Which is cheaper, CartFlow or Shopify in Pakistan?

CartFlow costs PKR 1,500/month flat. Shopify Basic costs $29/month (~PKR 8,100) plus a 2% transaction fee on every sale. For a store doing PKR 100,000/month in sales, Shopify costs roughly PKR 10,100/month vs CartFlow at PKR 1,500/month — a 6.7x difference.

Does Shopify support Cash on Delivery in Pakistan?

Shopify supports COD as a manual payment method, but it is not optimized for Pakistani checkout flows. CartFlow is built COD-first with a single-step checkout designed for Pakistani customers.

Can I accept WhatsApp orders on Shopify?

Not natively. Shopify requires a third-party app for WhatsApp ordering. CartFlow includes WhatsApp ordering on every product page out of the box with no extra app required.

How long does it take to launch a store on each platform?

CartFlow stores go live in roughly 10 minutes. Shopify typically takes 1 to 2 hours for full setup including theme selection, payment configuration, and shipping zones.

The honest comparison · Updated June 2026

CartFlow vs Shopify: which is right for a Pakistani merchant?

Shopify is the most famous ecommerce platform in the world. We built CartFlow specifically because Shopify doesn't fit Pakistani and UAE merchants well. Here's the unfiltered truth about which platform makes sense for your business.

TL;DR: If your customers pay by credit card and your business operates internationally, use Shopify. If your customers pay Cash on Delivery, message you on WhatsApp, and your revenue is in PKR or AED — CartFlow saves you ~80% per month and works the way Pakistani buyers actually shop.

Side-by-side comparison

	CartFlow	Shopify Basic
Monthly cost	PKR 1,500	$29 (≈ PKR 8,100)
Transaction fees	0%	2.0%
Cash on Delivery	✓ Built-in, optimized	Manual workaround
WhatsApp ordering	✓ Native on every product	Third-party app
PKR / AED currency	✓ Native	✓ Supported
Free trial length	14 days	3 days
Setup time	~10 minutes	1-2 hours
Customer support	WhatsApp (PK timezone)	Email/chat (US/UK timezone)
Local payment methods	JazzCash, EasyPaisa, COD	Card-only by default
Custom domain	+PKR 500/mo	Included
App ecosystem	Minimal (intentionally)	8,000+ apps
International payments	Limited (Stripe for UAE/USD)	100+ gateways

The real monthly cost (with math)

Most merchants miss the transaction fee math. Here's what you actually pay on each platform for a real store:

Small store · PKR 50,000/month sales

CartFlow flat feePKR 1,500

Transaction feesPKR 0

CartFlow totalPKR 1,500

Shopify BasicPKR 8,100

2% transaction (50k × 2%)PKR 1,000

Shopify totalPKR 9,100

CartFlow saves PKR 7,600/mo

Growing store · PKR 300,000/month sales

CartFlow flat feePKR 1,500

Transaction feesPKR 0

CartFlow totalPKR 1,500

Shopify BasicPKR 8,100

2% transaction (300k × 2%)PKR 6,000

Shopify totalPKR 14,100

CartFlow saves PKR 12,600/mo

At PKR 300,000/month in sales, you save enough to pay your delivery boy's salary for the month. Every month.

When you should use Shopify, not CartFlow

We're not going to pretend Shopify is bad — it's the best in the world at what it does. Use Shopify if:

→ Your customers pay primarily by credit card (international customers, premium B2B)
→ You need 50+ integrations with apps like Klaviyo, ReCharge, advanced inventory systems
→ You're selling on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok shops simultaneously and need unified inventory
→ Your monthly revenue is below PKR 30,000 AND you need international payment gateways (we don't cover this case well yet)
→ You have a developer on staff who needs to deeply customize the storefront with Liquid templates

When CartFlow is the obvious choice

→ 80%+ of your orders are Cash on Delivery
→ Your customers DM you on Instagram and you reply on WhatsApp to take orders
→ You're a boutique, home-based seller, or SME doing PKR 50K-500K/month
→ You want to launch this week, not next month
→ You hate paying transaction fees on every sale
→ You want support in your timezone, in plain language, on WhatsApp

Frequently asked questions

Which is cheaper for Pakistani merchants? +

CartFlow costs PKR 1,500/month flat. Shopify Basic is $29 (≈ PKR 8,100) plus a 2% transaction fee. For most Pakistani stores, CartFlow ends up being 5-10x cheaper because the transaction fees on Shopify quickly outweigh the monthly subscription.

Can I migrate from Shopify to CartFlow? +

Yes. Export your products from Shopify as CSV and we will help you import them into CartFlow. WhatsApp our support if you have an existing store and want migration help — it usually takes a few hours.

Does CartFlow support credit card payments? +

Yes, via Stripe integration for AED and USD merchants (mostly used by UAE-based stores). For Pakistani stores, the primary payment methods are Cash on Delivery, JazzCash, EasyPaisa, and bank transfer — which is how 80%+ of Pakistani online sales actually happen.

Is CartFlow safe and secure? +

Yes. All passwords are bcrypt-hashed, all forms are CSRF-protected, all database queries use prepared statements, and HTTPS is enforced. The platform is built on Hostinger Cloud with daily backups.

What about Daraz or other marketplaces? +

Marketplaces like Daraz are different — you sell on their platform and they own the customer. CartFlow gives you your own store, your own customer relationships, and zero commission on sales. Many merchants use both: Daraz for discovery, their CartFlow store for repeat customers and direct sales.

Can I have my own domain like mystore.com? +

Yes. Custom domains are a +PKR 500/month upgrade. You point your domain at our server and your storefront serves under your own brand.

Try CartFlow free for 14 days

No credit card required. Full access. Cancel any time. If you launch your store on CartFlow and don't love it, we'll personally help you migrate to Shopify — no hard feelings.

Start Free Trial → See a live store