E-commerce

Shopify vs custom e-commerce development: which is right for an Indian business?

12 / 09 / 2026 · 7 min read · SpikeSecure

Shopify gets an Indian store live in weeks for ₹1.5–4 lakh plus a monthly plan; custom e-commerce on WooCommerce, Magento or a headless stack costs ₹2–15 lakh with no platform fee and full control over GST, COD, ERP and B2B logic. Neither is universally better. This is how we decide for clients in Coimbatore, Chennai and across India.

Quick answer: Shopify suits most Indian stores under ₹4 lakh and a standard catalogue; custom wins when GST, COD, ERP or B2B logic must fit your operation.

Shopify: ₹1.5 to 4 lakh, live in weeks, plus a monthly plan and app fees.
Custom (WooCommerce, Magento, headless): ₹2 to 15 lakh, no platform fee, full control.
Choose Shopify when: you sell a standard catalogue and want speed and low maintenance.
Choose custom when: you need ERP or Tally sync, B2B price lists, complex GST or COD flows, or a marketplace.
Switching later: possible in either direction; plan for 4 to 8 weeks and a redirect map to keep rankings.

In this article

Side-by-side comparison
When Shopify wins
When custom wins
Moving between them
FAQ

Side-by-side comparison

Build cost. Shopify ₹1.5–4 lakh. WooCommerce ₹2–8 lakh. Magento or headless ₹5–15 lakh and up.
Running cost. Shopify plans from about ₹1,994 to ₹7,000 a month plus app subscriptions and transaction fees. Custom builds pay hosting of ₹6,000–40,000 a year and maintenance.
Time to launch. Shopify 3–6 weeks. Custom 6–12 weeks.
Payments in India. Both support Razorpay, PayU and UPI. COD verification and RTO control are easier to tailor on a custom build.
GST invoicing. Shopify needs a GST app; custom builds bake HSN codes and tax breakup into checkout and Tally or Zoho Books sync.
ERP and inventory. Shopify connectors exist for common systems; custom builds integrate ERPNext, Odoo, SAP or legacy billing software directly.
B2B and marketplaces. Dealer pricing, credit terms, multi-vendor payouts and subdomain stores need custom or Magento.
Ownership. Shopify is rented. Custom code, data and hosting are yours.

When Shopify wins

Choose Shopify when you sell a catalogue of under a few thousand SKUs direct to consumers, want to launch fast, have no ERP to integrate, and are comfortable with a monthly fee and app ecosystem. Fashion, jewellery, FMCG and D2C brands starting out fit this profile. We still build the theme, catalogue, payments, shipping and GST setup for you.

When custom wins

Choose WooCommerce, Magento or a headless build when you need live stock from an ERP, B2B price lists and credit terms, multi-vendor payouts, subscriptions, custom checkout flows, regional-language storefronts, or you simply want to own the platform outright. Manufacturers, wholesalers, marketplaces and brands with more than 5,000 SKUs almost always land here.

Moving between them

Many brands start on Shopify and migrate to a custom stack once ERP integration or B2B ordering becomes necessary. Migration preserves URLs, product data, customers and SEO when planned properly: 301 mapping, redirects and schema are part of every SpikeSecure migration. Read our e-commerce cost guide for Coimbatore for current price ranges.

FAQ

Is Shopify cheaper than a custom e-commerce website in India?

Shopify is cheaper to build (₹1.5–4 lakh) but costs ₹24,000–84,000 a year in plan fees plus apps and transaction fees. A WooCommerce or custom store costs more to build (₹2–15 lakh) but has no platform fee, so total cost of ownership often crosses over within two to three years for growing stores.

Does Shopify handle GST invoicing in India?

Shopify supports Indian taxes but GST-compliant invoices with HSN codes and tax breakup usually need a paid GST app, and accounting sync with Tally or Zoho Books is another app. Custom builds handle GST natively in checkout.

Can Shopify integrate with ERPNext, Odoo or Tally?

Yes through connectors and middleware, with limits on real-time stock and custom fields. Custom builds integrate directly with ERPNext, Odoo, SAP Business One or Tally and support multi-warehouse inventory.

Which is better for a B2B or wholesale business in India?

Custom or Magento. Dealer logins, tiered pricing, credit terms, minimum order quantities and quotation flows are awkward on Shopify and native on a custom build.

Who builds both Shopify and custom e-commerce stores in Coimbatore?

SpikeSecure builds Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, BigCommerce and headless stores for clients in Coimbatore, Chennai and across India, with Razorpay, UPI, COD, GST invoicing and ERP sync, fixed-scope quotes and a 30-day warranty.

Unsure which route fits? Our e-commerce developers will recommend one on a 30-minute call, or request a fixed-scope quote.

What does a Shopify store cost to run each month in India?

Shopify plans start around ₹1,994 a month for Basic and rise with features, plus paid apps that commonly add ₹3,000–₹15,000 a month, payment gateway fees, and transaction fees unless you use Shopify Payments. A custom store swaps those subscriptions for hosting of ₹3,000–₹25,000 a month and a maintenance retainer.

Can a Shopify store handle GST invoices and cash on delivery for India?

Yes, with apps: GST-compliant invoicing, COD with verification and Razorpay, PayU or Cashfree for UPI and cards are all available. The limits show up in B2B pricing, multi-warehouse inventory and ERP or Tally sync, which is where WooCommerce or a custom store becomes cheaper to operate.

How do I migrate from Shopify to a custom store without losing rankings?

Map every product, collection and blog URL to its new address with 301 redirects, keep titles, descriptions and structured data, migrate reviews and customer accounts, and submit the new sitemap on launch day. Done this way, rankings typically hold; SpikeSecure includes the redirect map and Search Console monitoring in migration projects.