WhatsApp-first ecommerce for India and emerging markets.
Starts at Free tier, paid from ₹1,749/month · Best for indian smbs, whatsapp commerce, local-market retailers.
Last reviewed April 24, 2026
Overview
Quick facts about Dukaan.
- Launched
- 2020
- Headquarters
- Bengaluru, India
- Ownership
- Dukaan Technologies (private — backed by Lightspeed, Matrix Partners, others)
- Scale
- ~3M+ sellers (many small / testing)
- Known for
- The default WhatsApp-commerce platform for Indian SMBs
Pros & cons
The honest breakdown.
What's great
- Built for Indian SMBs — UPI, COD, regional languages all native
- WhatsApp-first order flow — how most Indian consumers actually buy
- Free to start — no upfront cost
- Mobile-first admin (manage from your phone)
- Fastest setup experience we've seen in India (under an hour)
What to watch for
- Weaker for international selling outside India
- Limited customization — template-bound
- Smaller app ecosystem than Shopify
- Some features require the higher-tier plans
For Indian small businesses, Dukaan is a no-brainer starting point. UPI, COD, WhatsApp, regional languages — everything is native, not bolted on. For international sellers, pick Shopify. For Indian kirana, D2C side hustles, and local retail, Dukaan is genuinely the right tool.
Ideal for
Indian kirana stores going online, local retailers, home-based entrepreneurs, WhatsApp-driven sellers, tier-2/tier-3 city businesses.
Skip it if
You're selling internationally — Dukaan's strengths are India-specific. Shopify scales globally better.
Pricing plans
What each plan gives you (and what it costs).
Free
$0
Transaction fee: Payment processor fees
Best for
First-time sellers, kirana stores going online
- Unlimited products
- Dukaan subdomain
- UPI + COD native
- WhatsApp order flow
- Hindi + regional language support
Pro
₹1,749/mo (~$21)
Transaction fee: Payment processor fees
Best for
Growing Indian sellers, multi-category shops
- Custom domain
- Remove Dukaan branding
- Abandoned cart notifications (WhatsApp)
- Discount campaigns
- Advanced reports
Enterprise
Custom
Transaction fee: Processor fees
Best for
Larger Indian retailers + D2C brands
- Dedicated account manager
- Custom integrations
- Priority support
- Bulk operations
💰 Costs the pricing page doesn't show
Budget for these on top of the subscription. They're normal — just not advertised.
Payment processing (Indian gateways)
2% – 3% per transaction
Razorpay, Cashfree, PayU — standard Indian rates
Custom domain
₹500 – ₹1,000/year
GoDaddy or similar — not bundled
WhatsApp Business API (if you need automation)
₹0.25 – ₹0.88 per message
Meta's WABA pricing; Dukaan basic plans use free WhatsApp flows
Real-world cost
What Dukaan actually costs at your scale.
Subscription is just the floor. Here's realistic monthly total including apps, payment fees, and day-to-day tools — based on real stores we've built and maintained.
Revenue
₹0 – ₹50k/mo (~$600)
₹0 – ₹500/mo
Free plan + domain only
Revenue
₹50k – ₹5L/mo (~$600 – $6k)
₹2,000 – ₹5,000/mo
Pro plan + custom domain + WhatsApp Business API
Revenue
₹5L+ /mo ($6k+)
Enterprise tier — custom
Dukaan Enterprise OR migrate to Shopify if going international
Features
What's built-in, what's paid, what's missing.
Mobile-first admin (manage from phone)
Signature Indian-SMB feature
50+ templates
Custom CSS
Limited
Hindi + 10+ regional languages
Unlimited products
Product variants
Digital products
Inventory tracking
Bulk upload (CSV/Excel)
UPI native
Core Indian feature
COD (cash on delivery)
Crucial for tier-2/3 cities
Razorpay / Cashfree / PayU integrated
WhatsApp order confirmation
Guest checkout
Shiprocket integration
Default Indian logistics provider
Delhivery + DTDC + Xpressbees
Real-time shipping rates
Self-ship option
WhatsApp marketing automation
Strongest in class for India
Discount codes + coupons
SEO basics
Instagram + Facebook Shop
Email marketing
Built-in sales dashboard
Google Analytics integration
WhatsApp-specific metrics
Multi-currency
India-first; no real multi-currency
International shipping
Limited — via Shiprocket extensions
GST compliance
Native Indian tax support
API access
Pro+ plans
Webhooks
Custom app / extension marketplace
Thin ecosystem compared to Shopify
Global readiness
Can you actually sell globally on Dukaan?
Multi-currency, multi-language, local payment methods, regional tax compliance — the four pillars of international commerce. Here's where Dukaan lands on each.
Countries
India-first · international shipping via Shiprocket extensions
Currencies
INR native · no real multi-currency
Languages
Hindi + 10+ regional Indian languages (Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Gujarati, etc.)
Tax compliance
GST compliant · TCS + TDS handled · invoice generation native
Local payment methods supported
Strongest in
Weak in
How it compares
Dukaan vs the main alternatives.
The head-to-head that actually matters — what each platform wins on, based on 19 years of delivering both.
For Indian sellers under ₹1 crore/year, Dukaan is usually the right answer — UPI + COD + WhatsApp are native. For global ambitions, Shopify.
Dukaan wins on
- UPI + COD native (crucial for India)
- WhatsApp-first order flow
- Hindi + regional language support
- Mobile-first admin (manage from phone)
- Cheaper for Indian revenue levels
Shopify wins on
- Global reach (195+ countries)
- Much bigger app + theme ecosystem
- Better for brand-forward DTC stores
- Scales past ₹1 crore/year gracefully
- International payments depth
Both target small sellers. Ecwid is global-first + embed-friendly; Dukaan is India-first + standalone.
Dukaan wins on
- Native Indian payments + COD
- WhatsApp commerce flow
- Regional language UI
- Faster setup for Indian sellers
Ecwid by Lightspeed wins on
- Works globally (not India-specific)
- Embed into existing websites
- Larger app marketplace
- Better for multi-channel (Amazon, eBay)
Both lean into WhatsApp-driven commerce. Dukaan has real ecommerce features; SpreadSimple is catalog-only.
Dukaan wins on
- Real cart + checkout + UPI
- Inventory + order management
- Abandoned cart recovery
- Indian tax + compliance
SpreadSimple wins on
- Google Sheet workflow is magical
- Cheaper at entry
- Global-capable
Migration
Moving in, and moving out.
What it actually takes to get onto Dukaan — and how painful it is if you outgrow it later. No vendor lock-in surprises.
Moving to Dukaan
Here's what it typically takes to migrate from common starting points.
Typical time
1-3 weeks
Typical cost
₹5,000 – ₹30,000
Usually driven by Indian sellers wanting better UPI + WhatsApp flows. Products via CSV. Apps need Dukaan equivalents (ecosystem thinner).
Typical time
3-7 days
Typical cost
₹2,000 – ₹10,000
Simple CSV migration. Most common move for Indian SMB sellers wanting native UPI + regional language support.
Leaving Dukaan later
How hard is it if this isn't the right platform for you in 2-3 years? (Honest vendor lock-in reality.)
Products, orders, customers all export via CSV + API (Pro plan). Theme is Dukaan-specific — full rebuild on the new platform. If you outgrow Dukaan (usually because you're going international), migration to Shopify is the typical path and takes 2-4 weeks.
Social proof
Brands that run on Dukaan.
BoldCare
Men's health D2C (India)
Mid-marketLocal kirana stores going digital
General retail
SMBHome-based cloud kitchens
F&B
SMBSmall D2C beauty + apparel brands
Fashion + beauty
SMBFAQ
People ask us this a lot.
Is Dukaan really free?+
The free plan gets you a basic store, unlimited products, UPI + COD. You'll hit limits on custom domain, WhatsApp automation, and advanced analytics. Paid plans start at ₹1,749/month (~$21). Still cheaper than Shopify.
Dukaan vs Shopify for India?+
Dukaan wins on localization — UPI, COD, Hindi/regional languages, WhatsApp flows are native. Shopify wins on polish, global reach, and app ecosystem. For a purely Indian business under ₹1 crore/year, Dukaan often makes more sense.
Does Dukaan support international selling?+
It works, but it's not where Dukaan shines. No native multi-currency, thin global payment support. If 50%+ of your buyers are outside India, pick Shopify or Ecwid.
Still unsure if Dukaan is right for you?
Book a 30-minute call. I'll tell you honestly — even if the answer is "pick something else."
Book a call · $29