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E-Commerce · head to head

Razorpay vs Saleor

Razorpay logo

Razorpay

E-Commerce

Indian payment gateway for domestic and international card, UPI and wallet acceptance

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Saleor logo

Saleor

E-Commerce

Open-source, headless e-commerce platform with a GraphQL API

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Saleor has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Razorpay it requires an Indian legal entity and settles only to Indian bank accounts, so it is not an option for a business incorporated elsewhere no matter how many Indian customers it has.; Saleor saleor requires development resources to build a storefront, since it ships as an API-only backend without a front-end store out of the box.
  • They diverge on capability: Razorpay covers Domestic payment methods, Saleor covers GraphQL API.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Razorpay and Saleor actually diverge.

Attributes where Razorpay and Saleor differ
AttributeRazorpaySaleor
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modeltransactionopen-source
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebweb, api
FoundedUnknown2019

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (E-Commerce).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Razorpay

  • Domestic payment methods
  • International cards
  • Payment links and pages
  • Route
  • RazorpayX
  • Subscriptions
  • Smart Collect
  • Dashboard and reporting

Only in Saleor

  • GraphQL API
  • Admin dashboard
  • Webhooks and apps
  • Omnichannel order processing
  • Configurator CLI
  • OpenTelemetry tracing
  • OpenID Connect support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Razorpay

  • An Indian D2C brand needing UPI acceptance alongside cards in a single checkoutnot Saleor
  • An Indian SaaS business billing domestic customers on recurring mandatesnot Saleor
  • A marketplace that must split each payment between the platform and its sellersnot Saleor
  • A business that needs to take payment without building a website, using links and pagesnot Saleor

Saleor

  • Custom headless storefrontsnot Razorpay
  • Composable commerce architecturesnot Razorpay
  • Omnichannel retail and B2B commercenot Razorpay
  • Developer-built e-commerce requiring deep API accessnot Razorpay

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Razorpay

  • It requires an Indian legal entity and settles only to Indian bank accounts, so it is not an option for a business incorporated elsewhere no matter how many Indian customers it has.
  • The transaction percentage applies to the full order value including shipping and tax rather than to the product price, so low margin categories with heavy shipping give up more of their margin than the quoted rate suggests.
  • Payment aggregator authorisation sits with the Reserve Bank of India and has been withheld from aggregators before while applications were reviewed, so a dependency exists that no commercial contract term protects you from.
  • Default settlement runs on a delayed cycle with faster settlement sold as a paid add-on, so a business that buys stock from its takings either waits for cash or pays extra for it, and that cost belongs in the effective rate.
  • International card acceptance is priced higher and requires separate approval rather than being a configuration change, so cross-border revenue takes longer to switch on and earns less per order than a domestic sale.

Saleor

  • Saleor requires development resources to build a storefront, since it ships as an API-only backend without a front-end store out of the box.
  • Self-hosting requires managing infrastructure, scaling, and updates, which adds operational overhead compared to fully managed platforms.
  • Saleor Cloud's paid tiers start at $1,599/month, making the managed offering costly for small merchants compared to typical SaaS store builders.
  • The GraphQL-first, code-driven approach has a steeper learning curve for non-technical users than drag-and-drop e-commerce builders.

Pricing, plan by plan

Razorpay

On request
  • Domestic Payments$undefined/mo
    • 2% platform fee per successful transaction across all payment instruments
    • GST: 18% applies on the platform fee
    • No setup fees, annual maintenance charges, or refund fees
  • Corporate Cards$undefined/mo
    • 2.15% platform fee per transaction
  • International Payments - Cards$undefined/mo
    • Up to 3% per successful transaction
  • International Payments - Bank Transfers$undefined/mo
    • 1% per transaction with zero forex markup

Saleor

Free
  • Sandboxes (Cloud)Free
    • Free forever tier for prototyping and development
  • Select (Cloud)$1599/month
    • Up to $200,000 GMV monthly
    • 0.8% fee on orders exceeding GMV limit
    • Dedicated Slack channel
  • Volume (Cloud)$3999/month
    • Up to $1,000,000 GMV monthly
    • 0.4% fee on orders exceeding GMV limit
    • Dedicated Slack channel
  • Enterprise (Cloud)$undefined/mo
    • Custom GMV limits
    • Fees negotiable as low as 0.2%
    • Project delivery lead

Which should you pick?

Choose Razorpay if

  • You need domestic payment methods.
  • You also want international cards.
Razorpay review

Choose Saleor if

  • You need graphql api.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on web, api.
  • You also want admin dashboard.
Saleor review

Questions people ask

Is Razorpay or Saleor better?
Neither clearly leads. Razorpay starts at On request and Saleor at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Razorpay or Saleor?
Saleor has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Razorpay and Free for Saleor.
Does Razorpay or Saleor run on more platforms?
Razorpay runs on Web. Saleor runs on web, api.
Can I use Saleor for free?
Yes. Saleor has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Razorpay starts at On request.
What is Razorpay best used for?
Razorpay is most often used for an indian d2c brand needing upi acceptance alongside cards in a single checkout, an indian saas business billing domestic customers on recurring mandates, a marketplace that must split each payment between the platform and its sellers, a business that needs to take payment without building a website, using links and pages. Of those, an indian d2c brand needing upi acceptance alongside cards in a single checkout and an indian saas business billing domestic customers on recurring mandates are not what Saleor is typically brought in for.
What can Razorpay do that Saleor cannot?
Razorpay covers Domestic payment methods, International cards, Payment links and pages, Route. Saleor covers GraphQL API, Admin dashboard, Webhooks and apps, Omnichannel order processing.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Razorpay: Can I use Razorpay if my company is not in India?

No. It requires an Indian entity and an Indian bank account for settlement. Overseas businesses selling into India need a different arrangement.

Saleor: Is Saleor free to use?

Yes. Saleor is open source under the BSD-3-Clause license and can be self-hosted for free. Saleor Cloud also offers a free Sandboxes tier for prototyping and development.

Source
Razorpay: What is the real effective rate?

The domestic percentage on the full order value including shipping and tax, plus higher international rates, plus any charge for faster settlement and dispute handling. Compute it from a month of settlement reports, not the pricing page.

Saleor: How much does Saleor Cloud cost?

Saleor Cloud paid plans start at $1,599/month for the Select plan (up to $200,000 monthly GMV), with Volume at $3,999/month and custom Enterprise pricing for larger merchants.

Source
Razorpay: How quickly do I get paid?

On a delayed settlement cycle by default, with faster settlement available as a paid feature. Plan working capital around the default, not the add-on.

Saleor: Does Saleor provide a storefront out of the box?

No. Saleor is an API-only, headless commerce backend built on GraphQL; storefronts must be built separately using the API and are not bundled with the platform.

Source
Razorpay: What is the main structural risk?

Regulatory. Indian payment aggregators operate under RBI authorisation and have previously been barred from onboarding new merchants. Keep a second processor integrated if payments are business-critical.

Razorpay: Does it support recurring billing?

Yes, built on India's mandate and e-mandate framework, which has its own rules on authentication and notification that differ from card-on-file recurring elsewhere.

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