TL;DR
For an India-first store, Razorpay is usually the default because it supports UPI and local methods natively, which drives INR conversion. Stripe fits global, card-led businesses; Shopify Payments is lowest-friction if you are on Shopify and it is available in your region. A headless storefront can route gateways per region so you do not have to choose only one.
For an Indian store, checkout choice comes down to one question first: where are your customers? If most pay in INR with UPI, Razorpay is usually the right default. If you sell mostly internationally, Stripe or Shopify Payments fit better. Here is how they compare.
Quick comparison
| Razorpay | Stripe | Shopify Payments | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | India / INR | Global / cards | Shopify-native stores |
| UPI | Yes, first-class | Limited | Via providers, varies |
| India availability | Built for India | Available, card-led | Region-dependent |
| Setup | Standalone integration | Standalone integration | Native, lowest friction |
Razorpay — the India default
Razorpay supports UPI, cards, netbanking, and wallets natively, which matches how most Indian shoppers actually pay. UPI in particular drives conversion for INR checkouts — leaving it out costs you completed orders. For a store whose revenue is mostly domestic, Razorpay is the sensible default.
Stripe — when you sell globally
Stripe shines for international, card-led businesses: strong developer tooling, broad currency support, subscriptions, and a clean API. If a large share of your revenue is overseas, Stripe (often alongside Razorpay for India) is a strong pairing.
Shopify Payments — lowest friction on Shopify
If you are on Shopify and it is available in your region, Shopify Payments is the least work: it is native, so there is no separate gateway to wire up, and it avoids Shopify's third-party transaction fee. The trade-off is less control and regional limits on methods like UPI.
You do not have to pick just one
A well-built (especially headless) storefront can switch gateways per region — Razorpay for India, Stripe or Shopify Payments for international — so each customer sees the payment methods they expect. That is usually the highest-converting setup for a brand selling in both markets.
The short version
Domestic and INR-heavy: start with Razorpay for UPI. Global and card-led: Stripe. All-in on Shopify with no UPI need: Shopify Payments. Selling in both? Route by region.
Published 19 May 2026 · the tilde team
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