8 Best PayPal Alternatives for Businesses (2026): Stripe vs Unlimit vs Braintree

Eight PayPal alternatives ranked for businesses by weighted score on local methods, developer experience, pricing transparency, settlement, licence, onboarding and reach, verified November 2026.

Key takeaways

• Stripe leads the ranking because it pairs a broad range of local payment methods behind one integration with fully published, pay-as-you-go fees.
• Businesses leave PayPal mainly over stacked charges, with an international add-on and a currency conversion spread on top of the card rate, and over held or reversed funds.
• In the cost scenario, Authorize.net is the cheapest provider with a flat published rate and Square the most expensive, while Adyen’s interchange-plus pricing cannot be compared directly.
• Where a business is registered divides the providers: Square and Authorize.net accept businesses from only a few countries, while Stripe, Airwallex and Shopify Payments accept them from dozens.
• Unlimit fits businesses selling across several regions that want cards and local methods through one integration without a local entity, but its rates are quoted per business rather than published.
• Choose by where you sell and settle first, then by volume, payouts and integration: Unlimit or Airwallex for multi-region sales and Braintree for seller payouts.

Quick answer: the best PayPal alternatives for Businesses

The best PayPal alternatives for business are Stripe for merchants that want many payment methods without a monthly fee, Unlimit for merchants selling across borders through one payments API, and Braintree for marketplaces and platforms that pay out sellers worldwide. Five more providers are ranked below on cost, payment methods and markets.

The 8 best PayPal alternatives compared

Eight PayPal alternatives for business, ranked worldwide by a weighted score out of 10 and verified November 2026.

Why businesses look for a PayPal alternative

PayPal charges 2.99 percent plus a fixed fee for standard card payments and 3.49 percent plus a fixed fee for PayPal Checkout payments. Cross-border sales add 1.50 percent on international card payments through card payment services, except Advanced Credit and Debit Card Payments, which are priced interchange plus. These combined charges push many businesses to look for a PayPal alternative.

Disputes cost extra too: Chargeback Protection for Expanded Checkout costs an additional 0.40 percent per transaction. A disproportionately high level of complaints, reversals or chargebacks lets PayPal raise the percentage part of fees by up to 5.00 percent per transaction after 30 days notice.

PayPal’s own guidance on funds availability, dated May 2024, explains why it holds money: “They’re often put in place to protect against fraud, chargebacks, and other potential financial losses.”

Speed is where PayPal does well: funds from sales are in most cases available within minutes, with no monthly fee or setup cost for Checkout.

How this was scored

Each of the eight PayPal alternatives is scored out of 10 on the weighted criteria, and each criterion is scored against the best provider in the comparison, which scores 10. Unlimit is scored by the same process and its position is not edited.

Published by Unlimit. Unlimit is #2 on this list and is scored on the same rubric as every other entry.

The scoring has known limits. Only providers serving businesses online are scored, and PayPal is the reference point, not a ranked entry. Bands reflect published rates, or the pricing model where none is published, so a quote may differ. Unlimit publishes this list and is ranked in it, and the list is not professional advice.

Where Unlimit fits

A business adding markets one by one that wants to keep a single provider can take cards and local payment methods through one API integration with Unlimit, although rates are quoted by sales. Unlimit works as global financial infrastructure, enabling cross-border commerce for businesses, consumers and AI agents.

Unlimit supports cards and more than 1,000 alternative payment methods worldwide.

Businesses across the world can accept payments from local customers through one Unlimit API integration, without a legal entity, office or bank account in the region. If Unlimit does not hold a licence in the region itself, it processes payments through licensed partners and settles in the currency agreed with the merchant.

Pricing transparency is the criterion that limits Unlimit’s score. Unlimit is right for merchants selling across borders that want local payment methods behind one integration. Unlimit is not the best fit for a business that sells in a single country with a card-only checkout, where regional method coverage adds little.

The best PayPal alternatives in detail

Each provider below, one of the alternatives to PayPal, is described by pricing model, payment methods, markets and requirements, with one strength and one criticism.

1. Stripe

• Best for: Merchants that want many payment methods without a monthly fee.
• What it is: Stripe is a payment company whose online payments product lets a business take cards and local payment methods at checkout, on subscriptions and through marketplace platforms built on Connect. A business uses it through hosted Checkout pages or its own API integration.
• Pricing model: Stripe charges a flat rate per card payment plus a fixed fee, varying by country: 2.9 percent plus USD 0.30 on US cards, plus 1.5 percent for cards issued abroad and 1 percent for currency conversion, compared with 1.5 percent plus EUR 0.25 on standard EEA cards. There is no setup or monthly fee. Verified November 2026.
• Payment methods: Stripe groups its more than 125 methods into cards, bank debits and redirects, bank transfers, buy now pay later, real-time payments, stablecoins, vouchers and wallets, such as Apple Pay, iDEAL, Pix and Klarna.
• Markets and currencies: Stripe accepts businesses based in 51 countries, which can then sell worldwide, and charges customers in more than 135 currencies.
• Requirements: A business based in a supported country verifies its business, its product and its relationship to the business under Know Your Customer rules to go live, and its country of origin cannot change afterwards.
• Strength: Stripe Checkout accepts one-time and subscription payments from more than 125 local payment methods, so a business can offer buyers a familiar local option without a separate integration for each.
• Criticism: Stripe is not a bank, and Treasury checking accounts come exclusively from Fifth Third Bank, and it works with banks, financial institutions and payment method acquirers (privacy notice), so account and acquiring services are provided by partner institutions rather than with Stripe itself.
• PayPal vs Stripe: PayPal is the stronger pick where buyers expect to pay from their own PayPal wallet, while Stripe is the stronger pick for a business that wants broad local method coverage and a build-it-yourself API.
• Score: #1 of 8, 8.8 / 10, verified November 2026.

2. Unlimit

• Publisher’s entry
• Best for: Merchants selling across borders through one payments API.
• What it is: Unlimit is a global B2B fintech company that offers payment processing, a multicurrency business account and payouts to anyone in real time through a single API integration. One REST API covers cards, local payment methods, payouts, recurring payments and payment links. UNLIMIT EU LTD is authorised on 9 July 2018 in Cyprus, supervised by CBC, with national reference number 115.1.3.7, and is authorised to provide 150 payment services across 30 countries (Payment Institutions Register).
• Pricing model: Pricing is quoted per business.
• Payment methods: Unlimit groups its more than 1,000 payment methods into global and local card schemes, digital wallets, cash, direct bank transfers and mobile payments, such as Visa, Apple Pay, PIX, OXXO, M-Pesa and SEPA Instant.
• Markets and currencies: Unlimit takes card brands and local payment methods in more than 50 currencies and more than 200 locations across Latin America, Asia-Pacific, Africa, India, the EU and the UK, with direct settlement into the merchant’s accounts, and its multicurrency account pays anyone in more than 30 currencies.
• Requirements: A business applies with its company details and country of registration, with no documents at that first stage. During onboarding, Unlimit tells each merchant which documents each payment method needs, and no local legal entity, office or bank account is needed in the region.
• Strength: A merchant gets card payments and local payment methods through a single API integration, with one provider across Latin America, Africa, India and Asia-Pacific, so adding a region does not mean adding a provider.
• Criticism: Rates are quoted by sales rather than published, so a business cannot compare Unlimit’s costs with other providers before a sales call.
• PayPal vs Unlimit: PayPal is the stronger pick where buyers already hold a PayPal wallet, while Unlimit is the stronger pick for a business that wants one integration reaching local methods in several regions.
• Score: #2 of 8, 8.1 / 10, verified November 2026.

3. Braintree

• Best for: Marketplaces and platforms that pay out sellers worldwide.
• What it is: Braintree is a payment gateway that a business integrates by API to take card and wallet payments, and platforms and marketplaces that route funds to several parties use it. Use of the service starts with an application and an agreement, not a self-serve sign-up.
• Pricing model: Braintree charges a flat rate plus a fixed fee by country of the account: 2.89 percent plus USD 0.29 per card or wallet transaction for US-resident accounts, plus 1 percent for cards issued abroad and 1 percent for non-USD presentment, compared with 1.9 percent plus GBP 0.20 in the UK. Established businesses can get custom or interchange-plus pricing. Verified November 2026.
• Payment methods: Braintree takes cards, bank methods such as ACH, iDEAL and BLIK, cash and vouchers such as Boleto and Oxxo Pay, and Pay Later, plus PayPal, Venmo in the US and digital wallets, more than 30 methods in all.
• Markets and currencies: Braintree supports more than 130 local currencies for merchants in 44 countries, takes payments from buyers in more than 200 markets and settles in the merchant’s home currency by default.
• Requirements: PayPal approves each application; the merchant confirms that it is legally established and in good standing in its country of organisation, may need to provide its tax ID, and above Visa and Mastercard thresholds signs a Commercial Entity Agreement with each acquirer.
• Strength: Braintree supports PayPal payments, Venmo in the US, cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and local payment methods, so one gateway covers wallet, card and local-method buyers.
• Criticism: Use of Braintree is subject to eligibility, application, approval by PayPal and acceptance of the Payment Services Agreement, and its published rates apply to accounts of residents of the United States, so the posted prices apply only to US-resident accounts.
• PayPal vs Braintree: PayPal is the stronger pick for a business that wants the PayPal button and wallet directly, while Braintree is the stronger pick for a platform that needs a gateway it integrates deeply and uses to pay out sellers.
• Score: #3 of 8, 7.2 / 10, verified November 2026.

4. Airwallex

• Best for: Teams that integrate by API and want local acquiring.
• What it is: Airwallex is a payments and finance company whose card acceptance product is offered alongside multi-currency accounts and subscription billing. A business signs up per legal entity and integrates through APIs.
• Pricing model: Airwallex charges a flat rate plus a fixed fee by country and card origin: 2.80 percent plus USD 0.30 for US domestic cards and an all-in 4.30 percent plus USD 0.30 for international cards, compared with 1.30 percent plus GBP 0.20 for UK cards. Conversion costs 0.5 percent above interbank rates for major currencies and 1 percent for others. Verified November 2026.
• Payment methods: Airwallex offers more than 160 local payment methods in more than 180 countries, grouped into cards, e-wallets, buy now pay later, bank transfers, direct debit, online banking and cash, such as Apple Pay, Alipay, Klarna, iDEAL and Konbini.
• Markets and currencies: Businesses registered in one of 69 countries and territories can apply; they accept payments in local currency, hold funds in a multi-currency wallet and pay out to more than 200 countries and regions in more than 90 currencies.
• Requirements: Registration in a supported country does not guarantee approval, and companies in other countries provide incorporation documents, articles of association and an ownership chart, plus ID for each owner of more than 25 percent.
• Strength: Merchants can set up local acquiring payment processing in more than 35 markets, so a business selling in several regions can process cards close to its buyers from one provider.
• Criticism: The payment methods a merchant gets depend on the business’s location, so the method list a business sees at sign-up can differ from the full set Airwallex supports.
• PayPal vs Airwallex: PayPal is the stronger pick where shoppers expect to pay with their own wallet, while Airwallex is the stronger pick for a business that wants published card rates split between domestic and international cards.
• Score: number 4 of 8, 7.0 / 10, verified November 2026.

5. Adyen

• Best for: Subscription and digital-goods businesses that sell with many local methods.
• What it is: Adyen is a payment company that serves large online merchants through one integration, and Adyen for Platforms is an end-to-end payment solution for peer-to-peer marketplaces, on-demand services, crowdfunding platforms and other platform business models.
• Pricing model: Adyen prices cards on interchange plus: a markup of 0.6 percent and a fixed fee of USD 0.13 per transaction on top of interchange for Visa and Mastercard worldwide, with American Express priced separately and no monthly or setup fee. Verified November 2026.
• Payment methods: Adyen offers more than 200 local payment methods across cards, wallets, buy now pay later, bank transfers, direct debit, online banking, cash and gift cards, such as Apple Pay, Alipay, Klarna, BLIK and OXXO.
• Markets and currencies: Adyen settles in the currency of the acquiring connection’s country, its platform product onboards users in 39 countries across Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific, and payouts in certain regions are subject to approval.
• Requirements: A merchant must apply for a live account before accepting payments from shoppers, and certain business models and industries cannot be processed.
• Strength: Adyen names Apple Pay, Mastercard, Visa, American Express, Cash App Pay, PayPal, Discover, WeChat Pay, Klarna and Diners as payment methods, so a business can cover wallets, cards and instalments in one integration.
• Criticism: The merchant terms require additional information and supporting documentation on activities, identity and shareholders on first request, and products marked as restricted need extra documentation for onboarding, so approval for such a business takes longer.
• PayPal vs Adyen: PayPal is the stronger pick for a small seller who wants to start without a review, while Adyen is the stronger pick for a business that needs method breadth and platform features and can pass a documented onboarding.
• Score: #5 of 8, 6.9 / 10, verified November 2026.

6. Square

• Best for: Subscription businesses that take online, invoice and in-person payments.
• What it is: Square is a payment company that lets a business take card payments online, by invoice and in person, and provides APIs for custom integrations. Its tools cover payment links as well as hardware.
• Pricing model: Square charges a flat rate plus a fixed fee by seller country: 3.3 percent plus USD 0.30 online in the US, plus 1.5 percent for cards issued abroad, compared with 1.4 percent plus GBP 0.25 for UK cards online. Square Free has no monthly fee. Verified November 2026.
• Payment methods: Square takes cards, gift cards, digital wallets, ACH, Afterpay and Cash App Pay online, plus Apple Pay and Google Pay in every Square country and local schemes such as EFTPOS, Interac and JCB.
• Markets and currencies: Square sellers can be based in eight countries: Australia, Canada, France, Ireland, Japan, Spain, the UK and the US, and each payment uses the seller account’s currency.
• Requirements: A business opens its account in one of those eight countries; under the US General Terms the merchant must be at least 18 years old.
• Strength: Square publishes backend SDKs for Python, Node.js, Ruby, PHP, Java and .NET and a Sandbox where test payments appear in a Sandbox Dashboard, so developers can build and test without live payments.
• Criticism: A Square merchant confirms in the General Terms that it is located in the United States, and identification and financial information go through a verification process at account creation, so a business located elsewhere cannot meet that term.
• PayPal vs Square: PayPal is the stronger pick for a seller with buyers in many countries who hold PayPal accounts, while Square is the stronger pick for a US-located business that wants one vendor for online, invoice and in-person payments.
• Score: #6 of 8, 6.2 / 10, verified November 2026.

7. Authorize.net

• Best for: Teams that want a gateway for their existing merchant account.
• What it is: Authorize.net is a payment gateway for online card and eCheck payments. An All-in-one plan includes a gateway and a merchant account, and a Gateway Only plan connects to a merchant account the business already holds.
• Pricing model: The All-in-One plan charges 2.9 percent per transaction plus a fixed fee of USD 0.30, with a monthly fee of USD 25, and the Gateway Only plan costs USD 25 per month plus USD 0.10 per transaction and a USD 0.10 daily batch fee. Verified November 2026.
• Payment methods: Authorize.net groups its methods into credit card, ACH and digital payments: major card brands, eChecks for US businesses as an add-on at 0.75 percent per transaction, and Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal.
• Markets and currencies: Authorize.net serves businesses physically located in the United States and Canada, and each account is set to one currency.
• Requirements: A business needs a merchant account from a US or Canadian provider; the gateway account is approved automatically, while the merchant account is underwritten on industry, processing history and personal credit, with approval immediate or within one to five business days or more.
• Strength: Authorize.net accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, JCB and Diners Club cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal and eChecks, so a business covers most card brands and bank debits from one gateway.
• Criticism: A business located outside the United States and Canada is directed to Cybersource instead, so a business based elsewhere cannot open an Authorize.net account.
• PayPal vs Authorize.net: PayPal is the stronger pick for a seller that wants buyers to pay without entering card details, while Authorize.net is the stronger pick for a US or Canadian business that wants a gateway and merchant account on a fixed monthly plan.
• Score: #7 of 8, 5.4 / 10, verified November 2026.

8. Shopify Payments

• Best for: Shopify merchants that want payments built into checkout.
• What it is: Shopify Payments is the payment service built into the Shopify commerce platform, and a business uses it at Shopify checkout. It is tied to a Shopify store rather than sold as a standalone gateway.
• Pricing model: Shopify Payments charges a flat card rate plus a fixed fee that falls with the plan, in the US from 2.9 percent plus USD 0.30 on Basic to 2.5 percent on Advanced, plus a conversion fee of 1.5 percent for US stores and 2 percent elsewhere and a monthly plan fee; third-party providers add third-party transaction fees of 2 percent, 1 percent, 0.6 percent and 0.2 percent depending on the plan. Verified November 2026.
• Payment methods: Shopify Payments takes all major payment methods from store creation: cards, Shop Pay, Shop Pay Installments, PayPal and local methods such as Klarna and MB WAY.
• Markets and currencies: Shopify Payments serves businesses in 41 supported countries; merchants can sell in the shopper’s currency and get paid in the merchant’s own currency, and payouts can arrive in a currency other than the selling currency.
• Requirements: Services are available only to persons in the Designated Country who operate a business selling goods and services, as a legal resident or a legally established entity there; a US account also needs a US checking account in USD and an SSN or ITIN, plus an EIN for a company.
• Strength: Shopify offers custom apps on its APIs, with an App Store of more than 21,000 commerce apps and a Buy Button channel that embeds checkout on an external website, so developers and merchants can extend checkout without custom infrastructure.
• Criticism: A business can use Shopify Payments at checkout only if it is located in one of the supported countries, and the account may only be used in the Designated Country, so a business outside those countries cannot use it.
• PayPal vs Shopify Payments: PayPal is the stronger pick for a seller outside Shopify’s supported countries who still wants a wallet checkout, while Shopify Payments is the stronger pick for a store already on Shopify that wants payments inside its own checkout.
• Score: #8 of 8, 5.0 / 10, verified November 2026.

What PayPal and its alternatives cost at USD 10,000, 100,000 and 1 million a month

Card-processing cost is calculated here for USD 100 sales at USD 10,000, USD 100,000 and USD 1 million a month, for each provider with a published rate.

This is an estimation scenario, not a quote: a US business sells at an average ticket of USD 100, every card is issued abroad and every sale is charged in USD. The example method is online card checkout because 7 of 9 providers in the table publish a rate for it and it is the online checkout that PayPal and its alternatives share. Real costs depend on the business, the card mix and negotiated terms.

At USD 10,000 a month, Authorize.net is the cheapest in this scenario at USD 345 and Square is the most expensive at USD 510. Adyen prices on interchange plus a markup, so the figure shown excludes interchange and scheme fees and is not compared. PayPal itself costs USD 498 at the same volume, more than every alternative with a published rate except Square. Unlimit and Shopify Payments publish no complete rate for this scenario, so no cost is shown for them.

Cost rises in line with volume: Stripe moves from USD 470 to USD 4,700 and USD 47,000, Airwallex from USD 460 to USD 4,600 and USD 46,000 and Square from USD 510 to USD 5,100 and USD 51,000, so the fixed fee of USD 0.30 per sale matters most on small tickets. Authorize.net adds a monthly fee of USD 25, which raises its cost to USD 32,025 at USD 1 million a month.

Where a conversion is needed, PayPal applies a 4.00 percent spread when a buyer pays in a currency other than the listing currency.

Local acquiring and payment methods by region

The table shows, for each ranked provider in ranking order, the countries it operates in, its licences or acquiring route, its payment methods and its fee model.

Go deeper

Best for marketplaces and platforms

Braintree (#3, 7.2 / 10) is the pick for marketplaces and platforms that pay out sellers: it charges buyers in their own currency with local presentment in 44 countries, on the same account that handles seller payouts.

If the platform is based outside the US, also consider Stripe (#1, 8.8 / 10), which is available to businesses in 51 countries and regions.

Best for merchants selling across borders

Unlimit (#2, 8.1 / 10, publisher’s entry) is the pick for merchants selling across borders: it reaches more than 200 locations through a network of local licences and payment methods, all on one integration.

For a business that also needs a multi-currency account, Airwallex (#4, 7.0 / 10) is also worth a look: it accepts payments from more than 180 countries.

Best for subscription and digital-goods businesses

Adyen (#5, 6.9 / 10) is the pick for subscription and digital-goods businesses that bill customers in many countries: it accepts, processes and settles payments in more than 130 countries on one platform.

For a smaller business that also sells in person, also consider Square (#6, 6.2 / 10), whose sellers are located in eight countries, from the US and Canada to Japan and Spain.

If you use PayPal to get paid by clients, not for checkout

Square lets a business take payments without hardware through invoicing, payment links and a virtual terminal, and the fee on foreign-issued cards in the Square card is its drawback for cross-border clients. Airwallex lets a business collect and hold funds in more than 20 currencies on its US Explore plan, while the conversion spread in the Airwallex card is its drawback for payments that need currency conversion.

PayPal vs Stripe: which fits a business?

Stripe fits a business that needs a wide range of local methods and instalments, while PayPal fits one whose customers pay with a PayPal or Venmo balance.

PayPal vs Unlimit: how they compare

• Payment methods. PayPal lets customers across the globe pay with bank accounts, wallets and other local methods, alongside the PayPal wallet, Venmo and Pay Later. Unlimit’s six method groups are listed in the Unlimit entry above.
• Markets and currencies. PayPal reaches buyers in more than 200 markets, while the merchant settles in 23 currencies. Unlimit accepts payments in more than 200 locations and more than 50 currencies, with local coverage across Latin America, Asia-Pacific, Africa, India, the EU and the UK.
• Requirements. PayPal requires details of the owner and the business, a confirmed identity and a linked bank account, and approves advanced card processing on application. During onboarding, Unlimit tells each merchant which documents each payment method needs, and no local legal entity, office or bank account is needed in the region; the merchant is approved and registered with Unlimit and its partner institutions first.
• Payouts. PayPal Payouts is covered under marketplaces above. Unlimit pays out through local and global methods, card schemes, bank transfers, e-wallets and instant payment rails.
• Licences and regulation. PayPal holds state money transmission licences under NMLS ID 910457 in the US and serves the EEA through a Luxembourg bank supervised by the CSSF. Unlimit holds e-money licences in the UK and Cyprus, a cross-border payment aggregator licence from the Reserve Bank of India and licences in Brazil, Hong Kong, Tanzania, Kenya and Nigeria.
• Pricing model. PayPal is stronger here: it publishes flat rates by country and offers custom pricing for established high-volume businesses. Unlimit quotes pricing per business.

How to choose a PayPal alternative

• Do you sell online across several regions? Unlimit and Airwallex fit multi-region acceptance, and Stripe fits when the lowest fees matter most.
• Which settlement currencies and FX terms do you need? Stripe, Unlimit and Airwallex fit foreign-currency settlement.
• Is your monthly volume high enough for rates to matter? Stripe, Airwallex, Square and Authorize.net fit a rate you can compare, while Adyen fits a business that accepts interchange plus a markup.
• Do you pay out sellers or partners? Braintree, Unlimit and Stripe fit marketplaces and platforms.
• Do you integrate by API? Airwallex, Authorize.net and Unlimit fit teams building their own checkout.
• Do you sell subscriptions or digital goods? Adyen and Square fit recurring billing.

FAQs

Changelog

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

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