Top 25 Payment Processing Companies in 2021

Payment processing companies are virtually everywhere. If you own an eCommerce store, you know that your website needs a payment processor in order to become a fully-functioning, money-making machine.

But how, exactly, do you decide what service to use? Which ones are the most secure and reliable for online businesses?

To help you decide, we’ve listed our favorite 25 of our favorite payment processing companies that impressed us in terms of performance, security, PCI compliance, and distinguishing features.

Sound like too many payment options to read about? Get the Cliff Notes about the 4 Must-Have Payment Processors in our full article.

These options allow for a seamless experience, whether you’re a brick and mortar business, online enterprise, freelancer, or a consumer who loves shopping online.

Top Payment Processing Companies for Brick and Mortar Business

Square

Wherever you are in the world, Square lets you accept online payments via its custom hardware such as the contactless chip reader, magnetic stripe reader, and POS stand. Using Square’s innovative products, you can turn any mobile device into a payment processor.

They also have incredible tools for businesses, which include integrated timecards, smart scheduling, and marketing solutions, and customizable employee permissions.

Payeezy by First Data

One of the oldest payment processing solutions First Data, which has been around for an impressive 30 years. It strives to provide simplified eCommerce solutions to businesses of all types including eCommerce, food, retail, and so much more. Being a versatile solution you don’t want to miss, First Data accepts credit cards, debit cards, gift cards, and many other prepaid card offerings.

ChronoPay

If you’re accepting payments mainly from bank cards such as Visa, JCB, American Express, and others, ChronoPay could be the right choice for you. Though access to ChronoPay’s services is free, you’d have to pay on a commission basis after one month.

National Merchants

Whether you need online payment, eCommerce product uploads, checks by web, Quickbooks integration, chargeback control, or recurring billing, National Merchants has just the right service for you.

If you need a good credit card processing company, National Merchants uses the industry’s best practices to process payments. They also provide the lowest rates for your eСommerce needs.

Flagship Merchant Services

For businesses getting a high volume of credit card payments, Flagship Merchant Services is an excellent option. It’s an all-in-one credit card processor, offering reasonably low monthly fees for all types of businesses and requires no signing up for a contract. Flagship Merchant Services processes in-person, online, and mobile credit card payments.

Boku

Unlike typical credit card processors, Boku allows you to go cardless, so you can leave your Visa, MasterCard, or even PayPal account behind. You also don’t have to look for a credit card terminal, as anything you purchase is charged to your mobile network operator bill. Presently, Boku processes payments from more than 4 billion phones in more than 60 markets worldwide.

CardConnect

CardConnect promises to maintain the highest level of security in the industry, and only costs $9.95 service fees a month. It offers two different solutions based on your needs and budget. 

• CardPointe: Helps businesses accept and manage payments in the most secure way.
• Clover: Creates point-of-sale solutions for small shops tailored to their requirements

PaySimple

PaySimple accepts credit cards and e-check payments made on an iPhone or iPad device. To use it, you’ll need a subscription plan that starts at $34.95 per month.

Chapter II Top Payment Processing Companies for eCommerce

Bitcoin

Bitcoin offers a revolutionary way to make or receive a payment online. To start using this method, you’ll need to download Bitcoin Wallet. Here, all your payments are made, received, and stored until you’re ready to spend again.

Bitcoin takes security seriously. Once you link your debit or credit card, you’d be ready to make and receive payments online with no worries of leaking your account information.

It boasts a two-factor authentication feature, which prevents account hijacking. Other security measures are also employed, including advanced encryption methods and offline, unhackable ledgers.

BitPay

BitPay accepts bitcoin currencies and processes over more than $1 million in transactions daily. Using a BitPay card, you can convert bitcoin into dollars in a snap.

Similar to Bitcoin, BitPay requires you to download a digital wallet where you can keep track of your bitcoin finances in a single place. It also gives you real security, requiring payments to be accepted by up to 12 of your own devices. The platform also employs Full Payment Protocol, which verifies and secures payments to applicable services, including all BitPay merchant accounts.

Braintree

Braintree offers global commerce tools for all types of businesses, mainly for accepting payments such as online credit card processing from any device and any payment method. It accommodates 130 currencies utilized in 40 countries.

Huge corporation or not, Braintree’s payment gateway provides a hosted checkout experience so you’re able to choose a standard checkout flow or simply make your own. When you start using the platform, you’d enjoy the technology and support of Braintree, combined with the scale, backing, and security of PayPal.

Trust Payments

This payment processing company prides itself on its flexibility and unique personal touch. Merchants can custom-build their consumers’ online shopping experience, selecting only the gateway features that are needed, to try to make the eCommerce experience as clear and quick as possible.

Trust Payments recognizes that building an eCommerce site can be tricky, so each merchant is assigned a named account manager to help them navigate the payments landscape.

SecurePay

Owned by an Australian company, SecurePay offers a straightforward but efficient way to pay online. It’s actually a complete online payment solution for eCommerce vendors, providing a number of useful tools such as Fraud Guard, Secure IVR, SecureBill, Secure Frame, and a whole lot more.

SecurePay stands out thanks to its wide variety of eCommerce tools that the company offers. Once you have a merchant account, you’ll enjoy security, fast online payments, detailed payment reports, and versatility as it can be integrated with most eCommerce shopping carts, including X-Cart. It also supports major banks in Australia.

TSYS (Formerly Cayan)

TSYS Merchant Solutions delivers affordable pricing and customized rates to fit the varying needs of medical establishments. Aside from in-person, mobile, and online credit card processing, it also provides fraud prevention and reputation monitoring.

If you’re in medicine, you’ll like that it is a member of the American Medical Association’s Member Value Program (AMA MVP), a program that collaborates with vendors to offer discounts and benefits to medical practitioners.

Chapter III Top Payment Processing Companies for Small Businesses

2Checkout

For over 15 years, 2Checkout has provided mobile and desktop-based payment services in 196 countries. With this PCI-compliant platform, you can process credit cards, debit cards, and even PayPal payments.

It has a low-cost fee system and charges only 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction. To top it off, it doesn’t require paying any recurring monthly and setup fees.

Payline Data

Payline Data is one of the payment solutions that allows you to pay however and whenever you want to: on-the-go, on a website, in your eCommerce store, or through a platform of your choice.

Aside from the fact that it’s simple and secure, it hosts easy integration options, good fraud solutions, and various robust tools. Payline Data keeps your chargebacks to the minimum and secures your payment so your transactions are protected from fraud.

MerchantAccounts.ca

MerchantAccounts.ca is one of the longest established merchant service providers in Canada, having launched in 2001. Their focus is multi-currency payment processing for Canadian, US, and European based merchants. One of the first to provide interchange based pricing, they are a mixture of an e-commerce consulting company and a traditional payment ISO.

GoCardless

GoCardless takes you away from the hassles of card processes and allows online merchants to take recurring payments whenever necessary. GoCardless not only allows easy setup, but they also automate and track the status of payments made within the platform or via their supported integrations. Best of all, their fees are cheaper than leading competitors such as PayPal.

Paynova

Launched by a Swedish company, Paynova offers retailers 21 payment options. After signing up, you’d have immediate access to its payment services. Paynova is best suited for startups and small eCommerce businesses.

Fastcharge

Fastcharge is an ideal alternative if you are a startup and have a strict financial plan. The reason is that it does not require a setup fee. Also, you’d only pay $10 for a monthly gateway fee. Another bonus? It takes only an hour (or less) to set up.

Chapter IV Must-Have Payment Processing Companies for All Businesses

PayPal

For online shoppers, PayPal is a convenient digital wallet, but for business owners, it’s a universal payment processor used by more than 305 million active users across the globe.

PayPal has transparent pricing, requires no contract with a lock-in period, and forgoes termination fees. It’s incredibly easy to use and setup, and it allows for integrations with shopping carts, shipping software, and accounting applications.

As for customer service, PayPal offers various ways to get in touch, including email and toll-free phone calls. In the meantime, we’ve put together everything you need to know in this step-by-step guide about PayPal.

Amazon Pay

Designed by the eCommerce giant, Amazon Pay encourages you to grow your business and reach out to Amazon customers.

Regardless of the platform (desktop, tablet, or mobile) customers can use their Amazon account and user information to pay a given website directly. eCommerce extensions, plugins, etc., name it, Amazon Pay has it.

Adding this feature immediately accounted for 15-20% of our sales.

If you are looking for more ways to grow your Amazon sales, our parent company Seller Labs can help. Read their guide to How to Sell on Amazon to get ahead of your competition and win more sales.

Google Pay

Want to make easy payments using your Android phone? Google Pay has got you covered. Whether it’s an in-store or in-app purchase, it allows you to unlock your phone and use it with a contactless terminal to make your payment.

Like other payment gateways, Google Pay allows you to quickly link your credit card or debit card to use when buying something from your mobile device. You’re also able to track your purchase history and keep your payment information securely and conveniently.

Watch our video featuring some of the benefits of using Google Pay for eCommerce: Google Pay App: Now Available in X-Cart to Instantly Bring in More Sales

Apple Pay

Apple aficionados love Apple Pay. To complete a transaction, you simply have to hover your phone over a payment terminal and authorize the payment by tapping the home button.

Apple Pay stores your card information to make purchases. Businesses can use it as a payment method, as well as everyday consumers. What’s more, your card details are never shared with anyone, so you’re making payments with your iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, and Mac in a private and secure way.

Stripe

Stripe allows you to craft payment flows that accept all major credit and debit cards on both desktop and mobile platforms.

Stripe gives you the freedom to customize your own checkout or simply use their pre-built, conversion-optimized form called Checkout. The platform also enables your website to save card details so returning customers can pay with just one click. Stripe’s competitive advantage is that it allows split payments and automated payouts, which are crucial for a marketplace business model.

Conclusion How to Choose a Payment Processing Company

With a variety of payment processing companies to choose from, it can be hard to make a decision for your online store. That’s why knowing about the best eCommerce solutions can help you make the right choice for your business.

Whether you’re looking for security, ease of use, or all of the above, we’re confident that this list will help you find the right service for your preferred eCommerce platform‘s payment processing needs.