Summary: Your payment gateway affects fees, checkout experience and features. Compare major US options and what to look for.
Every online sale passes through a payment gateway. Choosing the right one affects conversion rates, fees and the features you can offer.
What to compare
- Fees: per-transaction rates, international and currency fees
- Payment methods: cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, ACH, buy now pay later
- Subscriptions and invoicing support
- Payout speed
- Developer tools and platform integrations
- Fraud protection and dispute handling
Common choices
| Gateway | Strengths |
|---|---|
| Stripe | Developer-friendly, subscriptions, marketplaces (Connect) |
| PayPal | Customer trust and familiarity |
| Square | Unified in-store and online payments |
| Authorize.net | Long-standing merchant account integration |
| Braintree | PayPal-owned, flexible for custom builds |
Offer more than one option
Many stores combine a card processor with PayPal and digital wallets to reduce checkout friction.
Security
Use hosted or tokenized payment fields so card data never touches your servers, simplifying PCI compliance.
FAQs
Which gateway has the lowest fees?
Rates change and vary by volume and business type — compare current published pricing and negotiate at scale.
Can I add BNPL?
Yes, Klarna, Affirm and Afterpay integrate with major platforms.
Do I need a merchant account?
Stripe, PayPal and Square don't require a separate merchant account; Authorize.net typically does.
