eCommerce Platform Picker: OpenCart vs Shopify vs WooCommerce vs Custom
Quick answer: Choose Shopify if you are a small retail brand with no developer and want to launch fast; WooCommerce if you already run a WordPress site; OpenCart if you sell wholesale or B2B, have a large catalogue or want no monthly platform fee; and a custom build only for unique processes with a large budget. Answer 8 questions below to get a recommendation for your business, with reasons.
OpenCart vs Shopify vs WooCommerce vs custom: comparison for Indian businesses
| OpenCart | Shopify | WooCommerce | Custom build | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Platform fee | None (open source) | Monthly plan (Basic about ₹1,499/month billed yearly + GST) | None (free plugin) | None — you own it |
| Extra fee per order | None | 2% on Basic with a third-party gateway such as Razorpay | None | None |
| Wholesale / B2B | Customer groups built in; MOQ, bulk orders, dealer rates as add-ons | Higher plans or paid apps | Paid plugins | Anything you specify |
| Large catalogues | Handles thousands of designs on mid-range hosting | Handles well | Needs strong hosting and tuning | Depends on the build |
| Who maintains it | You or an agency | Shopify (hosting, security, updates) | You or an agency | Your developers |
| Code and data ownership | Yours | Rented platform | Yours | Yours |
| Typical build cost | ₹25,000–₹35,000 for a catalogue site, ₹1.18 lakh–₹1.74 lakh for a typical B2B wholesale store (BizTorq) | Low to start; apps and plan add up monthly | Similar to OpenCart for small stores | About ₹4–10 lakh or more |
| Best for | Textile and other wholesalers, manufacturers, distributors, and stores with thousands of designs. | D2C brands, boutiques and small retail catalogues with simple pricing. | Content-led brands and small to mid-size catalogues on WordPress. | Large enterprises with workflows no platform supports, and an in-house tech team. |
Shopify plans and fees change; check Shopify's India pricing page before deciding. Last updated 26 October 2026.
Which platform should you choose? A simple decision guide
- Choose Shopify if you sell retail, have under a few hundred products with one price, no developer, and want to be live within two weeks.
- Choose WooCommerce if your website already runs on WordPress and the shop is a modest add-on to your content.
- Choose OpenCart if you sell to retailers, resellers or dealers, need customer-group or buyer-specific prices, MOQ or bulk ordering, list thousands of designs, or want to avoid monthly platform and per-order fees.
- Choose a custom build only if your process is truly unique, you have a budget of several lakhs and a team to maintain it — and check first whether OpenCart modules can do the same job.
The 8 questions that decide your platform
Each answer gives points to the platforms it suits. Your result shows the platforms ranked on one scale, plus the answers that mattered most.
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Who buys from you | Wholesale buyers need logins and group prices; retail buyers need a fast checkout. |
| Number of products | Small catalogues fit any platform; thousands of designs need strong catalogue tools. |
| How you price | Buyer-specific rates and MOQ are where platforms differ most. |
| One-time vs monthly payment | Monthly plans and per-order fees add up as sales grow. |
| Who maintains the site | Hosted platforms need no developer; self-hosted ones need an agency. |
| What you have today | Staying on your current platform avoids migration cost. |
| Integrations and workflows | Tally/ERP sync and agent or dealer ordering need flexible code. |
| Timeline | Theme stores launch in days; customised stores take weeks. |
Frequently asked questions
Which eCommerce platform is best in India?
It depends on how you sell. Shopify suits small retail brands that want to launch fast without a developer. WooCommerce suits businesses that already run a WordPress website. OpenCart suits wholesalers, B2B sellers and stores with large catalogues that want no monthly platform fee. A custom build only makes sense for unique, complex processes with a large budget.
Is OpenCart better than Shopify?
For B2B and wholesale, usually yes: customer-group pricing is built in, MOQ and bulk ordering are common add-ons, there is no monthly plan and no per-order platform fee, and you own the code. For a small retail brand with no developer that wants to go live in days, Shopify is often the better choice.
What does each platform cost in India?
Shopify's Basic plan is about ₹1,499 a month billed yearly plus GST, with a 2% fee per order on Basic when you use a third-party gateway such as Razorpay. WooCommerce is free, plus hosting and paid plugins. OpenCart is free; a BizTorq OpenCart build costs about ₹25,000–₹35,000 for a catalogue site, ₹1.18 lakh–₹1.74 lakh for a typical B2B wholesale store, plus yearly hosting. A custom build usually starts around ₹4–10 lakh.
Which platform is best for a wholesale or B2B store?
OpenCart is a strong choice for wholesale: buyer login, customer-group pricing and multi-store are built in, and MOQ, set-wise ordering, bulk order sheets and dealer-specific rates are standard customisations. Shopify needs its higher plans or paid apps for most wholesale features.
Is the platform picker biased towards OpenCart?
No. BizTorq builds on OpenCart, but the quiz recommends Shopify, WooCommerce or a custom build whenever your answers fit them better — for example a small retail brand with no developer gets Shopify, and a WordPress site owner gets WooCommerce. Each answer and its points are shown in the reasons on your result.
Can I move from Shopify or WooCommerce to OpenCart later?
Yes. Products, categories, customers and orders can be migrated to OpenCart, and old product URLs can be redirected so you keep your Google rankings.
How long does it take to launch on each platform?
A Shopify theme store can launch within days. A WooCommerce or OpenCart store typically takes 3–8 weeks depending on the catalogue and features, and a custom build usually takes three months or more.