Ecommerce website cost breakdown by platform
Here is a clear cost comparison across popular ecommerce platforms in India. All figures are approximate and in INR.
| Platform | Setup Cost | Monthly Cost | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| WooCommerce (WordPress) | 20K - 40K | 2K - 8K | SMEs, content-rich stores, Indian payment gateways |
| Shopify | 15K - 25K | 3K - 25K | Quick launch, hosted solution, app ecosystem |
| Magento (Adobe Commerce) | 2L - 8L | 10K - 50K | Enterprise, large catalog, multi-store, B2B |
| Shopware | 1.5L - 5L | 8K - 30K | B2B, headless, mid-enterprise |
| Commercetools | 3L - 12L+ | 20K - 1L+ | Enterprise headless, API-first, omnichannel |
| Custom Laravel | 80K - 3L | 5K - 15K | Unique business logic, custom workflows |
| Wix | 10K - 20K | 1K - 3K | Service businesses, simple catalogs |
What affects the total cost beyond the platform?
Beyond platform fees, these factors significantly change the final investment: DESIGN & UX: Custom theme design costs 15K - 80K while a pre-built theme is 2K - 8K. Mobile optimisation is essential. PRODUCT CATALOG: 10-50 products is manageable. 500+ products needs bulk import, category architecture and filtering systems. PAYMENT GATEWAYS: Razorpay, CCAvenue and PhonePe integration is usually 5K - 15K. International gateways like Stripe and PayPal add more. SHIPPING & TAX: Shiprocket integration is 5K - 10K. GST and tax logic setup, multi-state shipping rules and invoice generation add 10K - 25K. INVENTORY & ERP: Manual tracking is free. Real-time sync with ERP systems can cost 30K - 1L depending on complexity. MARKETPLACE INTEGRATION: Amazon, Flipkart and Meesho feed integration costs 15K - 50K per marketplace.
Monthly and annual maintenance costs
Maintenance is an ongoing cost every store owner should plan for.
| Plan | Cost/month | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | 2K - 5K | Hosting renewal, security updates, plugin updates, weekly backups, uptime monitoring |
| Standard | 5K - 10K | Everything in Basic plus content updates, new products, performance monitoring, monthly SEO checks, analytics review |
| Premium | 10K - 25K | Everything in Standard plus dedicated support SLA, monthly design changes, SEO content updates, CRO, marketplace feed management |
One-time costs: Domain renewal ~1K/year, SSL certificate ~2K - 5K/year, premium plugins ~3K - 15K/year, payment gateway annual fees ~0 - 5K.
Advantages of each platform
WOOCOMMERCE: Full ownership of data and code. Unlimited customisation. Strong SEO capabilities. Large plugin ecosystem. Works with Indian payment gateways natively. Lower monthly costs. SHOPIFY: Fastest setup time. Hosted and secure. App store for adding features. 24/7 support. Easy for non-technical owners. Built-in marketing tools. MAGENTO: Handles large catalogs (10K+ products). Multi-store and multi-currency. Powerful B2B features. Enterprise-grade security. Scalable architecture. SHOPWARE: Modern headless architecture. Strong B2B native features. Excellent media management. Built for European and Indian markets. COMMERCETOOLS: True headless commerce. API-first architecture. Omnichannel ready. Best for large enterprises with multiple sales channels. CUSTOM LARAVEL: Complete control over every feature. No platform lock-in. Tailored to exact business workflows. No recurring platform fees.
Disadvantages to consider before choosing
WOOCOMMERCE: Requires hosting management. Security is your responsibility. Performance depends on hosting quality. Some plugins have recurring costs. SHOPIFY: Monthly fees add up. Transaction fees unless using Shopify Payments. Limited customisation on checkout. Data ownership is restricted. MAGENTO: High development and hosting costs. Requires technical expertise. Slower page speed without optimisation. Overkill for small stores. SHOPWARE: Smaller developer community in India. Limited payment gateway options. Fewer ready-made themes. COMMERCETOOLS: Very high development and licensing costs. Requires experienced headless developers. Longer development timeline. Best only for enterprise budgets. CUSTOM LARAVEL: Higher initial development cost. No pre-built features. Needs ongoing developer support. Longer time to market.
How Curve Metrics helps you choose the right platform
Curve Metrics evaluates your product count, budget, team skills, growth plans and operational complexity before recommending a platform. We build across WooCommerce, Shopify, Magento, Shopware, Commercetools and custom Laravel stacks. Every project includes payment gateway setup, shipping automation, inventory workflow, SEO foundation and analytics integration so your store is launch-ready with a clear growth path.