PayPal is a great choice, but it’s not the only one. So, why do you look at PayPal alternatives? Here are some of the payment solution’s major flaws:
PayPal does not provide any security to digital product and service sellers. Many PayPal alternatives have rates that are lower than PayPal’s 3.7 per cent plus $0.30.
PayPal has been known to freeze accounts without notice for up to six months.
Withdrawing money to your bank account will take a long time – three to five days is typical. So, if you’ve ever wondered, “Can I use anything other than PayPal?” we’ve got you covered.
In this post, you’ll learn about the best PayPal alternatives and how to choose the one that’s right for you and your business.
TransferWise
Individuals and service-based companies with a high volume of foreign transactions would benefit the most from this product.
TransferWise bills itself as “a less expensive way to send money abroad,” and it’s a great PayPal substitute if you make many international transfers.
The payment solution promises to have the “real” exchange rate, not one that hidden fees have inflated. For example, TransferWise charged a U.K. receiver £106.47 less than PayPal in a $2,000 transaction. That isn’t it, however.
The service’s Borderless account gives customers a debit card and enables them to handle money in more than 40 currencies and run payroll, batch transfers, and charge clients.
You can even invoice your customers in their currency with TransferWise for companies. So, how is it that TransferWise can offer such low foreign transfer fees?
Consider the following scenario: You want to give $1,000 to a friend in the United Kingdom. First, your $1,000 will be deposited into a TransferWise account in the United States. Then, using the actual exchange rate, they will give your friend the equivalent in British pounds from TransferWise’s U.K. account.
In other words, money never crosses boundaries! International transfers are often incredibly fast as a result of this. TransferWise charges 0.6 per cent of the settlement sum plus $1.00 for a USD to EUR transfer. (Find out more here.)
- Apps: iOS / Android
Google Pay
Best for: Payments from a well-known brand that are fast, simple, and free. Another common PayPal alternative is Google Pay.
This service allows you to pay with cards saved to your Google account on websites, in games, and stores. Enter your credit and debit card payment information into your account, and you’ll be able to make quicker, more convenient payments from anywhere.
Google Pay allows companies to make the payment process easier for their customers.
Additionally, companies can use Google Pay to send consumers exclusive mobile deals and reviews and gift cards.
What’s the best part? Customers and companies also benefit from this payment option because it is largely free. Debit cards and bank transfers are also free of charge. The fee for using a credit card is 2.9 per cent of the total purchase amount.
- Apps: iOS / Android
Payoneer
Small and medium-sized enterprises in need of a comprehensive solution. Payoneer is a service that enables companies to receive payments easily and safely.
It’s especially beneficial to small and medium-sized companies. Indeed, ecommerce, online advertisement, freelancing, and holiday rentals are among the business sectors targeted by this PayPal alternative.
Payoneer, like TransferWise, offers a debit card to go along with their online account, allowing you to withdraw money from your bank or ATMs all over the world.
Unlike Stripe, this service does not require any programming skills, and setting up an account takes just a few minutes. Payoneer’s pricing is straightforward as well. Your payments are billed monthly by the payment solution, and transfers between Payoneer accounts are free.
Unfortunately, credit card transaction fees are significantly higher than those charged by most providers, and when moving money to a bank account, you will almost always be charged a fee.
Payments received from other Payoneer users are eligible. Customers’ credit card purchases are assessed a 3% fee, while eChecks are assessed a 1% fee.
- Apps: iOS / Android
Shopify Payments
Ecommerce companies using the Shopify platform are the best fit.
Shopify Payments enables ecommerce companies to accept credit and debit cards without using a third party directly on their Shopify store. Although this tool is only useful if you have a Shopify store, it’s worth remembering if you’re looking to expand your ecommerce company.
So what is the reason for this?
Since this PayPal alternative makes it incredibly simple for sellers to accept payments, it’s fully integrated with your Shopify store, easy to set up, and lets you accept all major credit cards. Customers may also use Shopify Pay to speed up the checkout process.
Shopify Payments support Facebook stores, Pinterest Buyable Pins, Facebook Messenger, Amazon, eBay, and other platforms. Furthermore, if you wish to sell in person, Shopify POS allows you to accept credit card payments (point of sale).
Pricing: A simple Shopify account costs $29 per month, and credit cards are charged at 2.9 per cent plus $0.30.
- Apps: iOS / Android
Authorize.Net
Best for Small businesses that need exceptional customer service and protection.
Authorize.Net has merits despite not being as big or well-known as some other PayPal alternatives.
The service is a Visa subsidiary with the best customer support in the industry – delivered for free, by real people, 24 hours a day, and seven days a week. The payment solution has also been lauded for its dependability and protection on several occasions.
Invoicing, recurring billing, point-of-sale Checkout, and a robust API are all features that businesses can appreciate. The service connects with other payment providers such as Visa Checkout, PayPal, and Apple Pay, and the interface is simple to use.
On the other hand, this PayPal alternative isn’t ideal for personal use because it doesn’t allow you to send and receive payments from family and friends.
Pricing: Monthly gateway fees start at $25, plus 2.9 per cent plus $0.30 per transaction.
- Apps: iOS / Android
Square
Best for: Retailers that choose to sell in person.
Square is best known for mobile point-of-sale transactions, but you can also use it to accept online payments through invoice or your website.
The POS system is fantastic, allowing you to accept credit cards, cash, checks, and even gift cards. Receipts can also be printed or emailed to customers. When you sign up, you’ll get a free reader to use right away. Furthermore, you can swipe cards even if you don’t have access to the internet.
Invoicing, recurring payments, real-time inventory management, and payroll tools are available via this PayPal option. In addition, square Checkout is an ecommerce payment processor that integrates with your website and allows you to accept payments online with a quick checkout process.
Pricing: 2.75 per cent for point-of-sale transactions and other rates for various forms of transactions.
- Apps: iOS / Android
Skrill
Those who trade with crypto currency or play online games would benefit the most.
Skrill is similar to PayPal, but it has a few unique features that make it a viable PayPal substitute. The service is extremely straightforward to use.
With just your email address and password, you can send and receive money, store your card information for faster purchases, connect your bank accounts, and make payments.
In addition, the payment solution includes a prepaid debit card that can be used anywhere in the world. Furthermore, transferring funds to your bank account takes no time at all.
Skrill was designed specifically for crypto currencies such as Bitcoin, Ether, and Litecoin. It’s also set up for gambling and other money-related online games. The service’s strict fraud protection tools, including PayPal’s, have been known to freeze user accounts inconveniently.
The key advantage is the low cost. Skrill charges 1.45% plus $0.50 for sending and receiving money; withdrawing money to a bank account is free.
- Apps: iOS | Android
Braintree
Large companies and firms are the best fit.
While Braintree is a PayPal service, it is still worth considering as a PayPal substitute. In addition, Uber, DropBox, GitHub, and Yelp are among the firms that use the payment solution targeted at large enterprises.
Braintree’s key advantage is its emphasis on assisting companies in reducing friction and “the conversions with a smooth checkout experience.” In addition, accepting online payments in more than 130 currencies from more than 45 countries is simple with Braintree.
The service has several advanced features that PayPal does not have. It also has all of the features that a larger company would expect, such as recurring billing and personal customer service. PayPal and other major payment services, including Apple Pay and Google Pay, are well integrated into the scheme.
You’ll need programming skills to integrate it with your website because of its customizable nature.
Standard pricing is 2.9 per cent plus $0.30 per purchase, but personalized pricing plans can be arranged upon request.
Dwolla
Best for Serious U.S.-based companies that deal with a lot of bank transfers.
Dwolla is a sophisticated payment solution for companies that are rapidly expanding. This PayPal substitute is developer-friendly and can be integrated into your software. It also has a white-label API that helps companies to personalize the checkout experience’s branding.
These branding techniques are both effective and easy to use. For example, Dwolla is a high-volume payment platform that can automate and submit up to 5,000 encrypted payments in a single API request. Furthermore, the service is highly dependable, with a 99.9% uptime guarantee.
It also has excellent security and a dedicated customer success team. Moreover, since the payment solution specializes in ACH bank transfers, it’s one of the best options if you intend on sending and receiving a high volume of bank transfers. (ACH stands for Automated Clearing House, which refers to electronic bank-to-bank transfers.)
Dwolla is only accessible in the United States, so it isn’t ideal for foreign needs.
Starting plan pricing is 0.5 per cent of the purchase sum, with a minimum of $0.50 and a maximum of $5.00. The Scale plan starts at $2,000 per month and can be customized upon request.
Quickbooks Payments
Best for: Freelancers and other small service-based companies that often need an accounting tool.
Quickbooks Payments is a payment solution created by Intuit that fits best with their accounting software, Quickbooks.
This PayPal alternative focuses on providing convenient, intuitive financial resources and quick transactions to small businesses. So, what is it capable of?
It lets you build and submit invoices, set up recurring billing, accept mobile card payments, accept ACH bank transfers, and set up automatic payment reminders, among other things. You can also connect your bank accounts to Quickbooks to simplify accounting and avoid manually entering data. You can also integrate your payments with payroll and timesheets.
Pricing: Depending on your needs, Quickbooks Payments offers a variety of pricing options. The simple pay-as-you-go package includes free bank transfers and 2.9 per cent plus $0.25 for card purchases.
- Apps: iOS / Android
Amazon Pay
Best for: An all-around, dependable payment solution with a strong brand.
If only because your buyers are likely to be familiar with the brand, Amazon Pay is a great PayPal alternative.
Users can easily log in to their Amazon accounts, use their saved payment information, and check out using the same familiar and trusted guide. This speeds up the payment process and reduces friction, presumably will the conversion rate.
Amazon Pay works on any smartphone, allowing you and your customers to manage payments whenever and wherever they want. Furthermore, the transaction fees and fraud prevention are very similar to those of PayPal.
To incorporate the payment solution with your online store and CRM, you’ll need programming skills (customer relationship management).
Pricing: For domestic U.S. transactions, Amazon Pay charges 2.9 per cent plus $0.30, and for cross-border transactions, it charges 3.9 per cent plus $0.30.
Summary: The Best PayPal and Stripe Alternatives
PayPal has its advantages and disadvantages, but there are plenty of excellent alternatives to consider. Many of these have lower fees or functionality that are best suited to specific requirements.
Finally, here’s a list of the best PayPal alternatives, along with our thoughts on which payment methods are best for which situations:
- Individuals and service-based companies with a high volume of foreign transactions can use TransferWise.
- Google Pay is the best option for quick, easy, and free payments from a well-known company.
- Payoneer is the best choice for small to medium-sized businesses looking for a one-stop-shop.
- Shopify Payments: This option is best for ecommerce stores that use the Shopify platform.
- Authorize.Net is the best option for small businesses looking for excellent customer service and security.
- Square is the best choice for companies that sell in-person.
- Skrill is the best choice for those who trade with crypto currencies or play online games.
- Braintree is the best choice for very big companies and firms.
- Dwolla: For serious U.S.-based businesses with a high amount of bank transactions, Dwolla is the best option.
- Quickbooks Payments: For freelancers and other small service-based businesses that also need a skilled accounting tool, Quickbooks Payments is the best option.
- Amazon Pay is the best all-around payment solution with a strong brand.
