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Shopify vs LentloSites — for a store selling in India
Shopify is the global standard. The question is what an Indian shop pays for it — and which India-first pieces it still needs apps for.
Shopify is the most mature store platform in the world: a huge app ecosystem, themes for everything, and a checkout trusted by shoppers globally. If you sell internationally, need deep app integrations, or run a large catalogue with a team, it earns its price.
For a typical Indian shop the picture is different. Shopify Payments is not offered in India, so you connect Razorpay/Cashfree/PayU — and Shopify adds its own transaction fee on top of the gateway's (2% on Basic). Subscription is billed monthly plus 18% GST, and the India-specific pieces — UPI QR to your own account, cash-on-delivery with a fee, partial COD, GST invoices with HSN, WhatsApp ordering, courier aggregators — mostly arrive as paid apps billed in USD.
LentloSites builds those pieces in and prices for how India sells: ₹0 fixed on the Free plan with a small fee per sale (capped per order), 0% commission on Pro and Growth. Every plan gets a free custom domain, GST invoicing, UPI/COD/partial-COD, WhatsApp and courier partners without an app store.
What each one costs
Shopify's figures are as published on their own page in August 2026 — third-party prices change; verify there before deciding. LentloSites numbers are read live from our pricing catalog.
Shopify
- Basic ₹1,994/month billed monthly, or ₹1,499/month billed yearly; Grow ₹7,447 (₹5,599 yearly); Advanced ₹30,164 (₹22,680 yearly) — plus 18% GST on the subscription (shopify.com/in/pricing, August 2026).
- Starter plan (₹20/month) sells through links and social only — no full e-commerce store.
- Shopify Payments is not available in India: third-party gateway transaction fee of 2% on Basic (lower on higher plans) on top of the gateway's own charges.
- Apps for COD fees, partial COD, GST invoicing, WhatsApp, courier aggregation are typically paid, billed in USD.
LentloSites
- Free: ₹0 fixed, 2.5% per sale; no sales, no fee.
- Starter ₹299/month with 1.2% per sale; Pro ₹999/month and Growth ₹2,499/month at 0% commission.
- Custom domain free on every plan; UPI QR, COD, partial COD, GST invoices, WhatsApp, courier partners included — see Pricing.
Side by side, for an Indian business
| Shopify | LentloSites | |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed monthly cost to start | ₹1,994/mo + 18% GST (Basic) | ₹0 on Free |
| Fee per sale | 2% Shopify transaction fee on Basic (third-party gateway) + gateway charges | a flat 2.5% on Free; 0% on Pro/Growth (+ your gateway's charges) |
| UPI to your own account | Via gateway; no native UPI-QR-to-owner | UPI QR with your own UPI ID, ₹0 gateway fee |
| Cash on delivery + COD fee | Via apps | Built in, optional COD fee, partial COD (advance + balance) |
| GST invoices with HSN | Via apps | Built in (Rule-46 invoices, GSTR exports, e-invoice/e-way ready) |
| WhatsApp ordering & chat | Via apps | Built in on every design |
| Courier shipping | Via apps / Shiprocket integration | Shiprocket, Shipmozo, Delhivery One, NimbusPost — rate comparison in the dashboard |
| Custom domain | Bring your own (domain cost extra) | Bring your own — free to connect on every plan, SSL automatic |
| Themes / apps ecosystem | Largest in the world | Curated designs; features built in, no app store |
| International selling | Excellent (multi-currency, markets) | India-first — INR, Indian gateways, Indian couriers |
| Who holds the money | Your gateway settles to you | Your gateway/UPI settles to you — LentloSites never holds sales money |
Stay with Shopify if…
- You sell outside India and need multi-currency, international shipping and global payment methods.
- Your business depends on specific Shopify apps or a developer/agency already invested in the platform.
- You run a large team with complex roles and want the biggest ecosystem of integrations.
Choose LentloSites if…
- Most of your customers are in India and pay by UPI or COD.
- You'd rather pay when you sell than pay monthly rent + GST + app subscriptions.
- You want GST invoices, WhatsApp ordering, partial COD and courier partners without buying apps.
Moving from Shopify
Most moves take an afternoon. Old links keep working through URL redirects.
- 1
Export products from Shopify as CSV and import them in your LentloSites dashboard (name, price, images, variants, SKU).
- 2
Add URL redirects for old product/collection paths so Google and old links keep working.
- 3
Connect your domain (free), set up UPI/COD/gateway and shipping zones, publish.
See free migration and URL redirects.
Common questions
Is Shopify Payments available in India?
Do LentloSites plans have hidden per-sale fees?
Can I move my products from Shopify?
Is Shopify better for international customers?
Trademarks belong to their owners. Third-party details are taken from public pages on the date shown and may have changed; this page is our honest reading, not their statement.
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