FeeLedger
Compare merchant payment-processing fees — effective rates across Stripe, PayPal, Square, Adyen and more.
In June 2026 the standard online card rate is 2.9% + $0.30 on Stripe, Square and Amazon Pay; PayPal's wallet checkout is higher at 3.49% + $0.49 while its commercial-card rate is 2.59%–2.99% + $0.49. Braintree is 2.59% + $0.49. For a typical $50.00 transaction the cheapest flat-rate processor we track is GoCardless at 1.50% effective. Enterprise processors like Adyen and Checkout.com use Interchange-plus (no single flat rate) and beat flat pricing at high volume. FeeLedger compares fees across 20 processors and 8 payment methods, with a free effective-rate calculator.
Source: Processor pricing pages. Data as of June 2026.
Heads up: These are general estimates, not a quote or offer. Your real rate depends on your card mix, volume, region, risk profile and the contract you sign. See our disclaimer.
Payment-processing fees compared (June 2026)
| Processor | Pricing model | Headline rate | Effective @ $50.00 | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Pay | Flat rate | 2.90% + $0.30 | 3.50% | e-commerce wanting Amazon-account express checkout |
| Braintree | Flat rate | 2.59% + $0.49 | 3.57% | online businesses wanting PayPal + cards in one gateway |
| Clover | Flat rate | 3.50% + $0.10 | 3.70% | retail and restaurant point-of-sale |
| Payoneer | Flat rate | 3.00% + $0.49 | 3.98% | cross-border sellers, marketplaces and freelancers |
| PayPal | Flat rate | 3.49% + $0.49 | 4.47% | marketplaces, freelancers and brand-trust checkout |
| Razorpay | Flat rate | 2.00% | 2.00% | Indian businesses and India-facing merchants |
| Square | Flat rate | 2.90% + $0.30 | 3.50% | small retail, restaurants and in-person sellers |
| Stripe | Flat rate | 2.90% + $0.30 | 3.50% | online businesses and developers |
| Adyen | Interchange-plus | Interchange-plus | Interchange-plus (varies) | large enterprises and global omnichannel merchants |
| Checkout.com | Interchange-plus | Interchange-plus | Interchange-plus (varies) | high-volume global digital merchants |
| Helcim | Interchange-plus | 2.30% + $0.08 | 2.46% | small and mid-size businesses wanting transparent interchange-plus |
| PaymentCloud | Interchange-plus | Interchange-plus | Interchange-plus (varies) | high-risk merchants who get declined elsewhere |
| Worldpay | Interchange-plus | 2.60% + $0.30 | 3.20% | mid-market and enterprise merchants, omnichannel |
| Authorize.net | Subscription / membership | 2.90% + $0.30 | 3.50% | merchants who already have a separate merchant account |
| Stax | Subscription / membership | Subscription / membership | Subscription / membership (varies) | high-volume merchants ($15k+/mo) who want 0% markup |
| GoCardless | Per-method pricing | 1.00% + $0.25 | 1.50% | recurring bill and subscription collection via bank debit |
| Mollie | Per-method pricing | 1.80% + $0.28 | 2.36% | European SMBs needing local payment methods |
| 2Checkout (Verifone) | Merchant of Record | 3.50% + $0.35 | 4.20% | digital goods and SaaS selling globally |
| Lemon Squeezy | Merchant of Record | 5.00% + $0.50 | 6.00% | indie makers and digital-product creators |
| Paddle | Merchant of Record | 5.00% + $0.50 | 6.00% | SaaS and software companies selling globally |
Source: Processor pricing pages. Data as of June 2026.
Snapshot June 2026 — processors change pricing; verify on the provider's pricing page before relying on a figure.
Popular processors
Flat rate · 2.90% + $0.30
PayPalFlat rate · 3.49% + $0.49
SquareFlat rate · 2.90% + $0.30
AdyenInterchange-plus · Interchange-plus
BraintreeFlat rate · 2.59% + $0.49
HelcimInterchange-plus · 2.30% + $0.08
What you can look up
- Per-processor fee pages — a page for every processor (Stripe, PayPal, Square, Adyen, Braintree, Checkout.com, Mollie, Worldpay, Authorize.net, Helcim, Stax, Paddle and more) with its rate, fixed fee, international surcharge, chargeback fee and monthly cost.
- Per-payment-method fees — a page for every method: cards, ACH/bank debit, Apple Pay/Google Pay, SEPA, iDEAL and Klarna/BNPL.
- Rankings — cheapest for small business, cheapest for high volume, lowest international fees and lowest chargeback fee.
- Head-to-head comparisons — like Stripe vs PayPal, Stripe vs Square and Stripe vs Adyen.
- Effective-rate calculator — the calculator blends your volume, ticket size and international mix into one effective % and ranks every processor.
Flat-rate processors
Payment methods
Guides
A practical guide to the lowest-cost ways to take online payments — choosing the right pricing model, using bank debit for recurring billing, cutting international fees, and matching the processor to your average ticket.
2026-06-29 Merchant of Record vs payment gateway: is Paddle's 5% worth it?What a Merchant of Record (Paddle, Lemon Squeezy, 2Checkout) does that a plain gateway (Stripe) doesn't, why MoR rates are ~5% + $0.50, and the volume at which DIY tax tooling becomes cheaper.
2026-06-28 Chargeback fees explained: what each processor charges and how to avoid themWhat a chargeback (dispute) fee is, what Stripe, PayPal, Square, Helcim and others charge in 2026, whether it's refunded if you win, and the practical steps that cut your dispute rate.
2026-06-27 Interchange-plus vs flat-rate pricing: when to switch and saveHow interchange-plus pricing works, why it is cheaper than flat-rate at scale, and the monthly-volume crossover (roughly $10k-$25k) where switching from Stripe/Square to Helcim, Stax or Adyen pays off.
2026-06-26 Stripe vs PayPal fees in 2026: which is cheaper for your business?A side-by-side of Stripe (2.9% + $0.30) and PayPal (3.49% + $0.49 wallet, 2.59%-2.99% + $0.49 cards) fees in June 2026 — including international, chargeback and effective rates.
2026-06-25 Effective rate explained: the only payment-fee number that mattersWhat an effective payment-processing rate is, how to calculate it from a headline rate like 2.9% + $0.30, and why your average ticket size changes which processor is cheapest.
2026-06-24Where the data comes from
Every figure is a dated snapshot taken from each processor's own published pricing page — Stripe, PayPal, Square, Adyen, Braintree, Checkout.com, Mollie, Worldpay, Authorize.net, Helcim, Stax, Paddle, Lemon Squeezy and the rest. Payment-processing fees change without notice, so each page shows the June 2026 snapshot and links to the vendor's page. Processors that price on Interchange-plus, subscription or Merchant-of-Record models are honestly labeled "custom / quote-based" — we never invent a single blended number for them. See our methodology. Always verify the current pricing with the provider before signing.
Last updated: 2026-06-29