PayPal Alternatives for Online Payments and Getting Paid

PayPal is still one of the largest payment companies in the US, and it owns Venmo and the Braintree gateway. It changed leaders this year: on February 3, 2026, PayPal named Enrique Lores as chief executive, effective March 1, with David W. Dorman as independent board chair. The product works as before. What pushes most people to look elsewhere is cost.

The PayPal merchant fees page for the US lists 3.49% plus a fixed $0.49 for each PayPal Checkout or Pay with Venmo sale, 4.99% plus $0.49 for Pay Later, and an extra 1.50% when the buyer is abroad. Currency conversion adds a 3% to 4% spread, and a chargeback costs $20.

The picks below split into two groups. Stripe, Square and Adyen replace PayPal at checkout. Wise Business, Payoneer and Revolut Business replace it as the account clients pay you into. This page compares published fees; it is not financial advice, and your own rate may differ by country, volume and risk review.

Prices below are as of November 8, 2026. Our method is on How we review tools.

Quick comparison

Stripe

Stripe is the usual replacement when PayPal sat behind a website checkout. Its US pricing page lists 2.9% plus 30 cents per successful domestic card payment, against PayPal's 2.99% plus $0.49 for standard card processing and 3.49% plus $0.49 for its own button. There is no setup fee, monthly fee or closure fee.

The same page lists ACH Direct Debit at 0.8% with a $5.00 cap, which matters for large invoices or B2B subscriptions. Stripe also runs Billing, Connect for marketplaces and Terminal for card readers, so a growing product rarely outgrows it.

Best for: Developers and online businesses that want card payments, ACH and subscriptions from one API.

Pricing:

• US domestic cards: 2.9% + 30 cents per successful charge
• International cards: +1.5%; currency conversion: +1%
• ACH Direct Debit: 0.8%, capped at $5.00
• Disputes: $15.00 each; a $15.00 appeal fee is not refunded even if you win
• No monthly fee; custom checkout domain $10.00 a month (optional)

Watch out for:

• Foreign buyers cost more: an international card that also needs conversion adds 2.5 points to the base rate, so a sale can reach 5.4% plus 30 cents.
• Buyers do not get the familiar PayPal login, so some shops keep a PayPal button next to Stripe.

Official site: Stripe.

Square

Shops with a counter as well as a website get more from Square than from PayPal's in-store tools. The Square US pricing page lists 2.6% plus 15 cents for tap, dip or swipe on the Free plan, falling to 2.4% plus 15 cents on Premium.

On the same page, online sales cost 3.3% plus 30 cents on Free and 2.9% plus 30 cents on the paid plans. Invoices paid by ACH bank transfer cost 1% with a $1 minimum, and the paid plans cap that fee at $10.

Best for: Cafes, salons and retailers that take most payments in person and some online.

Pricing:

• Free: $0 a month per location; 2.6% + 15 cents in person, 3.3% + 30 cents online
• Plus: $49 a month per location; 2.5% + 15 cents in person, 2.9% + 30 cents online
• Premium: $149 a month per location; 2.4% + 15 cents in person
• Manually keyed or card on file: 3.5% + 15 cents on every plan

Watch out for:

• On the Free plan the online rate of 3.3% plus 30 cents is close to PayPal Checkout, so online-only sellers save little unless they pay for Plus.
• Plan prices are per location, which adds up for a business with several stores.

Official site: Square.

Adyen

Adyen prices each sale as a fixed processing fee plus a fee for the payment method. Adyen charges $0.13 plus interchange++ plus 0.60% for Visa and Mastercard, $0.13 plus 3.3% plus $0.10 for American Express in North America and $0.13 plus 3% for Alipay, according to Adyen pricing.

Interchange++ means the card networks' own costs pass through at cost, so domestic debit cards come out much cheaper than a flat 2.99%. Adyen runs online, in-app and in-store payments on one platform and supports local methods across many countries.

Best for: Retailers and platforms with high card volume across several countries.

Pricing:

• Visa and Mastercard: $0.13 + interchange++ + 0.60%
• American Express (North America): $0.13 + 3.3% + $0.10
• No monthly, setup, integration or closure fees
• Minimum invoice: may apply by industry; amount on request from sales

Watch out for:

• A minimum monthly invoice may apply depending on your industry, and the amount is not published, so small sellers can end up paying for volume they do not have.

Official site: Adyen.

Wise Business

Freelancers who used PayPal mainly to collect money from foreign clients lose most on conversion. PayPal's spread is 3% to 4%. Wise Business converts at the mid-market rate with a fee that starts at 0.23%, according to the Wise Business US pricing page.

One 31 USD setup fee opens the account and gives local account details in 22 currencies, so a client in Germany pays euros into a German-style account. Holding money is free, and domestic USD payments that are not wires arrive at no cost.

Best for: Consultants, agencies and exporters who invoice clients in other currencies.

Pricing:

• Setup: 31 USD for all business features
• Conversion and sending: from 0.23%, varies by currency
• Receiving USD by wire or Swift: 6.11 USD per payment; other domestic USD: free
• Card spending: free; ATM free up to 250 USD a month, then 1.95 USD + 1.95%

Watch out for:

• Wise is an account, not a checkout: it will not put a pay button on your store.
• Clients who pay by wire trigger the 6.11 USD receiving fee each time.

Official site: Wise Business.

Payoneer

Payoneer fits sellers paid by Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Upwork or Airbnb, because those platforms pay out to it directly. Money into a local-currency receiving account costs nothing, and a client paying your Payoneer invoice by card pays up to 3.99% plus 0.49 USD.

Same-currency withdrawals to your bank cost 1.50 USD, while conversion on withdrawal runs 1.2% to 4%. Moving funds between your own Payoneer balances costs 0.50%, per the Payoneer fees page, updated January 1, 2026.

Best for: Marketplace sellers and remote workers whose platforms already pay out to Payoneer.

Pricing:

• Receiving into a local-currency account: free; non-local currency: 1% (min 1.00 USD)
• Client pays by card: up to 3.99% + 0.49 USD; by US ACH debit: 1%
• Withdrawal to bank: 1.50 USD same currency; 1.2% to 4% with conversion
• Annual account fee: 29.95 USD if you receive under 6,000 USD in 12 months

Watch out for:

• Card-paying clients cost about as much as PayPal, so the savings come from local bank receipts, not cards.
• Low-volume accounts pay the 29.95 USD annual fee.

Official site: Payoneer.

Revolut Business

Revolut Business combines a multi-currency business account with card acceptance, which PayPal users in the UK and Europe often want in one place. Payment acceptance starts at 0.8% plus £0.02 on every plan, per the Revolut Business plans page for the UK.

Plans set how much you can exchange at the interbank rate each month: £1,000 on Basic, £15,000 on Grow and £60,000 on Scale. Grow and Scale also include 5 and 25 no-fee international transfers. Paying yearly saves up to 14% on Grow and up to 28% on Scale.

Best for: UK and EU small businesses that want banking, cards and payment links from one app.

Pricing:

• Basic: from £10 a month, billed monthly; £1,000 exchange at interbank rate
• Grow: from £30 a month; £15,000 exchange; 5 free international transfers
• Scale: from £90 a month; £60,000 exchange; 25 free international transfers
• Enterprise: custom price; card acceptance from 0.8% + £0.02

Watch out for:

• These are UK prices in pounds; plans, limits and acceptance rates differ in the US and other countries.
• Revolut Business UK has no free plan, so a seller with tiny volume pays at least £10 a month.

Official site: Revolut Business.

How to choose

When to stay with PayPal

Keep PayPal if many of your buyers pick it at checkout, since some shoppers would rather log in than type card details. It is also the direct route to Venmo for a business: Pay with Venmo runs through the same merchant account. QR code payments are cheaper at 2.29% plus a fixed fee, which suits market stalls. Many shops run PayPal next to Stripe or Square rather than dropping it.

Frequently asked questions