Your WooCommerce store is built, your products are beautifully displayed, and you’re ready to launch. But there’s one final, critical piece of the puzzle you need to solve: how are you going to get paid? To securely accept your customers’ payments online, you need to connect your store to a payment gateway.
Choosing the right gateway is one of the most important business decisions you’ll make for your store. It directly impacts your costs through transaction fees, your sales through the customer’s checkout experience, and the overall security and trustworthiness of your brand. With so many options available, the technical details and fee structures can feel complex and intimidating.
This guide is here to demystify the world of online payments. We’ll explain in simple terms what a payment gateway is, what you need to look for, and then provide an authoritative review of the 7 best payment gateway plugins for WooCommerce. We’ll compare them on their fees, features, and ease of use so you can confidently choose the perfect solution to start accepting payments today.
Table of Contents
Payment Gateways 101: What to Look For
Before we dive into the list, let’s establish what a payment gateway actually does and the key factors you need to consider.
What is a Payment Gateway?
Think of a payment gateway as the secure, digital version of a physical credit card terminal in a retail store. It’s the trusted middleman that securely connects your website, your customer’s bank, and your own bank account. It encrypts and handles the sensitive financial information, verifies the funds are available, and ensures the transaction is processed safely and reliably.
Key Factors to Consider When Choosing a Gateway:
- Transaction Fees: This is how gateways make their money. Most charge a small percentage of the transaction amount plus a fixed fee for every sale you make (e.g., 2.9% + $0.30). These fees directly impact your profit margins, so it’s crucial to understand them.
- On-Site vs. Off-Site Checkout: This refers to the customer’s experience. On-Site Checkout means the customer enters their credit card details directly on your website’s checkout page. This is a seamless experience that generally leads to higher conversion rates. Off-Site Checkout means the customer is temporarily redirected to the gateway’s own website (like PayPal) to complete the payment before being sent back to your store.
- Security & PCI Compliance: PCI DSS is a set of strict security standards required for handling credit card information. The best modern gateways (like Stripe and PayPal) handle all of this for you, so their systems are fully compliant and you don’t have to worry about the complex security requirements on your own server.
- Availability: Is the payment gateway available in your country and the countries you want to sell to?
- Payment Methods Accepted: Does the gateway just accept credit and debit cards, or does it also support popular digital wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay, or “Buy Now, Pay Later” services?
With these criteria in mind, let’s review the best options for your WooCommerce store.
1. WooCommerce Payments – Best for Simplicity & Integration
This is the official, built-in payment solution created by the developers of WooCommerce. It’s powered by Stripe’s robust infrastructure but is designed to be the absolute easiest and most seamless way to start accepting payments.
- Why We Recommend It: For new store owners, nothing is easier to set up. You can manage everything—payments, refunds, and disputes—directly from your WordPress dashboard without needing to log in to a separate third-party website. It provides a clean, on-site checkout experience and supports a wide range of currencies.
- Key Features:
- Managed completely within your WordPress dashboard.
- Accepts all major credit and debit cards.
- Supports digital wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay.
- Simple, pay-as-you-go pricing with no monthly fees.
- Transaction Fees: Varies by country, but typically 2.9% + $0.30 for U.S. cards.
- Who It’s For: New WooCommerce users and anyone who values simplicity and wants the most deeply integrated payment solution available.
2. Stripe – Best for Power & Flexibility
Stripe is the gold standard for modern online payment processing. It’s a technology-first company beloved by developers and businesses for its powerful features, incredible flexibility, and beautiful, on-site checkout experience.
- Why We Recommend It: Stripe offers a superior checkout experience. Its official WooCommerce plugin is robust and allows customers to pay with credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and many other local payment methods, all without ever leaving your site. Its documentation is second to none, and it’s built to scale with your business from your first sale to your millionth.
- Key Features:
- A huge range of accepted payment methods.
- A beautiful and highly customizable on-site checkout flow.
- Excellent fraud detection and security.
- Powerful developer tools and integrations.
- Transaction Fees: 2.9% + $0.30 per successful transaction.
- Who It’s For: Businesses of all sizes that want a powerful, flexible, and developer-friendly gateway with a best-in-class checkout experience.
3. PayPal – Best for Trust & Global Reach
PayPal is the most recognized and trusted name in online payments. For many customers, especially those making an international purchase or buying from a new store for the first time, seeing the PayPal button provides a powerful sense of security.
- Why We Recommend It: Offering PayPal as an option can instantly increase customer trust and boost your conversion rate. The official PayPal Payments plugin allows you to accept PayPal, Venmo, credit cards, and “Pay Later” options. It can provide both an on-site checkout for cards and the classic “Pay with PayPal” off-site experience.
- Key Features:
- The most recognized and trusted brand in online payments.
- Accepts PayPal, Venmo, credit cards, and Pay Later options.
- Excellent for international transactions.
- Transaction Fees: Varies, but typically starts at 3.49% + $0.49 for U.S. transactions.
- Who It’s For: All stores, especially those selling internationally or to an audience that values the security and convenience of their PayPal account.
4. Braintree – Best for a Combined PayPal/Stripe Experience
Owned by PayPal, Braintree offers the best of both worlds. It provides the powerful, on-site credit card processing experience of a gateway like Stripe, while also making it incredibly simple to accept PayPal and Venmo payments.
- Why We Recommend It: Braintree was one of the first gateways to make on-site credit card processing accessible to small businesses. It allows you to accept cards, PayPal, and digital wallets through a single, unified integration. It’s a powerful and cost-effective alternative to setting up separate Stripe and PayPal accounts.
- Key Features:
- Accepts credit cards, PayPal, Venmo, Apple Pay, and Google Pay.
- Simple, flat-rate pricing.
- Strong fraud protection tools.
- Transaction Fees: 2.59% + $0.49 per transaction.
- Who It’s For: Businesses that want the power of a gateway like Stripe but also want to seamlessly integrate PayPal and Venmo into their checkout.
5. Afterpay / Klarna (Buy Now, Pay Later) – Best for Increasing Conversions
“Buy Now, Pay Later” (BNPL) services have exploded in popularity. Gateways like Afterpay and Klarna allow customers to purchase an item immediately but pay for it over several interest-free installments.
- Why We Recommend It: For you, the merchant, there’s no risk—you get paid the full amount upfront. For the customer, it makes higher-priced items more affordable. Studies have consistently shown that offering a BNPL option can dramatically increase both conversion rates and the average order value.
- Key Features:
- Allows customers to pay in installments.
- You get paid the full amount immediately.
- Proven to increase sales and average order value.
- Transaction Fees: Higher than standard gateways, typically around 4-6% + $0.30.
- Who It’s For: Stores that sell items over $50, especially in fashion, electronics, and home goods, where breaking up the cost can make a big psychological difference for the buyer.
6. Amazon Pay – Best for Reducing Checkout Friction
Amazon Pay allows the hundreds of millions of Amazon customers to check out on your store using the payment and shipping information already stored securely in their Amazon account.
- Why We Recommend It: The biggest reason for cart abandonment is a long and complicated checkout process. Amazon Pay can reduce checkout to just a few clicks. The customer clicks the button, logs into their familiar Amazon account, confirms their details, and the purchase is complete. This speed and convenience can be a massive conversion booster.
- Key Features:
- Leverages Amazon’s trusted platform.
- Dramatically speeds up the checkout process.
- Uses the customer’s stored Amazon shipping and payment info.
- Transaction Fees: 2.9% + $0.30 for domestic U.S. transactions.
- Who It’s For: Any store that wants to offer a fast, convenient, and trusted checkout alternative for the massive base of Amazon users.
7. Authorize.Net – Best for Established US Businesses
Authorize.Net is one of the oldest and most trusted payment gateways on the internet. It’s a popular choice for established businesses, especially those with a brick-and-mortar presence who are moving online, as it integrates with many traditional merchant bank accounts.
- Why We Recommend It: It’s a rock-solid, reliable, and highly secure payment gateway with advanced fraud detection features. While its setup is more complex (it typically requires a separate merchant account), it is a trusted workhorse for thousands of large businesses.
- Key Features:
- A long and trusted reputation for reliability and security.
- Advanced fraud detection suite.
- Accepts all major credit cards and eChecks.
- Transaction Fees: Varies depending on the plan, but often involves a monthly fee plus a transaction fee (e.g., $25/month + 2.9% + $0.30).
- Who It’s For: Established U.S.-based businesses, especially those who already have a traditional merchant account from their bank.
Conclusion: Opening Your Doors for Business
Choosing your payment gateway is a foundational decision that impacts your customer experience, your conversion rates, and your bottom line.
The best strategy for most stores is to offer your customers choice and trust. A fantastic starting combination is:
- A direct credit card processor for a seamless on-site experience (like WooCommerce Payments or Stripe).
- PayPal as a universally recognized and trusted alternative.
With modern plugins like these, setting up a secure, professional, and high-converting checkout process is easier than ever before. You now have the knowledge to choose the right tools to get paid, grow your business, and thrive in the world of e-commerce.