Checkout is where you win or lose revenue. In 2025, the best payment gateways for online stores blend fast approvals, global coverage, low friction wallets, and fraud controls that don’t kneecap conversion. This guide compares the top payment gateways for ecommerce today—what they’re best at, where they fall short, and exactly how to choose for your catalog, geographies, and risk profile. You’ll also get an implementation checklist and FAQs so you can ship a reliable, compliant payment stack without guesswork.
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Best payment gateways in 2025: quick picks
- Stripe — Best overall for global cards + wallets + subscriptions; top developer experience. Confirm details: stripe.com/pricing.
- PayPal — Best for trust and guest checkout; pairs with PayPal Pay Later. Fees and limits: paypal.com/merchant-fees.
- Adyen — Best enterprise/all-in-one acquirer with advanced risk controls. See: adyen.com/pricing.
- Checkout.com — Best for multicurrency scale and flexible routing. Pricing overview: checkout.com/pricing.
- Braintree (by PayPal) — Best for combined cards + PayPal + vaulting. Pricing: braintreepayments.com/pricing.
- Square — Best for omnichannel POS + online for small to midsize sellers. See: squareup.com/pricing.
- Authorize.net — Best for gateway-only and legacy migrations. See: authorize.net/pricing.
- Shopify Payments — Best for native Shopify checkout speed and Shop Pay. Learn more: shopify.com/payments.
- Regional standouts — Razorpay (India), Paystack (Africa), Mercado Pago (LATAM). Confirm in official sites.
Selection methodology (what actually matters)
- Approval + auth rates: issuer routing, network tokens, and 3DS2 performance.
- Coverage: cards, wallets (Apple Pay/Google Pay), APMs (iDEAL, Pix), and local acquiring.
- Checkout UX: one‑tap wallets, saved details, address autofill, and mobile optimizations.
- Risk controls: 3D Secure 2, adaptive authentication, machine‑learning fraud filters.
- Subscriptions: proration, trials, dunning, SCA‑safe retries.
- Payouts & settlement: speed, reconciliation exports, partial captures, refunds.
- Dev experience: SDKs, webhooks, idempotency, test cards, clear docs.
- Compliance: PCI DSS scope, PSD2 SCA, and data residency options.
- Total cost: per‑transaction + cross‑border + currency conversion + dispute ops. Verify on vendor pages.
Detailed reviews (what each gateway does best)
Stripe
Best for: modern ecommerce stacks that need global cards, wallets, subscriptions, and top‑tier developer tooling. Stripe’s APIs, webhooks, and dashboard are exemplary; features like Payment Element, Link, network tokens, and Smart Retries help lift auth rates while keeping checkout fast. Subscriptions (Billing) cover trials, proration, metered usage, and dunning. Radar adds ML‑based risk with flexible rules. Confirm capabilities and fees: stripe.com/pricing and stripe.com/docs.
Considerations: Cross‑border and currency conversion costs, some advanced features may add fees; confirm for your markets.
PayPal
Best for: trust and reach. Many buyers already have PayPal balances or saved cards. Adding PayPal alongside cards often lifts conversion, especially for international or marketplace customers. Pay Later can increase AOV. Docs: developer.paypal.com/docs/checkout • Fees: paypal.com/merchant-fees.
Considerations: Dispute flows differ from card chargebacks; reconciliation is separate from your card processor if you don’t use Braintree.
Braintree (by PayPal)
Best for: combining cards + PayPal in one vault with strong tokenization and solid subscription support. Excellent for brands that want PayPal’s reach with card processing in one contract. Docs: Braintree Docs • Pricing: braintreepayments.com/pricing.
Considerations: Some regional APMs may require extra setup; confirm coverage per country.
Adyen
Best for: enterprise scale with unified acquiring, advanced risk, and robust APM coverage. Adyen’s RevenueProtect and network‑level optimizations can materially increase approvals at global scale. Docs/pricing: adyen.com/pricing • docs.adyen.com.
Considerations: Best fit for larger volumes and multi‑region operations; implementation typically requires experienced devs.
Checkout.com
Best for: multicurrency, flexible routing, and data‑rich reporting. Strong wallet support and 3DS2 performance with granular control. Docs: checkout.com/docs • Pricing: checkout.com/pricing.
Considerations: Enterprise‑leaning; discuss exact terms and coverage with a rep for your regions.
Square
Best for: sellers blending in‑person POS and online checkout. Unified catalog, inventory, and reporting simplify operations. Wallets and BNPL integrations are available in many markets. Pricing: squareup.com/pricing.
Considerations: International coverage is more limited than Stripe/Adyen/Checkout.com; confirm countries and APMs.
Authorize.net
Best for: gateway‑only scenarios and legacy migrations where you want to keep an existing acquiring relationship. Docs: developer.authorize.net • Pricing: authorize.net/pricing.
Considerations: Feature velocity and wallets/APMs coverage trail newer platforms; excellent if you need gateway‑only.
Shopify Payments
Best for: Shopify stores that want the fastest, most trusted native checkout (Shop Pay) and one‑tap repeat purchases. Seamless refunds, partial captures, and fraud controls are built in. Learn more: shopify.com/payments.
Considerations: Availability and rates vary by country and industry; for non‑Shopify storefronts, look elsewhere.
Regional champions (when local is best)
Razorpay (India), Paystack (Africa), Mercado Pago (LATAM) excel in local payment methods and approvals. If most of your volume is domestic, local providers can outperform global gateways on auth and cost. Verify features and fees on each provider’s official site.
Comparison snapshot: choose by your scenario
- Subscriptions + SaaS: Stripe or Braintree for vaulting, proration, dunning, and SCA‑safe retries.
- Enterprise global retail: Adyen or Checkout.com for local acquiring and advanced routing.
- Shopify‑native brands: Shopify Payments for Shop Pay + speed; add PayPal for reach.
- POS + online: Square for unified inventory and reporting.
- Gateway‑only: Authorize.net when you need to keep your existing processor.
- Domestic‑first: Regional leaders (Razorpay, Paystack, Mercado Pago) often win on approvals.
Budget considerations (without guessing)
Never choose on sticker price alone. Your real cost is fees + auth rate + fraud losses + ops time. Confirm current rates on the official pricing pages and model scenarios with your mix (domestic vs cross‑border, card brands, wallets, APMs). Avoid quoting unverified prices—always verify here:
- Stripe pricing • PayPal fees • Braintree pricing
- Adyen pricing • Checkout.com pricing • Square pricing
- Authorize.net pricing • Shopify Payments
Compliance, security, and trust (non‑negotiables)
- PCI DSS: reduce scope with hosted fields/elements. See: pcisecuritystandards.org.
- PSD2 / SCA (EU/UK): use 3D Secure 2 with exemptions where allowed. Read: EMVCo 3DS • PSD2 overview.
- Wallets: Apple Pay (developer.apple.com/apple-pay) • Google Pay (developers.google.com/pay).
- Fraud: 3DS2 step‑up, device fingerprinting, negative lists, velocity rules, and ML filters.
Implementation guide: integrate a payment gateway in 12 steps
- Map requirements: countries, currencies, methods (cards, wallets, APMs), subscriptions, and refunds.
- Shortlist: pick 2–3 gateways aligned to your geographies and motion (see quick picks).
- Checkout UX: enable wallets (Apple/Google Pay), address autocomplete, and one‑page flows.
- 3DS2 + SCA: configure adaptive authentication and exemptions where allowed.
- Fraud rules: start conservative; review declines/false positives weekly.
- Webhooks: handle payment.succeeded/failed, refund, dispute; ensure idempotency.
- Subscriptions: set trials, proration, dunning windows, and safe retry strategies.
- Reconciliation: test exports, payouts, fees, and order mapping.
- Failovers (optional): consider a backup processor for critical regions.
- QA: test cards, disputes, partial captures, refunds, and currency conversions.
- Launch: enable production keys, monitor auth rates, error codes, and latency.
- Iterate: tune risk and 3DS policies; add local APMs where volume justifies.
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Future outlook: what’s changing in payments
- Network tokens + credential‑on‑file: higher approvals and fewer expirations.
- Biometric wallets: Apple/Google Pay adoption keeps climbing—prioritize them.
- Account‑to‑Account (A2A): open banking rails expand beyond the EU/UK.
- Real‑time payments: FedNow/RTP use cases grow for payouts and high‑ticket.
- Adaptive 3DS2: more exemptions and risk‑based flows reduce friction.
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Final recommendations
- Enable wallets first; they’re the lowest‑effort conversion lift.
- Pick one primary gateway and only add a secondary when data proves the need.
- Instrument approvals, 3DS step‑ups, disputes, and refund times weekly.
- Use vendor docs for pricing; don’t guess—negotiate with volume and risk data.
Frequently asked questions
Which payment gateway converts best in 2025?
There’s no single winner. Stripe and Shopify Payments often lead for global DTC, Adyen/Checkout.com for enterprise scale, and Square for omnichannel. Your conversion depends on wallets, routing, and risk rules.
Do I need more than one gateway?
Start with one. Add a secondary only if you see approval gaps by region/card type or need specific local APMs your primary lacks.
How do I reduce SCA/3DS friction?
Use 3DS2 with exemptions where permitted, enable network tokens, and keep device/wallet signals strong to qualify for frictionless flows.
Are PayPal and Braintree the same?
PayPal is a wallet and processor; Braintree is a full gateway/processor that also supports PayPal. Many brands pair them to maximize reach.
What about BNPL (Pay Later) options?
Offer them after you’ve enabled wallets. BNPL can lift AOV but review fees and dispute policies in official docs for your markets.
How do I handle subscriptions safely?
Use gateway billing features for proration, trials, and dunning. Combine with network tokens and SCA‑safe retries.
What KPIs matter most?
Approval rate by method/region, 3DS step‑up share, chargeback rate, refund latency, and wallet share.
How do I verify fees?
Only from official pages (Stripe, PayPal, Adyen, etc.). Don’t use third‑party lists; terms vary by region and industry.
Is PCI DSS my responsibility?
Yes, but scope changes. Hosted fields/elements reduce your burden. Review PCI guidance and your gateway’s SAQ recommendations.
Which methods should I enable first?
Cards + Apple Pay/Google Pay + PayPal in most markets. Add local APMs where volume justifies.
Disclosure: Some links are affiliate links. If you purchase through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Always verify features, fees, and compliance on official vendor sites.
