Quick Answer
HOD Media and Dukaan are both India-first store builders with COD, UPI and GST — the difference is depth. HOD Media is a fuller storefront-and-operations platform: built-in multi-courier shipping, combo/BXGY discounts, B2B (hide-price) mode, GST invoices, and your own payment gateway keys so it takes no cut of your sales. Dukaan shines at getting a quick, mobile-first, WhatsApp-led store live. Pick HOD Media for a complete store + ops stack; pick Dukaan for the fastest simple mobile store.
What both do well
Both are made for India, so you get the essentials without fighting the platform: Cash on Delivery, UPI, rupee pricing, GST-style invoices and a mobile-friendly storefront. Both suit sellers moving off Instagram DMs and WhatsApp into a real store. If you only need a basic catalogue with COD, either will get you online quickly.
Where HOD Media goes further
- Built-in shipping — connect couriers, get live rates, print labels and track, with multi-courier support and weight-based rates. No separate aggregator juggling required.
- Your own payment keys — plug in Razorpay; money settles directly to you and the platform takes no per-sale cut. COD included.
- Smarter offers — percentage, flat, free-shipping, automatic discounts, and combo/“Buy 3 for ₹X” bundles.
- B2B / wholesale mode — hide prices from the public and show them only to approved customers, so you can run retail and wholesale from one store.
- GST invoices + ops — automatic GST-style invoices, manual/counter orders, and COD partial-advance to cut RTO.
- Custom domain + brand — your own domain, logo and theme; the store is yours.
Where Dukaan is a good fit
Dukaan is genuinely good at the “get a clean store live on my phone in minutes” job, with a strong focus on mobile setup and WhatsApp ordering. If your entire model is WhatsApp-first and you want the simplest possible catalogue, it does that job well.
HOD Media vs Dukaan — side by side
| Feature | HOD Media | Dukaan |
|---|---|---|
| Built for India (COD, UPI, GST) | Yes | Yes |
| Own payment gateway keys (no cut on sales) | Yes | Plan-based |
| Built-in multi-courier shipping | Yes (live rates + labels) | Via integrations |
| Combo / BXGY / auto discounts | Yes | Basic |
| B2B / hide-price mode | Yes | No |
| COD partial advance (RTO control) | Yes | No |
| Custom domain + branding | Yes | Yes |
| WhatsApp order updates | Yes | Yes |
Features evolve — confirm current capabilities on each provider's site before deciding.
Which should you choose?
- Choose HOD Media if you want a complete storefront with built-in shipping, richer discounts, B2B mode, GST invoices and your own gateway — a store you can grow on.
- Choose Dukaan if you want the quickest, simplest mobile/WhatsApp store and don't need the deeper ops.
If you're weighing a Dukaan alternative that grows with you, HOD Media gives you the full India-ready store, shipping and payments in one place.
Is HOD Media better than Dukaan?
Both are India-first store builders with COD, UPI and GST support. HOD Media leans toward sellers who want a full storefront with built-in multi-courier shipping, discounts/combos, B2B (hide-price) mode and their own payment gateway keys so the platform takes no cut of sales. Dukaan is strong for quick, mobile-first and WhatsApp-led store setup. The better choice depends on whether you want a complete storefront and ops stack (HOD Media) or the fastest possible mobile store (Dukaan).
What is the main difference between HOD Media and Dukaan?
The biggest differences are depth of the storefront and ops. HOD Media includes built-in multi-courier shipping with live rates and labels, GST invoices, combo/BXGY discounts, a B2B catalogue mode that hides prices until a customer is approved, and your own gateway keys (money settles directly to you). Dukaan focuses on getting a clean mobile store and WhatsApp ordering live quickly.
Do both HOD Media and Dukaan charge a fee per order?
HOD Media lets you connect your own Razorpay keys, so payments settle straight to your account and the platform doesn't take a cut of each sale — you pay a plan price. Most store builders including Dukaan are plan-based; always check the current plan you're on for any per-transaction charges.
Can I use my own domain and payment gateway on HOD Media?
Yes. HOD Media supports connecting your own custom domain and plugging in your own payment gateway credentials (Razorpay and others), plus COD. This keeps your brand and your money under your control.
Is HOD Media good for WhatsApp selling like Dukaan?
Yes — HOD Media sends WhatsApp order and shipping updates and works well for WhatsApp/Instagram-led selling, while also giving you a full storefront with checkout, shipping and GST invoices. If WhatsApp is your only channel, either works; if you want a proper store behind WhatsApp, HOD Media's storefront is deeper.