The Shopify alternative built for India
Shopify is brilliant — and overbuilt and overpriced for how most Indian sellers actually sell. If you are paying for a plan plus apps just to get UPI, COD and WhatsApp, there is a cheaper, more native way.
By Manan Agrawal, Founder · Updated June 10, 2026
26 live customer stores
Every store here is live and taking orders · read the SitesPlaced reviews from their owners
Real sellers on SitesPlaced
sitesplaced.official@thehouseofurmila
The House of Urmila · Jewellery
Testimonial video · July 22, 2026
View on Instagramsitesplaced.official@talkingtails_
The Pet Journal · Pet products
Testimonial video · August 11, 2026
View on Instagramsitesplaced.official@surroor_house
Surroor House · Clothing store
Store launch · August 13, 2026
View on InstagramMore ratings and press coverage — read the SitesPlaced reviews
Syndicated across 207 outlets (2.1M+ potential reach)All coverage
SitesPlaced Stores is the best Shopify alternative for Indian sellers. It bundles the things you pay Shopify apps for — UPI, COD, Razorpay, WhatsApp checkout, GST invoices and Shiprocket — free to build and publish, with 0% commission and no transaction fees. You only pay a flat ₹199/month (Starter) when you want your own custom domain, the SitesPlaced badge removed, and AI plus higher limits. Migration from Shopify is free and done for you, usually in a day. Real sellers here run small and fast: our platform data shows the median store launches with just 6 products at a median price of ₹450 — and social sends these stores ~4.6× more traffic than Google, which is why native WhatsApp checkout and UPI matter more than an app stack.
Real stores, live on SitesPlaced
Not mockups — real sellers running live stores on SitesPlaced with their own domains, UPI and COD. Open any of them in a new tab.
The House of Urmila
A handcrafted jewellery label running its full catalogue on its own domain — UPI & COD checkout built in.
Visit live site
Surroor House
An oversized-tee label running its full catalogue on its own domain — trending designs, sizes and COD checkout.
Visit live site
The Pet Journal
India's first guided journal for pet parents, selling direct from its own domain instead of through DMs.
Visit live siteWhat does Shopify really cost in India?
Shopify’s sticker price is only the start. To sell the way Indian customers buy, you typically add paid apps for UPI and COD, a WhatsApp ordering app, a GST invoice app, and a shipping integration — and unless you use Shopify Payments (limited in India), transaction fees can apply on top of your payment gateway’s charges.
Stack those up and a “Basic” plan quietly becomes a much bigger monthly bill. SitesPlaced collapses all of it into one flat number, with those features built in rather than bolted on — and takes 0% of your sales.
SitesPlaced vs Shopify for an Indian seller
| For an Indian seller | SitesPlaced | Shopify (India) |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to publish | Free to build & publish | From ~₹1,994 (Basic) |
| Custom domain + AI plan | ₹199/mo flat (Starter) | Included in plan + apps |
| Transaction fee on sales | 0% | Up to ~2% unless Shopify Payments |
| UPI at checkout | ✓ Native | Via apps / gateway |
| Cash on Delivery | ✓ Native | App / config |
| WhatsApp checkout | ✓ Built in | Paid app |
| GST-ready invoices | ✓ Auto | Paid app |
| Shiprocket shipping | ✓ Built in | App |
| Apps needed to match | None | 3–6 paid apps typical |
| Setup help | ✓ Done for you | Self / paid expert |
| Free migration | ✓ | — |
Indicative comparison, June 2026. Shopify costs vary by plan, apps and payment setup; figures exclude taxes.
What you stop paying for when you switch
No app stack
UPI, COD, WhatsApp checkout, GST invoices and Shiprocket are native. You stop paying monthly for the apps that make Shopify usable in India.
No transaction fees
SitesPlaced takes 0% of your sales. You keep 100% of revenue minus only your payment gateway's standard charge.
No setup grind
A real person sets up your store, payments, shipping and domain — and migrates your Shopify catalogue for free.
No surprise bills
One flat ₹499/month. No tiered upsells the moment you grow, and no per-feature add-ons.
See the storefronts
Live SitesPlaced demos across jewellery, sarees, beauty, skincare, gifting and food — clone the closest fit.
JewelleryMaison — Luxury Store
Editorial, gallery-grade storefront. Used by the Aura Jewels demo — ideal for jewellery, watches and premium accessories.
View live demo
SareesThreadlore — Heritage Sarees
Warm, textile-first storefront tuned for sarees, lehengas and handloom — variant swatches, zoom, COD and UPI built in.
View live demo
BeautyGlow Studio — Cosmetics
Bright, conversion-focused beauty storefront with shade selectors and bundles. Built for cosmetics and skincare sellers.
View live demo
SkincareApothic — Skincare
Calm apothecary aesthetic with ingredient storytelling and routine bundles. For skincare, wellness and self-care brands.
View live demo
GiftingFlorine — Florist & Gifting
Soft, seasonal florist storefront with same-day delivery slots and gift notes. For flowers, hampers and gifting.
View live demo
FoodCacao Noir — Chocolate
Premium dark-mode storefront for chocolate, bakes and gourmet food, with grams/box variants and festive bundles.
View live demoShould you switch from Shopify?
Switch to SitesPlaced if you…
- • Sell mostly to Indian customers via Instagram and WhatsApp
- • Are tired of paying for apps to get UPI, COD and WhatsApp
- • Want GST invoices and Shiprocket included, not added
- • Prefer a flat ₹499/month with 0% commission
- • Want migration and setup done for you
Stay on Shopify if you…
- • Run a large brand selling globally
- • Need deep, niche third-party app integrations
- • Have developers and a budget for a custom theme
- • Sell mostly outside India where UPI/COD do not matter
What does migrating from Shopify actually involve?
Switching platforms sounds daunting, which is why most sellers put it off and keep paying for apps they resent. In practice, moving from Shopify to SitesPlaced is mostly something done for you. You share your store, and our team recreates your products, photos, variants and prices on a storefront template you choose.
Your Razorpay account is reconnected so payouts continue to the same bank on the same cycle — no re-KYC. Shiprocket is linked back up, and your custom domain is transferred when you are ready. You can run the new store on a temporary link first, place a few test orders, and only switch your domain across once it all checks out. The result is the same brand and the same customers, on a platform that costs less and finally speaks UPI, COD and WhatsApp natively — with no app stack to maintain.
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.
Move from Shopify — free migration
Build and publish your store for free with 0% commission — pay from ₹199/month (Starter) only for your own custom domain, to remove the badge, and to add AI. We recreate your Shopify products, reconnect Razorpay and Shiprocket, and transfer your domain — usually within a day, with no app bills to follow.
Start your SitesPlaced store →Want the wider field? See the best ecommerce website builder in India.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Shopify alternative in India?
For most Indian sellers, SitesPlaced Stores is the best Shopify alternative. It includes UPI, COD, Razorpay, WhatsApp checkout, GST invoices and Shiprocket natively — the things you would add to Shopify via paid apps — free to build and publish, with 0% commission. Your store goes live on a username.sitesplaced.com URL with a small "Made using sitesplaced.com" badge; you only pay a flat ₹199/month (Starter) for your own custom domain, to remove the badge, and to add AI. Migration from Shopify is free and done for you.
Why do Indian sellers switch from Shopify?
Cost and fit. Shopify's base plan is pricier, UPI/COD/WhatsApp usually need paid apps, and transaction fees can apply unless you use Shopify Payments (limited in India). Sellers switch to a platform where India-native checkout, invoices and shipping are built in and the price is flat and predictable.
Is SitesPlaced really cheaper than Shopify?
Usually, yes — once you count everything. On SitesPlaced building and publishing your store is free with 0% commission, and the ₹199/month Starter plan (for a custom domain, badge removal and AI) is flat. Shopify's plan plus the apps needed for UPI, COD, WhatsApp, GST invoices and shipping, plus any transaction fees, typically costs more than SitesPlaced even on the paid plan — with those features already included.
Can I move my Shopify store to SitesPlaced?
Yes. Migration is free and done for you: we recreate your products, photos, variants and prices, reconnect Razorpay and Shiprocket, and transfer your custom domain. You can test on a temporary link before switching your domain over.
Is Shopify ever the better choice?
Yes — for large brands going global with complex needs and a budget for apps and developers, Shopify's ecosystem is hard to beat. For Indian Instagram, WhatsApp and small-business sellers, SitesPlaced is simpler, cheaper and more native.