Best Payment Gateways In India: Top 5 In 2026

Most payment gateways in India force businesses to choose between two limitations: going global and losing local performance, or going local and sacrificing scalability. An efficient approach to this problem is not to work with multiple payment gateways, but to partner with an infrastructure provider that removes the barrier to entering new markets.

The top 5 payment gateways in India

#1 Unlimit

Founded in 2009, Unlimit is the financial infrastructure for the borderless agentic economy. It bridges the gap between fragmented local markets and the future of autonomous trade by providing a single, programmable operating layer for global commerce.

Unlimit holds local licenses in 13 regions, including the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) cross-border payment aggregator (PA-CB) license. What makes Unlimit fundamentally different is its ability to map global and hyper-local payment ecosystems directly into its architecture, allowing businesses to operate like a local in every market without setting up local entities or managing multiple providers.

Core offerings

• Payment processing: Accept and process transactions globally with a single integration
• Payment gateway: Seamless checkout experiences across web, mobile, and apps
• Payouts: Send funds locally and internationally with streamlined settlement flows
• Subscription/recurring payments: Built-in tools for managing recurring revenue models
• Payment links: Accept payments instantly without prior setup.

Payment options support

Unlimit supports over 1,000 global and local payment options in 150 currencies across more than 200 regions. This includes:

• Real-time payments (UPI in India, Pix in Brazil, and SEPA Instant in Europe)
• Cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and UnionPay)
• Bank transfers
• Digital wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, Alipay, and WeChat Pay)
• Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL), EMI, and instalment payments
• Alternative Payment Methods (APMs) (Voucher-based systems and offline-to-online payment methods).

Pricing

Unlimit offers customised pricing tailored to each business’s model, transaction volume, risk profile, and geography. It doesn’t have setup fees, account maintenance fees, or other hidden charges.

Key features

• Semi-automated KYB/KYC processes for quick and easy onboarding
• Scalable infrastructure to support business expansion across India, Africa, APAC, LATAM, the UK, and EU
• A centralised dashboard providing real-time insights into transaction data across markets and payment methods
• PCI DSS compliance, data localisation adherence, and built-in AML and risk systems to prevent fraud
• Regional support and technical teams that understand local regulations and payment practices for quick issue resolution
• Direct connectivity to major card schemes and local payment networks for lower processing costs and faster settlements
• Single API integrations and plugins for major e-commerce platforms, including WooCommerce and Magento 2.

#2 Cashfree

Cashfree is one of India’s leading payment gateways, enabling businesses to collect domestic and international payments and make payouts. It holds the RBI’s PA-CB license and works to remove the hassles of money movement for merchants.

Core offerings

• Payment Gateway: Collect payments via website and apps
• Payouts: Send funds instantly to bank accounts, UPI IDs, cards, and wallets
• Recurring Payments: Auto-debit via cards, UPI, and e-NACH
• Payment links and forms: Collect payments via SMS, email, or social channels through simple shareable links and forms.

Payment options support

Cashfree supports over 180 payment options, including UPI, credit and debit cards, netbanking, digital wallets, and EMI. It also allows payments in more than 140 currencies across nearly 170 markets, with settlement in INR.

Pricing

Cashfree charges a platform fee of 1.95% for domestic transactions and 2.99% for international payments. They also offer custom pricing for enterprises.

Key features

• Own end-to-end payment processing technology to ensure higher success rates
• Plugins for over 50 major platforms such as Shopify, Wix, WooCommerce, and WordPress
• A merchant app for Android and iOS, and a real-time dashboard to monitor transactions and manage disputes
• In-house card tokenisation solution to prevent fraud
• Dedicated account managers for technical and operations support
• Faster settlements, including instant settlements options.

#3 Razorpay

Razorpay combines payments and banking into a single platform to help startups, SMBs, and digital-first businesses launch and scale seamlessly in India and abroad. A PA-CB licence holder, its solutions enable businesses to accept, process, and disburse payments, improving the efficiency of financial processes.

Core offerings

• Payment aggregator: Accept and process transactions from customers worldwide
• Payment gateway: Accept payments via websites and apps
• Payouts: Instant and automated payouts to bank accounts, cards, and UPI IDs
• Subscriptions: Automated billing via cards, UPI AutoPay, and e-mandates
• Payment links: Create and send links to collect money.

Payment options support

Razorpay supports all major global payment options, including credit and debit cards, netbanking from 58 banks, PayLater, EMIs, UPI, and 8 mobile wallets. It also supports payment acceptance in 135 currencies from over 180 countries.

Pricing

Razorpay charges a platform fee of 2% + 18% GST on domestic transactions and 1% and 3% on international bank and card transactions, respectively. They also offer a custom pricing plan for enterprises.

Key features

• Seamless onboarding with minimal documentation
• Real-time dashboards providing detailed insights into payments, settlements, and refunds
• PCI DSS Level 1 compliance and a dedicated internal security team to ensure data safety
• Developer-friendly ecosystem with extensive documentation and support resources
• Option for instant and custom settlements at a nominal price
• APIs and plugins for easy integrations with major platforms, such as Shopify and Magento.

#4 PayU

PayU is an RBI-authorised payment aggregator that offers businesses a compliant and scalable way to accept and manage payments. It combines local market expertise in India with a broader international presence, particularly in emerging markets such as Argentina, Peru, Colombia, Chile, and Mexico.

Core offerings

• Payment processing: Accept payments across web, mobile, and apps
• Payment orchestration: High-performance international and domestic transaction handling with smart routing.

Payment options support

PayU supports over 150 payment options, including UPI, wallets, netbanking, cards, EMI, and BNPL. It also enables international payments via major cards and digital wallets, including PayPal, in over 135 currencies.

Pricing

PayU charges a standard platform fee of 2% on successful domestic transactions made using Visa, Mastercard, net banking, BNPL, and wallets, and 3% on international transactions and payments made using Diners, American Express, or EMI. It also applies a 18% GST on all transactions.

Key features

• Real-time dashboards offering insights into payment performance and user behaviour
• RBI-compliant infrastructure with advanced encryption and fraud detection tools
• Strong enterprise support model with dedicated account management for large clients
• Robust APIs and SDKs for easy integrations and customisable checkout flows
• Plugins for open-source platforms like Shopify, Magento, ZohoBooks, and WordPress.

#5 Paytm

Paytm is one of India’s most widely recognised digital payment platforms. As an RBI-authorised payment aggregator with millions of active users across its wallet, UPI, and super app ecosystem, Paytm enables businesses to accept payments seamlessly across India.

Core offerings

• Payment gateway: Accept payments via websites, apps, and mobile-first checkout
• Subscriptions: Manage recurring billing via cards and UPI AutoPay
• Payment links and QR codes: Accept payments instantly via links or offline QR solutions

Payment options support

Paytm supports over 100 payment options, including UPI, wallets, credit and debit cards, netbanking, and EMI. It also enables international payments in more than 72 currencies, with settlement in INR.

Pricing

Designed for small- to medium-sized businesses, Paytm’s standard plan costs a 1.99% platform fee and an 18% GST per transaction. It also offers an Enterprise plan with custom quotes for large businesses.

Key features

• Instant digital onboarding with minimal documentation
• Dashboard with transaction tracking, settlement insights, and basic analytics for performance monitoring
• PCI DSS and RBI-compliant systems with encryption and real-time fraud detection
• Intelligent payment routing and direct bank integrations for better approval rates
• APIs, SDKs, and plugins for integrations in under 30 minutes
• Customer retention tools, such as reward points, gift vouchers, and loyalty benefits.

How to choose the right payment processor?

Choosing the best payment gateway is about choosing an infrastructure that aligns well with how a business plans to grow. To choose the right partner, merchants should consider:

• Transaction volume: Businesses with higher volumes need an infrastructure that ensures stable performance, high approval rates, and minimal downtime
• Expansion plans: Companies planning to scale beyond India require a solution that supports cross-border payments, multiple currencies, and local payment methods globally
• Tech stack and developer resources: The ideal gateway should match the business’s technical capabilities, whether that means quick plug-and-play integration or flexible APIs for deeper customisation
• Pricing: Beyond transaction fees, businesses should evaluate overall cost efficiency, including approval rates, failed payments, and cross-border charges
• Regulatory and compliance requirements: A reliable provider must be fully compliant with RBI regulations and data localisation rules, and be able to adapt to evolving legal frameworks.

Instead of treating payments as a standalone service, Unlimit provides a unified financial layer that maps global and hyper-local payment ecosystems directly into a single architecture. This enables businesses to behave like a local and accept payments across markets through a single integration without the need to set up local entities.

FAQs