payment gateway cost, verified June 2026
Payment Gateway Cost 2026: Verified Rates From 26 Vendors
Verified headline rates from 26 vendors. From Helcim's interchange + 0.15% + 6c at the cheap end to Klarna's 5.99% + 30c on standard BNPL terms. Six vendors, including Adyen, Worldpay, Checkout.com, NMI, BlueSnap and Fiserv enterprise, refuse to publish rates publicly and are flagged here as quote-only, never inferred.
Headline rate, cheapest published first
Last verified June 2026
23.3x spread between the cheapest published rate (Helcim, Interchange + 0.15% + 6c (in-person, $1M-$5M tier)) and the dearest (2Checkout / Verifone, 3.5% + 35c (2Sell)). 6 vendors quote-only, no published rate.
Published headline rateQuote-only vendorSource: vendor pricing pages, see each vendor page for live URL.
Quick answer
Headline rate cheat sheet
Flat-rate vendors for SMB run 2.4% to 3.5% plus 10c to 49c per transaction. Interchange-plus (Helcim, Stax) lands around interchange + 0.15% to 0.50% plus cents per transaction once you carry the monthly subscription. Quote-only enterprise processors (Adyen, Worldpay, Checkout.com enterprise) typically negotiate to 10 to 30 bps plus interchange and scheme at $50M+/yr GMV.
Where your money goes
Every card transaction stacks five fees: interchange (to the issuing bank), assessment (to Visa or Mastercard), gateway, processor markup, and ancillary (disputes, monthly, PCI, FX). Flat-rate vendors hide the first four behind one number. Interchange-plus exposes them so you can see what is negotiable.
Cross-vendor cost calculator
Enter your GMV, average ticket, international card share and dispute rate. The estimator uses each vendor's published headline rate and per-transaction fixed fee. Quote-only vendors are listed but not estimated, in line with our zero-inferred-rates rule.
| Vendor | Model | Annual cost | Effective bps | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| >Stax | subscription | $39.6k | 198 | $99/mo + IC + 8c (card-present) |
| Helcim | interchange-plus | $40.8k | 204 | Interchange + 0.15% + 6c (in-person, $1M-$5M tier) |
| Shopify Payments | flat-rate | $41.5k | 208 | 1.5% + 25p online (UK Advanced) |
| Authorize.Net | flat-rate | $50.5k | 252 | $25/mo + 10c per tx (Gateway-Only) |
| Square | flat-rate | $54.6k | 273 | 2.4% + 15c (Square Premium tap/dip) |
| Elavon | flat-rate | $57.1k | 285 | 2.6% + 10c (in-person, qualified) |
| Chase Payment Solutions | tiered | $57.1k | 285 | 2.6% + 10c (in-person) |
| Braintree | flat-rate | $70.6k | 353 | 2.89% + 29c (standard) |
| Stripe | flat-rate | $72.1k | 360 | 2.9% + 30c (US online card) |
| PayPal | flat-rate | $72.2k | 361 | 2.89% + 29c (Advanced Checkout) |
| Amazon Pay | flat-rate | $72.7k | 363 | 2.9% + 30c (US domestic) |
| 2Checkout / Verifone | tiered | $82.8k | 414 | 3.5% + 35c (2Sell) |
| Mollie | flat-rate | Not directly comparable, see vendor page | n/a | EU-focused. Pricing per payment method (iDEAL flat 0.32 EUR, SEPA 0.35 EUR, Klarna 2.99%-4.99%). Volume pricing above 100K EUR/mo. |
| Razorpay | flat-rate | Not directly comparable, see vendor page | n/a | India-focused. UPI is MDR-free by RBI policy but Razorpay charges a 2% platform fee across all instruments. |
| GoCardless | flat-rate | Not directly comparable, see vendor page | n/a | Direct Debit specialist. No US ACH. UK Bacs and SEPA core markets. Three tiers (Standard, Advanced, Pro) layer in recovery, identity, fraud features. |
| Apple Pay | platform-fee | Not directly comparable, see vendor page | n/a | Apple does not charge merchants a separate fee. Cost equals the underlying card processing rate (typically 2.9% + 30c online). |
| Google Pay | platform-fee | Not directly comparable, see vendor page | n/a | No separate Google fee. Cost equals the underlying card processing rate. |
| Klarna | bnpl | Not directly comparable, see vendor page | n/a | Most merchants pay 5.99% + 30c. Volume-based pricing down to 3.29% + 30c above $5M/yr. |
| Wise Business | flat-rate | Not directly comparable, see vendor page | n/a | Not a card acquirer. Used to receive international bank payments at mid-market FX. Card acceptance via Wise+Stripe partnership. |
| Adyen | quote-only | Quote only, contact vendor | n/a | Adyen publishes indicative components ($0.13 processing + interchange + scheme + 0.60% on Visa) but explicitly states the final markup is by quote. Enterprise interchange-plus structure. |
| Worldpay | quote-only | Quote only, contact vendor | n/a | Worldpay (FIS) does not publish US rates publicly. All pricing components (flat-rate, interchange-plus markup, per-transaction fixed fee, monthly minimums) are negotiated per merchant and disclosed only inside the signed merchant agreement. Treat any third-party rate claim as anecdotal until your own quote arrives. |
| Checkout.com | quote-only | Quote only, contact vendor | n/a | Checkout.com publishes pricing structure options (flat-rate, interchange++, free for charities) but no specific rates. Tailored quote required. |
| NMI | quote-only | Quote only, contact vendor | n/a | Sold via ISOs, software partners, banks, and payment facilitators. No public direct-to-merchant pricing. Final cost depends on the reseller. |
| BlueSnap | quote-only | Quote only, contact vendor | n/a | Pricing distributed via region-specific PDF agreements. No headline rate on the public page. |
| Fiserv / Clover | quote-only | Quote only, contact vendor | n/a | Clover hardware is made by Fiserv but processing rates depend entirely on the reseller. Bank, ISO, and direct Clover channels all quote different rates for the same hardware. Merchant-reported bands, varies by reseller: roughly 2.3% to 2.6% + 10c in-person and 3.5% + 10c keyed. Treat anecdotal until your own quote arrives. |
| Afterpay | quote-only | Quote only, contact vendor | n/a | Afterpay does not publish a public US merchant rate card. Merchant-reported bands sit in the 4%-6% range plus per-transaction fee. Clearpay (EU/UK) reported at 4%-6%. |
Estimator uses each vendor's published headline rate plus its published per-transaction fixed fee, scaled to your GMV and ticket size. Disputes priced at the vendor's published per-dispute fee where one exists. Quote-only vendors are not estimated, in line with our zero-inferred-rates rule. Interchange-plus and subscription models use a conservative 1.8% interchange proxy.
Every vendor at a glance
| Vendor | Model | Headline rate | Quote only | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stripe | flat-rate | 2.9% + 30c (US online card) | Published | Global, all sizes |
| PayPal | flat-rate | 2.89% + 29c (Advanced Checkout) | Published | Global, all sizes |
| Square | flat-rate | 2.4% + 15c (Square Premium tap/dip) | Published | SMB and SaaS, low-volume |
| Adyen | quote-only | Quote only, contact vendor | Quote only | Enterprise, custom volume |
| Braintree | flat-rate | 2.89% + 29c (standard) | Published | Global, all sizes |
| Authorize.Net | flat-rate | $25/mo + 10c per tx (Gateway-Only) | Published | SMB and SaaS, low-volume |
| Worldpay | quote-only | Quote only, contact vendor | Quote only | Enterprise, custom volume |
| Checkout.com | quote-only | Quote only, contact vendor | Quote only | Enterprise, custom volume |
| Helcim | interchange-plus | Interchange + 0.15% + 6c (in-person, $1M-$5M tier) | Published | SMB and SaaS, low-volume |
| Stax | subscription | $99/mo + IC + 8c (card-present) | Published | SMB and SaaS, low-volume |
| Shopify Payments | flat-rate | 1.5% + 25p online (UK Advanced) | Published | SMB and SaaS, low-volume |
| 2Checkout / Verifone | tiered | 3.5% + 35c (2Sell) | Published | Global, all sizes |
| Mollie | flat-rate | 1.8% + 0.25 EUR (EEA consumer cards) | Published | Regional, local payment methods |
| Razorpay | flat-rate | 2% platform fee (domestic, India) | Published | Regional, local payment methods |
| GoCardless | flat-rate | 1% + 20p domestic (UK Standard, capped at 4 GBP) | Published | Direct Debit and bank-to-bank |
| NMI | quote-only | Quote only, contact vendor | Quote only | Enterprise, custom volume |
| BlueSnap | quote-only | Quote only, contact vendor | Quote only | Global, all sizes |
| Elavon | flat-rate | 2.6% + 10c (in-person, qualified) | Published | Enterprise, custom volume |
| Chase Payment Solutions | tiered | 2.6% + 10c (in-person) | Published | Enterprise, custom volume |
| Fiserv / Clover | quote-only | Quote only, contact reseller | Quote only | Enterprise, custom volume |
| Apple Pay | platform-fee | No merchant fee from Apple (pays underlying processor rate) | Published | Wallet rail (uses underlying card rate) |
| Google Pay | platform-fee | No merchant fee from Google (pays underlying processor rate) | Published | Wallet rail (uses underlying card rate) |
| Amazon Pay | flat-rate | 2.9% + 30c (US domestic) | Published | Wallet rail (uses underlying card rate) |
| Klarna | bnpl | 3.29% + 30c (negotiated, $5M+/yr) | Published | Buy now pay later, credit-risk priced |
| Afterpay | quote-only | Quote only, contact vendor | Quote only | Buy now pay later, credit-risk priced |
| Wise Business | flat-rate | $31 one-off + per-currency receive fees | Published | Direct Debit and bank-to-bank |
Which gateway for which profile
SaaS subscription
Stripe Billing or Braintree IC+ at scale. Recurring billing rails, dunning, SCA support.
Ecommerce SMB
Shopify Payments if you are on Shopify (1.5%-2% online), Square for in-person + online, Helcim for true IC+.
Marketplace / platform
Stripe Connect, Adyen for Platforms (quote-only), Braintree Marketplace. Layered split-payment fees apply.
High-risk vertical
Specialist high-risk processors at 3.5%-7%+ plus rolling reserves of 5%-10% held 90-180 days.
International / cross-border
Adyen, Checkout.com, Worldpay for local-method coverage. Wise Business for receiving in mid-market FX.
SMB in-person
Square Free or Helcim. No monthly fee, simple pricing, no contract.
What this site does differently
- Quote-only vendors flagged as quote-only on every page. No invented starting at rate.
- Zero inferred rates. If it is not in the vendor's own published schedule, it is not on the page.
- Every numeric claim has a source link and a verification date.
- Independent of every vendor listed. No affiliate links. No sponsored placements.
See methodology, the full quote-only vendor list, or our independence statement.
verified Last verified June 2026