8 Best Payment Gateways for WordPress 2024

Looking for the best WordPress payment gateways for your e-commerce website? You’re at the right place!

Choosing the right payment gateway can make or break your conversions. After all, if it’s too complex for your customers to pay, they will abandon their cart resulting in a loss of sales.

So to allow customers to easily make payments on your WordPress website, you must use a WordPress payment gateway that allows you to accept payments via all payment methods like credit cards, UPI, donations, etc.

There are many different payment gateways available that you can integrate with your WordPress site, so it is important to choose one that is the MOST compatible with your website, is user-friendly, and can help scale your website in the future.

In this article, we will review the eight best payment gateways for WordPress in 2024.

Also Read: 10 Must-Have Plugins for Your WordPress Website in 2024

Why is choosing the right Payment Gateway important?

When it comes to making the payment at checkout, customers can even leave a purchase unfinished if they don’t find a reliable or preferred way of payment at the final stage. Or worse, the problem may be caused by an unreliable payment gateway that can cause transaction failures and discourage your customers from coming back.

For your customers, making the payment is still part of their buying experience on your website. And they expect it to be consistent with the rest of the website. Thus, choosing the right payment gateway is critical for your online store’s performance.

This is not a decision to be made in a hurry and not one where you can afford to be uninformed.

What is a Payment Gateway?

A payment gateway is a third-party service or tool you integrate into your website to evaluate and process online payments. It is usually included in the final step of a transaction and is a natural part of the customer experience on your website. A payment gateway captures the payment information of your customers and processes their payment through various instruments like credit cards, debit cards, e-wallets, etc.

More often than not, you are required to set up a merchant account linked with the payment gateway that you integrate with your website. All payments processed by the payment gateway are automatically routed to your merchant account, with a processing fee charged for each transaction.

Simply put, a payment gateway offers a platform for your customers to securely pay you for the products and solutions they buy from you. So every purchase on your online store becomes a three-party transaction between your customer, your payment gateway, and you.

Most existing payment gateways like PayPal, Square, Stripe, and Apple Pay have dedicated integration plugins to help you add them to your website. You can also customize payment gateways to suit your business needs.

Finding The Best WordPress Payment Gateway

There are more than 100 payment gateways available on WordPress and each has its own sets of benefits and limitations.

However, there are few globally acknowledged and popular payment gateways that businesses of all sizes have adopted and benefited from. Not only do these gateways offer a secure platform for your customers to complete their transactions, but their transaction fees also are transparent, interfaces are user-centric and payment processing is very fast.

The best and most popular WordPress payment gateways are selected by thousands of online businesses across the world, primarily based on their –

• Region-wise availability,
• Data security,
• Awareness in the customer market,
• Transaction or processing fees charged,
• PCI compliance,
• Degree of integration, and customization offered.

So, to help you decide which payment gateway to select for your online store, here is a list of the best eCommerce payment gateways for WordPress, based on these evaluation criteria.

1. PayPal

PayPal operates in 202 countries and makes it possible for you to accept payments in 25 currencies. Thus the likelihood that this WordPress payment gateway is available in your region is very high. Customers are routed to PayPal’s website to complete the payment transaction and thus will have to leave your website to make the purchase. It charges 2.9% + 0.30 cents as fees per transaction.

As a payment partner, PayPal is known for offering 24×7 account monitoring, advanced encryption, and fraud protection. PayPal is also PCI compliant which makes it a payment gateway of choice for your website customers as they feel assured of a smooth and safe transaction.

Woocommerce PayPal Checkout Payment Gateway is presently the most preferred integration plugin. Still, you can also explore PayPal Payments Standard or PayPal Pro and choose the plugin that best suits your needs. This gateway can also be integrated with several other plugins, hence in terms of customizability and integration, PayPal can be at the top of your list when you are looking for a suitable WordPress payment gateway.

2. Stripe

If PayPal is the market leader in the payment gateway segment, then Stripe is most definitely a strong challenger.

Stripe is available for business use in 35+ countries and you can accept payments from your customers in more than 135 currencies.

Stripe charges 2.9% plus 30 cents per successful card charge for online transactions on its platform. For international cards, there is an additional 1.5% fee, and a 1% fee is applied if currency conversion is required. Additionally, Stripe charges 2.7% plus 5 cents per successful card charge for in-person transactions. It’s important to note that Stripe does not have setup fees, monthly fees, or hidden charges, offering a transparent pay-as-you-go pricing structure

Furthermore, you don’t have to set up any separate merchant account to receive your money, which can be automatically transferred to your linked account within 2 days. Stripe is PCI compliant and even offers client-side tokenization if you want to keep the customers on your website while completing the payment.

The WooCommerce Stripe Payment gateway is the most popular plugin extension for this option, but Stripe can also be integrated with several other payment plugins. Some of the pre-built integrations offered by Stripe are AmazonPay, ApplePay, and Venmo.

3. PeachPay

Featured in some of the biggest WordPress/WooCommerce publications, including WPLift, Business Bloomer, WPExplorer & more, PeachPay is a frictionless 1-click checkout solution.

PeachPay’s checkout flow is optimized for first-time users and as easy as one click for repeat users (no matter which site PeachPay is used on initially). Supporting 4 payment methods in 20+ languages, this new and advanced payment solution offers the ultimate checkout experience with a fully customizable, sleek, and simplified checkout window instead of a checkout page.

It is fairly easy to set up and is known to supercharge the WooCommerce checkout experience in minutes. Currently, PeachPay integrates with Stripe, PayPal, WooCommerce Apple Pay, and Google Pay with more integrations coming soon!

PeachPay is PCI compliant through Stripe and Paypal and offers a zero-fraud guarantee. Additionally, support is available with a 24/7 live rep. And the greatest part about PeachPay is that it is free and your transaction fee remains the same.

PeachPay also offers a Basic plan with a 1.0% service fee for Stripe, Square, and PayPal transactions, while the Premium plan eliminates this fee for those payment gateways. Additionally, there is no additional charge for using PeachPay’s payment gateways; the platform takes a cut of the transaction fee from the payment processor without charging extra fees to users.

4. Authorize.Net

Authorize.Net is widely popular. This PCI-certified plugin is available for a $25 monthly fee. Authorize.net charges different fees for different types of transactions based on the payment method and transaction type. For a merchant account plus a gateway: 2.9% plus 30 cents per transaction. For a payment gateway only: 10 cents per transaction plus a 10-cent daily batch fee

But Authorize.Net has superior solutions to back this pricing. You can accept payment from a wide range of payment methods and the plugin also offers an anti-fraud detection suite. If many of your customers return to your website and you accept recurring payments or payments via e-checks, then Authorize.net is the payment gateway for you.

Authorize.net integrates easily with other plugins like Shopify, Magento, Moolah, and Quickbooks. You will need a merchant bank account to automatically receive payments from Authorize.net and you can completely customize the design as well as the payment location of the plugin.

If your website runs on WooCommerce, use the Authorize.net integration plugin.

5. 2Checkout (now Verifone)

The fact that 2Checkout can process payments from PayPal along with standard credit card and debit card options, makes it a flexible choice. 2Checkout is level 1 PCI compliant and offers all the standard security as well as anti-fraud arrangements to its users.

A separate merchant account is needed to accept payments through this gateway. Regional availability of 2Checkout is unparalleled with over 200 markets covered, 87 currency options, and the payment gateway interface customizable in 15 different languages.

Verifone charges fees per successful sale, with rates varying depending on the seller’s country, industry, and business model. The transaction fees typically range from 2.4% to 3.9% plus 30 cents to 45 cents per transaction. Additionally, for home currency conversion, an average fee of 2% to 5% is billed on top of the daily bank exchange rate. Users processing over $50,000 monthly may contact Verifone’s sales team for volume-based pricing

The gateway can be integrated with WooCommerce, Zoho, Shopify, and WPecommerce among many others. You can also manage your pricing plan, and billing schedule, and automate payment withdrawals. 2Checkout was recently acquired by Verifone.

6. Square

As one of the more affordable payment gateways out there Square has a free-to-download WordPress payment plugin that charges no monthly fees. The per-transaction fee of 2.9% + 0.30 cents is at par with other top payment gateways, making it a plugin of choice for small businesses as well as online stores with physical outlets.

Square is PCI level 1 compliant and offers anti-fraud and layered security for users making payments through the platform. Square allows you to accept payments from a wide array of methods, which are then automatically transferred to your linked bank account on the next business day.

However, the regional availability of Square is limited and you can only use it if your business is located in the U.S., Australia, Canada, Japan, or the UK. WooCommerce and WP EasyCart are some of the square-supported WordPress plugins.

7. WooCommerce Payments

Since we are discussing the best WordPress payment plugins for your online store, how can we leave out WooCommerce Payments, specially designed for smooth integration with Woo Stores?

Although this plugin can only be used by US-based merchants, it is still among the top preferred payment plugins by thousands of WooStore owners.

It allows users to collect payments, track cash flow, manage recurring revenue, and handle refunds and disputes directly from their store’s dashboard. This payment solution offers a native checkout experience on WooCommerce stores, enhancing the customer checkout process by allowing them to enter payment information directly on the site without the need to create additional accounts with PayPal or Square.

WP Simple Pay charges an additional 3% fee for transactions processed through the Lite (free) version of WP Simple Pay or with an invalid or expired Pro license. However, if you are using WP Simple Pay Pro with a valid license, there are no extra fees or charges beyond Stripe’s standard pricing

Also Read: 8 best WooComerce Point-of-sale (POS) plugins (Free+Premium)

8. WP Simple Pay

WP Simple Pay is a WordPress plugin designed to facilitate payment processing on websites, offering a user-friendly interface and seamless integration with Stripe. WP Simple Pay provides a straightforward and intuitive design, making it easy for both beginners and experienced users to configure and customize payment forms.

The plugin seamlessly integrates with Stripe, ensuring secure and smooth transactions for both website owners and customers. The plugin allows for the collection of custom data through checkboxes, form fields, dropdowns, etc., enhancing flexibility in payment forms.

WP Simple Pay automates tax calculations based on customer location and enables the recovery of processing fees from users to collect the full net amount. WP Simple Pay offers four pricing plans – Personal, Plus, Professional, and Elite – catering to different business needs and budgets.

WP Simple Pay charges additional fees beyond Stripe’s pricing for transactions processed through the Lite (free) version of WP Simple Pay or with an invalid or expired Pro license. Specifically, there is an additional 3% fee for transactions processed under these conditions. However, if you are using WP Simple Pay Pro with a valid license, there are no extra fees or charges beyond Stripe’s standard pricing.

Which WordPress Payment Gateway will you choose?

In sum, selecting the right WordPress payment gateway can greatly improve your customers’ purchase experience on your site and give them the confidence to view you as a trusted and secure seller.

Knowing which payment gateway is right for your online store and your customers is a step in the right direction and can help you build a site that your customers will love coming back to.

However, if you realize that you may require some minor customization with the WordPress payment gateway of your choice to fit your needs, our experts know how to help you!

All you need to do is share a few details about your requirements and one of our experts will get on a 1:1 call with you!

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Also Read: How to build a WooCommerce custom payment gateway plugin? 

FAQs

Does WordPress offer payment processing?

WordPress itself doesn’t offer built-in payment processing but allows the integration of various payment gateways through plugins to facilitate online transactions.

Which Payment Gateway is best for WordPress?

The best payment gateway for WordPress depends on specific needs, with options like WP Simple Pay, PayPal, and Stripe being popular choices due to reliability and global acceptance.

How much does it cost to integrate a payment gateway on WordPress?

The cost of integrating a payment gateway on WordPress varies, with some plugins offering free versions with essential features while advanced features may require a premium version. Transaction fees charged by providers should also be considered.

What are Direct and Redirect Payment Gateways in WordPress?

Direct Payment Gateways allow customers to complete transactions directly on the website, while Redirect Payment Gateways redirect customers to a secure external portal for payments, each offering different levels of security and user experience.

What is the best WordPress Payment Gateway for Indian businesses?

Although not mentioned in the list, the best WordPress payment gateway for Indian businesses is Razorpay.

How do you integrate a payment gateway with WordPress?

This article can help you with integrating payment gateways to WordPress.