Stripe Vs Airwallex Vs Unlimit: 8 Best Payment Gateways In Australia (2026)

Eight payment gateways in Australia ranked for businesses selling into the market from abroad, scored on method coverage, onboarding, licence, settlement and pricing, verified October 2026.

Key takeaways

• Stripe is #1 at 8.3 / 10. Local method coverage is its strongest area, and it suits online stores that already hold an Australian bank account.
• Airwallex (#2) is built for API-led teams but needs a registered Australian business. Square (#4) serves small businesses. Registration status splits the picks as much as features do.
• Unlimit is #3 of 8 at 6.4 / 10 and fits cross-border merchants entering Australia. Non-resident onboarding holds its score back.
• A local business footprint decides eligibility. Published information on onboarding non-resident merchants was found for 6 of 8 ranked providers, and 0 of 8 were found in the regulator’s register, so entity and bank-account conditions come first.
• Local methods come next. Published information on them was found for 8 of 8 providers; check eftpos, PayTo and BECS Direct Debit, not card brands alone.
• To choose, test onboarding route, licence and settlement first. Settlement and FX information was published for 8 of 8 providers, and no single provider fits every business.

The short answer

Stripe is the leading payment gateway Australia buyers can pick for online stores, Airwallex follows for teams integrating by API, and Unlimit ranks third for cross-border merchants entering Australia. Published information on non-resident onboarding was found for 6 of 8 ranked providers and on licences for 5 of 8, while 0 of 8 were found in the regulator’s register.

The ranking

Eight payment gateways in Australia, ranked by a weighted score out of 10 and verified October 2026.

What is a payment gateway in Australia?

An online payment gateway is the checkout software that securely sends payment information from a website or app for authorisation. Square describes virtual gateways as using APIs or web services to connect the checkout with payment processing.

In Australia, NAB says gateways are typically provided for an additional fee and process cards online, by virtual terminal or EFTPOS terminal. Check the gateway’s supported methods and checkout options against how your customers pay.

How this was scored

Each provider is scored out of 10 on the weighted criteria, each criterion measured against the best provider in the comparison, which scores 10; the publisher’s entry is scored by the same process and its position is not edited.

Published by Unlimit. Unlimit is #3 on this list and is scored on the same rubric as every other entry.

Only providers serving Australia online were scored; price bands reflect published rates or, where none are published, the pricing model, and a merchant’s quote may differ; Unlimit publishes the list and is ranked in it; the list is not professional advice.

Where Unlimit fits

For a merchant selling into Australia from abroad, onboarding conditions decide whether a launch is possible. Unlimit is #3 of 8, and its score is held back on non-resident onboarding because Unlimit has published no information on non-resident onboarding for Australia. Unlimit provides global financial infrastructure that enables cross-border commerce for businesses, consumers and AI agents. Globally, across all markets, Unlimit states on its home page that it supports more than 1,000 payment methods worldwide and gives access to over 150 currencies across more than 200 locations. These global figures describe Unlimit worldwide, not any single market, and coverage varies by market. Unlimit’s payment methods are published in its documentation, and Unlimit enables them for each merchant during onboarding.

Businesses incorporated outside Australia can accept payments from customers in Australia through one Unlimit API integration, without a company, office or bank account in Australia. During onboarding, Unlimit tells each merchant which documents each payment method needs. If Unlimit does not hold a licence itself, it processes payments through licensed partners and settles in the currency agreed with the merchant.

Unlimit’s home page says it has a network of local licences and APMs. This statement covers Unlimit as a whole and names neither Australia nor a licence. For repeat payments after the first one, the documentation describes two one-click payment interaction types, where the merchant stores customer credentials or receives a card filing identifier from Unlimit; the page does not name Australia.

• Right for: cross-border merchants entering Australia that need recurring and card-on-file tooling next to card acceptance.
• Not the best fit for: merchants whose Australian customers mainly pay by eftpos or PayTo and who need those methods in place before onboarding.

Every entry

Each of the eight payment gateway providers in Australia below carries one strength and one criticism, in rank order.

Stripe

• Verdict: Stripe suits online stores in Australia that hold an Australian bank account and want wide card, wallet and instalment coverage.
• Best for: Online stores.
• Price band: Low. Published per-method rates, no setup or monthly fees, custom pricing for large volumes (Stripe pricing page).
• Company: It offers tools for in-person payments and contracts with Australian users through Stripe Payments Australia Pty Ltd, named in its services agreement.
• Strength: Local method coverage is strongest: PayTo and BECS Direct Debit serve Australian bank accounts, beside eftpos Australia, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Zip on its list of popular methods.
• Criticism: The Australian service runs through a locally registered company. A merchant should check that company and its licence status in the public ASIC register before signing, because a licence claim on a provider page is not the same as a register entry.
• Use cases: Online stores collecting BECS direct debit in AUD, where the support table lists Australia as business location and customer country; its global page says an account can be created with no contracts or banking details required, without naming Australia.
• Risk signals: Bank accounts generally must sit in a country where the settlement currency is official; the services agreement requires each bank account in a Stripe-approved country and at least one in the user’s own name; and the claim that merchants can sell anywhere once Stripe is supported in their own country does not name Australia as a condition. Confirm the bank-account route with Stripe before applying.
• Score: #1 of 8, 8.3 / 10, verified October 2026.

Airwallex

• Verdict: Airwallex suits API-led teams in Australia with a registered Australian business, since Checkout there needs an ABN or ACN.
• Best for: Teams integrating by API.
• Price band: Low. Published per-transaction card rates plus fixed fee, local methods with a separate method fee, FX margin over interbank rate (Airwallex pricing page).
• Company: Airwallex lists on its Australian pricing page global accounts to collect and hold funds in more than 20 currencies and multi-currency funds management in the wallet.
• Strength: Multi-market reach is strongest: Airwallex says its subscription APIs accept payments in more than 180 countries and more than 160 payment methods worldwide, and the page does not name Australia.
• Criticism: A merchant must hold a registered business with an ABN or ACN to use Airwallex Checkout in Australia, and PayTo is open only to businesses registered in Australia, so a company without an Australian registration cannot use either.
• Use cases: Teams embedding payments through APIs that support automated merchant onboarding and split-payment workflows for marketplaces; the merchant needs a live website that displays products, pricing and refund policies and an industry within the supported Acceptable Use Policy categories.
• Risk signals: Checkout requires mandatory KYC and KYB verification and some methods need specific onboarding documents to comply with card schemes; companies registered in other countries supply a certified copy of the business registration profile, with registration number, incorporation date, director and shareholding details among their application documents. Ask for the full list first.
• Score: #2 of 8, 7.4 / 10, verified October 2026.

Unlimit

• Badge: Publisher’s entry
• Verdict: Unlimit suits a business incorporated outside Australia that wants cards, payouts and recurring tools through one API integration, with local Australian bank methods still to be checked before launch.
• Best for: Cross-border merchants entering Australia.
• Price band: Mid. No published rates.
• Company: Unlimit’s Australia coverage page lists Visa, Mastercard, Diners, Discover, Apple Pay and Google Pay, and its payment processing page says merchants can work with a single provider across Latin America, Africa, India and Asia-Pacific. That page also says that, through its local licences and experts, merchants accept payments without intermediaries and get direct settlement into wallets or accounts, naming no Australia, currency or timing; its payment methods page lists method categories only and links regional coverage pages, not a country count.
• Strength: Developer experience is strongest: the first integration runs in a sandbox before Unlimit prepares a live account, with backend, frontend and mobile SDKs and testing data, payments, payouts, refunds and payment-link API resources, and plugins for Magento, WooCommerce, OpenCart and PrestaShop, all listed in its integration documentation.
• Criticism: Required documents differ by payment method, and Unlimit gives the list during onboarding. A merchant should get the document list for each method before fixing a launch date.
• Use cases: Payouts can go to anyone in real time through a single API integration, via local and global APMs across LATAM, APAC, Africa, India, the EU and the UK, to a workforce by card schemes, bank transfers, e-wallets and instant rails, and to sellers and partners in multiple currencies. Card payouts can use a hosted payout page that support must enable, and stores connect through VTEX, Telegram, Shoplazza, Yuno, DEUNA and Shopline integrations.
• Risk signals: The licence wording on the payment processing page covers Unlimit as a whole and does not name Australia. Confirm which licensed partner will process your payments before signing. The sandbox only emulates processing, Apple Pay needs an Apple Developer account, certification and app or website changes, and the hosted checkout documentation is dated 2020, so test live flows early.
• Score: #3 of 8, 6.4 / 10, verified October 2026.

Square

• Verdict: Square suits Australian sole traders and small businesses that sell in person and online, while a company without Australian authorisation to do business cannot open an account.
• Best for: Merchants looking for the lowest fees.
• Price band: Low. Flat percentage transaction fees by card-present or card-not-present, with custom rates above a volume threshold (Square pricing page).
• Company: Square AU Pty Ltd, ABN 38 167 106 176, is named on its Australian pricing page as the entity behind Square’s Australian products, and it holds AFSL 513929, which applies to some of those products and not others.
• Strength: Apple Pay or Google Pay can be enabled on payment links, with card payments accepted automatically, and the Afterpay setting for online payments applies across all Square products that can take it.
• Criticism: Square’s Australian Payment Terms require a user to confirm that they are a legal permanent resident of Australia, an Australian citizen, or a business entity authorised to conduct business in the State or by the Commonwealth, so a company without that authorisation cannot open a Square Account.
• Use cases: Individual and sole trader accounts can be created with or without an ABN, and Square Register accepts eftpos, Visa, Mastercard, American Express and JCB cards in person.
• Risk signals: Approving an account for card processing means verifying identity under Australian financial regulations and AUSTRAC’s Customer Identification and Verification requirements; Square hardware is approved only for the country it is intended for; and loans need a valid Australian bank account, a condition that applies to the loan product only.
• Score: #4 of 8, 5.7 / 10, verified October 2026.

Eway

• Verdict: Eway suits Australian businesses with a local bank account that want quick settlement.
• Best for: Teams integrating by API.
• Price band: Mid. Flat rate transaction fees, no setup or monthly charges (Eway’s credit card payments page).
• Company: Web Active Corporation Pty Ltd, trading as Eway, is the entity named in its privacy policy, which also states that it is a subsidiary of Global Payments, Inc, headquartered in the United States.
• Strength: Settlement is strongest: start-ups are settled between 1 and 3 business days once set up, subject to approval, and an Australian merchant with an account linked to a chosen currency and a NAB merchant account can have transactions settle in a foreign currency.
• Criticism: It settles online payments into a nominated Australian bank account and a gateway-only merchant must first obtain an Internet Merchant Facility from its bank, so a merchant without an Australian bank account or bank relationship cannot start.
• Use cases: Start-ups, established businesses and enterprises per its home page, and merchants taking manual payments through a Virtual Terminal without a full eCommerce website.
• Risk signals: Each application needs a director’s government-issued ID, a bank statement for the settlement account and the website requirements from Visa and Mastercard; a foreign company should ask whether a merchant without a local entity can apply before submitting.
• Score: #5 of 8, 5.6 / 10, verified October 2026.

Worldpay

• Verdict: Worldpay suits online stores in Australia that want eftpos routing and PayTo through platform integrations.
• Best for: Online stores.
• Price band: Mid. No published rates.
• Company: Worldpay’s homepage describes it as now Global Payments, and its online payments page offers domestic processing in more than 70 markets without naming Australia.
• Strength: Local method coverage is strongest: a platforms page lists BPAY, Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Direct Debit, and platforms can embed PayTo.
• Criticism: A merchant based outside Australia should ask which Worldpay entity would contract with it and whether an Australian bank account is needed before signing, since onboarding conditions decide whether it can go live at all.
• Use cases: Merchants that want breadth: the online page cites more than 135 currencies and more than 60 payment methods and the enterprise page more than 300 methods globally across unnamed categories, with neither naming Australia.
• Risk signals: eftpos Australia supports only authorisation and settlement combined in a single request, so a merchant whose flow separates the two steps should test it before launch.
• Score: #6 of 8, 5.5 / 10, verified October 2026.

Pin Payments

• Verdict: Pin Payments suits Australian or New Zealand businesses that want developer tools and fast approval, and is closed to companies located elsewhere.
• Best for: Cross-border merchants entering Australia.
• Price band: Mid. Percentage plus a fixed transaction fee, custom pricing above a monthly volume (Pin Payments pricing page).
• Company: The Pin Payments Services Terms name Southern Payment Systems Pty Ltd, ABN 46 154 451 582, as the provider, and its get-started page says it is now part of Fat Zebra, an Australian-owned payments platform.
• Strength: Developer experience is strongest: Hosted Fields lets merchants outsource card data handling while keeping their own pages and styles, with integration guides for 3D Secure, Recurring Payments, Marketplaces, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Webhooks, Payment Forms and Pin.js, and an API reference for custom integration.
• Criticism: Only businesses located in either Australia or New Zealand can apply for a Pin Payments account, so a company based elsewhere cannot open one.
• Use cases: Businesses that need a new account approved and ready within a single business day and a Secure Payment Page among the ready-to-use tools.
• Risk signals: A business that begins trading under a new ABN must give Pin Payments the ABN and updated details, and ID verification is needed for each beneficial owner. Before accepting payments it asks for contact, legal company, business, website, bank account and director details and online ID verification of the director or controller. Confirm whether the bank account must be local.
• Score: #7 of 8, 5.1 / 10, verified October 2026.

PayPal

• Verdict: PayPal suits merchants in Australia that want wallet checkout alongside an API card suite and can hold a qualifying bank account for withdrawals.
• Best for: Merchants looking for the lowest fees.
• Price band: Low. Published percentage plus fixed fee by payment type, interchange plus plus on request (PayPal’s Australian disclosure statement).
• Company: PayPal’s Australian agreement describes Advanced Credit and Debit Card Payments as an API suite that is the standard online interface, with Fraud Protection as an optional additional service.
• Strength: Under Interchange Plus Plus pricing with gross settlement a merchant receives the full amount of each card payment at the time of transaction without paying the processing and interchange fees then, and PayPal invoices the accumulated fees once a month and auto-debits them from the merchant’s bank account.
• Criticism: The Australian disclosure statement lists Personal, Premier and Business account types, and an account holder may withdraw funds only to a linked bank account held in Australia or the United States of America, so a merchant without a bank account in those countries cannot withdraw its balance.
• Use cases: Virtual Terminal lets a merchant enter card details for payments taken outside an online checkout, and customers can pay in person by scanning a merchant’s unique QR code in the PayPal app.
• Risk signals: Funds held in a foreign currency are usually converted to Australian dollars before withdrawal, and optional third-party wallet integrations carry additional third-party terms, so check conversion costs and wallet terms before signing.
• Score: number 8 of 8, 4.8 / 10, verified October 2026.

Go deeper

Best for online stores

Stripe (#1, 8.3 / 10) is the pick for online stores choosing a payment gateway in Australia, with cards across Visa, Mastercard, American Express, eftpos, China UnionPay and JCB and Afterpay/Clearpay instalments split into 3 or 4 interest-free payments. Also consider Airwallex (#2, 7.4 / 10), which lists Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Apple Pay and Google Pay on its Australia Checkout page.

Best for cross-border merchants entering Australia

Unlimit (#3, 6.4 / 10) is the pick for cross-border merchants entering Australia: a merchant based outside Australia can add the market to a single provider across Latin America, Africa, India and Asia-Pacific. Also consider Stripe (#1, 8.3 / 10), whose cross-border options reach 195 countries across more than 135 currencies, with no countries named.

Best for teams integrating by API

Airwallex (#2, 7.4 / 10) is the pick for teams integrating by API in Australia: for a payment gateway integration, engineers get modular APIs for a white-labelled checkout, an API, SDKs, webhooks and a sandbox and a Hosted Payment Page with guest, save-card and saved-card flows. Also consider Eway (#5, 5.6 / 10), which offers the Rapid API and a free sandbox.

Best for merchants looking for the lowest fees

Square (#4, 5.7 / 10) is the pick for merchants looking for the lowest fees in Australia: it publishes 2.2% for card-not-present transactions and a flat 1.6% per in-person card transaction, so the rate depends on how the merchant sells. Also consider PayPal (number 8, 4.8 / 10), whose disclosure statement lists domestic rates of 2.90% plus a fixed fee for wallet transactions and 1.50% plus a fixed fee for direct card transactions.

Best for small businesses

Square (#4, 5.7 / 10) is the pick for small businesses in Australia: sole traders can open an account with or without an ABN, and Afterpay is free to enable with no monthly fees or startup costs, the seller paying only when a sale is made.

Which licence does a payment gateway need in Australia, and how can a merchant check who holds it?

A licence claim on a provider’s page is not the same as a register entry. Look up the contracting entity in the regulator’s public register. Ask each provider for the legal entity that contracts with merchants, and its Australian Financial Services Licence number if it holds one, then match both against the register. A provider that works through licensed partners should name the partner that holds the licence for the merchant’s account, so the check covers the right entity.

Can a business without an Australian company open a payment gateway account?

The answer differs by provider. Check before applying, not after a failed application. Ask three things: which entity contracts with merchants outside Australia, whether an Australian bank account or ABN is needed for settlement, and which documents each payment method requires.

The market’s entry routes for a company abroad are its own local company, a local gateway with an account type for foreign companies, or an international provider working through licensed local partners; weigh each against time to launch.

How to choose a payment gateway in Australia

• Ask each shortlisted provider whether it onboards a company without an Australian entity, ABN or bank account. Published information on non-resident onboarding was found for 6 of 8 ranked providers.
• Verify the contracting entity and licence in the regulator’s public register. Published licence information was found for 5 of 8 ranked providers, and 0 of 8 were found in the register.
• Confirm the settlement currency and the FX handling in your own currency before comparing rates. Published settlement and FX information was found for 8 of 8 ranked providers.
• Check whether one integration or contract covers the other markets you sell in. Published information on market reach was found for 8 of 8 ranked providers.
• Match the provider’s method list against the rails your customers use, and prefer a payment gateway for Australia that integrates directly with Australian banks and the NPP for real-time transfers.

No single provider is best for every business, so rank the checks by your own entity, bank-account and currency position.

FAQs

Changelog

• October 2026, first publication: 9 providers screened, 8 ranked.
• October 2026, rubric weights locked before research.
• October 2026, rubric revised: weights for cross-border merchants, and each criterion scored against the best provider in the comparison.

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