Pasalos vs Shopify for businesses in Nepal
Compare pricing in NPR and USD, eSewa and Khalti support, COD workflows, themes, apps, and international selling.
The Pasalos Team
July 13, 2026 · Updated August 3, 2026 · 3 min read
Shopify serves merchants in many countries. Pasalos is built for stores selling to customers in Nepal. This comparison focuses on that local use case; an export business has different payment and shipping needs.
Which one fits?
Shopify Payments is not available to businesses in Nepal as of July 2026. A Nepali Shopify store therefore needs another way to collect payment. Pasalos includes local wallets, bank payment options, and cash on delivery in its checkout, but it has far fewer themes and third-party apps than Shopify.
Pricing: NPR vs USD
- Pasalos plans are priced in Nepali rupees, starting at रु 1,499/month; see current pricing. What you see is what your bank statement shows.
- Shopify is priced in US dollars; its published Basic plan is around US$29/month on annual billing (more if billed monthly) as of July 2026; verify at shopify.com/pricing. At mid-2026 exchange rates that is roughly रु 4,000/month before any paid apps, and the dollar amount moves with the exchange rate. Paying it also requires a dollar-capable card, which is its own hurdle for many Nepali businesses.
Neither platform's subscription is your biggest cost (inventory and delivery are the largest expenses), but a USD subscription plus paid apps adds up fast for a shop earning in rupees.
Payments for customers in Nepal
This is usually where the decision gets made.
- Shopify has no built-in eSewa, Khalti, Fonepay, or connectIPS checkout. Shopify Payments doesn't operate in Nepal, so merchants typically fall back on manual methods (bank transfer details in the order notes, wallet screenshots in DMs) or third-party integrations of varying quality and cost. Cash on delivery exists as a basic toggle, without Nepal-style confirmation workflows.
- Pasalos ships with eSewa, Khalti, Fonepay QR, connectIPS, and COD as native checkout options, with COD confirmation flows designed for how deliveries actually work here.
If wallet payments and COD make up most of your orders, test this part of each checkout before choosing the platform.
Where Shopify has more to offer
Shopify has several advantages:
- Themes: Shopify's theme store has hundreds of polished, battle-tested designs. Pasalos offers a standard storefront theme, which means far fewer choices.
- Apps: Shopify's app ecosystem (thousands of apps) can bolt almost any feature onto your store. Pasalos has an API and custom apps, but nothing near that ecosystem.
- Maturity and community: Shopify has two decades of tutorials, hired-gun developers, and community answers for every problem. Pasalos support is direct but the community is young.
- International selling: Shopify is designed for cards, PayPal, multi-currency storefronts, and global shipping integrations.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Pasalos | Shopify |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing in NPR | ✓ | No |
| Native eSewa / Khalti / Fonepay / connectIPS checkout | ✓ | No |
| COD with Nepal-style confirmation workflow | ✓ | Partial |
| Delivery zones tuned for Valley + 7 provinces | ✓ | Partial |
| Support from Kathmandu, in Nepali or English | ✓ | No |
| Theme selection | Partial | ✓ |
| Third-party app ecosystem | Partial | ✓ |
| International multi-currency selling | No | ✓ |
| POS for your shop counter | Coming soon | ✓ |
| Free trial without a credit card | ✓ | Partial |
Facts about Shopify checked July 2026 against shopify.com public pages; tell us if something has changed.
Migrating an existing Shopify store
If you are already on Shopify and it works for your international customers, card payments, and established theme, there may be no reason to move. Moving can make sense when Nepali customers regularly abandon checkout because the available options are a bank-transfer note or payment through DM. Compare migration costs with the number of orders affected.
Who should choose each platform?
Choose Shopify when international payments, theme choice, and its app catalog matter more than local checkout. Choose Pasalos when the store sells mainly inside Nepal and needs wallet payments, COD workflows, NPR billing, and local delivery zones. New to online selling? Start with our guide to starting an online business in Nepal.