What is a payment gateway?

A payment gateway securely captures and transmits card details from your website or app to your acquiring bank so a transaction can be authorised. It's the online equivalent of a card machine.

Do I need a merchant account as well as a gateway?

It depends on the provider. All-in-one providers like Stripe and PayPal include settlement, so a separate merchant account isn't required. Enterprise gateways like Adyen or Checkout.com may be paired with a dedicated merchant account for larger volumes.

Home / Payment Gateways

Updated for 2026

Compare the best payment gateways for UK businesses

Online payment processing for websites, apps and subscriptions — compared on integration effort, settlement and who they suit best.

Pricing checked: 30 July 2026 See our WMP Score methodology.

🏆

Best overall

Stripe pairs competitive, fully published pricing with the deepest developer ecosystem and no contract.

💷

Best value

Mollie's 1.20%+20p on UK domestic cards is the lowest published rate, with no lock-in.

⭐

Best for ease of use

PayPal — near-universal buyer recognition and one-click checkout, though its reserve policy is worth reading first.

How much do you take in online card payments each month?

Estimates assume an average transaction of £35 and standard published UK domestic-card rates.

Provider	Best for	Card fee	Est. monthly cost*	Contract	WMP score	Action
StStripe	Developers & custom checkouts	1.5% + 20p Simple pricing	—	None	★★★★★4.6/5	Check latest price
View full Stripe details Non-UK card fees EEA cards 2.5%+20p, other international 3.15%+20p, +2% for currency conversion In-person (card reader) EEA 1.4%+10p, non-EEA 2.9%+10p; WisePad3 reader £49, Stripe Reader S700 £229 Settlement 2 business days rolling (new accounts may see longer initial holds); Instant Payouts available for a fee Support 24/7 chat and phone callback via support.stripe.com; no single public phone line Chargebacks £20 received + £20 manual response; Smart Disputes 30% of disputed amount if won Pricing checked 30 July 2026 — stripe.com/gb/pricing
MoMollie	European ecommerce & local payment methods	1.20% + 20p Simple pricing	—	None	★★★★☆4.5/5	Check latest price
View full Mollie details Other card fees UK commercial/European cards 2.90%+20p; all other cards 3.25%+20p; Amex UK 2.50%+20p In-person Pro plan £20/month, tied to a 1-year contract (only exception to no-lock-in) Payouts First 5 payouts/month free (under £500k/year), then 25p each; ~2 business days to available balance Support Primarily email and live chat; phone support reported limited Local methods 35+ payment methods incl. iDEAL, Bacs Direct Debit, SEPA, Klarna, PayPal Pricing checked 30 July 2026 — mollie.com/gb/pricing
BrBraintree	Subscription & marketplace apps	~1.9% + 20p (reported) Simple pricing	—	None reported	★★★★☆4.0/5	Check latest price
View full Braintree details Rate confidence An official UK fee PDF exists (dated 18 Nov 2024) but could not be machine-verified — confirm this rate directly before relying on it Volume discounts Reported available above £50,000/month, with Interchange++ offered to larger merchants Features Vault tokenization (PCI DSS Level 1), 130+ currencies, PayPal wallet integration Support UK payments contact line 020 7949 4780 Pricing checked 30 July 2026 — cross-checked third-party sources (official PDF not machine-readable)
PaPayPal	Buyer trust & fast checkout	2.9% + £0.30 Simple pricing	—	None	★★★☆☆3.6/5	Check latest price
View full PayPal details Cross-border fees +1.29% EEA senders, +1.99% other regions, on top of the domestic rate Cash-flow risk PayPal reserves the right to apply rolling reserves/holds of 21-90 days for perceived risk changes — a real, underappreciated comparison point Chargebacks £14 fee; standard dispute fee £12 Optional add-on Website Payments Pro / recurring billing: £20/month Pricing checked 30 July 2026 — paypal.com/uk (page states "last updated 15 July 2026")
AdAdyen	Unified online + in-person retail	~0.95-1.15% + 11-13p (indicative) Custom quote required	—	Enterprise agreement	★★★☆☆3.4/5	Get a tailored quote
View full Adyen details Pricing model Interchange-plus with a small fixed processing fee; Adyen's own pricing page showed US-dollar examples, not UK figures, during our check Minimum monthly invoice Applies but amount not disclosed publicly Settlement Default T+2 (two business days); faster local payout available at a premium Support 24/7 "follow-the-sun" phone support claimed, reached via merchant Customer Area Pricing checked 30 July 2026 — adyen.com/pricing (indicative examples only)
ChCheckout.com	High-volume enterprise & marketplaces	Not publicly disclosed Custom quote required	—	Enterprise agreement	★★★☆☆2.8/5	Get a tailored quote
View full Checkout.com details Pricing No public rate card at all — official page states pricing is created per business ("flat-rate, free for charities, or interchange-plus") Settlement Same-day (T+0) settlement available depending on currency/sub-account Features 150+ local payment methods, own EU/UK acquiring license, dedicated account management Support Dedicated account managers promoted; no public support-hours page found for smaller merchants Pricing checked 30 July 2026 — checkout.com/pricing (no rates published)
WoWorldpay	Established enterprise acquiring	Indicative estimator only Custom quote required	—	~18 months (reported)	★★☆☆☆2.6/5	Get a tailored quote
View full Worldpay details Official page Explicitly states "pricing shown is indicative only" — a lead-gen estimator, not a published tariff Fees shown in the estimator 4.5p authorisation fee, £20/mo terminal rental, £5/mo PCI, £15/mo minimum service charge, £20 chargeback fee Contract ~18-month minimum reported by third parties, with termination fees £150-500 — not confirmed on Worldpay's own page Settlement "24 hours" per the estimator page Pricing checked 30 July 2026 — go.worldpay.com/pricing (indicative estimator)
OpOpayo	Existing Elavon/Sage customers	~0.99%+ (unverified) Custom quote required	—	24-36 months (reported)	★★☆☆☆2.5/5	Get a tailored quote
View full Opayo details Official pricing page Redirected to an unrelated privacy-policy page during our check — could not confirm current rates directly Gateway plans Reported £25-75/month depending on transaction volume tier (third-party) Contract Elavon's own T&Cs reference a 12-18 month "Initial Hire Term"; independent sources report 24-36 month bundled contracts with exit fees — verify directly before signing Support Opayo product line 0191 313 0299 (24/7 claimed); Elavon general line 0345 850 0195, Mon-Fri 8am-5pm Pricing checked 30 July 2026 — official pricing page did not resolve; figures cross-checked from third-party sources
AuAuthorize.net	US/Canada-based merchants	$25/mo + 2.9%+30¢ (USD) Not a natural fit for UK-only merchants	—	None	★★★☆☆3.1/5	View plans
View full Authorize.net details Important caveat Requires a US- or Canada-based merchant account to use — UK-only businesses are generally directed elsewhere (e.g. Cybersource) by the provider itself Pricing shown $25/month + 2.9% + 30¢ (All-in-One plan); Gateway-only $25/mo + 10p/transaction + 10p daily batch fee Settlement 2-3 business days after daily batch (default 3pm PST) Pricing checked 30 July 2026 — authorize.net (US pricing page; no distinct GB page found)
RaRazorpay	Businesses invoicing customers in India	2% + 18% GST (India pricing) Not a UK-domestic gateway	—	None	★★☆☆☆2.1/5	View plans
View full Razorpay details Important caveat Razorpay's pricing page is explicitly India-only (fees in INR + 18% Indian GST); no UK-facing pricing or product was found. Onboarding typically requires an Indian bank account/PAN/GST registration Relevance to UK readers Mainly useful if you're accepting payments from Indian customers, not as a UK domestic gateway Pricing checked 30 July 2026 — razorpay.com/pricing (India-only pricing)

*Based on £5,000 monthly online card turnover and £35 average transaction unless you change the figure above. Custom-quoted providers (marked "Custom quote required") cannot show a live estimate — their actual cost depends on your volume and negotiated terms. Pricing, contract terms and settlement speeds change frequently — always confirm current rates directly with the provider before signing up. We may earn a commission when you sign up through a link on this page, at no extra cost to you. See our Affiliate Disclosure and Editorial Policy.

Choosing a gateway

How to pick the right payment gateway

Selling through Shopify or WooCommerce?

Stripe, PayPal and Mollie all have first-party plugins that install in minutes with no custom development.

Building a custom checkout?

Stripe, Adyen and Checkout.com offer the most complete developer APIs and documentation for bespoke flows.

Selling internationally?

Adyen, Checkout.com and Mollie support the widest range of local payment methods and currencies.

Running a subscription business?

Stripe and Braintree have the most mature recurring billing and dunning tools.

Selling online and in person?

See how ecommerce payments and POS systems compare too.

Compare ecommerce payments