Best Payment Gateways

The best payment gateways for online stores and apps, ranked on fees, developer experience, and global reach.

Developer-first payments infrastructure

4.6(14,800)Paid

Stripe is the leading developer-focused payments platform, with clean APIs, global coverage, and a deep product suite (billing, invoicing, Connect). The default choice for SaaS and modern stores.

Custom

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Square

Unified online + in-person payments

4.5(12,600)Freemium

Square shines for businesses selling both online and in person, with free POS hardware/software, flat fees, and an all-in-one ecosystem for retail and food.

Free

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PayPal

The most recognized checkout button

4.3(21,200)Paid

PayPal is the most widely trusted consumer payment brand, offering instant buyer recognition, Pay-in-4, and easy setup. Great for conversion, though fees run higher.

Custom

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Braintree

PayPal-owned gateway for growing platforms

4.3(1,900)Paid

Braintree (a PayPal company) is a full-stack payment gateway with strong support for cards, PayPal, Venmo, and marketplaces — a developer-friendly middle ground.

Custom

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Adyen

Enterprise global payments platform

4.5(2,200)Enterprise

Adyen is a single platform for global enterprise payments across online, in-app, and in-store, with interchange++ pricing and powerful data. Built for scale, not small shops.

Custom

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Editor's choice

Stripe

4.6(14,800)

Developer-first payments infrastructure

From Custom

Try Stripe

Side-by-side comparison

Comparison	StripeBest choice	Square	PayPal	Braintree
Rating	4.6	4.5	4.3	4.3
Starting price	Custom	Free	Custom	Custom
Pricing model	Paid	Freemium	Paid	Paid
API available
Best for	Developers, SaaS & online stores	Retail, food & omnichannel SMBs	Stores wanting buyer trust	Growing platforms & marketplaces
Card & wallet payments
Subscriptions & billing
Global methods
Connect (marketplaces)
Excellent API & docs
In-person & online payments
Free POS software
Flat-rate fees
Invoicing
Hardware ecosystem
PayPal & Venmo checkout
Pay Later (BNPL)
Buyer & seller protection
Global currencies
Cards, PayPal & Venmo
Marketplace payouts
Drop-in UI
Recurring billing
Fraud tools
	Visit	Visit	Visit	Visit

Frequently asked questions

What is the best payment gateways?+

Stripe is our #1 pick, rated 4.6/5. The full ranked list with pricing and trade-offs is above.

How did you rank these tools?+

Rankings weigh user ratings, feature depth, pricing value, and fit for the use case. We update them as products evolve.

Compare the top picks

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