branding and limits | Varies per plan |
| Dukaan | Free plan (with per-order service fee) or paid tiers ≈ ₹1,499–₹14,490/month (2026 listings) | Free plan with a per-order service fee (about 4.99%, capped ₹200) | Per-order service fee 0.99–4.99% (capped ₹200), on top of your gateway |
| Alippo | Free to build; ₹1,900/month per store to go live (Starter), ₹5,700 (Growth), ₹19,000 (Scale) — yearly saves 20% | Build without signing up; a paid plan is needed to go live | not listed |
| Bikayi | Paid plans from around ₹999/month (see their pricing page) | see their pricing page | see their pricing page |
| Instamojo | Plan fee plus Instamojo Pay MDR (see their pricing page) | see their pricing page | Plan fee + Instamojo Pay MDR |
| Shopify | From ~$29/month (~₹1,994 Basic in India; ~$39 in some regions) + apps | No — Short free trial (3 days per our comparison), then paid | 0.5–2% extra on external gateways unless Shopify Payments |
| Wix | From ~$17/month; in India, Core ~₹399/month (billed a year upfront) to sell | Free tier with Wix ads and a wixsite.com subdomain; cannot sell | 0% (your own gateway) |
| Squarespace | From ~$16/month; commerce on higher plans | No | 0% (your own gateway) |
| WooCommerce | Software free; ~$8–$30/month real cost (hosting, domain, plugins), often more for a real store | The software is free; hosting and a domain are not | 0% (your own gateway) |
| Gumroad | $0/month | Free — no monthly fee, but 10% + 50¢ taken from every sale | 10% + 50¢ per sale |
| Sellfy | $29/month billed yearly ($39 monthly) | No — 14-day free trial, no card required | 0%, plus 2% over the plan's revenue cap |
| Payhip | $0/month with 5% per sale, or $29/month for 2% | Free — unlimited products, 5% taken from each sale | 5% free / 2% paid |
| Stan Store | $29/month Creator, $99/month Creator Pro | No — Free trial offered | 0% |
| Beacons | $0/month with 9% per sale, or about $10/month Creator | Free — with a 9% cut of each sale | 9% free tier |
| Fourthwall | $0 to start; Pro around $19/month | Free to launch — their margin is built into product costs | Built into product pricing |
| Big Cartel | Free for up to 5 products; paid tiers above that | Free — up to 5 products | 0% |
| ownstreet | Free; ₹299/month Pro; ₹799/month Pro Max | Free — bio link plus one live paid product | 0% |
Details for WSTORES, Shopexer, FlexiCommerce, StartupInMinutes, Shop2Host, StoreMaker and StoreBase are as listed on their public pricing pages in August 2026; the rest are from our earlier published comparisons (2026 listings). Plans change, so confirm before you buy.
Indian store builders
The builders an Instagram or WhatsApp seller in India actually shortlists. Prices for the seven WhatsApp-store builders are what each listed on its public pricing page in August 2026; DM2Buy, Dukaan, Bikayi and Instamojo prices are from our earlier published comparisons.
SitesPlaced vs WSTORES
WhatsApp-first store builder from Ahmedabad with a big programmatic SEO footprint; paid-only, from ₹399/month.
From: ₹399/month Basic (incl. GST); ₹5,999 one-time for 3 years
Read the comparisonSitesPlaced vs Shopexer
Free store app for Instagram jewellery and fashion sellers; one storefront style, Android + iOS app.
From: Free (only plan shown; their /pricing page returned a 404 in August 2026)
Read the comparisonSitesPlaced vs FlexiCommerce
Website + customer app + delivery app + admin panel from ₹999/month; built for businesses that need branded apps or multi-vendor.
From: ₹999/month Starter (₹799/month billed annually); Business ₹1,999/month
Read the comparisonSitesPlaced vs StartupInMinutes
Instagram & WhatsApp store builder with an honest free plan (3 images per product) and a ₹999/month Pro with human onboarding.
From: ₹999/month Pro (early-bird, shown against ₹1,500) or ₹2,500/quarter
Read the comparisonSitesPlaced vs Shop2Host
Store builder with a 10-product free plan and a ₹690/month Pro that unlocks Razorpay, Shiprocket and WhatsApp alerts.
From: ₹690/month Pro (₹586/month billed annually)
Read the comparisonSitesPlaced vs StoreMaker
Budget builder at ₹222/month for up to 30 products with UPI and COD; no free plan, card payments and shipping not listed.
From: ₹222/month Starter (30 products); ₹499/month Growth; ₹2,999 for 2 years
Read the comparisonSitesPlaced vs StoreBase
Managed-setup store builder at ₹99/month plus 10% of sales (capped at ₹999/month), with 217+ widgets and lifetime support.
From: ₹99/month + 10% of sales, capped at ₹999/month total
Read the comparisonSitesPlaced vs DM2Buy
Instagram catalogue-link tool: customers browse a product list and message you on WhatsApp to order.
From: Free tier with branding and limits, plus paid tiers (see their pricing page)
Read the comparisonSitesPlaced vs Dukaan
Catalog-first Indian store builder with a free plan that carries a per-order service fee; paid tiers from about ₹1,499/month.
From: Free plan (with per-order service fee) or paid tiers ≈ ₹1,499–₹14,490/month (2026 listings)
Read the comparisonSitesPlaced vs Alippo
"AI cofounder that runs your store" — a Bengaluru AI store builder that is free to build and charges per store from about ₹1,900/month to go live, with plans that differ by included AI capacity.
From: Free to build; ₹1,900/month per store to go live (Starter), ₹5,700 (Growth), ₹19,000 (Scale) — yearly saves 20%
Read the comparisonSitesPlaced vs Bikayi
One of India's earliest WhatsApp catalogue store builders; same theme for every business, paid plans from around ₹999/month.
From: Paid plans from around ₹999/month (see their pricing page)
Read the comparisonSitesPlaced vs Instamojo
Payment-links product that added a storefront; strong for digital products and services, with its own gateway (Instamojo Pay).
From: Plan fee plus Instamojo Pay MDR (see their pricing page)
Read the comparisonSitesPlaced vs ownstreet
An Indian bio-link and digital-product platform with 0% commission — a close cousin of what we do, aimed only at India.
From: Free; ₹299/month Pro; ₹799/month Pro Max
Read the comparisonGlobal platforms
Powerful, well known, and built for a different seller. These pages cover the India-specific costs — gateways, COD, WhatsApp, GST invoices — that the global sticker price leaves out.
SitesPlaced vs Shopify
The global commerce platform — powerful at scale, but in India it means a ₹1,994/month floor, extra transaction fees and paid apps for UPI, COD and WhatsApp.
From: From ~$29/month (~₹1,994 Basic in India; ~$39 in some regions) + apps
Read the comparisonSitesPlaced vs Wix
Global drag-and-drop website builder; the free tier shows Wix ads and cannot sell, and selling needs the Core plan billed annually in India.
From: From ~$17/month; in India, Core ~₹399/month (billed a year upfront) to sell
Read the comparisonSitesPlaced vs Squarespace
Global builder known for designer templates; premium-priced, self-serve, with commerce features on higher plans.
From: From ~$16/month; commerce on higher plans
Read the comparisonSitesPlaced vs WooCommerce
Free, open-source WordPress store plugin — infinitely customisable, but you pay for hosting, a domain and extensions, and you maintain it.
From: Software free; ~$8–$30/month real cost (hosting, domain, plugins), often more for a real store
Read the comparisonSitesPlaced vs Gumroad
The default place to sell a digital file — no monthly fee, but 10% plus 50¢ of every sale, forever.
From: $0/month
Read the comparisonSitesPlaced vs Sellfy
A polished creator store builder that advertises zero transaction fees — then caps how much you are allowed to earn on each plan.
From: $29/month billed yearly ($39 monthly)
Read the comparisonSitesPlaced vs Payhip
A straightforward digital-product store with a genuine free plan — you pay 5% of each sale instead of a subscription.
From: $0/month with 5% per sale, or $29/month for 2%
Read the comparisonSitesPlaced vs Stan Store
A link-in-bio store built for creators selling coaching and courses — no cut of your sales, but $29 a month minimum.
From: $29/month Creator, $99/month Creator Pro
Read the comparisonSitesPlaced vs Beacons
A free link-in-bio page with a store attached — but the free tier takes 9% of everything you sell.
From: $0/month with 9% per sale, or about $10/month Creator
Read the comparisonSitesPlaced vs Fourthwall
Creator merch done properly — they print and ship for you, and take their margin on the products instead of a monthly fee.
From: $0 to start; Pro around $19/month
Read the comparisonSitesPlaced vs Big Cartel
A long-standing shop for artists and makers, free for up to five products — but it has stayed deliberately small.
From: Free for up to 5 products; paid tiers above that
Read the comparisonHow we compare
- ✓One data file generates fourteen of the fifteen pages (the DM2Buy page is hand-written). A price change is one edit, everywhere.
- ✓Facts for the seven Indian WhatsApp-store builders — WSTORES, Shopexer, FlexiCommerce, StartupInMinutes, Shop2Host, StoreMaker, StoreBase — come from their public pricing pages, scraped August 23, 2026. Facts for DM2Buy, Dukaan, Bikayi, Instamojo, Shopify, Wix, Squarespace and WooCommerce come from comparisons already published on this site. Anything we could not verify reads “not listed”.
- ✓SitesPlaced facts mirror the pricing page: free plan, ₹199/month Starter and ₹499/month Growth plans, 17 themes, integrations and plan gates.
- ✓Every page has a “stay if” list. Some sellers should stay where they are, and we say so.
- ✓Competitor names are never links. We are not sending you anywhere; we are answering the question.
Razorpay, Shiprocket, Shipmozo, WhatsApp API, Meta CAPI: all built in.
Razorpay, cash on delivery, WhatsApp checkout, Shiprocket and Shipmozo are on the free plan. From ₹199/month (Starter): Meta Pixel + Conversions API, your own domain, branding removal, AI and analytics. The ₹499/month Growth plan adds WhatsApp Business API alerts and the 1-click checkouts, bring your own credentials. No app store, no per-integration fees.
Payments
- Free
UPI, cards, net banking and wallets at checkout. SitesPlaced takes 0% commission; Razorpay's standard gateway fee applies.
razorpay.com - Free
StripeNew
Card, Apple Pay and Google Pay from customers worldwide. Connect your own Stripe account with a restricted key — payments land in your Stripe balance and SitesPlaced takes 0% commission.
stripe.com - Free
PayPalNew
Customers pay with their PayPal balance or a card. Connect your own PayPal app — the money lands in your PayPal balance and SitesPlaced takes 0% commission.
paypal.com - Free
PhonePeNew
UPI, cards, net banking and wallets at checkout on your own PhonePe Business account. Money settles straight to you and SitesPlaced takes 0% commission; PhonePe's standard gateway fee applies.
phonepe.com - Free
CashfreeNew
UPI, cards, net banking, wallets and pay-later at checkout on your own Cashfree account. Money settles straight to you and SitesPlaced takes 0% commission; Cashfree's standard gateway fee applies.
cashfree.com - Free
COD at checkout with an optional COD charge you set.
- Free
- ₹499
Sell with ShiprocketNew
1-click checkout by Shiprocket — saved addresses, UPI/cards/COD and RTO scoring, without your own payment gateway. Shiprocket collects and settles to you; SitesPlaced takes 0%, Shiprocket charges 2% per order.
shiprocket.in - ₹499
Razorpay Magic CheckoutNew
1-click checkout on your own Razorpay account — saved addresses, UPI/cards/COD in one step, with COD intelligence and RTO protection. Money settles straight to your Razorpay. Can run alongside Shiprocket checkout.
razorpay.com
Shipping
- Free
Push orders to Shiprocket, get AWB numbers back, and show live tracking on your Track Order page.
shiprocket.in - Free
ShippoNew
USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL and Royal Mail labels for US, UK and international orders — around 5¢ a label with no monthly fee, billed to your own Shippo account.
goshippo.com - Free
ShipmozoNew
Courier selection, pickup scheduling and tracking status synced back to each order.
shipmozo.com - Free
Rehbar PostNew
Compare courier rates, book the shipment, print the label and track it back — on your own Rehbar Post account.
rehbarpost.com
Fulfilment
- Free
Qikink
Print-on-demand for India — t-shirts, hoodies and mugs printed and shipped domestically from your own Qikink account.
qikink.com - Free
PrintifyNew
Print-on-demand t-shirts, hoodies, mugs and posters. Link a product to your own Printify catalogue and paid orders are sent for printing automatically — Printify bills your account, we take nothing.
printify.com
Messaging
- ₹499
Every new order sends you an alert and the customer a confirmation, from your own WhatsApp Business number via Meta's Cloud API. Bring your own credentials.
business.whatsapp.com
Marketing
- ₹199+
Meta Pixel + Conversions APINew
Your own Pixel on the storefront plus server-side Purchase events from the order record, deduplicated, so Instagram and Facebook ads report real sales. Bring your own credentials.
facebook.com - ₹499
Import the product reviews you already collected in Judge.me on Shopify or WooCommerce onto your product pages, matched by product name. Bring your own API token; SitesPlaced also collects and moderates its own product reviews on every plan.
judge.me - ₹199+
Custom head code
Paste Google Analytics, Clarity or any tag into your live site.
Growth
- ₹199+
yourbrand.com with one-click DNS setup for most Indian registrars.
- Free
Create and edit your store by chatting with your AI assistant.
modelcontextprotocol.io - Free
Bring a catalogue in from Instagram, your existing website, a PDF, dm2buy or Shopexer.
Moving from any of them
The free importer accepts an Instagram handle, an existing website URL, a PDF catalogue, or a dm2buy or Shopexer store URL, and rebuilds products, prices, images and categories as a SitesPlaced store (variants too, where the source exposes them). Pick one of 17 themes, connect your own Razorpay and Shiprocket or Shipmozo accounts, and publish free. Nothing goes live until you hit publish, so you can build alongside your current store.
Frequently asked questions
Which online store builder is best for Indian Instagram and WhatsApp sellers?
For most small sellers, SitesPlaced: it is the only builder in this comparison that publishes a store for ₹0 with unlimited products, 0% commission, Razorpay, cash on delivery, WhatsApp checkout, Shiprocket and Shipmozo shipping and PDF invoices all on the free plan. Builders that need a branded customer app (FlexiCommerce) or managed store setup (StoreBase) are different products and are listed fairly on their own pages.
Which of these builders have a real free plan?
SitesPlaced (unlimited products), Shopexer (unlimited products), StartupInMinutes (3 images per product) and Shop2Host (10 products), as listed in August 2026; and, per our earlier comparisons, Dukaan (with a per-order service fee), DM2Buy (with branding and limits) and Wix (cannot sell). WSTORES, FlexiCommerce, StoreMaker, StoreBase, Shopify and Squarespace list no free plan. WooCommerce software is free but hosting and a domain are not.
Which builders charge commission?
StoreBase takes 10% of sales until a ₹999/month cap; Dukaan charges a per-order service fee of 0.99–4.99% (capped ₹200) on top of your gateway; Shopify adds 0.5–2% on external gateways because Shopify Payments is not available in India; Instamojo charges Instamojo Pay MDR plus a plan fee. SitesPlaced charges 0% — only Razorpay's own gateway fee applies. Confirm each on their pricing page; plans change.
How do these comparisons stay accurate?
Fourteen of the fifteen pages are generated from one data file; the DM2Buy page is hand-written and kept in sync by hand. Facts for the seven Indian WhatsApp-store builders were taken from their public pricing pages in August 2026; the rest come from comparisons already published on this site. Anything we could not verify is marked “not listed”, and when a plan changes, one edit updates every generated page.
Can SitesPlaced import my store from any of these?
Yes. The free importer at /import accepts an Instagram handle, an existing website URL, a PDF catalogue, or a dm2buy or Shopexer store URL, and rebuilds products, prices, images and categories as a SitesPlaced store — variants too, where the source exposes them (Shopify, dm2buy, Shopexer). Nothing goes live until you publish.
What do the paid plans add?
Starter (₹199/month) adds your own custom domain, branding removal, AI copy, store analytics, custom head code and Meta Pixel + Conversions API. Growth (₹499/month) adds WhatsApp Business API order alerts from your own number, the sales boosters, product reviews and 1-click checkout on top. Growth is ₹499/month early-bird for the first 50 stores, then ₹999/month.
Start with the free plan, decide later
Unlimited products, 0% commission, Razorpay, COD, WhatsApp checkout, Shiprocket and invoices — free. Add your own domain, AI copy and Meta CAPI from ₹199/month (Starter), or WhatsApp API alerts and the sales boosters on Growth (₹499/month), when you are ready.
Open my free store →Questions? Message us on WhatsApp.