Instamojo vs WooCommerce
Updated November 2026 · AppBreakup editorial
Instamojo
Indian online store builder with built-in payment gateway, payment links and shipping for small sellers.
WooCommerce
Free, open-source ecommerce plugin that turns a WordPress site into a full store.
The short answer
Pick Instamojo if you sell in India and want a hosted store, built-in payment gateway, payment links and shipping in one rupee-priced account with no technical setup. Pick WooCommerce if you run WordPress and want full control over a self-hosted store with no platform fee. The trade-off: Instamojo is easy but takes a per-sale cut; WooCommerce is free and flexible but you maintain it.
Instamojo or WooCommerce: our take
Instamojo is a hosted platform for Indian small businesses and D2C brands. You get an online store or a single landing page, a built-in payment gateway taking UPI, cards, netbanking and wallets, payment links to share on WhatsApp or Instagram, and shipping across India with doorstep pickup. It handles physical products, digital downloads, courses, workshops and event tickets, and stores are managed from the web and Android and iOS apps. WooCommerce is an open-source plugin, under GPL-2.0, that turns a self-hosted WordPress site into a store with products, cart, checkout, tax and shipping, plus thousands of extensions for subscriptions, bookings, memberships and payment gateways.
The cost structures are opposite. Instamojo's Lite plan is ₹0/year but takes 5% + ₹3 per sale, and digital products carry an even higher fee; paid yearly plans add a custom domain, more themes, no Instamojo branding and a lower transaction fee. WooCommerce itself is free with no platform fee, but you pay for hosting, typically $25–$350/month for most stores, and useful extensions often cost $29–$299/year each, alongside gateway fees from whichever processor you add.
Control and effort follow from that. With WooCommerce you own the code and data and can customise almost anything, but updates, plugin conflicts, security and performance tuning fall on you or a developer, and large catalogues need good hosting. Instamojo takes care of hosting, payments and shipping, at the price of less flexibility and a focus on selling within India.
A small Indian seller, creator or workshop host who wants to start taking payments quickly without a developer will find Instamojo simpler. A business already on WordPress, selling internationally, or wanting a store it can extend and control fully is better served by WooCommerce, provided someone can maintain it.
Which should you pick?
Choose Instamojo if…
- Indian small sellers who want a store, payment links and shipping in one rupee-priced account
- Free plan includes a working store with cash on delivery and shipping integrations
- Payment gateway is built in, so there is no separate gateway to sign up for
Choose WooCommerce if…
- WordPress users and developers who want a fully controllable store with no platform fee
- You want open-source software
- You need to host it on your own servers
- You need Self-hosted, which Instamojo doesn't list
- Free and open source with no platform fee
About each app
What is Instamojo?
Instamojo is an Indian platform for small businesses and D2C brands that want to sell online without stitching together separate tools. You get a hosted online store or single landing page, a built-in payment gateway that takes UPI, cards, netbanking and wallets, payment links you can share on WhatsApp or Instagram, and shipping across India with doorstep pickup. Sellers use it for physical products, digital downloads, courses, workshops and event tickets. The entry plan costs nothing per year but takes a higher cut of each sale; paid yearly plans add a custom domain, more themes, no Instamojo branding and a lower transaction fee, and there is a done-for-you setup option. It is aimed squarely at sellers in India and prices in rupees, so it is less useful for brands selling mainly abroad. Stores are managed from the web and from Android and iOS apps.
What is WooCommerce?
WooCommerce is the open-source ecommerce plugin for WordPress, maintained by Automattic. Installed on any WordPress site, it adds products, cart, checkout, orders, tax and shipping, with thousands of free and paid extensions for subscriptions, bookings, memberships and payment gateways. Because you host it yourself, you control the code and data, pay no platform fee, and can customise almost anything, which is why it powers a very large share of online stores. The real costs are hosting, premium extensions and the time to maintain WordPress: updates, plugin conflicts, security and performance tuning all fall on you or a developer. Stores with large catalogues need good hosting to stay fast. The plugin is free; WooCommerce sells extensions and themes on its marketplace. It runs on self-hosted WordPress with mobile apps for managing orders.
Side by side
| Attribute | Instamojo | WooCommerce |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan + paid | Open source |
| Open source | No | Yes |
| Self-hostable | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Web, Android, iOS | Web, Self-hosted, iOS, Android |
| Best for | Indian small sellers who want a store, payment links and shipping in one rupee-priced account | WordPress users and developers who want a fully controllable store with no platform fee |
| Status | Active | Active |
Verified facts, compared
Facts both apps publish, checked on each vendor's own site.
Instamojo vs WooCommerce pricing
Instamojo: free plan + paid
- Transaction fee (free plan): 5% + ₹3 per sale source
- Starting price: ₹6,999 a year (Starter online store) source
- Growth plan: ₹14,999 a year source
- Free plan: Yes, Lite at ₹0 a year plus 5% + ₹3 per sale source
- Free trial: No source
WooCommerce: open source
WooCommerce pricing pagePlatforms
| Platform | Instamojo | WooCommerce |
|---|---|---|
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Self-hosted |
Instamojo facts
8 of 8 verified- Transaction fee (free plan)
- 5% + ₹3 per sale
- Checked Nov 8, 2026instamojo.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “just starting out. Get Started 5% + ₹3 transaction fee”
- Payment modes
- UPI, cards, netbanking, wallets
- Checked Nov 8, 2026instamojo.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “Write to us at [email protected] Payment modes supported UPI Domestic Debit /Credit Cards Pay Later Netbanking”
- Users
- 20 lakh+ small businesses
- Checked Nov 8, 2026instamojo.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “Start your business for free Over 20 Lakh small businesses use Instamojo to power their online business Hi!”
- Starting price
- ₹6,999 a year (Starter online store)
- Checked Nov 8, 2026instamojo.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “Starter ₹ 6,999 /yr Get a professional looking website that impresses your customers.”
- Growth plan
- ₹14,999 a year
- Checked Nov 8, 2026instamojo.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “Growth ₹ 14,999 /yr”
- Free plan
- Yes, Lite at ₹0 a year plus 5% + ₹3 per sale
- Checked Nov 8, 2026instamojo.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “Online Store Smart Page Payment Link Best Value Chosen by 70% Businesses Lite ₹ 0 /yr”
- Free trial
- No
- Checked Nov 8, 2026instamojo.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “While we do not have a free trial for new users, we have a 14-day money back guarantee.”
- Money-back guarantee
- 14 days
- Checked Nov 8, 2026instamojo.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “While we do not have a free trial for new users, we have a 14-day money back guarantee.”
WooCommerce facts
5 of 5 verified- License
- GPL-2.0
- Checked Nov 8, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “License: GPL-2.0 (GNU General Public License v2.0).”
- Open source
- Yes, for WordPress
- Checked Nov 8, 2026woocommerce.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “WooCommerce is the free, Open Source ecommerce platform for WordPress.”
- Typical hosting cost
- $25–$350/month for most stores
- Checked Nov 8, 2026woocommerce.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “Hosting: Choose your provider $25 – $350/month for most stores, but scales with traffic and performance needs.”
- Extensions
- $29–$299/year each
- Checked Nov 8, 2026woocommerce.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “Extensions: Add à la carte $29 – $299/year per extension to enhance your store.”
- Money-back guarantee
- 30 days
- Checked Nov 8, 2026woocommerce.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “30-day money-back guarantee”
Pros and cons of Instamojo
- Free plan includes a working store with cash on delivery and shipping integrations
- Payment gateway is built in, so there is no separate gateway to sign up for
- Also sells digital products, workshops and event tickets
- Free and Starter plans take 5% + ₹3 per sale, far higher than a standalone gateway
- Digital products carry an even higher transaction fee
- Built for selling in India; not a fit for brands focused on overseas customers
Pros and cons of WooCommerce
- Free and open source with no platform fee
- Huge extension ecosystem and WordPress content tools
- Full control over code, hosting and data
- You handle hosting, updates and security
- Useful extensions often cost extra each year
- Performance depends heavily on hosting quality
Other apps to consider
ShopifyInstead of Instamojo
A fuller store builder with a bigger app ecosystem and lower fees once you pick your own gateway.
Zoho CommerceInstead of Instamojo
Store builder tied into Zoho's inventory and accounting apps, with Indian pricing available.
EcwidInstead of Instamojo
Add a store to an existing site or social pages, with a free tier for a few products.
BigCommerceInstead of WooCommerce
Hosted platform with many features built in and a WordPress plugin option.
Instamojo vs WooCommerce: common questions
Is Instamojo better than WooCommerce?
Pick Instamojo if you sell in India and want a hosted store, built-in payment gateway, payment links and shipping in one rupee-priced account with no technical setup. Pick WooCommerce if you run WordPress and want full control over a self-hosted store with no platform fee. The trade-off: Instamojo is easy but takes a per-sale cut; WooCommerce is free and flexible but you maintain it.
Is Instamojo free?
Instamojo has a free plan, with paid plans for more features. See its verified pricing facts above for current limits.
Is WooCommerce free?
Yes. WooCommerce is free, open-source software you can host yourself.
Is Instamojo or WooCommerce open source?
WooCommerce is open source; Instamojo is not.
Which platforms do Instamojo and WooCommerce support?
Instamojo: Web, Android and iOS. WooCommerce: Web, Self-hosted, iOS and Android.