Payment gateways and processors are essential for securely handling online transactions, offering features like payment forms, credit card processing, and timely payouts. After extensive research and testing of dozens of payment gateways, the top seven services identified are:

  • Juniper Pay: Ideal for side-hustlers and business starters
  • PayPal: Ideal for first-time users due to its simplicity.
  • Stripe: Offers accessible analytics for businesses.
  • Shopify Payments: Best suited for eCommerce stores, providing an all-in-one solution.
  • Square: Great for businesses selling both online and offline.

These gateways facilitate secure online payments without the need for expensive security software, complying with PCI-DSS standards and offering features like recurring billing and advanced analytics. The selection process involved evaluating ease of integration, security, checkout experience, and additional features like subscription support and invoicing. The best gateways were chosen based on their ability to accept all major credit cards, ease of setup without coding knowledge, PCI compliance, and providing a smooth checkout experience.


Quick Overview of Top Payment Gateways


Best for
Standout feature
Pricing
Juniper PaySmall team businesses, solo entrepreneurs, coaches, trainers, and freelancersEasy to setup with integrations to key platformsAffordable pricing at 2.45% + $0.20
PayPal
Ideal for New UsersExtremely simple to set up
Variable fees; typically 3.5% + $0.49/transaction for U.S. credit cards.
Stripe
Best for Data Analytics
Offers a wide range of flexible tools and plugins.
Fees vary; generally 2.9% + $0.30/online credit card transaction.
Shopify Payments
Optimized for eCommerce Stores
Comprehensive eCommerce solution.
Starting at 2.9% + $0.30/transaction; requires an active Shopify plan from $39/month.
Square
For Online and Offline Sales
Comes with a basic website builder.
Variable fees; about 2.9% + $0.30 for online credit card transactions.