Shopify Alternative India (2026) — Native UPI + WhatsApp Commerce, Not $500/mo of Appssimplestores — E-Commerce Platform + All-in-One Business ERP | Free Store Builder
+91 6384054000
+91 91760 01144
+91 63840 13000
simplestoresStart free
Built India-first, not adapted for it

The Shopify alternative with native UPI and WhatsApp Commerce — not another app subscription.

Shopify was built for the US and adapted for India through paid apps. Every rupee an Indian merchant pays for a UPI gateway app, a WhatsApp Commerce add-on, or a GST invoicing plugin is a rupee simplestores never charges — because they ship natively, day one.

Migrate from Shopify — free See lifetime pricing
The real cost of "cheap" Shopify plans

What Shopify's India app-store bill actually looks like.

Cost lineShopify (India)simplestores
Base plan₹1,650/mo (Basic)Included
UPI payment gateway app₹850/mo + txn feesNative — ₹0 app fee
WhatsApp Commerce app₹2,300/mo (BSP add-on)Native — built in
GST invoicing app₹1,600/moNative — built in
COD OTP verification app₹900/moNative — built in
Total, Year 1 (12 months)≈ ₹86,400+₹4,999 lifetime

App pricing sourced from each vendor's public Shopify App Store listing as of Feb 2026 and may change without notice. Illustrative estimate for a typical India-market storefront running all four categories of add-on apps.

Native UPI. No gateway app, no extra fee.

Google Pay, PhonePe, and Paytm intents work at checkout out of the box. Most Shopify India stores need a separate paid UPI app just to unlock what simplestores ships by default.

  • Zero app-store fee for UPI
  • COD with OTP verification built in
  • GST-compliant invoicing on every order
ShopifyPaid UPI app required
Extra ₹850/mo + per-transaction fee
simplestoresNative, included
UPI intent checkout works day one
WhatsApp order alert
"New order #1042 · ₹1,299 · 2 items · Paid via UPI. Ship by tomorrow 6pm."

Fires automatically to the merchant's own WhatsApp — no BSP subscription, no third-party routing.

WhatsApp Commerce, built in — not bolted on.

Order alerts, abandoned-cart nudges, and a synced product catalog run natively over WhatsApp. Shopify merchants in India typically pay a BSP (Business Solution Provider) subscription — often ₹2,000+/month — just to get similar functionality.

See the AI-built, 100/100 PageSpeed storefront
FAQ

Answers before you ask.

Is simplestores really cheaper than Shopify for an Indian merchant?
Yes — Shopify's India merchants typically stack 4-5 paid apps (UPI gateway, WhatsApp Commerce/BSP, GST invoicing, COD OTP) on top of the base plan. simplestores ships all four natively at no extra app cost, on a one-time lifetime plan starting at ₹4,999.
Does simplestores support UPI without a third-party gateway app?
Yes. UPI intent (Google Pay, PhonePe, Paytm) is a native checkout option — no separate payment-app subscription required, unlike Shopify where India-specific UPI flows usually need a paid app from the App Store.
What is WhatsApp Commerce on simplestores?
Order alerts, abandoned-cart recovery, and a synced product catalog run natively over WhatsApp Business — no BSP (Business Solution Provider) subscription needed, unlike Shopify's WhatsApp integrations which route through a paid third-party app.
Can I migrate my existing Shopify store to simplestores for free?
Yes — product catalog, images, and customer data migration is handled free of charge as part of onboarding. Most merchants are live on simplestores within 15-30 minutes.
Free migration from Shopify

Stop paying app-store rent. Own your stack.

Start free Read a real merchant case study
ResourcesShopify Alternative·Best E-commerce Builder India·Start Free Store
simplestores · home