Free online store in India: what “free” really costs per order (2026)

Short answer: a free online store plan in India is free to open, but many free plans charge a fee on every sale, and at 50 orders a month that fee can be ₹2,000 or more. Before you choose, look at three numbers: the monthly price, the cut taken from each order, and the product limit. On Slaby the Free plan is free forever for up to 20 products, with 0% commission on your orders and no card needed; paid plans start at ₹299 a month when you need more products.

We make Slaby, so read this as one builder's view. We have quoted other platforms only from their own public pricing pages, with the date we read them, and kept the limits of our own Free plan in plain sight.

What the free plans charge (read on 2 November 2026)

Dukaan — Free plan

₹0 a month; 4.99% service fee per order

Its pricing page lists a service fee on sales made through the platform, capped at ₹200 per order and not charged on manual orders. COD and manual payments are listed from its Starter plan.

Instamojo — Lite plan

₹0 a year; 5% + ₹3 per transaction

Unlimited products and cash on delivery. The fee also covers collecting the payment, since Instamojo is the payment gateway. GST is charged on top.

Slaby — Free plan

₹0, free forever; 0% commission

Up to 20 products, UPI and cash on delivery, GST invoices, a yourname.slaby.in link with a small “Powered by Slaby” badge. If you use Razorpay or Cashfree, their own payment fee applies; UPI to your own UPI ID has no fee.

Plans and fees change. Check each platform's pricing page on the day you sign up. Slaby prices as of November 2026: Free ₹0, Lite ₹299/month (100 products), Starter ₹799/month (200 products, your own domain).

A worked example: 50 orders a month at ₹800

1. 1

   Your sales

   50 orders × ₹800 = ₹40,000 a month, all paid online.

2. 2

   A 4.99% service fee

   ₹40,000 × 4.99% = ₹1,996 a month, about ₹24,000 a year. Each order's fee is ₹40, well under a ₹200 cap, so the cap never helps a small seller.

3. 3

   A 5% + ₹3 transaction fee

   ₹40,000 × 5% = ₹2,000, plus ₹3 × 50 orders = ₹150, so ₹2,150 a month before GST. This one includes collecting the payment, so there is no separate gateway bill.

4. 4

   0% commission

   ₹0 to the store builder. If buyers pay by UPI straight to your own UPI ID, nothing is deducted. If you add a payment gateway for automatic confirmation, budget for that gateway's own fee per payment.

The rule of thumb A per-order fee is cheap when you sell a little and expensive when you sell a lot. If you expect more than a handful of orders a month, a plan with 0% commission and a flat price usually costs less over a year than a “free” plan with a cut.

What to check before you pick a free store plan

• The fee on each order, and whether GST is added to it
• Whether cash on delivery is on the free plan or only on paid plans
• How many products the free plan allows (Slaby Free allows 20; some allow unlimited)
• Whether UPI can go straight to your own UPI ID, without a middleman
• Whether you can move to your own domain later, and export your products and customers
• Whose name the buyer sees: yours, or the platform's branding

When a free plan is the right choice

If you are testing an idea, sell fewer than 20 products, or take a few orders a week, a free plan is the sensible start. Pick one that does not take a cut, so your first sales are fully yours, and upgrade only when the product limit or a missing feature actually stops you.

On Slaby that upgrade is Lite at ₹299 a month: up to 100 products, counter billing for a physical shop on the same stock, and no Slaby badge. Your own domain comes with Starter at ₹799 a month.

Common questions

Can I really create an online store in India for free?

Yes. Several builders have a free plan. The difference is what they take from each order: some charge a percentage per sale, others charge nothing. Slaby's Free plan is free forever for up to 20 products with 0% commission and no card needed.

Is a free plan with a per-order fee bad?

Not for very low volumes. At 50 orders of ₹800 a month, a 4.99% fee is about ₹2,000 a month, so it becomes the most expensive option as soon as you sell regularly.

Do I still pay a payment gateway fee with 0% commission?

Only if you use a gateway such as Razorpay or Cashfree, and that fee goes to the gateway, not the store builder. UPI paid straight to your own UPI ID has no fee.

What happens when I outgrow 20 products on Slaby Free?

Your store keeps every product it has. To add more, move to Lite (₹299 a month, up to 100 products) or Starter (₹799 a month, 200 products and your own domain).