Our Nerdy picks for
Cheapest Credit Card Processing Companies for Small Businesses
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Input your business’s monthly transaction details and we’ll help you sort from the best valueProduct | Cost Estimate | Payment processing fees | Cost Estimate | Learn more | ||
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Helcim Learn more on Helcim's secure website | Get an estimated monthly cost for your business. | 4.5/5 Best for Volume discounts | In-person: 0.3% + $0.08 Online: 0.5% + $0.25 Plus interchange | $0 | Get an estimated monthly cost for your business. | Learn more on Helcim's secure website |
Square Learn more on Square's secure website | 5.0/5 Best for Mobile payments | In-person: 2.6% + $0.10 Online: 2.9% + $0.30 | $0 Starts at $0/month for unlimited devices and locations. | Learn more on Square's secure website | ||
Stripe Learn more on Stripe Payments' secure website | 5.0/5 Best for Selection of tools and features | In-person: 2.7% + $0.05 Online: 2.9% + $0.30 | $0 | Learn more on Stripe Payments' secure website | ||
Stax by Fattmerchant Learn more on Stax by Fattmerchant's secure website | 4.5/5 Best for Membership-style pricing | In-person: 0% + $0.08 Plus interchange | $99 and up. | Learn more on Stax by Fattmerchant's secure website | ||
Payline Learn more on Payline's secure website | 4.5/5 Best for High-risk merchants | In-person: 0.4% + $0.10 Online: 0.75% + $0.20 Plus interchange | $10 in person; $20 online. | Learn more on Payline's secure website | ||
Payment Depot Learn more on Payment Depot's secure website | 4.0/5 Best for Risk-free trial | N/A Plus interchange (no markup). | $79 and up. | Learn more on Payment Depot's secure website | ||
National Processing Learn more on National Processing's secure website | 3.5/5 Best for Variety of industry-specific plans | 0.12% + $0.06 plus interchange; varies by business and transaction type. | $10 and up. | Learn more on National Processing's secure website | ||
Dharma Merchant Services | 4.5/5 Best for Nonprofits | In-person: 0.15% + $0.08 Online: 0.2% + $0.11 Plus interchange | $25 for most industries; $20 for nonprofits. |
Our pick for
Volume discounts
Helcim
on Helcim's secure website
In-person: 0.3% + $0.08
Online: 0.5% + $0.25
Plus interchange
$0
Pros
- Pricing is transparent.
- Offers all-inclusive platform.
Cons
- Potentially expensive for low-volume businesses.
Our pick for
Mobile payments
Square
on Square's secure website
In-person: 2.6% + $0.10
Online: 2.9% + $0.30
$0
Starts at $0/month for unlimited devices and locations.
Pros
- Diverse selection of hardware to flex to your business needs.
- No contract and no additional fees.
Cons
- Limited options for international payments.
- Doesn't run on Windows devices.
Our pick for
Selection of tools and features
Stripe
on Stripe Payments' secure website
In-person: 2.7% + $0.05
Online: 2.9% + $0.30
$0
Pros
- Highly customizable.
- Competitive pricing.
Cons
- Prioritizes online merchants.
- Requires developer experience.
Our pick for
Membership-style pricing
Stax by Fattmerchant
on Stax by Fattmerchant's secure website
In-person: 0% + $0.08
Plus interchange
$99
and up.
Pros
- No markup on interchange rate.
- Unique add-on features.
Cons
- Not a good option for businesses with low sales.
- Pricing isn't as transparent as competitors.
Our pick for
High-risk merchants
Payline
on Payline's secure website
In-person: 0.4% + $0.10
Online: 0.75% + $0.20
Plus interchange
$10
in person; $20 online.
Pros
- Competitive pricing.
- Good customer service offerings.
Cons
- Negative online reviews.
Our pick for
Risk-free trial
Payment Depot
on Payment Depot's secure website
N/A
Plus interchange (no markup).
$79
and up.
Pros
- No markup on interchange rate.
- Compatible with several card readers.
- Free virtual terminal.
Cons
- No support library.
Our pick for
Variety of industry-specific plans
National Processing
on National Processing's secure website
0.12% + $0.06
plus interchange; varies by business and transaction type.
$10
and up.
Pros
- Works with high-risk merchants.
- Offers popular integrations.
Cons
- Fees add up.
- Contract required.
Our pick for
Nonprofits
Dharma Merchant Services
In-person: 0.15% + $0.08
Online: 0.2% + $0.11
Plus interchange
$25
for most industries; $20 for nonprofits.
Pros
- Competitive transaction pricing.
- Good flexibility.
Cons
- Monthly fees can be barrier to entry.
- Requires separate accounts for online and in-person payments.
Helcim: Best volume discounts
- Interchange plus 0.3% and 8 cents per in-person transaction (if less than $25,000 in monthly card transactions).
- Interchange plus 0.5% and 25 cents per online transaction (if less than $25,000 in monthly card transactions).
- Interchange plus 0.5% and 25 cents per manually keyed transaction (if less than $25,000 in monthly card transactions).
- 0.5% plus 25 cents for ACH payments.
- No long-term contracts or cancellation fees.
- No monthly subscription fees.
- No setup fees.
- Processing rates go down after your business processes more than $25,000 in payments per month.
- Doesn't work with high-risk merchants, meaning businesses that are more susceptible to fraud and chargebacks.
- No 24/7 support.
Square: Best for mobile payments
- 2.6% plus 10 cents for in-person transactions.
- 2.9% plus 30 cents for online transactions.
- 3.5% plus 15 cents for manually keyed transactions.
- 3.3% plus 30 cents for invoices.
- No early termination, activation or chargeback fees.
- No PCI compliance fees.
- No monthly subscription fee.
- Free point-of-sale software.
- Free mobile card reader.
- May be more expensive than an interchange-plus pricing model for some businesses.
- Doesn't work with high-risk merchants.
- Only paid POS plans include 24/7 live customer service.
Stripe: Best selection of tools and features
- 2.9% plus 30 cents for online transactions.
- 2.7% plus 5 cents for in-person transactions.
- 3.4% plus 30 cents for manually keyed transactions.
- 1.5% additional fee for international card transactions.
- No setup fees.
- No monthly subscription fees.
- 24/7 phone, chat and email support.
- More than 450 platforms and extensions available.
- Accepts payments in more than 135 currencies.
- Doesn’t work with high-risk merchants.
Stax (formerly Fattmerchant): Best for membership-style pricing
- Interchange plus 8 cents for in-person transactions.
- Interchange plus 15 cents for manually keyed transactions.
- $99 per month and up for software.
- No contracts.
- 24/7 technical support.
- Offers add-ons like custom branding and same-day funding.
- Not ideal for low-volume small businesses.
Payline Data: Best for high-risk merchants
- Interchange plus 0.4% and 10 cents for in-person transactions, and $10 per month.
- Interchange plus 0.75% and 20 cents for online transactions, and $20 per month.
- Pricing varies by card type for manually keyed transactions.
- No long-term contract or cancellation fees.
- No PCI compliance fees.
- Offers high-risk merchant accounts.
- First month is free.
- 24/7 phone support.
- Negative user reviews.
Payment Depot: Best risk-free trial
- $79 if you process up to $250,000 per year.
- Custom quote if you process more than $250,000 per year.
- Includes a free virtual terminal for keying in credit card numbers.
- All memberships come with a 90-day trial during which your annual membership fee will be refunded if you cancel.
- No cancellation fees.
- Includes PCI compliance.
- 24/7 support available (although it isn’t entirely in-house).
- Maximum processing limits apply to all plans.
- Doesn't work with high-risk merchants.
National Processing: Best variety of industry-specific plans
- Restaurant: interchange plus 0.14% and 7 cents per transaction.
- Retail: interchange plus 0.18% and 10 cents per transaction.
- E-commerce: interchange plus 0.29% and 15 cents per transaction.
- Subscription: interchange plus 9 cents per transaction.
- Subscription Plus: interchange plus 5 cents per transaction.
- Works with high-risk merchants.
- Offers several good integrations for accounting, online selling and shopping carts.
- Each plan includes free reprogramming of existing hardware plus a free mobile card reader.
- National Processing’s payment processing fees are only guaranteed for merchants that process at least $10,000 in sales a month.
- Monthly fees can add up.
- Requires a long-term contract, and there are early termination fees (with a few exceptions).
Dharma Merchant Services: Best for nonprofits
- Interchange plus 0.15% + 8 cents for in-person transactions.
- Interchange plus 0.20% + 11 cents for online transactions.
- Interchange plus 0.25% + 8 cents for in-person AmEx transactions.
- Interchange plus; 0.30% + 11 cents for online AmEx transactions.
- No long-term contracts or early termination fees.
- Includes access to a free virtual terminal and online reporting.
- No PCI compliance fees (although there is a $39.95 monthly fee for those that become noncompliant)
- 24/7 support.
- Monthly fee required.
- Doesn’t work with high-risk merchants.