Best Payment Gateways for Small Businesses, Ecommerce, and Online Payments

A $100 sale that costs you $3.20 in fees looks fine until you sell $50,000 a month, sell to customers abroad, or offer subscriptions. Payment costs are made of several pieces: a percentage, a fixed fee on every transaction, extra charges for international cards and currency conversion, dispute fees, and sometimes a monthly fee. A payment gateway that is cheapest for one business can be expensive for another.

This guide compares five options for US businesses: Stripe, PayPal, Square, Helcim and Authorize.Net. Fees and terms come from provider pages and recent fee summaries checked on October 13, 2026. Pricing changes often, so confirm the current rates before you sign up.

Quick picks

• Stripe: best for developers, SaaS and subscription businesses that need flexible online payments.
• PayPal: best as an added checkout option for customers who want to pay from a PayPal or Venmo balance.
• Square: best for small businesses that sell both in person and online.
• Helcim: best for businesses that want transparent, volume-based pricing instead of a flat rate.
• Authorize.Net: best for businesses that already have a merchant account and want a gateway only.

Best payment gateways at a glance

Rates are for US businesses and online card payments unless noted. In-person, international and wallet rates differ, so do not compare across rows without checking which rate applies.

Payment gateway, processor and merchant account: what’s the difference?

A payment gateway is the software that securely passes card details from your checkout to the payment network and returns an approve-or-decline response. A payment processor moves the transaction between your customer’s bank and yours. A merchant account is the account at a bank where approved funds are deposited before they reach you. Many providers combine all three: Stripe, Square and PayPal bundle the gateway, processing and a pooled account into one product. Authorize.Net, in its gateway-only plan, is a gateway that connects to a separate merchant account and processor.

Think of buying coffee. The gateway is the card reader that sends your payment details, the processor is the network that checks and moves the money, and the merchant account is where the shop’s money lands. A payment facilitator such as Stripe or Square lets you skip the separate merchant account by processing under its own account, which makes setup fast but gives the provider more control over holds and reviews. A merchant of record service goes further by acting as the seller for tax and compliance. It is a different product from the five covered here.

Best payment gateways: detailed reviews

1. Stripe: best for developers, SaaS and subscriptions

What stands out: Stripe is built around its API, with hosted checkout, payment links and billing tools. Standard US pricing is 2.9% + 30¢ on domestic cards, with 1.5% added for international cards and 1% more when currency conversion is needed. Manually entered cards add 0.5%.

Subscriptions and extras: Stripe Billing is 0.7% of billing volume on pay-as-you-go pricing, or from $620 a month on a one-year contract. Payment Links are included, and a custom domain costs $10 a month. Standard payouts are free, and Instant Payouts cost 1.5% with a 50¢ minimum. You can choose rolling, weekly or monthly transfers.

Disputes: a dispute costs $15, and another $15 to respond manually, with the second fee returned only if you win. That adds up for products with frequent chargebacks.

Trade-offs: the flexibility is greatest for people who can write code, and the layers of optional products make the total bill harder to predict. A new account can face reviews or holds, as with any facilitator. Our guide to affiliate marketing software shows how Stripe also anchors tools like Rewardful.

Choose it if you run a SaaS or subscription business, or want full control of checkout through an API. Look elsewhere if you mainly sell in person (Square) or want pricing that falls with volume (Helcim).

View Stripe Pricing

2. PayPal: best as a checkout option customers recognize

What stands out: PayPal gives shoppers a familiar way to pay from a PayPal or Venmo balance as well as by card. A third-party fee summary updated April 2026 lists PayPal Checkout at 2.99% + 49¢ for debit and credit cards and 3.49% + 49¢ for PayPal and Venmo payments, with Expanded Checkout card payments at 2.89% + 29¢ and Pay Later at 4.99% + 49¢.

What matters in practice: the fixed 49¢ fee takes a bigger bite out of small orders. On a $20 sale, 49¢ is about 2.5% on its own. PayPal also offers optional add-ons such as chargeback protection at 0.40% per transaction, so read the exact terms before enabling them.

Trade-offs: like other payment facilitators, PayPal can place holds or reviews on accounts, so keep a backup payment method. Confirm international fees, currency conversion and dispute charges on PayPal’s own fee page, since the third-party summary did not cover them.

Choose it if you want to offer a trusted wallet next to your main gateway. Look elsewhere if you sell mostly low-priced items where the fixed fee hurts (Stripe, Square or Helcim).

See PayPal Checkout

3. Square: best for businesses selling in person and online

What stands out: Square covers card readers, point-of-sale software, invoices and online checkout in one system. Its fee page lists in-person tap, dip or swipe payments from 2.4% to 2.6% + 15¢ depending on plan, online payments through the API at 2.9% + 30¢, and manually keyed or card-on-file payments at 3.5% + 15¢. Invoices paid by ACH are 1%, with a $10 cap on higher plans.

Plan note: the page shows a 3.3% + 30¢ online rate in one column of its table, which appears to apply to the free tier, with 2.9% + 30¢ on paid plans. The extracted table did not label the plans clearly, so check which rate your plan carries. Square Free has no monthly subscription cost, and Plus and Premium offer 30-day trials.

Trade-offs: Square works best when you use its own tools. Developers who need deep customization or unusual subscription logic may find Stripe more flexible. The pages I reviewed did not list dispute fees or payout timing, so confirm those on Square’s help center.

Choose it if you run a shop, salon or restaurant and also want to sell online. Look elsewhere if you only sell online and need advanced billing (Stripe) or lower rates at higher volume (Helcim).

Check Square Fees

4. Helcim: best for transparent, volume-based pricing

What stands out: Helcim uses interchange-plus pricing. It passes through the card network’s interchange cost and adds its own markup, which drops as monthly volume rises. For keyed and online payments, the markup is 0.50% + 25¢ up to $50,000 a month, 0.45% + 20¢ from $50,000 to $100,000, 0.35% + 20¢ from $100,000 to $500,000, and lower tiers above that. There are no monthly, setup or PCI fees listed. Recurring payments add 0.4% per transaction.

What matters in practice: interchange varies by card type, so your total cost is not a single number. Helcim does not list the interchange amounts on its page. Chargebacks are free if you win and $15 if you lose, refunds carry no extra Helcim fee but the original processing fees still apply, and credit and debit deposits arrive the next business morning. You can void a same-day transaction before the batch closes to avoid fees.

Trade-offs: you apply for an account and are reviewed before approval, and the structure is less simple to read than a flat percentage. Developer tooling and subscription features are lighter than Stripe’s.

Choose it if your monthly volume is growing and you want costs to fall as you process more. Look elsewhere if you need extensive APIs or complex billing (Stripe).

Explore Helcim Pricing

5. Authorize.Net: best for gateway-only setups

What stands out: Authorize.Net is a long-established gateway. Its pricing page lists an all-in-one plan at $25 a month plus 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction, and a gateway-only plan at $25 a month plus 10¢ per transaction and a 10¢ daily batch fee. The page lists no setup fee, no contract or early termination fee, and no card chargeback fee from Authorize.Net itself.

What matters in practice: the gateway-only plan does not include processing, so you pay your merchant account provider’s fees on top. That can be cheaper for high-volume businesses that negotiated their own rates, but only if you have one. eCheck costs 0.75% with a $10 monthly minimum and $3 returned-item fee on the eCheck plan.

Trade-offs: the $25 monthly fee is a cost Stripe and Helcim do not charge, and the platform has fewer modern conveniences than newer providers.

Choose it if you already have a merchant account, or your processor requires Authorize.Net. Look elsewhere if you are starting from scratch and want fast setup (Stripe, Square).

See Authorize.Net Pricing

The real cost of accepting payments

The headline rate is only part of the bill. Watch for fixed fees on every transaction, international card surcharges, currency conversion, dispute fees, monthly fees, subscription billing charges, instant payout fees and any delay in access to your money. Some of these are provider-specific, such as Stripe’s 1.5% international surcharge and Authorize.Net’s $25 monthly fee. Others, like chargebacks and refunds, matter on every platform, and refunds usually do not return the original processing fee.

Worked example: what $5,000 and $50,000 a month actually cost

Assumptions: all payments are domestic online card payments, there are no disputes or refunds, and each business has 100 payments of $50 at $5,000 a month or 500 payments of $100 at $50,000 a month. The formula is volume x percentage + transactions x fixed fee, plus any monthly fee. Helcim’s interchange is not published, so the example uses a hypothetical 1.8% + 10¢ interchange for illustration only. It is not a Helcim quote.

Three points stand out. First, Stripe and Square tie at the same published rate, so the choice between them rests on features, not price. Second, PayPal’s higher fixed fee costs $23.50 more than Stripe at $5,000 and $140 more at $50,000 in this example. Third, the interchange-plus model can come out lower, but the answer depends on your card mix, and it is only as accurate as the interchange you assume. Run your own numbers with your average sale size.

International payments change the picture. A $100 payment from an international card that needs currency conversion on Stripe’s standard pricing is 2.9% + 1.5% + 1% = 5.4% plus 30¢, which is $5.70, compared with $3.20 for a domestic card.

Which payment gateway is best for your business?

If you sell digital products globally and want someone else to handle sales tax and compliance as the seller, look at a merchant of record service rather than a conventional gateway. The responsibilities differ, so read the provider’s terms and ask a tax professional rather than assuming it covers everything.

How to choose a payment gateway

1. Estimate volume and average order value. A high fixed fee hurts small orders most.
2. Decide where customers pay. Online, in person, or both.
3. Check eligibility. Providers restrict some industries and review new accounts.
4. Map your platform. Confirm there is a supported plugin or integration.
5. Choose one-time or recurring. Recurring billing may carry separate fees.
6. List international needs. Currencies, surcharges and conversion.
7. Check payout timing and holds. Ask how new accounts are reviewed.
8. Model total cost. Use the formula above with your own figures.
9. Read the dispute terms. Fees, evidence rules and timelines.

Switching providers can save money but costs time. Subscriptions tied to saved cards may not move automatically, so ask whether the new provider can migrate stored payment data, and run both systems in parallel for a short period before cutting over.

Integration and implementation

Hosted checkout and payment links are the quickest route: you send customers to the provider’s page, so less card data touches your site. On Shopify, you usually enable a built-in or app-based gateway. On WooCommerce, you install the gateway’s plugin and enter your keys, and our guide to the best WordPress plugins covers the supporting tools. Custom sites and SaaS apps use the provider’s API and webhooks.

Before you go live, use the sandbox to test a successful payment, a declined card, a refund and a failed recurring payment. Build webhook handling so one event does not create duplicate orders. Using a reputable provider does not make your whole payment setup compliant with PCI DSS by itself, so review your responsibilities with the provider and your hosting setup. See our guide to managed WordPress hosting if you run a store.

Security, fraud, chargebacks and payouts

Fraud screening decides whether a payment looks risky. Authentication, such as 3D Secure, confirms the cardholder. Tokenization replaces card numbers with tokens so you do not store them. A chargeback is a dispute a customer files with their bank, and you win it by submitting evidence such as order records and delivery proof. Authorization approves a payment, and settlement moves the funds, which is why money does not arrive the moment a customer pays.

Payout speed depends on the provider, your account history, the transaction risk and your country. Helcim lists next-business-morning deposits for credit and debit, and Stripe lets you choose rolling, weekly or monthly transfers with paid instant payouts. No provider can guarantee that it will never hold or review funds, so do not plan your cash flow around the best-case timing.

Common payment gateway mistakes

• Choosing by the headline rate alone. Include fixed fees, monthly fees and surcharges.
• Ignoring international fees. A customer abroad can double your effective rate.
• Not confirming eligibility. Check your industry is allowed before you build around a provider.
• Skipping tests. Run refunds, declines and failed renewals in the sandbox.
• Underestimating chargebacks. Keep order and delivery records ready.
• Switching without a plan. Migrate saved cards and subscriptions carefully.
• Assuming all payment methods work everywhere. Wallets and local methods vary by country and plan.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best payment gateway for a small business?

Square for businesses that sell in person and online, and Stripe for online-only and subscription businesses. Helcim is worth a look as volume grows.

Which payment gateway has the lowest fees?

It depends on volume, average order size and card mix. Stripe and Square list the same 2.9% + 30¢ for domestic online cards, while Helcim’s interchange-plus model can cost less at higher volumes.

Is Stripe better than PayPal?

For card payments and developers, Stripe usually gives more control and a lower fixed fee. PayPal is useful as an additional wallet option. Many stores use both.

What is the best payment gateway for Shopify?

Start with Shopify’s own payments option, then add PayPal. Check platform fees before using an outside gateway.

Which gateway is best for recurring payments?

Stripe has the most developed billing tools, and Helcim supports recurring payments for a 0.4% per-transaction add-on.

Can I accept payments without a website?

Yes. Stripe’s payment links and Square’s invoices let you take payments without a store.

How long do deposits take?

It varies. Helcim lists next-business-morning deposits, Stripe offers rolling, weekly or monthly transfers, and new accounts may face longer timelines.

Can I use more than one gateway?

Yes. Many stores offer card payments through one provider and a wallet through another.

Which is best for international payments?

Stripe and PayPal cover many countries, but add the surcharges and conversion fees to your comparison.

Are payment gateways secure?

Established providers use encryption and tokenization, but security is shared with you. Keep your site updated and review your own compliance duties.

Can I switch without losing subscriptions?

Possibly, if the providers support migrating stored payment data. Ask both before you switch.

Do gateways charge monthly fees?

Some do. Authorize.Net lists $25 a month, while Stripe’s standard pricing and Helcim list none.

Final recommendations

Pick Stripe for online and subscription businesses, Square if you also sell in person, Helcim if your volume is growing and you want costs to fall with it, Authorize.Net if you already own a merchant account, and add PayPal as a second checkout option. Whatever you choose, run your own numbers with the worked formula, test refunds and failed payments in a sandbox, and read the dispute and payout terms before you move real money. For help with the website side of an online store, see our guide to AI website builders.

Sources and further reading

• Stripe pricing
• NerdWallet PayPal fee summary (April 2026)
• Square payment fees
• Helcim pricing
• Authorize.Net pricing

Information checked October 13, 2026.