Storzu and Shop2Host are aimed at the same person: an Indian small business owner who wants a real online store for free, takes orders on WhatsApp, and does not want a platform skimming every sale. On the basics they are genuinely close. The honest way to choose is to look past the free plan and ask how much of your business the tool actually runs.
What do Storzu and Shop2Host have in common?
Both give you a free-forever plan with no card and no expiry, a free subdomain to launch on, WhatsApp order alerts, direct UPI and cash on delivery, GST-compliant invoices, and — importantly — no per-order commission. Both let you add a custom domain and online card payments once you move to a paid plan. If all you need is a tidy product catalog that takes COD and UPI orders over WhatsApp, either one will do the job, and you should not overthink it.
Storzu vs Shop2Host, feature by feature
| Feature | Storzu | Shop2Host |
|---|---|---|
| Free-forever plan | Yes — no card, no expiry | Yes — no card, no expiry |
| Free-plan allowance | 10 listings, 100 orders a month | Starter catalog — check current pricing |
| Commission per order | 0% on every plan | 0% |
| WhatsApp order alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Direct UPI and cash on delivery | Yes, on the free plan | Yes, on the free plan |
| GST invoices | Yes | Yes |
| Custom domain and online card payments | Paid plan | Paid plan |
| Courier shipping | Built in through your own Shiprocket account — live rates at checkout, one-tap AWB, label and pickup, automatic tracking | Built in |
| Same-day delivery riders | Borzo and Shiprocket Quick, with a live tracking link for the customer | Check current features |
| Facebook, Instagram and Google selling | Catalog sync, Meta Pixel and Conversions API, ads with AI-written copy, Instagram Shop, free Google listings and Google Ads | Check current features |
| Offers, loyalty and reviews | Buy X Get Y and other automatic offers, loyalty points, refer-a-friend, verified reviews | Check current features |
| Services and quotations | Built in | Not its focus |
| Appointment booking | Built in, with double-booking prevention | Not its focus |
| Restaurant menus, rentals and stays | Built in | Not its focus |
| AI catalog and product photos | Built in, plus try-on for fashion | Check current features |
| Storefront languages | English + 8 Indian languages | Check current features |
Free-plan caps, paid prices and feature lists move on both sides, so the rows above that say “check current” are the ones to confirm on the day you decide rather than take from a page written by one of the two.
What does each free plan include?
Storzu's free tier is free forever, not a trial window: Storzu's Free forever plan is ₹0 — list up to 10 products or services, take 100 orders per month with COD or direct UPI, and pay no per-order commission. There is no expiry and no commission on the free plan or the paid ones. Shop2Host similarly offers a free-forever plan with a subdomain, a starter catalog, COD and Razorpay/UPI. Free-plan caps and paid prices change on both sides, so check each provider's live pricing page for the current numbers before deciding — the Storzu pricing page always shows the current caps.
Where do they actually differ?
Shop2Host is a focused ecommerce builder — a product catalog with checkout and built-in shipping, done simply. That focus is a genuine strength if you sell physical goods and want shipping handled inside the product.
Storzu is a business platform that happens to include a product store. Choose your business type and it builds the matching storefront and workflow: services and quotations, appointment and consultation booking with double-booking prevention, restaurant menus with dine-in, takeaway and delivery, property enquiries, and stay bookings — all from one dashboard, alongside orders, inventory, returns, GST invoices and staff accounts. A product-only store cannot cover a salon's calendar or a restaurant's menu the way a purpose-built workflow does. If your business is more than a catalog, this is the deciding factor.
How does shipping compare?
Shipping is no longer the dividing line. Storzu connects your own Shiprocket account: checkout checks the buyer's PIN code, prices the cheapest serviceable courier and confirms whether COD is available there; one tap on an order creates the shipment, AWB, label and pickup request; and tracking updates arrive on their own, moving the order to Shipped at the first courier scan. Product pages show an estimated delivery date and charge. For nearby buyers you can switch on same-day riders through Borzo or Shiprocket Quick, or let Storzu use riders close by and couriers further out. Courier and rider charges come from your own Shiprocket or Borzo account and COD remittance goes from Shiprocket to you — Storzu never touches shipping money. See Shiprocket on your online store and same-day delivery for online stores.
Does either build the catalog for you?
Storzu builds your catalog from product photos using AI, includes an AI product-photo studio and, for fashion, AI virtual try-on — so getting a listing live is faster than typing every field by hand. Storefronts also render in English plus 8 Indian languages, which matters when your customers do not shop in English. See building a store in Indian languages and AI product photography.
Who keeps the margin on each sale?
On both platforms the free tier settles through direct UPI and COD. On Storzu's paid plans, online payments run through your own gateway — Razorpay one-click, or your Stripe, PayPal or Cashfree account — so money lands directly in your account and Storzu takes no cut. See accepting UPI payments with no commission. Whichever you pick, read how each charges for payments and shipping, since cost can attach through those rails rather than a headline “commission” line.
Which one should you choose?
- Pick Shop2Host if you sell physical products, want a simple product-only shop, and like its built-in shipping workflow.
- Pick Storzu if you want the same free-forever, WhatsApp-first, 0%-commission store but also need bookings, menus, services, rentals, same-day riders, Facebook, Instagram and Google ads, or AI catalog tools — a site that runs the whole business, not just a product list.
See the full guide to free store builders in India, compare plans on the pricing page, or start free on Storzu →