The 10 Best Payment Gateways For Startups

Stripe

Stripe is a payments infrastructure platform used by startups and enterprises alike. It handles card payments, bank transfers, subscriptions, invoicing, and fraud detection through a single integration. It supports over 135 currencies across more than 40 countries and is widely regarded as the most developer-friendly gateway available.

• You can accept payments via card, bank transfer, buy-now-pay-later, and local payment methods through a single API integration.
• You can build fully custom checkout flows, payment links, and embedded payment forms using Stripe’s APIs and pre-built components.
• You can manage subscriptions with support for trials, upgrades, downgrades, prorations, and usage-based billing.
• You can access built-in fraud detection through Stripe Radar, which uses machine learning to flag and block suspicious transactions.
• You can connect Stripe with tools like Xero, QuickBooks, and Salesforce so payment data flows into your existing systems automatically.

Stripe is developer-first by design. Non-technical founders may find the initial setup more involved than plug-and-play alternatives. Accounts can occasionally be flagged or funds held with limited advance notice depending on transaction patterns, which has been a concern for some merchants. Fees are also higher than negotiated enterprise rates at scale.

PayPal

PayPal is one of the most recognised payment brands in the world. Hundreds of millions of people already have a PayPal account, which means many customers can check out without entering card details. For businesses that want to start accepting payments quickly, it is one of the lowest-friction options available.

It covers online checkout, invoicing, subscriptions, and buy-now-pay-later through its Pay Later product.

• You can embed a PayPal button on any website or platform and start accepting payments the same day, with no developer required.
• You can accept card payments, PayPal balances, and Pay Later options all through a single checkout integration.
• You can send professional invoices and get paid directly through PayPal without needing a separate invoicing tool.
• You can set up recurring billing and subscription payments using PayPal’s subscription API or through its dashboard.
• You can accept payments from customers in 200+ countries, with automatic currency conversion at checkout.

Just a heads up: PayPal’s developer infrastructure is older than Stripe’s and the checkout experience can feel dated. Fees for international and cross-currency transactions stack up and can be higher than competitors when you factor in currency conversion charges. Customer disputes and account freezes are also a recurring complaint among merchants, with limited visibility into why decisions are made.

Adyen

Adyen is an enterprise-grade payment platform used by companies like Uber, Spotify, and eBay. It brings online, in-store, and mobile payments together onto a single platform without the need for third-party gateways. It supports 250+ local and international payment methods across 60+ countries and is built to handle complex, high-volume payment operations.

• You can accept payments online, in-store, and via mobile through one unified integration, with consistent reporting across all channels.
• You can access advanced fraud prevention tools including machine learning-based risk scoring, 3D Secure 2, and real-time transaction monitoring.
• You can optimise authorisation rates using Adyen’s transaction routing and smart authentication tools, which can meaningfully improve conversion.
• You can support 250+ payment methods including local schemes like iDEAL, Alipay, and SEPA Direct Debit alongside major card networks.
• You can access real-time analytics and reporting across all payment channels through Adyen’s centralised dashboard.

Adyen is not suited for early-stage startups. There is a minimum monthly invoice of around $120, and onboarding requires a formal application process. The platform assumes a high level of technical maturity and is most cost-effective at significant transaction volumes. Smaller businesses will likely find better value elsewhere.

Square

Square is a payments and commerce platform that covers both in-person and online transactions. It provides POS hardware, a free card reader, an online checkout, invoicing, inventory management, and basic reporting all under one roof. It is designed for businesses that want a straightforward setup without integrating multiple tools.

• You can accept in-person payments using Square’s free card reader, POS terminals, or the Square mobile app on a smartphone or tablet.
• You can set up an online store or connect Square to your existing website to accept card and digital wallet payments online.
• You can manage inventory, team permissions, and sales reporting directly from the Square dashboard.
• You can send digital invoices and accept payments via a payment link, with optional instalment options for customers.
• You can access next-business-day deposits as standard, or instant transfers for a small additional fee.

Note that Square is primarily available in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Japan, and Ireland. If your business operates outside these markets, it is not an option. Its developer tools and API flexibility are also more limited compared to Stripe or Braintree, so heavily customised integrations can get complicated quickly.

Paddle

Paddle is a merchant-of-record platform, which means it acts as the legal seller on your transactions. It takes on responsibility for VAT, sales tax, fraud, chargebacks, and compliance across every country you sell in. This removes a significant operational burden for SaaS founders who want to sell internationally without setting up local tax entities.

It covers payments, subscription management, invoicing, and automated tax remittance in one package.

• You can sell to customers in 200+ countries with Paddle handling all local tax collection and remittance automatically.
• You can manage the full subscription lifecycle including upgrades, downgrades, pauses, cancellations, and failed payment recovery.
• You can accept credit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, wire transfers, and local payment methods through Paddle’s hosted checkout.
• You can access real-time revenue analytics including MRR, churn, and trial conversion through Paddle’s dashboard.
• You can integrate with Paddle using its API or pre-built SDKs for popular frameworks, with a sandbox environment for testing.

There is one limitation worth flagging here: Paddle’s approval and compliance process can be slow and opaque. New founders have reported being rejected or stuck in verification for weeks without clear feedback. The 5% + $0.50 fee is also notably higher than Stripe, though the all-in cost is more comparable once you factor in what Stripe charges separately for tax tools, billing, and compliance.

GoCardless

GoCardless specialises in bank-to-bank payments via direct debit. It is built for businesses that collect recurring payments and want a lower-cost alternative to card-based billing. It processes over $30 billion in payments each year and operates in 30+ countries including the UK, EU, US, Canada, and Australia.

In early 2026, Mollie acquired GoCardless, though both platforms continue to operate independently for now.

• You can collect recurring payments via Bacs Direct Debit in the UK, SEPA Direct Debit in Europe, and ACH in the US through a single integration.
• You can set up payment mandates digitally so customers authorise payments once and are then charged automatically on schedule.
• You can reduce failed payments using GoCardless’s Success+ feature, which uses machine learning to retry payments at the optimal time.
• You can sync GoCardless with Xero, QuickBooks, Salesforce, and other tools through native integrations or via API.
• You can access instant bank payments in the UK through Instant Bank Pay, which completes transfers in seconds rather than days.

Worth knowing before committing: GoCardless does not support card payments or digital wallets at all. It is a direct debit and bank transfer specialist, not a general-purpose gateway. If your customers expect to pay by card, you will need a separate solution alongside it. Payout timescales can also be slower than card-based processors, typically two to three business days.

Mollie

Mollie is a Dutch payment provider widely used across Europe. It offers transparent, pay-per-transaction pricing with no monthly fees, no setup costs, and no lock-in contracts. It supports all major card networks alongside European local payment methods including iDEAL, Bancontact, SOFORT, and SEPA Direct Debit.

• You can accept cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and popular European local payment methods through one integration.
• You can integrate Mollie with WooCommerce, Shopify, Magento, and other major ecommerce platforms using pre-built plugins.
• You can use Mollie’s Components for embedded checkout flows that keep customers on your site throughout the payment process.
• You can manage all payments, refunds, and settlements from a clean, intuitive dashboard without needing technical expertise.
• You can access the Mollie API with clear documentation and SDKs for building custom payment flows if needed.

Mollie is limited to businesses based in the European Economic Area, Switzerland, or the UK. It is not a viable option for businesses outside these regions. Currency support is also primarily euro-focused, which may be a limitation for businesses billing in multiple currencies. That said, for European-based startups it is one of the most straightforward and cost-effective gateways available.

Authorize.Net

Authorize.Net is one of the longest-standing payment gateways available. It is owned by Visa and has been processing payments for over 25 years. It is particularly popular among US-based businesses that want a reliable, well-integrated gateway with strong fraud protection and broad compatibility with existing ecommerce platforms and shopping carts.

• You can accept credit cards, debit cards, digital wallets, and eChecks through a hosted checkout page or via API integration.
• You can use Authorize.Net’s Advanced Fraud Detection Suite to set custom rules for flagging or blocking suspicious transactions.
• You can set up recurring billing and subscription payments with flexible scheduling and automated payment management.
• You can integrate with over 170 shopping carts, ecommerce platforms, and business tools out of the box.
• You can use the virtual terminal to manually key in card payments, which is useful for phone or mail order businesses.

Do note that Authorize.Net charges a monthly gateway fee of $25, which makes it less cost-effective for very low-volume businesses compared to pay-per-transaction gateways like Stripe or Mollie. Its interface and developer tooling also feel dated next to newer alternatives. It is best suited to businesses that already have it in their stack or that specifically need its platform integrations.

2Checkout (Verifone)

2Checkout, now part of Verifone, is a global payment and commerce platform for businesses selling digital products and software. It operates across 200+ countries with support for 45+ payment methods, 30 languages, and 100 billing currencies.

It handles subscription management, global tax compliance, and fraud protection within a single platform.

• You can accept payments from customers in 200+ countries using cards, PayPal, digital wallets, and local payment methods.
• You can manage the full subscription lifecycle including renewals, upgrades, and dunning through 2Checkout’s recurring billing tools.
• You can handle global VAT and sales tax collection automatically, reducing compliance overhead for international sales.
• You can run A/B tests on your checkout page to identify which layouts and flows improve conversion rates.
• You can integrate with 120+ shopping carts and ecommerce platforms using pre-built connectors.

Just a heads up: 2Checkout’s transaction fees are higher than Stripe’s, starting at 3.5% + $0.35 on the entry plan and rising to 6% + $0.60 on the top tier. The checkout experience can also feel less polished than newer competitors. It is best suited to businesses that specifically need its global reach and built-in compliance tools, rather than as a default gateway for domestic transactions.