A tailor in Coimbatore selling embroidered kurtis over WhatsApp does not want to type out a UPI ID for every customer or wait for a blurry payment screenshot as proof before packing the order. A payment link fixes that in one message: the customer taps it, pays with any card, UPI app, wallet, or netbanking, and the order status updates on its own, no “did you pay?” follow-up needed.
This guide covers how Razorpay Payment Links actually works for a WhatsApp seller in India, what it really costs once GST is added on top of the headline fee, and how it stacks up against Instamojo and Cashfree if you want to compare before committing. It is written for sellers who are already taking orders over chat and want a proper payment trail instead of a folder of screenshots.
Quick Verdict
Razorpay Payment Links is the strongest all-around pick for a WhatsApp seller in India. It charges 2% plus GST per transaction, supports 180+ payment methods, and a link can be pasted into any chat in under 10 seconds. Get started with Razorpay. If you process under roughly ₹10,000 a month in WhatsApp sales, skip the fee entirely and use a personal UPI QR code instead until volume justifies paying for automation.
This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Payment Link Options for WhatsApp Sellers Compared
| Tool | Best For | Fee Per Transaction | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal UPI QR Code | Very low volume, occasional sales | ₹0 (no dashboard or automatic reconciliation) | 3.5/5 |
| Razorpay Payment Links | Most WhatsApp sellers wanting automation | 2% + 18% GST (2.36% effective) | 4.3/5 |
| Instamojo | Very small, occasional one-off sales | 2% + ₹3 + 18% GST | 3.9/5 |
| Cashfree Payment Links | Sellers chasing the lowest headline rate | 1.95% + 18% GST | 4/5 |
Personal UPI QR Code: The Zero-Cost Starting Point
Every UPI app lets you generate a static or dynamic QR code for free, and there is no signup, no KYC, and no percentage cut on what you receive. For a Jaipur seller doing five or six orders a week, this is by far the cheapest option there is, and it will stay free no matter how much your volume grows. The catch is that nothing is automatic. You get a bank notification, not an order record, so you are manually matching payments to orders in a notebook or spreadsheet, and there is no way to send a customer a link that pre-fills the exact amount with an order reference attached. Once you are fielding more than a handful of orders a day, that manual matching starts eating real time.
Razorpay Payment Links: The All-Rounder for WhatsApp Sellers
Razorpay charges a flat 2% platform fee plus 18% GST on domestic cards, UPI, netbanking, and wallets, working out to roughly 2.36% effective, with EMI, Amex, and international cards costing 3%. There is no setup fee and no annual maintenance charge, and links can be generated in bulk through a CSV upload if you are sending dozens at once during a sale. New merchants who complete KYC and activate their account from 1 July 2026 onward get zero platform fees on domestic payments up to ₹5 lakh in cumulative sales or 90 days, whichever comes first, which covers most solo sellers’ first few months entirely. Beyond the basic link, Razorpay also supports partial payments, installments, upfront deposits, and advance bookings on the same link, which matters for a seller taking custom orders, like a made-to-measure kurti, where a customer pays a deposit upfront and the balance closer to delivery. The one friction point: KYC and onboarding for an individual seller without a registered business can take a few days to clear, slower than a personal UPI QR code that needs no signup at all.
Instamojo: Cheapest for Occasional, Very Small Sales
Instamojo charges 2% plus ₹3 plus 18% GST on regular payment links covering cards, netbanking, wallets, UPI, and EMI, working out to about ₹23 plus GST on a ₹1,000 sale. Digital goods carry a higher 5% plus ₹3 fee, and NEFT or RTGS bank transfers are free of charge. There is also an optional convenience-fee setting that passes the transaction cost on to the customer, so the amount you actually receive matches what you set the link for. This makes sense for a seller doing only occasional sales who does not want a full payment gateway relationship, but the flat ₹3 add-on makes it more expensive than Razorpay on smaller ticket sizes.
Cashfree Payment Links: Lowest Headline Rate
Cashfree’s standard domestic rate is 1.95% plus 18% GST, with payment links costing nothing extra beyond that transaction fee. Merchants who sign up on or after 21 July 2026 get 0% fees on their first ₹20 lakh in sales through 31 March 2027, though the offer excludes Amex, Diners, corporate cards, EMI, prepaid cards, and Pay Later. The lower headline rate makes Cashfree worth a look if margins are tight, but its brand recognition among Indian customers is lower than Razorpay’s, and a first-time buyer occasionally hesitates on an unfamiliar checkout page.
Who Should Skip This
If you are doing under ₹10,000 a month in WhatsApp sales, skip every paid option here and stick with a personal UPI QR code. The 2 to 2.36% fee on a gateway starts to matter only once your monthly volume is large enough that automatic reconciliation and a proper transaction dashboard save you more time than the fee costs you in money. One more thing worth flagging early: once your total business turnover crosses ₹40 lakh a year (or ₹20 lakh for services), GST registration becomes mandatory regardless of which payment tool you use, so keep an eye on your Razorpay or Instamojo dashboard totals as a running check on where you stand against that threshold.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Razorpay Payment Links free to use?
There is no setup fee or annual maintenance charge, but Razorpay takes 2% plus 18% GST on each successful domestic transaction. New merchants activating from 1 July 2026 get zero platform fees up to ₹5 lakh in cumulative sales or 90 days, whichever comes first.
Can I send a Razorpay payment link directly on WhatsApp?
Yes. Once you generate a payment link from the Razorpay dashboard, you can copy and paste it into any WhatsApp chat exactly like a normal message, alongside SMS and email as supported sharing channels.
What is the difference between a payment link and just sharing a UPI QR code?
A UPI QR code is free but purely manual: you get a bank notification, not an order record, and have to match payments to orders yourself. A payment link ties the payment to a specific amount and reference, updates automatically in a dashboard, and works with cards and wallets too, not just UPI.
Which is cheaper for a small WhatsApp seller, Razorpay or Instamojo?
Razorpay is cheaper on most ticket sizes since it charges 2% plus GST with no flat add-on, while Instamojo charges 2% plus ₹3 plus GST. On a ₹300 order, that flat ₹3 makes a noticeably bigger dent in Instamojo’s math than Razorpay’s.
Our Recommendation
Start with a free personal UPI QR code if your WhatsApp sales are still under ₹10,000 a month. Once volume grows past that point, Razorpay Payment Links is the best default: competitive pricing, wide payment method support, and a dashboard that saves real time on reconciliation. Only switch to Cashfree if shaving off that extra 0.4% meaningfully moves the needle at your volume.
This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
