Simple, predictable pricing with no long-term contracts.
Small businesses are best served by simple, predictable pricing, quick setup, and no lock-in. Compare processors that won't bury you in monthly fees or annual contracts.
26 processors
Minneapolis recurring billing and invoicing platform that meters on customer count instead of taking a share of the revenue it bills.
Gateway rate, from 2.9%
online rate
From $229 per month
monthly fee
Varies
payout
ACH-first payment processor owned by CSG, built for utility, government, healthcare and property management billing rather than card-led retail.
Reported 2.9% + $0.31
online rate
Reported $2.50 gateway
monthly fee
Varies
payout
RBI-licensed Indian payment aggregator for online, offline and cross-border collections, with payouts and reconciliation on the same platform.
Around 1.5% average
online rate
INR 0 per month
monthly fee
Next day
payout
Merchant of record for developers that sells your product under its own name, handles sales tax and VAT liability, and pays you out through Stripe Connect.
5% + $0.50 on Starter
online rate
$0 to $400 by plan
monthly fee
Varies
payout
Cloud iPad point of sale for quick-service restaurants. MYR runs the ordering and the terminal integration. A partner processor sets the card rates.
Set by your processor
online rate
$80 to $150 per month
monthly fee
Varies
payout
A long-established payment gateway for online and MOTO payments.
2.9% + $0.30
online rate
$25
monthly fee
Varies
payout
US payment gateway built for B2B and B2G sellers, with automated Level 2 and Level 3 data to cut interchange on commercial cards.
Custom quote
online rate
Roughly $15 to $75
monthly fee
Next day
payout
Restaurant and food retail Android POS and payment facilitator running about 180,000 locations, with a $0 plan that costs 3.09% + $0.15 a card sale.
N/A
online rate
$0 Starter Kit, $69 Point of Sale
monthly fee
2-day
payout
Chicago ISO selling interchange-plus card processing, a branded gateway and its own Waves POS system. Sponsored into the card networks by Westamerica Bank.
Custom quote
online rate
Custom quote
monthly fee
2-day
payout
Stax-owned US merchant account provider that dropped the flat membership fee it was built on. Pricing is now interchange-plus, quoted account by account.
Custom quote
online rate
Custom quote
monthly fee
Varies
payout
Fiserv-owned POS sold direct and through banks and ISOs, at 2.6% + $0.10 in person on Starter and 2.3% + $0.10 on the Retail and Restaurant Growth plans.
3.5% + $0.10
online rate
$0 to $89.95 per software plan
monthly fee
Varies
payout
U.S. Bank's merchant acquirer, with more than 2 million customers in the US, Europe and Canada and merchant processing in over 30 countries, on quoted pricing.
From 2.90% + $0.30 per qualified transaction
online rate
$10 small business fee, per CardFellow
monthly fee
2-day
payout
Updated August 2026
Choosing a payment processor as a small business comes down to a few things that actually move the needle: the real cost per sale, how fast you get paid, and whether you're locked into a contract. This guide walks through each so you can shortlist providers with confidence.
Payment processing is the service that moves money from your customer's card or bank to your account when they buy from you. For a small business, a processor bundles the merchant account, the gateway, and often the card reader or checkout page into one monthly relationship, so you can accept cards online and in person without stitching the pieces together yourself.
The right processor lowers the friction of getting paid and the cost of every sale. Concrete benefits include:
Look past the advertised rate. Check the monthly fee, any PCI-compliance or statement fees, the payout schedule, and whether the provider supports the payment methods your customers actually use. If you sell both online and in person, confirm one account covers both channels.
Tap-to-pay on phones has removed most of the hardware cost of accepting cards in person, and flat-rate pricing has become the default for new businesses. Instant or next-day payouts, once an enterprise feature, are now widely available and worth prioritising for tighter cash flow.
