Verified June 2026, independent reference
Payment gateway cost comparison 2026: 12 published rates, 3 vendors quote-only
Side-by-side fee table across 15 payment processors. Published rates only, quote-only vendors honestly flagged. No affiliate links, no sponsored placements.
Direct answer
Side-by-side fee matrix
Every figure below is the vendor's own published rate as of June 2026. Quote-only vendors carry an amber badge with no invented numbers. Click any vendor name for the full deep-dive page.
| Vendor | Model | Online card | In-person | Dispute fee | Monthly | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stripe | flat rate | 2.9% + $0.30 | 2.7% + $0.05 (Terminal) | $15 receipt fee non-refundable, plus $15 counter fee refunded on win (two-tier since 17 June 2025) | $0 on standard plan | Published |
| PayPal | flat rate | 3.49% + $0.49 (PayPal Checkout); 2.99% + $0.49 (standard card) | 2.29% + $0.09 (QR code, above $10) | $20 per chargeback | $0 on standard | Published |
| Square | flat rate | 2.9% + $0.30 (Plus/Premium); 3.3% + $0.30 (Free) | 2.6% + $0.15 (Free); 2.5% + $0.15 (Plus); 2.4% + $0.15 (Premium) | $0 (Square absorbs disputes) | $0 Free; paid Plus/Premium tiers per product | Published |
| Braintree | flat rate | 2.89% + $0.29 (cards and digital wallets) | Not the primary channel | $15 per chargeback | $0 on standard | Published |
| Adyen | interchange plus | Interchange + scheme fees + 0.60% Adyen markup + $0.13 fixed | Same structure, payment-method dependent | Quote only | Minimum monthly invoice applies, not published | Quote only |
| Checkout.com | quote only | Quote only (flat or interchange++ structure available) | Quote only | Quote only | Quote only | Quote only |
| Authorize.net | flat rate | 2.9% + $0.30 (all-in-one plan) | Same as online via supported terminals | Not published on pricing page | $25/month on both plans | Published |
| Worldpay (FIS) | quote only | Quote only | Quote only | Quote only | Quote only | Quote only |
| Helcim | interchange plus | Interchange + 0.50% + $0.25 (under $50K/mo), dropping to interchange + 0.15% + $0.15 (over $1M/mo) | Interchange + 0.40% + $0.08 (under $50K/mo), dropping to interchange + 0.15% + $0.06 (over $1M/mo) | $0 if won, $15 if lost | $0 | Published |
| Stax | membership subscription | Interchange pass-through + $0.15/txn (0% markup) | Interchange pass-through + $0.10/txn (0% markup) | Not published | $99 (up to $150K/yr), $139 ($150K to $250K), $199+ ($250K+) | Published |
| Payment Depot | membership subscription | Interchange pass-through + per-txn fee (0% markup) | Interchange pass-through + per-txn fee (0% markup) | $15 per chargeback | $79 Starter, $99 Most Popular, $199 Enterprise | Published |
| 2Checkout (Verifone) | merchant of record | 2Sell 3.5% + $0.35; 2Subscribe 4.5% + $0.45; 2Monetize tailored | Not the primary channel | Not published | $0 | Published |
| Razorpay | flat rate | 2% domestic (cards, UPI, netbanking, wallets); up to 3% international cards | Not the primary channel | Not published in pricing page | Rs. 0 (no setup, no annual maintenance) | Published |
| Mollie | flat rate | EU consumer cards 1.8% + EUR 0.25; EU commercial 2.9% + EUR 0.25; non-EEA 3.25% + EUR 0.25 | Not the primary channel | Not published in pricing summary | EUR 0 | Published |
| Shopify Payments | flat rate | Basic 2.9% + $0.30; Grow 2.7% + $0.30; Advanced 2.5% + $0.30 | Basic 2.6% + $0.10; Grow 2.5% + $0.10; Advanced 2.4% + $0.10 | $15, refunded if dispute won (Stripe-backed) | $39 Basic, $105 Grow, $399 Advanced, custom Plus | Published |
Effective-rate calculator
Enter your monthly volume, average ticket size, and channel mix. The calculator returns comparable effective rates across all processors that publish their pricing. Quote-only vendors return a Quote-only badge rather than an invented estimate.
| Vendor | Effective rate | Monthly cost | Per txn |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mollie | 1.80% | $1,800 | $1.35 |
| Payment Depot | 1.93% | $1,933 | $1.45 |
| Razorpay | 2.00% | $2,000 | $1.50 |
| Stax | 2.13% | $2,133 | $1.60 |
| Helcim | 2.77% | $2,767 | $2.07 |
| Braintree | 3.28% | $3,277 | $2.46 |
| Stripe | 3.30% | $3,300 | $2.48 |
| Square | 3.30% | $3,300 | $2.48 |
| Authorize.net | 3.30% | $3,300 | $2.48 |
| Shopify Payments | 3.30% | $3,300 | $2.48 |
| 2Checkout (Verifone) | 3.97% | $3,967 | $2.98 |
| PayPal | 4.14% | $4,143 | $3.11 |
| Adyen | Quote only, contact vendor | ||
| Checkout.com | Quote only, contact vendor | ||
| Worldpay (FIS) | Quote only, contact vendor | ||
Effective rates for interchange-plus and membership vendors assume a 1.8% + $0.10 blended interchange pass-through (illustrative example, not a real company). Real interchange varies by card type (regulated debit Durbin-capped at $0.21 + 0.05% + $0.01) and merchant category. Headline rates for flat-rate vendors are the vendor's published rate as of the verified date.
Related independent cost references
Sister sites in the Digital Signet portfolio that intersect with payment gateway cost decisions. We link out only to deployed sites we have verified.
- chargebackcost.com
Per-processor chargeback fee deep-dive: Stripe two-tier $15 + $15, PayPal $20, Square $0, Shopify $15 refunded on win.
- apigatewaycost.com
Same naming pattern, different gateway category. Useful if you are sizing both infrastructure and payment costs in the same finance review.
- payrollservicecost.com
Sister SMB operational cost reference for payroll providers, written in the same vendor-neutral format.
- creditcardminimumpaymentcalculator.com
Consumer-side card cluster, useful when explaining who actually pays the swipe fee.