Our Nerdy picks for
Cheapest Payment Gateways
Product | Payment processing fees | Learn more | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Helcim Learn more on Helcim's secure website | 4.5/5 Best for Transparent interchange-plus pricing | 0.30% + 8¢ plus interchange, in-person; 0.50% + 25¢ plus interchange, online. | $0 | Learn more on Helcim's secure website |
Stripe Learn more on Stripe Payments' secure website | 5.0/5 Best for Customized checkout pages | 2.7% + 5¢ in-person; 2.9% + 30¢ online. | $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 High sales volumes | 0% + 8¢ plus interchange in-person; 0% +15¢ plus interchange keyed. | $99 and up. | Learn more on Stax by Fattmerchant's secure website |
Chase Payment Solutions℠ Learn more on Chase Payment Solutions℠'s secure website | 3.5/5 Best for Quick payouts | 2.6% + 10¢ in-person; 2.9% + 25¢ online. | $0 Monthly fee in some instances. | Learn more on Chase Payment Solutions℠'s secure website |
Braintree | Best for Alternative payment options | 2.59% + 49¢ credit & debit cards and digital wallets; 3.49% + 49¢ Venmo (U.S. only). | $0 | |
Adyen | 5.0/5 Best for Overall payment gateway | Interchange + 12¢ Visa and Mastercard; 3.3% + 22¢ AmEx; 3%-12% + 12¢ for other payment methods. | $0 |
Our pick for
Transparent interchange-plus pricing
Helcim
on Helcim's secure website
0.30% + 8¢
plus interchange, in-person; 0.50% + 25¢ plus interchange, online.
$0
Pros
- Pricing is transparent.
- Offers all-inclusive platform.
Cons
- Potentially expensive for low-volume businesses.
Our pick for
Customized checkout pages
Stripe
on Stripe Payments' secure website
2.7% + 5¢
in-person; 2.9% + 30¢ online.
$0
Pros
- Highly customizable.
- Competitive pricing.
Cons
- Prioritizes online merchants.
- Requires developer experience.
Our pick for
High sales volumes
Stax by Fattmerchant
on Stax by Fattmerchant's secure website
0% + 8¢
plus interchange in-person; 0% +15¢ plus interchange keyed.
$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
Quick payouts
Chase Payment Solutions℠
on Chase Payment Solutions℠'s secure website
2.6% + 10¢
in-person; 2.9% + 25¢ online.
$0
Monthly fee in some instances.
Pros
- Big, recognizable name.
- Two-in-one processor and acquiring bank.
Cons
- Reseller programs complicate buying process.
- Pricing is relatively unclear.
Our pick for
Alternative payment options
Braintree
2.59% + 49¢
credit & debit cards and digital wallets; 3.49% + 49¢ Venmo (U.S. only).
$0
Pros
- Transparent, competitive pricing.
- No contracts or early termination fees.
- No monthly, PCI compliance or minimum transaction 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.
Our pick for
Overall payment gateway
Adyen
Interchange + 12¢
Visa and Mastercard; 3.3% + 22¢ AmEx; 3%-12% + 12¢ for other payment methods.
$0
Pros
- No monthly, setup, integration or closure fees.
- Payments accepted across online, in-store and app payment channels.
- Global payment options available.
- 24/7 customer support.
Cons
- Complex pricing model.
- Monthly minimums might exclude some small businesses. Minimums vary and require contacting Adyen to learn more.
Adyen: Best overall payment gateway
- Interchange plus 12 cents per transaction for Visa and Mastercard.
- 3.3% plus 22 cents for American Express.
- 12 cents plus 3%-12% for other payment methods, depending on transaction type.
- 37 cents per transaction for ACH.
- Low pricing.
- No monthly fees or termination fees.
- Adyen has monthly minimums, which vary by industry and business model. This means some smaller businesses might not be able to use Adyen.
- Some information, such as what your monthly minimums could be, isn't available on Adyen's website.
Helcim: Best for transparent interchange-plus pricing
- 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 contracts, no monthly fees and no minimums.
- Pricing is easy to understand.
- Helcim offers better rates for businesses with higher volume, but you'll need to do more than $25,000 in monthly card sales before the first price reduction kicks in. That amount might be tough to reach for some small businesses.
Braintree: Best for alternative payment options
- 2.59% plus 49 cents per transaction credit cards, debit cards and digital wallets.
- 3.49% plus 49 cents for Venmo (U.S. only), transactions in non-U.S. currency or transactions outside the U.S.
- 0.75% for ACH (maximum fee of $5). Discounts available for enterprise businesses.
- Includes alternative payment methods, like the PayPal button, Venmo and buy now, pay later.
- You can use Braintree as your payment gateway and another company as your payment processor. In this case, Braintree's services will cost $49 per month and 10 cents per transaction.
- It accepts payments in over 130 currencies and is available in more than 45 countries.
- Requires coding skills to implement.
- Unlikely to be the cheapest option for businesses with lower receipt averages.
Stripe: Best for customized checkout pages
- 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.
- 3.9% plus 30 cents for international cards or currency conversion.
- $0 for standard Stripe Connect.
- $2 per account for Stripe Express (for marketplaces) or Stripe Custom (the white-label option that allows businesses to customize the checkout process).
- Stripe is coder-friendly, which is great if you build your own site.
- Flat-rate pricing makes costs predictable.
- It can require coding skills to implement.
- Stripe Checkout, which requires minimal tech expertise, costs $10 per month to host on your site.
- Likely more expensive than interchange plus pricing.
Stax: Best for high sales volumes
- Interchange plus 8 cents for in-person transactions.
- Interchange plus 15 cents for manually keyed transactions.
- $99 per month and up for software.
- No interchange markup.
- A high monthly fee makes the total cost less compelling for businesses with lower sales volume.
Chase Payment Solutions: Best for quick payouts
- 2.6% plus 10 cents for in-person transactions.
- 2.9% plus 25 cents per transaction for online transactions.
- 3.5% plus 10 cents for keyed transactions.
- Competitive flat-rate pricing.
- Next-day payouts.
- You must use other Chase products to get the quickest deposits.
- There can be a monthly fee.