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8 Best Payment Gateways of 2023

Accept cards on your website with a payment gateway that meets your needs.
By Kurt Woock, Karrin Sehmbi
Last updated on February 6, 2023
Edited bySally Lauckner

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Payment gateways are a necessity for online businesses. The best payment gateways help you become a sales powerhouse by minimizing fees and offering a simple experience — for you and your customers. Consider your sales volume, coding skills and overall payment needs to find the right fit for your business.

Best Payment Gateways

Product
Payment processing fees
Learn more

Stripe

Learn more

on Stripe Payments' secure website

5.0/5

Best for Overall payment gateway

2.7% + 5¢

in-person; 2.9% + 30¢ online.

$0

Learn more

on Stripe Payments' secure website

Adyen

5.0/5

Best for Omnichannel option

Interchange + 12¢

Visa and Mastercard; 3.3% + 22¢ AmEx; 3%-12% + 12¢ for other payment methods.

$0

Helcim

Learn more

on Helcim's secure website

4.5/5

Best for Interchange-plus pricing for businesses of all sizes

0.30% + 8¢

plus interchange, in-person; 0.50% + 25¢ plus interchange, online.

$0

Learn more

on Helcim's secure website

PayPal Payflow

Best for Doing everything in one place

2.99% + 49¢

credit and debit cards; 3.49% + 49¢ digital payments.

$0

$0 Payflow Link; $25 Payflow Pro

Square

Learn more

on Square's secure website

5.0/5

Best for If you also have a storefront

2.6% + 10¢

in-person; 2.9% + 30¢ online.

$0

Starts at $0/month for unlimited devices and locations.

Learn more

on Square's secure website

Braintree

Best for Accepting a variety of payment types

2.59% + 49¢

credit & debit cards and digital wallets; 3.49% + 49¢ Venmo (U.S. only).

$0

Chase Payment Solutions℠

Learn more

on Chase Payment Solutions℠'s secure website

3.5/5

Best for A built-in banking partner

2.6% + 10¢

in-person; 2.9% + 25¢ online.

$0

Monthly fee in some instances.

Learn more

on Chase Payment Solutions℠'s secure website

Authorize.net

Best for More complex payment needs

2.9% + 30¢

for merchant account; 10¢ + 10¢ daily batch fee for payment gateway only.

$25

Our pick for

Overall payment gateway

Stripe

5.0
NerdWallet rating 
Learn more

on Stripe Payments' secure website

Payment processing fees

2.7% + 5¢

in-person; 2.9% + 30¢ online.

Monthly fee

$0

Our pick for

Omnichannel option

Adyen

5.0
NerdWallet rating 
Payment processing fees

Interchange + 12¢

Visa and Mastercard; 3.3% + 22¢ AmEx; 3%-12% + 12¢ for other payment methods.

Monthly fee

$0

Our pick for

Interchange-plus pricing for businesses of all sizes

Helcim

4.5
NerdWallet rating 
Learn more

on Helcim's secure website

Payment processing fees

0.30% + 8¢

plus interchange, in-person; 0.50% + 25¢ plus interchange, online.

Monthly fee

$0

Our pick for

Doing everything in one place

PayPal Payflow

Payment processing fees

2.99% + 49¢

credit and debit cards; 3.49% + 49¢ digital payments.

Monthly fee

$0

$0 Payflow Link; $25 Payflow Pro

Our pick for

If you also have a storefront

Square

5.0
NerdWallet rating 
Learn more

on Square's secure website

Payment processing fees

2.6% + 10¢

in-person; 2.9% + 30¢ online.

Monthly fee

$0

Starts at $0/month for unlimited devices and locations.

Our pick for

Accepting a variety of payment types

Braintree

Payment processing fees

2.59% + 49¢

credit & debit cards and digital wallets; 3.49% + 49¢ Venmo (U.S. only).

Monthly fee

$0

Our pick for

A built-in banking partner

Chase Payment Solutions℠

3.5
NerdWallet rating 
Learn more

on Chase Payment Solutions℠'s secure website

Payment processing fees

2.6% + 10¢

in-person; 2.9% + 25¢ online.

Monthly fee

$0

Monthly fee in some instances.

Our pick for

More complex payment needs

Authorize.net

Payment processing fees

2.9% + 30¢

for merchant account; 10¢ + 10¢ daily batch fee for payment gateway only.

Monthly fee

$25

Our picks for the best payment gateways

Stripe: Best overall payment gateway

Monthly cost: 
  • $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).
Payment processing: 
  • 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.

Adyen: Best omnichannel option

Monthly cost: Free.
Payment processing: 
  • 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.

Helcim: Best interchange-plus pricing for businesses of all sizes

Monthly cost: Free.
Payment processing: 
  • 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.

PayPal Payflow: Best for doing everything in one place

Monthly cost:
  • $0 for Payflow Link.
  • $25 for Payflow Pro.
Payment processing:
  • 2.99% plus 49 cents for standard credit and debit card payments.
  • 3.49% plus 49 cents for digital payments (PayPal Checkout and Pay with Venmo).
  • 2.29% plus 9 cents for card-present or QR payments through PayPal Zettle.
  • 2.89% plus 49 cents for online card payments through Payments Advanced or Payments Pro.

Square: Best if you also have a storefront

Monthly cost:
  • $0 for Square POS, Restaurant, Retail and Appointments Free plans.
  • $29 for Square POS Plus and Square Appointments Plus plans.
  • $60 for Restaurant Plus and Retail Plus plans.
  • $69 for Square Appointments Premium plan.
Payment processing:
  • 2.6% plus 10 cents for in-person transactions (2.5% plus 10 cents with Retail Plus plan).
  • 2.9% plus 30 cents for online transactions or invoices without a card on file.
  • 3.5% plus 15 cents for manually keyed transactions or card-on-file invoices.

Braintree: Best for accepting a variety of payment types

Monthly cost: Free.
Payment processing:
  • 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.

Chase Payment Solutions: Best for a built-in banking partner

Monthly cost: Monthly fee in some instances.
Payment processing:
  • 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.

Authorize.net: Best for more complex payment needs

Monthly cost: $25 per month.
Payment processing:
  • 2.9% plus 30 cents per transaction, and $25 per month for merchant account option.
  • 10 cents per transaction, 10 cent daily batch fee and $25 per month for payment gateway only.

How do payment gateways work?

A payment gateway is a service that allows online shoppers to securely enter their payment information. The gateway reads, encrypts and transmits data from credit cards, online wallets and other payment methods to authorize a transaction, meaning that it helps verify that the payment is legitimate. Payment gateways also often provide payment processing services.
Last updated on February 6, 2023

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.
NerdWallet does not receive compensation for any reviews. Read our editorial guidelines.

Frequently Asked Questions