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9 Best Online Payment Processing Services of November 2024

These payment processing services open up your business to online customers. Just make sure they integrate with your e-commerce platform.
By Karrin Sehmbi, Hillary Crawford
Last updated on May 17, 2024
Edited byChristine Aebischer
Fact checked and reviewed

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Online payment processing is a must for e-commerce businesses and physical stores with an online presence. The best online payment processing services offer some combination of competitive processing rates, e-commerce integrations and solid customer support. Many of the options bundle payment gateways into their offerings, too, so that customers can securely enter their card information online.
Businesses with a brick-and-mortar location in addition to an online store may consider products that also sell their own payment processing hardware. That way you can be sure that your card readers and point-of-sale terminals are compatible with your online payment system.
Here are our top picks for online payment processing services.

Best Online Payment Processing Services

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Input your business’s monthly transaction details and we’ll help you sort from the best value
Estimates assume an average interchange fee of 1.81% + $0.10, based on our latest available data. Estimates provided reflect online and in-person transactions, but exclude any keyed transactions. Estimates are based on the lowest monthly plan and processing fees for each provider.

Product
Cost Estimate
Payment processing fees
Cost Estimate
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Helcim

Learn more

on Helcim's secure website

Get an estimated monthly cost for your business.
5.0/5

Best for Interchange-plus credit card processing

In-person: 0.4% + $0.08

Online: 0.5% + $0.25

Plus interchange

$0.00

Get an estimated monthly cost for your business.
Learn more

on Helcim's secure website

Stripe

Learn more

on Stripe Payments' secure website

5.0/5

Best for API customization

In-person: 2.7% + $0.05

Online: 2.9% + $0.30

$0.00

Learn more

on Stripe Payments' secure website

Square

Learn more

on Square's secure website

5.0/5

Best for Hybrid businesses

In-person: 2.6% + $0.10

Online: 2.9% + $0.30

$0.00

Starts at $0/month for unlimited devices and locations.

Learn more

on Square's secure website

Shopify Payments

Learn more

on Shopify Payments' secure website

4.5/5

Best for E-commerce platform integration

In-person: 2.6% + $0.10

Online: 2.9% + $0.30

$39.00

Basic plan; $105 Shopify plan; $399 Advanced plan.

Learn more

on Shopify Payments' secure website

Stax by Fattmerchant

Learn more

on Stax by Fattmerchant's secure website

4.0/5

Best for Membership-style pricing

In-person: 0% + $0.08

Online: 0% + $0.15

Plus interchange

$99.00

and up.

Learn more

on Stax by Fattmerchant's secure website

Adyen

4.0/5

Best for Omnichannel commerce

0.6% + $0.13

Plus interchange for Visa and Mastercard; 3.3% + $0.23 for AmEx.

$0.00

PaymentCloud

4.5/5

Best for High-risk merchants

2.4% + $0.10

to 3.5% + $0.25 on average.

$0.00

to $50.

Amazon Pay

4.5/5

Best for Streamlined checkout

2.9% + $0.30

For online and mobile.

$0.00

BlueSnap

Best for Splitting payments with other vendors

2.9% + $0.30

Or customized rate for large-volume businesses.

$0.00

Our pick for

Interchange-plus credit card processing

Most online payment processing services on this list use flat-rate pricing, meaning they charge the same amount per transaction no matter how interchange rates fluctuate. This can be convenient for businesses dealing with small transactions, but interchange-plus processing is typically more cost-effective, especially as you begin to sell more.

Learn more

on Helcim's secure website

Monthly fee
$0.00

Our pick for

API customization

Stripe is a highly customizable option for business owners who have developer experience and want to take a hands-on approach to designing their online checkout experience. In addition to incorporating customized brand elements, you can add contact details, legal policy information and additional checkout form fields.

Learn more

on Stripe Payments' secure website

Monthly fee
$0.00

Our pick for

Hybrid businesses

Square’s free POS plan comes with a magstripe reader for in-person purchases and includes an e-commerce website for opening your business up to online customers. It’s a low-cost solution for hybrid businesses that want to sell goods and/or services both in-person and online.

Learn more

on Square's secure website

Monthly fee
$0.00

Starts at $0/month for unlimited devices and locations.

Our pick for

E-commerce platform integration

Shopify’s main draw is its popular e-commerce platform that lets you build your own online storefront and accept a variety of payment types. You can choose from more than 100 template themes and customize details from there. Similar to Stripe, Shopify is best for online-first businesses.

Shopify Payments

Learn more

on Shopify Payments' secure website

Monthly fee
$39.00

Basic plan; $105 Shopify plan; $399 Advanced plan.

Our pick for

Membership-style pricing

Stax’s membership-style pricing model gives high-volume businesses access to lower interchange-plus fees, which can make the monthly subscription cost worth it, especially in the long run.

Stax by Fattmerchant

Learn more

on Stax by Fattmerchant's secure website

Monthly fee
$99.00

and up.

Our pick for

Omnichannel commerce

Lots of online payment processing services accommodate both online and in-person transactions, but Adyen helps create a more seamless customer experience across each of those channels. For example, it gives customers the option to buy online but return in-store or vice versa. It can also support larger businesses with multiple online sales channels as opposed to just one.

Payment processing fees
0.6% + $0.13

Plus interchange for Visa and Mastercard; 3.3% + $0.23 for AmEx.

Monthly fee
$0.00

Our pick for

High-risk merchants

Businesses in industries that are considered high-risk — like CBD, dropshipping, nutraceuticals and travel agencies — may struggle to find a traditional online payment processing service willing to work with them. This is where PaymentCloud comes in.

PaymentCloud

Payment processing fees
2.4% + $0.10

to 3.5% + $0.25 on average.

Monthly fee
$0.00

to $50.

Our pick for

Streamlined checkout

Amazon Pay lets businesses integrate Amazon’s checkout experience into their own online store. Since so many people are familiar with Amazon, adding this payment method could have the potential to increase your conversion rates.

Amazon Pay

Payment processing fees
2.9% + $0.30

For online and mobile.

Monthly fee
$0.00

Our pick for

Splitting payments with other vendors

BlueSnap’s payment splitting capabilities are ideal for businesses that work with other vendors to help carry out their services and need to share customer payments accordingly. Payments can be split by percentage or specific dollar amounts.

BlueSnap

Payment processing fees
2.9% + $0.30

Or customized rate for large-volume businesses.

Monthly fee
$0.00

Our picks for best online payment processing services

Square: Best for hybrid businesses

Why we like it: Square charges simple, flat-rate processing fees and integrates with several platforms, allowing you to make online sales through multiple channels. For example, with a Mailchimp integration, you can use the email platform to create landing pages for selling items and accepting payments. Read our full Square review.

Stripe: Best for API customization

Why we like it: Stripe makes it easy to customize the payment process to fit your business. With extensive documentation and a system designed for developers, you can tweak Stripe’s interface to give your customers a branded checkout experience within your own application. Read our full Stripe review.

Shopify Payments: Best for e-commerce platform integration

Why we like it: Shopify's setup offers a good foundation for e-commerce businesses. It has competitive transaction fees, 24/7 customer support and the ability to create an online store with strong analytics. Even the free version of its POS requires purchase of one of its monthly e-commerce plans, so it's best suited for businesses already using Shopify. Read our full Shopify Payments review.

Amazon Pay: Best for streamlined checkout

Why we like it: Amazon Pay lets consumers pay small businesses using the payment information saved on their Amazon accounts. This eliminates the need for new customers to enter their payment details, which can speed up the checkout process, and provides payment security associated with the Amazon name. Adding the Amazon Pay button to your website is also relatively easy. Read our full Amazon Pay review.

BlueSnap: Best for splitting payments with other vendors

Why we like it: For businesses that have revenue-sharing contracts with vendors, BlueSnap could be a good option. Instead of having to wait for a payment to hit your bank account and then sending a portion to another vendor for a commission, you can set up the vendor to automatically receive its portion when the payment is received.

Helcim: Best for interchange-plus credit card processing

Why we like it: Helcim stands out as a low-cost payment processing option for both online and in-person transactions, thanks to its interchange-plus pricing model and lack of PCI compliance, setup or cancellation fees. Businesses processing more than $50,000 in credit card transactions each month will experience the greatest savings. For businesses processing online payments, Helcim offers tools for online checkout and subscriptions, as well as hosted payment pages.

Adyen: Best for omnichannel commerce

Why we like it: In addition to solid payment processing options, Adyen also offers an omnichannel commerce tool, Unified Commerce, that can help you combine data from online and offline sources for better data insights. For businesses that also have in-store sales, this is a great feature. Read our full Adyen review.

PaymentCloud: Best for high-risk merchants

Why we like it: PaymentCloud offers services for high-risk merchants that might otherwise struggle to find payment processors. Working with businesses in multiple high-risk industries, such as CBD and supplement distribution, makes the company a competitive option. Read our full PaymentCloud review.

Stax: Best for membership-style pricing

Why we like it: Small online businesses with high sales volume may benefit from Stax’s membership-style pricing structure and e-commerce integrations. Instead of charging a flat rate for all transactions, Stax charges a monthly fee and then passes interchange savings to the merchant.

Didn’t find what you’re looking for?

Explore NerdWallet’s collection of top credit card processing companies for both online and in-person processing options. 

What are online payment processing services?

Online payment processing lets you accept debit card, ACH and credit card payments from customers shopping online. The full process involves a few different phases behind the scenes.
Generally, online credit card processing services provide a payment gateway for the customer, which allows them to securely enter their card information online. The gateway then passes that information along to the payment processor. And from there, the processor verifies that the transaction is legitimate and oversees the transfer of funds from the customer’s bank (also known as the issuing bank) to the business’s bank account. Deposit times range from same-day to multiple business days, depending on the online payment processing service.
Your role in the process is to subscribe to an online credit card processing service, sync it with your website and customize your customers’ checkout experience, if desired.

How do you accept payments online?

This guide provides the background knowledge you need to factor in payment processing costs, pricing models and online payment method options to find the right fit for your business.

What do you need to accept payments online?

To accept payments online, expect to subscribe to the following products. Most online payment processing services offer all-in-one solutions to make the process simpler.
  • Merchant account: Before credit card funds reach your business’s bank account, where you can withdraw them, they’re held in a merchant account. Payment service providers combine multiple businesses’ funds into one merchant account, whereas other processors provide individual merchant accounts. While individual merchant accounts are more customizable and oftentimes more stable, the application process can be extensive. 
  • Payment gateway: Payment gateways are like messengers for online transactions — they securely capture customers’ credit card information and send it to the payment processor. 
  • Online payment processor: Processors’ main job is to facilitate the flow of funds from the customer’s bank account (issuing bank) to the business’s bank account (acquiring bank). Our explainer on how payment processors work outlines the process in more detail.

How do payment gateways work?

Payment processing services and payment gateways are often provided in tandem, but they play two different roles in the overall process.

How to choose an online payment processing service

Here are several factors to consider while comparing online payment processing services.

Your sales channels

If your business completes sales entirely online, you can keep it simple by sticking with a payment processing service that specializes in online transactions.
If you also process in-person transactions, you might choose an option that offers in-house POS hardware and mobile card readers. That way, you don’t have to worry about integrating your POS system with a third-party payment processing service.

Cost

Going with your e-commerce platform’s in-house payment processing service is likely the easiest option, and it might even save you time. But it’s possible that integrating with a third-party processor could save you money in the long run. That’s why it’s important to forecast your monthly sales volume and average purchase price, so that you can confidently run the numbers and decide which option is most cost-effective.
You can also keep costs down by avoiding services that charge additional fees for PCI compliance, termination or setup.

Integrations

Scrolling through your e-commerce platform’s payments integrations is an easy way to narrow down your options. Not all platforms are compatible with multiple online credit card processing services. If you sell goods or services in-person, too, make sure the payment processing service integrates with your POS hardware.

Customer service

If your online business’s payment processing services crash, you could miss out on valuable sales. Make sure your online credit card processing service offers phone support or live chat options in case you need a quick fix. Reading reviews can be a great way of gauging the quality of a product’s customer support, too.
If you’re still deciding which service is right for you, NerdWallet’s online payment processor quiz can help you land on the best match.
Last updated on May 17, 2024

Methodology

NerdWallet’s ratings of payment processing providers reward 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.
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