8 Best Payment Gateways of September 2025
A payment gateway allows your business to securely accept payments online. If you already use a POS system or have an e-commerce site, your best option is typically its in-house gateway.
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Payment processing fees
In-person: 0.4% + $0.08
Online: 0.5% + $0.25
Online: 0.5% + $0.25
Plus interchange
Monthly fee
$0
on Helcim's website
Pros
- Businesses save when customers use cards with low interchange rates.
- Offers free POS software.
- Offers volume-based discounts automatically.
- No termination fees, long-term contracts or PCI compliance fees.
Cons
- Deposits are available within two business days; same-day deposit option is not available.
- Interchange-plus costs can be difficult to predict.
Helcim
Best for Interchange-plus pricing
Payment processing fees
In-person: 0.4% + $0.08
Online: 0.5% + $0.25
Online: 0.5% + $0.25
Plus interchange
Monthly fee
$0
on Helcim's website
Pros
- Businesses save when customers use cards with low interchange rates.
- Offers free POS software.
- Offers volume-based discounts automatically.
- No termination fees, long-term contracts or PCI compliance fees.
Cons
- Deposits are available within two business days; same-day deposit option is not available.
- Interchange-plus costs can be difficult to predict.
Best all-in-one payments service
Payment processing fees
In-person: 2.6% + $0.15
Online: 2.9% + $0.30
Online: 2.9% + $0.30
Monthly fee
$0
Starts at $0/month for unlimited devices and locations.
on Square's website
Pros
- Offers a free mobile card reader and free POS software plan.
- Can subscribe to related services, such as payroll, that integrate with its POS system.
- No termination fees or long-term contracts.
- No chargeback or PCI compliance fees.
Cons
- Complex businesses might prefer a processor that integrates with more specialized POS systems.
Best all-in-one payments service
Square
Best for Businesses selling in-person and online
Payment processing fees
In-person: 2.6% + $0.15
Online: 2.9% + $0.30
Online: 2.9% + $0.30
Monthly fee
$0
Starts at $0/month for unlimited devices and locations.
on Square's website
Pros
- Offers a free mobile card reader and free POS software plan.
- Can subscribe to related services, such as payroll, that integrate with its POS system.
- No termination fees or long-term contracts.
- No chargeback or PCI compliance fees.
Cons
- Complex businesses might prefer a processor that integrates with more specialized POS systems.
Payment processing fees
In-person: 2.7% + $0.05
Online: 2.9% + $0.30
Online: 2.9% + $0.30
Monthly fee
$0
on Stripe's website
Pros
- Highly customizable online checkout options.
- No termination fees or long-term contracts.
- 24/7 chat support.
- Can process transactions in more than 135 currencies.
- No PCI compliance fees.
Cons
- Doesn’t sell full countertop POS setups; hardware is limited to handheld terminals and card readers.
- Deposits can take up to two business days.
- No phone or email support.
Stripe
Best for Overall payment gateway
Payment processing fees
In-person: 2.7% + $0.05
Online: 2.9% + $0.30
Online: 2.9% + $0.30
Monthly fee
$0
on Stripe's website
Pros
- Highly customizable online checkout options.
- No termination fees or long-term contracts.
- 24/7 chat support.
- Can process transactions in more than 135 currencies.
- No PCI compliance fees.
Cons
- Doesn’t sell full countertop POS setups; hardware is limited to handheld terminals and card readers.
- Deposits can take up to two business days.
- No phone or email support.
Payment processing fees
In-person: 0% + $0.08
Online: 0% + $0.15
Online: 0% + $0.15
Plus interchange
Monthly fee
$79
and up.
on Finix's website
Pros
- No long-term contracts.
- Subscription model can help high-volume businesses save money.
- Transparent fee breakdowns.
- 24/7 emergency phone and email support.
- No PCI compliance fees.
Cons
- Limited POS hardware options.
- Lacks direct accounting software integrations.
Finix
Best for Subscription pricing
Payment processing fees
In-person: 0% + $0.08
Online: 0% + $0.15
Online: 0% + $0.15
Plus interchange
Monthly fee
$79
and up.
on Finix's website
Pros
- No long-term contracts.
- Subscription model can help high-volume businesses save money.
- Transparent fee breakdowns.
- 24/7 emergency phone and email support.
- No PCI compliance fees.
Cons
- Limited POS hardware options.
- Lacks direct accounting software integrations.
Payment processing fees
In-person: 2.6% + $0.10
Online: 2.9% + $0.30
Online: 2.9% + $0.30
Monthly fee
$39
Basic plan; $105 Shopify plan; $399 Advanced plan.
on Shopify's website
Pros
- Hundreds of e-commerce website templates available.
- Can customize checkout page.
- Higher-tier plans offer less expensive online processing rates (as low as 2.5% plus 30 cents).
- No long-term contracts.
Cons
- E-commerce plan with monthly fee is required to use Shopify Payments.
- Monthly POS subscription costs can be expensive.
Shopify Payments
Best for Website-building tools
Payment processing fees
In-person: 2.6% + $0.10
Online: 2.9% + $0.30
Online: 2.9% + $0.30
Monthly fee
$39
Basic plan; $105 Shopify plan; $399 Advanced plan.
on Shopify's website
Pros
- Hundreds of e-commerce website templates available.
- Can customize checkout page.
- Higher-tier plans offer less expensive online processing rates (as low as 2.5% plus 30 cents).
- No long-term contracts.
Cons
- E-commerce plan with monthly fee is required to use Shopify Payments.
- Monthly POS subscription costs can be expensive.
Payment processing fees
In-person: 2.6% + $0.10
Online: 3.5% + $0.10
Online: 3.5% + $0.10
Monthly fee
$0
and up.
on Clover's website
Pros
- Free POS software plan available if you’re only using a mobile card reader.
- Offers POS software plans tailored to a variety of industries.
- 24/7 phone support.
Cons
- Online payment processing rates are more expensive than competitors.
- Promotions require a three-year contract.
- Charges PCI compliance fees and, in some cases, termination fees.
Clover
Best for Variety of POS hardware
Payment processing fees
In-person: 2.6% + $0.10
Online: 3.5% + $0.10
Online: 3.5% + $0.10
Monthly fee
$0
and up.
on Clover's website
Pros
- Free POS software plan available if you’re only using a mobile card reader.
- Offers POS software plans tailored to a variety of industries.
- 24/7 phone support.
Cons
- Online payment processing rates are more expensive than competitors.
- Promotions require a three-year contract.
- Charges PCI compliance fees and, in some cases, termination fees.
Pros
- You can use Authorize.net with a wide range of merchant account providers.
- Transparent, flat-rate pricing.
- No contracts or early termination fees.
- 24/7 customer support through phone, chat or online form.
Cons
- You’ll pay a $25 monthly fee regardless of usage.
- Authorize.net doesn’t have a robust point-of-sale system for in-person transactions.
- Signing up directly through Authorize.net may be more expensive than going through your merchant services provider.
- Merchant account isn’t directly with Authorize.net.
Authorize.net
Best for More complex payment needs
Payment processing fees
2.9% + $0.30
for All-in-One option.
Monthly fee
$25
Pros
- You can use Authorize.net with a wide range of merchant account providers.
- Transparent, flat-rate pricing.
- No contracts or early termination fees.
- 24/7 customer support through phone, chat or online form.
Cons
- You’ll pay a $25 monthly fee regardless of usage.
- Authorize.net doesn’t have a robust point-of-sale system for in-person transactions.
- Signing up directly through Authorize.net may be more expensive than going through your merchant services provider.
- Merchant account isn’t directly with Authorize.net.
Payment processing fees
2.89% + $0.29
credit & debit cards and digital wallets; 3.49% + 49¢ Venmo (U.S. only).
Monthly fee
$0
Pros
- No contracts or early termination fees.
- No monthly subscription costs or PCI compliance fees.
- Accepts PayPal and Venmo in addition to credit and debit cards.
- Simple checkout page that looks good on web and mobile.
Cons
- Requires web development.
- Not suited for brick and mortar stores.
PayPal Braintree
Best for Accepting PayPal and Venmo
Payment processing fees
2.89% + $0.29
credit & debit cards and digital wallets; 3.49% + 49¢ Venmo (U.S. only).
Monthly fee
$0
Pros
- No contracts or early termination fees.
- No monthly subscription costs or PCI compliance fees.
- Accepts PayPal and Venmo in addition to credit and debit cards.
- Simple checkout page that looks good on web and mobile.
Cons
- Requires web development.
- Not suited for brick and mortar stores.
How do payment gateways work?
To kick off the payment process, a customer either taps, dips or swipes their card using the business’s POS hardware in person or manually enters their card information in an online checkout portal. The payment gateway captures that card data, encrypts it and electronically delivers it to the business’s payment processor. From there, information gets passed between the processor, the issuing and acquiring banks and the card network. Here’s a closer look at the process:
What’s the difference between a payment gateway and payment processor?
Processing transactions involves a handful of parties, including a payment gateway, payment processor, payment networks, the customer’s card-issuing bank and the business’s acquiring bank. Though they’re both involved in the process and often bundled under the same provider, payment gateways and payment processors play different roles.
After a customer taps their credit card to a reader or manually enters their card information online, the payment gateway encrypts and communicates that payment information to the payment processor. From there, the processor verifies that the transaction is legitimate and that there’s enough money in the customer’s bank account to make the purchase. After communicating the approval to the payment gateway, the payment processor then facilitates the transfer of funds from the customer’s issuing bank to the business’s acquiring bank.
Learn more about payment gateways vs. payment processors
Payment gateways kick off the card authentication process and processing companies take it from there.
Does your business need a payment gateway?
All businesses accepting card transactions need some sort of payment gateway, but they aren’t always advertised as stand-alone products. For businesses accepting in-person transactions, the credit card terminal
For businesses accepting online transactions, payment gateways are often built right into e-commerce sites and shopping carts as part of a bundled payments service. If you built your website from scratch, however, you may need to integrate it with a stand-alone payment gateway that you can customize to match your brand.
How to choose the best payment gateway
The best payment gateway depends on the specific needs of your business. You’ll want to take into account the payment gateway’s total cost, which will include the monthly fee, transaction fees and any additional fees. Also important to consider are factors such as your business’ transaction volume, whether you require a full POS system and how much coding knowledge is needed to integrate and customize the gateway.
Payment gateway costs
Pricing models
Technical expertise
Payment processing needs
Methodology
NerdWallet’s ratings of payment processing providers rewards companies whose products and services are priced well and work in a variety of payment scenarios, among other criteria. Ratings are based on weighted averages of scores in several categories, including overall cost, hardware and software options, system capabilities, customer service, contract requirements and integrations. Learn more about how we rate payment processing providers
These ratings are a guide, but fees, hardware, software and contract requirements can vary widely from business to business and provider to provider. We encourage you to shop around and compare several providers.
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