A customer adds items to their cart, hits checkout, and then just leaves. No error message, no complaint, just gone. Nine times out of ten, that’s a payment gateway problem, not a customer problem.
A payment gateway is what actually moves money from your customer’s card to your bank account. It handles the encryption, the fraud checks, and the approval in the couple of seconds between clicking “pay” and seeing “order confirmed.” When it’s slow or clunky, customers bail. When it works right, you barely notice it’s there.
We tested 20 payment gateways below, from simple setups for small online stores to enterprise-grade platforms processing payments across dozens of countries. Some charge a flat percentage per transaction. Others require a custom quote based on your volume.
Check the comparison table for a fast pick, or read through the full reviews to find the gateway that fits your business size and where your customers are. Stop losing sales at checkout. Pick a payment gateway that gets out of the way and get more orders through today.
What Is a Payment Gateway?
A payment gateway is software that securely processes online payments, moving transaction data between a customer, a merchant, and the banks involved. It encrypts card details, checks for fraud, and confirms whether a payment goes through.
Most modern gateways also support multiple payment methods beyond cards, including digital wallets, bank transfers, and buy-now-pay-later options.
What Are the Common Features of Payment Gateways?
- Payment processing for accepting cards, digital wallets, and bank transfers
- Fraud detection for flagging suspicious transactions before they complete
- Multi-currency support for accepting payments from international customers
- Recurring billing for handling subscriptions and repeat charges
- Checkout customization for matching the payment flow to your brand
- Reporting and analytics for tracking transaction volume and success rates
- Developer tools for integrating payments into websites and apps
What Are the Benefits of Payment Gateways?
- Speeds up checkout by processing payments in seconds
- Reduces fraud risk through built-in security and fraud detection tools
- Expands customer reach by supporting international payments and currencies
- Supports recurring revenue with subscription and recurring billing tools
- Improves conversion rates with faster, smoother checkout experiences
- Simplifies compliance by handling much of the security burden for you
Who Uses Payment Gateways?
- E-commerce businesses processing online card and digital wallet payments
- SaaS companies handling recurring subscription billing
- Marketplaces splitting payments between buyers, sellers, and platform fees
- International businesses needing multi-currency and cross-border payment support
- Small business owners accepting payments through simple online stores
- Enterprise retailers processing high transaction volumes across regions
How We Tested These Payment Gateways
We looked at transaction fees, fraud protection, international payment support, ease of integration, and pricing transparency across small business and enterprise tiers. We also weighed real user feedback on reliability and payment approval rates.
We tested for:
- Transaction speed and approval reliability
- Strength of fraud detection and security tools
- Support for multiple currencies and payment methods
- Ease of integration for developers
- Recurring billing and subscription support
- Pricing clarity, including transaction fees and hidden costs
Quick Comparison of Payment Gateways
| Software | Best For | Starting Price |
|---|---|---|
| PayPal Payments | Businesses wanting a widely recognized checkout option | 2.99% + fixed fee per transaction |
| Adyen Payments | Enterprise businesses needing global payment coverage | Custom pricing |
| Apple Pay for merchants | Mobile checkout with fast, secure payments | No setup fee, standard processing rates apply |
| checkout.com | High-growth businesses needing flexible infrastructure | Custom pricing |
| Razorpay | Businesses operating in India | 2% per transaction |
| EBizCharge | Businesses wanting payments tied to accounting software | Custom pricing |
| NMI Gateway | Payment facilitators and software platforms | Custom pricing |
| Paytm Business | Businesses selling to customers in India | Custom pricing |
| Square Payments | Small businesses already using Square | 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction |
| Stripe Connect | Marketplaces and platforms splitting payments | 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction |
| TSYS | Banks and large-scale payment processing needs | Custom pricing |
| Authorize.net | Small to mid-size businesses needing a reliable gateway | $25/month + transaction fees |
| Alipay | Businesses selling to customers in China | Custom pricing |
| Amazon Payment Services | Businesses selling across the Middle East and North Africa | Custom pricing |
| Usio | Businesses needing integrated payment processing | Custom pricing |
| cashfree | Businesses operating in India needing flexible payouts | 1.75% per transaction |
| Paysafe | Businesses in regulated industries needing compliance support | Custom pricing |
| GoCardless | Businesses collecting recurring payments via bank debit | 1% per transaction |
| Braintree | Businesses wanting PayPal’s infrastructure with more flexibility | 2.59% + 49¢ per transaction |
| Worldpay | Enterprise businesses needing broad global acceptance | Custom pricing |
20 Best Payment Gateways (Detailed Reviews)
1. PayPal Payments
PayPal Payments gives businesses a widely recognized checkout option, letting customers pay using an account many already trust and use regularly. It’s one of the most established names in online payments.
- Key Features: widely recognized checkout button, buyer and seller protection, easy integration with major e-commerce platforms
- Pros: high customer trust and recognition, quick setup
- Cons: fees run higher than some dedicated payment gateways
2. Adyen Payments
Adyen Payments serves enterprise businesses needing global payment coverage, supporting hundreds of payment methods across many countries in a single platform. It’s built for large, complex international operations.
- Key Features: global payment method support, unified reporting across channels, strong fraud detection
- Pros: strong for international, multi-market businesses
- Cons: pricing isn’t public, better suited for larger transaction volumes
3. Apple Pay for merchants
Apple Pay for merchants offers mobile checkout with fast, secure payments, letting customers pay using stored card details and biometric authentication on their devices. It works alongside a primary payment processor rather than replacing one.
- Key Features: biometric authentication, fast mobile checkout, strong security through tokenization
- Pros: very fast checkout experience, high customer trust
- Cons: requires a separate underlying payment processor to function
4. checkout.com
checkout.com serves high-growth businesses needing flexible infrastructure, offering a modern payment platform built for scaling companies wanting more control over their payment stack. It’s popular with fast-growing digital businesses.
- Key Features: flexible payment infrastructure, detailed transaction analytics, strong fraud prevention tools
- Pros: strong fit for scaling, high-growth businesses
- Cons: pricing isn’t public
5. Razorpay
Razorpay focuses on businesses operating in India, offering a full suite of payment tools including gateways, payment links, and business banking features tailored to the Indian market. It’s one of the leading payment platforms in the region.
- Key Features: India-focused payment methods, payment links and invoicing, business banking tools
- Pros: strong fit for businesses operating in India
- Cons: less relevant for businesses outside its core regional focus
6. EBizCharge
EBizCharge ties payments directly to accounting software, integrating closely with platforms like QuickBooks and SAP for businesses wanting payment data flowing straight into their financial records. It’s a strong fit for B2B companies.
- Key Features: direct accounting software integration, recurring billing support, Level 2 and 3 processing for B2B
- Pros: strong for businesses wanting payments and accounting connected
- Cons: less relevant for pure consumer-facing e-commerce needs
7. NMI Gateway
NMI Gateway serves payment facilitators and software platforms, built for businesses that need to process payments on behalf of other merchants through a single infrastructure. It’s more of a backend tool than a consumer-facing gateway.
- Key Features: multi-merchant processing support, flexible API access, fraud management tools
- Pros: strong for platforms and facilitators managing payments for others
- Cons: pricing isn’t public, less suited for single-merchant small businesses
8. Paytm Business
Paytm Business serves businesses selling to customers in India, offering a widely used payment platform with strong mobile wallet adoption across the region. It’s a dominant name in the Indian digital payments market.
- Key Features: mobile wallet integration, QR code payments, business banking tools
- Pros: strong reach and trust within the Indian market
- Cons: less relevant for businesses outside India
9. Square Payments
Square Payments serves small businesses already using Square, extending its point-of-sale ecosystem into online payment processing with simple, transparent pricing. It’s approachable for businesses selling both online and in person.
- Key Features: unified online and in-person payment processing, simple flat-rate pricing, integration with Square POS
- Pros: transparent, simple pricing structure
- Cons: fees run higher for larger transaction volumes compared to negotiated enterprise rates
10. Stripe Connect
Stripe Connect serves marketplaces and platforms splitting payments, letting businesses route payments between buyers, multiple sellers, and platform fees automatically. It’s a strong fit for marketplace and platform business models.
- Key Features: multi-party payment splitting, developer-friendly APIs, strong global payment method support
- Pros: strong for marketplace and platform payment flows
- Cons: requires development resources to implement fully
11. TSYS
TSYS serves banks and large-scale payment processing needs, providing infrastructure used by financial institutions and large enterprises rather than typical small business checkout. It’s more of a backend processor than a plug-and-play gateway.
- Key Features: enterprise-grade processing infrastructure, fraud and risk management, large-scale transaction support
- Pros: strong for large financial institutions and enterprise processing needs
- Cons: pricing isn’t public, not built for typical small business setup
12. Authorize.net
Authorize.net serves small to mid-size businesses needing a reliable gateway, offering a long-established platform with straightforward integration and fraud protection tools. It’s one of the most established names in payment gateways.
- Key Features: established fraud detection tools, recurring billing support, wide compatibility with shopping carts
- Pros: reliable, long track record in the industry
- Cons: monthly fee applies on top of per-transaction costs
13. Alipay
Alipay serves businesses selling to customers in China, offering one of the most widely used digital payment methods in the region. It’s essential for businesses wanting to reach Chinese consumers online.
- Key Features: dominant payment method in China, QR code and mobile payment support, strong fraud protection
- Pros: essential for reaching customers in the Chinese market
- Cons: less relevant for businesses without a China-focused customer base
14. Amazon Payment Services
Amazon Payment Services serves businesses selling across the Middle East and North Africa, offering localized payment methods and strong regional support for that market. It’s backed by Amazon’s broader payment infrastructure.
- Key Features: regional payment method support, multi-currency processing, fraud protection tools
- Pros: strong regional focus and reliability backed by Amazon
- Cons: less relevant for businesses outside its core regional markets
15. Usio
Usio offers integrated payment processing, providing a flexible platform for businesses and software providers wanting to embed payment capabilities into their own products. It’s often used behind the scenes rather than directly by end customers.
- Key Features: embedded payment processing, flexible API integration, support for multiple payment types
- Pros: strong for businesses embedding payments into their own software
- Cons: pricing isn’t public
16. cashfree
cashfree serves businesses operating in India needing flexible payouts, combining payment collection with strong payout and disbursement tools for marketplaces and platforms. It’s popular among Indian fintech and marketplace businesses.
- Key Features: flexible payout and disbursement tools, wide local payment method support, marketplace-friendly features
- Pros: strong for Indian marketplaces needing both collection and payouts
- Cons: less relevant for businesses outside the Indian market
17. Paysafe
Paysafe serves businesses in regulated industries needing compliance support, offering payment processing built with extra attention to industries like gaming and financial services that face stricter compliance requirements. It’s a strong niche fit for regulated sectors.
- Key Features: compliance-focused processing, support for regulated industries, fraud and risk management tools
- Pros: strong for businesses in compliance-heavy industries
- Cons: pricing isn’t public, less relevant for standard low-risk e-commerce
18. GoCardless
GoCardless focuses on businesses collecting recurring payments via bank debit, specializing in direct debit collection rather than card payments. It’s a strong fit for subscription businesses wanting lower processing costs than card payments typically involve.
- Key Features: direct debit payment collection, recurring billing automation, lower fees than typical card processing
- Pros: strong cost savings for recurring, subscription-based billing
- Cons: not suited for one-time card payments or typical e-commerce checkout
19. Braintree
Braintree gives businesses PayPal’s infrastructure with more flexibility, offering a more customizable checkout experience than standard PayPal while still supporting PayPal and Venmo payments. It’s owned by PayPal but positioned as a more developer-friendly option.
- Key Features: customizable checkout experience, support for PayPal and Venmo, strong fraud protection tools
- Pros: strong flexibility while still supporting popular payment methods
- Cons: fees run similar to or higher than some competing gateways
20. Worldpay
Worldpay serves enterprise businesses needing broad global acceptance, offering one of the most established payment processing networks with wide international reach. It’s a trusted name for large-scale, global payment operations.
- Key Features: broad global payment acceptance, enterprise-grade fraud protection, extensive banking partnerships
- Pros: strong global reach and established reliability
- Cons: pricing isn’t public, better suited for larger transaction volumes
What Are the Alternatives to Payment Gateways?
- Manual bank transfers for very small businesses not needing automated processing
- Cash on delivery for businesses in markets where this remains common
- Marketplace-integrated payments through platforms like Amazon or Etsy that handle payments internally
- Invoicing software for businesses billing clients directly without a full checkout flow
Software Related to Payment Gateways
- E-commerce platforms for building the storefront that connects to a payment gateway
- Fraud detection software for deeper protection beyond a gateway’s built-in tools
- Accounting software for reconciling payment data with financial records
- Subscription billing software for managing recurring charges and plan changes
- Point-of-sale systems for processing in-person payments alongside online ones
Challenges With Payment Gateways
- Transaction fees adding up. Percentage-based fees can eat into margins, especially for high-volume businesses.
- Fraud and chargebacks. Even strong fraud detection doesn’t eliminate the risk of disputed transactions.
- International payment complexity. Supporting multiple currencies and local payment methods takes real setup work.
- Integration difficulty. Some gateways require significant development resources to implement fully.
- Approval rate variability. Legitimate transactions sometimes get declined, costing businesses real sales.
Which Companies Should Buy Payment Gateways
- E-commerce businesses processing regular online transactions
- SaaS companies managing recurring subscription billing
- Marketplaces needing to split payments between multiple parties
- International businesses needing multi-currency and regional payment support
- Small business owners accepting payments through simple online stores
- Enterprise retailers processing high transaction volumes globally
How to Choose the Best Payment Gateway
- Match the gateway to your customer base. Regional players like Razorpay or Alipay matter more if you sell heavily into those markets.
- Compare transaction fees carefully. Small percentage differences add up significantly at higher volumes.
- Consider your business model. Recurring billing businesses benefit from platforms like GoCardless; marketplaces need split-payment tools like Stripe Connect.
- Check fraud protection depth. Stronger fraud tools reduce chargeback risk, especially for high-risk industries.
- Think about integration effort. Confirm your development team can implement the gateway without excessive delay.
- Factor in international needs. Confirm the gateway supports the currencies and payment methods your customers actually use.
Payment Gateway Trends
- Buy-now-pay-later options continue expanding as a standard checkout choice alongside cards.
- AI-powered fraud detection is becoming more sophisticated, catching more suspicious activity in real time.
- Embedded payments are growing as more software platforms build payment processing directly into their products.
- Local payment method support is expanding as businesses look to reach more international markets.
- Faster settlement times are becoming more common as gateways compete on cash flow speed for merchants.
Common Payment Gateway Problems (Fixes)
Problem: Legitimate transactions are getting declined. Fix: review your fraud detection settings, since overly strict rules can block real customers along with fraudulent ones.
Problem: Checkout is too slow, causing cart abandonment. Fix: reduce the number of steps in your checkout flow and confirm your gateway’s response times meet expectations.
Problem: International customers can’t complete payments. Fix: check whether your gateway supports the local payment methods and currencies common in that customer’s region.
Problem: Chargebacks are increasing. Fix: strengthen fraud detection settings and keep clear transaction records to dispute illegitimate chargebacks effectively.
Problem: Integration is taking longer than expected. Fix: confirm your development team has reviewed the gateway’s documentation fully before starting, since incomplete planning causes most delays.
FAQs About Payment Gateways
What is the best payment gateway overall?
Stripe Connect and Adyen Payments work well for businesses needing strong global infrastructure, while PayPal Payments and Square Payments suit smaller businesses wanting simplicity.
How much do payment gateways cost?
Prices typically range from 1% to about 3% per transaction, with some platforms adding a monthly fee, and enterprise gateways usually requiring a custom quote.
Do payment gateways handle recurring billing?
Yes, many gateways like GoCardless, Authorize.net, and Stripe Connect support subscription and recurring payment collection.
What’s the difference between a payment gateway and a payment processor?
A payment gateway captures and encrypts transaction data at checkout, while a payment processor handles the actual movement of funds between banks. Many providers combine both functions.
Can payment gateways prevent fraud completely?
No system eliminates fraud entirely, but strong fraud detection tools significantly reduce the risk of processing fraudulent transactions.
Do I need a different payment gateway for international sales?
Not always, but confirm your chosen gateway supports the currencies and local payment methods your international customers prefer.
