8 Best Payment Gateways of 2023
Accept cards on your website with a payment gateway that meets your needs.
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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.
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 | Best for | Payment processing fees | Monthly fee | Learn more |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Stripe Learn more on Stripe Payments' secure website | Best for Overall payment gateway | 2.7% + 5¢ in-person; 2.9% + 30¢ online. | $0 | Learn more on Stripe Payments' secure website |
 Adyen | Best for Omnichannel option | Interchange + 12¢ Visa and Mastercard; 3.3% + 22¢ AmEx; 3%-12% + 12¢ for other payment methods. | $0 | Read review |
 Helcim Learn more on Helcim's secure website | 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 | Read review |
 Square Learn more on Square's secure website | 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 | Read review |
 Chase Payment Solutions℠ Learn more on Chase Payment Solutions℠'s secure website | 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 All-in-One option; 10¢ + 10¢ daily batch fee for payment gateway only. | $25 | Read review |
Our pick for
Overall payment gateway
on Stripe Payments' secure website
Stripe
Payment processing fees
2.7% + 5¢in-person; 2.9% + 30¢ online.
Monthly fee
$0on Stripe Payments' secure website
Our pick for
Omnichannel option
Adyen
Payment processing fees
Interchange + 12¢Visa and Mastercard; 3.3% + 22¢ AmEx; 3%-12% + 12¢ for other payment methods.
Monthly fee
$0Our pick for
Interchange-plus pricing for businesses of all sizes
on Helcim's secure website
Helcim
Payment processing fees
0.30% + 8¢plus interchange, in-person; 0.50% + 25¢ plus interchange, online.
Monthly fee
$0on Helcim's secure website
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
on Square's secure website
Square
Payment processing fees
2.6% + 10¢in-person; 2.9% + 30¢ online.
Monthly fee
$0Starts at $0/month for unlimited devices and locations.
on Square's secure website
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
$0Our pick for
A built-in banking partner
on Chase Payment Solutions℠'s secure website
Chase Payment Solutions℠
Payment processing fees
2.6% + 10¢in-person; 2.9% + 25¢ online.
Monthly fee
$0Monthly fee in some instances.
on Chase Payment Solutions℠'s secure website
Our pick for
More complex payment needs
Authorize.net
Payment processing fees
2.9% + 30¢for All-in-One option; 10¢ + 10¢ daily batch fee for payment gateway only.
Monthly fee
$25Our 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.
1.5% additional fee for international card transactions.
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 Appointments Plus plan.
$60 for Square Restaurant and Retail Plus plans.
$69 for Square Appointments Premium plan.
Payment processing:
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.
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.
To recap our selections...
NerdWallet's Best Payment Gateways of 2023
- Stripe: Best for Overall payment gateway
- Adyen: Best for Omnichannel option
- Helcim: Best for Interchange-plus pricing for businesses of all sizes
- PayPal Payflow: Best for Doing everything in one place
- Square: Best for If you also have a storefront
- Braintree: Best for Accepting a variety of payment types
- Chase Payment Solutions℠: Best for A built-in banking partner
- Authorize.net: Best for More complex payment needs
Frequently asked questions
The cost of using a payment gateway is generally broken down into two main components:
Monthly fees. This is like your Netflix subscription — you pay the same amount every month in exchange for access to the service. Not all gateways charge a monthly fee.
Transaction fees. You’re charged every time a customer buys something online.
Some companies have additional costs, like PCI compliance fees or setup fees. Our top picks generally don’t charge these additional fees.
The best payment gateway depends on the specific needs of your business. You’ll want to take into account factors such as your business’ transaction volume and whether you require a full POS system. Additional factors to consider include the payment gateway’s monthly cost, transaction fees and contract requirements.
If you’re using a payment gateway that offers payment processing services, you’ll have to choose between flat-rate pricing, which is consistent, and interchange-plus pricing, which is variable.
For businesses that process less than about $10,000 a month, flat-rate options like Square or PayPal make more sense. They might be a bit more expensive than interchange-plus pricing, but lower volumes minimize the overall difference in cost. Flat-rate pricing is usually found with payment service providers, which make setting up an account easy.
For those that process more than about $10,000 a month, an interchange-plus model like the one Adyen or Helcim use could be more cost-effective. You’ll need a merchant account, which takes a bit more effort to set up, but the savings can be worth the time and effort.
Other important questions to ask include:
Will you need technical expertise? Some gateways give a high level of customization but require coding skills.
Where else will you accept payments? Payment gateway providers might also offer point-of-sale systems for in-person transactions, multiple-location support and other related services. Unless you want to work with multiple payments companies, find a payment gateway that can address all of your current and future payments needs.
