Top PayPal Alternatives for Business: A Comprehensive Guide

While PayPal may have a significant share of the payments market, it’s hardly the only online payment provider in town. A PayPal business account alternative may work better for your specific business type.

Your business might need different features like lower transaction fees, specific APIs, integrations, or POS options. This comprehensive guide will give you the top alternatives to PayPal in 2024.

What Is PayPal?

PayPal is a contact-free payment solution that allows merchants and consumers to pay or receive payments using multiple payment options, such as credit or debit cards, point-of-sale payments, and eChecks. Supporting more than 25 currencies, including cryptocurrency, PayPal also offers financing and business management services, strong invoicing features, secure payment processing, and instant access to funds.

PayPal charges 2.29% to 3.49% per transaction and an optional monthly fee for online payment gateway services. You can transfer funds to PayPal for free, although you might incur currency conversion charges and bank withdrawal fees. Verified businesses can send up to $60,000 per transaction with no daily limits, while unverified businesses can transfer a maximum of $4,000.

Best Alternatives to PayPal for Business

Although there are many competitors to PayPal, many are simply payment service providers. This means they often selectively choose which businesses to work with and may offer more limited customization options. Therefore, it’s important to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each provider to find the best payment provider for your business.

1. Stripe: Best for Customization

Accepting over 135 currencies and a variety of payment methods, Stripe is an ideal PayPal alternative for large online businesses. And it comes with all the advanced reporting, insights, billing and invoicing, and reconciliation features you’d expect from a top platform.

Stripe lets merchants pay only for the features they use, making the service highly customizable. Businesses can customize their payment processing using the open application programming interface (API) and development kits.

While Stripe’s pricing models deviate only slightly from PayPay’s, even a small bit of savings can add up. Stripe has two pricing models:

• Integrated Model: This model charges 2.9% plus $0.30 for online card transactions, 4.4% plus $0.30 for international card transactions, and 2.7% plus $0.5 for in-person payments.

• Customized Model: The price varies depending on your business needs. 

2. Square: Best for Point-of-Sale Services 

One of the best alternatives to PayPal is Square, which is a well-known payment solution. Square offers secure and reputable third-party card processing services and sells hardware like the Square Register and Magstripe Reader. This setup allows merchants to process payments both online and in person.

Square enables merchants to track sales reporting, accept payments with or without an internet connection, customize customer profiles, and integrate with third-party software. Additionally, Square provides chargeback protection services limited to $250 per month.

Square prides itself on transparent pricing. For in-person transactions, Square charges 2.6% plus 10 cents. Online transaction fees are 2.9% plus 30 cents, and manually keyed transactions are charged at 3.5% plus 30 cents. The maximum transaction amount is $10,000, with a cap of $25,000 per day and $150,000 monthly.

3. Venmo: Best for Peer-to-Peer Payments

Venmo has become one of the leading peer-to-peer payment providers, and since 2021, it has allowed business users to leverage its platform. Business accounts benefit from social sharing, which enhances visibility and provides opportunities to generate referrals by linking to your website and social media platforms. The platform ensures the security of customers’ funds and data with multiple features, including identity verification. Additionally, businesses can use Venmo’s bookkeeping tools, customer insights, and formal tax documentation features. However, Venmo does not offer a debit card for business accounts.

Venmo works to minimize or eliminate transactional fees. You can send or receive money from your Venmo or bank account at zero cost. However, Venmo charges $2.50 for an out-of-network ATM withdrawal and 1.75% for instant transfers. Unverified business account payments are limited to $ 2,499 weekly and $999 for bank transfers. Verified business accounts’ payments are limited to $24,999 per week and $49,999 for bank transfers. 

4. Payoneer: Best for Freelancers 

Payoneer offers a robust gateway for making international payments, receiving funds, managing digital businesses, and accessing capital. They are known for their faster processing times compared to alternatives. Payoneer supports API integration and works well with third-party software such as Escrow, Fiverr, and Upwork.

While PayPal charges a flat fee of 2.9% plus $0.49 per transaction, Payoneer’s fees vary between 1-3% depending on the transaction type. Another significant advantage of Payoneer is its global reach: It is available in over 150 countries with nine local receiving accounts.

Payoneer typically charges a 1-3% fee depending on the transaction method (credit card, ACH, etc.). The platform charges up to 2% to withdraw money to local bank accounts and $1.50 for withdrawals in the same currency to other banks. However, there are no fees for making payments via non-USD receiving accounts.

5. QuickBooks Payments: Best for B2B and Accounting 

QuickBooks Payments is an excellent choice for businesses already using QuickBooks, particularly for large businesses that process a high volume of invoices. With its top-rated POS mobile app, Payments allows you to sell products in person and easily funnel funds into different business accounts. It supports sending invoices and recurring billing through the mobile app. Real-time notifications alert you when clients view or pay invoices. Additionally, businesses dealing in transaction volumes over $7,500 monthly qualify for a 40% discount per transaction.

QuickBooks Payments charges 2.4% plus $0.25 for in-person transactions, 2.9% plus $0.25 for invoiced cards, 3.4% plus $0.25 for keyed-in transactions, and 1% for ACH transactions. Under the monthly plan, businesses pay 1.6% plus $0.30 per swiped transaction and 3.3% plus $0.30 for manually keyed transactions and invoiced cards.

6. Shopify Payments: Best for eCommerce 

Shopify Payments is an excellent choice for eCommerce enterprises looking for integrated POS systems and omnichannel tools. Like PayPal, Shopify offers a one-click checkout option through Shop Pay, which allows customers to save their checkout information and easily make payments on sites integrated with Shopify.

Businesses can integrate Shopify with drop shipping companies, social media platforms, and multichannel sales platforms like eBay. Shopify Payments is a user-friendly interface with an easy setup, enabling merchants to manage inventory, host, and customize their pages securely. Pricing varies depending on your subscription plan:

• Basic Shopify: This plan costs 2.9% plus 30 cents per online transaction and 2.7% for in-person transactions. 
• Shopify: Shopify plan costs 2.6% plus 30 cents per online transaction or 2.5% for in-person payments. 
• Advanced: This plan is available for 2.4% plus 30 cents per online transaction or 2.4% for in-person payments. 

7. Apple Pay: Faster & Better Checkout for Apple Users 

Apple Pay is a secure private payment solution ideal for Apple device users, supporting online, in-person, and in-app transactions.

It’s easy to set up for merchants and is compatible with Visa, MasterCard, and American Express. It employs advanced security measures to protect customers’ sensitive information and enhances user convenience by storing payment details and supporting offline checkouts—no internet connection is required.

Customers can make payments using their Apple Watch or other iOS wearables without a third-party terminal. Apple Pay can integrate with other third-party software. Apple Pay charges 3% fees on credit card transactions, but debit cards and bank payments are free. 

8. Amazon Pay: Best for Users with an Amazon Seller Account

Amazon Pay is a checkout solution that can enhance your business’s shopper engagement, brand visibility, and security. Using its customizable API, you can seamlessly integrate Amazon Pay with your existing eCommerce platform. A notable PayPal alternative, Amazon Pay is recognized globally for its intuitive payment process and fast checkout.

Amazon Pay stores customers’ payment data, streamlining the checkout process for returning customers. The platform employs an advanced security system to scrutinize every transaction, effectively mitigating potential fraud risks. Importantly, there are no additional charges for Amazon’s fraud detection program.

Amazon Pay charges 2.9% plus $0.30 per online transaction, 3.9% for cross-border transactions, and 4% plus $0.30 for transactions made through Alexa. Additionally, Amazon Pay imposes a $20 fee for disputed payments.

9. Skrill: Best for Instant Payments 

Skrill is known for its fast, secure payment solutions, supporting transactions via over 3,000 banks and over 100 local payment methods worldwide, including digital wallets, debit or credit cards, and instant bank transfers. A notable feature of Skrill is that one account can hold over 40 currencies, greatly facilitating cross-border payments. Customers can make payments using just an email address and password directly from a merchant’s website, enhancing user convenience. Additionally, merchants benefit from chargeback protection, advanced reporting and insights, multilingual customer support, a robust API, and comprehensive fraud management.

While opening a Skrill account and sending money to an overseas vendor is free, Skrill’s fees for other transactions and account management can be high. These include a $5 service fee for dormant accounts, 4.99% for international transactions, a $5.50 fee for bank withdrawals, and a $10 annual fee for prepaid cards.

10. Paysley: Best for Tap-to-Pay Requests 

Paysley offers a convenient solution for sending payment requests to customers directly from a web browser. Enter the payment details, and Paysley will auto-generate an invoice and securely send it as a payment request via text or email. Additionally, it supports QR code scans and point-of-sale links, facilitating fast and seamless transactions.

Paysley’s intuitive payment APIs allow for easy integration with existing platforms. You can upload and manage customer information in your Paysley account for a standard charge of $0.20 per transaction. Pricing plans vary, ranging from $15 to $99 per month.

11. Authorize.Net: Best for Payment Gateway

Authorize.Net is a versatile payment processing platform that supports over 140 global payment types. It offers comprehensive services, including point-of-sale support, eCommerce capabilities, eChecks, and mobile phone payments.

Authorize.Net aids businesses in maintaining up-to-date accounts to prevent customer service disruptions and offers digital email invoicing for a streamlined billing process. Users can also benefit from a simple checkout process facilitated by a ‘Buy Now’ button. Its advanced fraud protection keeps customer transactions secure and allows for the convenient saving of customer information for future transactions.

There are no set-up fees with Authorize.Net; however, it charges a $25 monthly gateway subscription fee and transaction fees of 2.9% plus $0.30.

12. Payline: Best for All-in-one Merchant Services

Payline is a secure and competitive merchant service provider that facilitates both online and in-person payment processing. It features a versatile virtual terminal and dashboard that allow merchants to accept payments in multiple ways, view reports, send invoices, store customer profiles, and key in transactions.

Payline easily integrates with your existing shopping cart and provides a hosted payment page for customers to complete their payments directly on your website. Additionally, the service supports invoicing and recurring billing and offers an open API for seamless customizations, making it adaptable to various business needs. The pricing model is interchange-plus, charging 0.4% plus $0.10 for in-person transactions and 0.75% plus $0.20 for online transactions.

13. Adyen: Best for Expanding Businesses

Adyen provides an end-to-end payment solution that consolidates data and finance management into a single platform. It offers cross-channel insights and robust fraud management services, allowing businesses to add more payment methods as they grow. Adyen also delivers in-depth analytics to help businesses analyze their operating environments and identify potential investment opportunities.

Adyen provides a banking infrastructure to automate payments and allow customers to pay using their preferred currency. However, Adyen charges a fixed transaction fee of $0.11 plus a fee determined by the payment method. Adyen offers flexible payouts.

14. Braintree: Best for Dedicated Merchant Accounts 

Braintree is an all-in-one online payment solution that lets you accept credit or debit cards, PayPal, and Venmo, among other payment methods. It’s also a solid option for paying freelancers and contractors who aren’t on the payroll. 

Braintree’s advanced fraud tools help detect and prevent fraudulent transactions. Its reporting functionality helps you find key transaction insights. Braintree can also help you drive conversions, increase efficiency, and expand your reach with easy social integrations.

Braintree charges 2.59% plus $0.49 per transaction for digital wallets and credit/debit cards, 3.49% plus $0.49 for Venmo, and 0.75% for ACH transactions. 

Factors to Consider When Selecting a PayPal Alternative 

When looking for a PayPal alternative, it’s important to understand that different payment systems have unique features that work best for different businesses. However, some basic factors to consider include:

Scrutinize the processors’ cost and fee structures to see if they suit your budget. Check the transaction rates, monthly fees, hardware fees, and hidden costs like early termination fees or PCI compliance charges.

A payment processor should easily integrate with your existing platform and other third-party software to give your customers various convenient payment options. Platforms should also offer customizations and APIs to allow you to tailor your payment processing.

According to IBM, the average data breach cost in 2023 reached a whopping $4.45 million. ^[1]IBM. “IBM Report.” Accessed on April 23, 2023. Don’t become a statistic! Choose a PCI-compliant processor to ensure the safety of your digital assets. Ensure that merchant and customer protections are in place, provide on-call support for customer issues and queries, and provide tech support when needed.

How to Choose the Best PayPal Alternative for Your Business

When choosing the best PayPal alternative, first consider your unique business needs. Evaluate the options based on pricing, security, customer support features, and any integrations and customization capabilities you might want.

If you find payment service providers limiting, opt for a merchant services provider. A merchant service provider can assist you in identifying the specific payment processing solutions that best suit your needs. These providers possess state-of-the-art payment gateway solutions to help streamline your payment process.

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