PayPal logo

PayPal review

The widely recognised wallet and checkout button merchants trust.

Editor's score: 4.0 / 5 How we scoreWhat merchants say about PayPalFounded 1998San Jose, CA, USAListing updated

We may earn a commission if you sign up through our links. Premier and Verified are paid listing tiers and appear higher in the default sort. How we rank.

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Online rate
2.99% + $0.49
In-person rate
2.29% + $0.09
Monthly fee
$0
Payout
Instant
Contract
No contract
PCI level
Level 1
Regions
US, CA +3

Overview

PayPal is one of the most recognised names in online payments. Its express checkout button can lift conversion through buyer familiarity and trust, and setup is fast for small businesses.

Who it's for

Merchants who want a trusted checkout option live quickly, especially for cross-border consumer sales. Costs can run higher than interchange-plus alternatives at scale.

Best for

Small business
Cross-border
Quick setup

Regions

US
CA
EU
UK
Global

Industries

Retail
Services

Pros

  • Trusted brand can lift checkout conversion
  • Fast setup with no monthly fee
  • Strong buyer and seller protection

Cons

  • Higher headline rates at scale
  • Account holds and reserves can be disruptive

Pricing

Pricing at a glance

3.49% + 49¢ for PayPal checkout; 2.99% for standard cards. No monthly fee.

Pricing model
Flat rate
Contract
No contract
Free trial
No
Monthly minimum
N/A

Fee breakdown

Online card rate2.99% + $0.49
In-person card rate2.29% + $0.09
Keyed-in rate3.49% + $0.09
International surcharge+1.5%
ACH / bank rate0.8% (cap $5)
Monthly fee$0
Chargeback fee$20
Refund policyFees not returned on refunds

Listing updated How we keep listings current

Features

Payment methods

  • Visa
  • Mastercard
  • Amex
  • Discover
  • PayPal
  • BNPL
  • Wallets

Integrations & deployment

  • Hosted checkout
  • Shopify
  • WooCommerce
  • BigCommerce
  • Payment links
  • Invoicing

Capabilities

  • Fraud protection
  • Chargeback protection
  • Reporting dashboard
  • Recurring billing

At a glance

Currencies
100+ currencies
Payout
Instant
PCI level
Level 1
High-risk friendly
No

Review analysis

PayPal has one of the widest review splits in payments. Business reviewers on G2 rate it around 4.4 out of 5. Trustpilot has it at about 1.5 across nearly 37,000 reviews, and the Better Business Bureau at 1.1, with more than 28,000 complaints logged over three years. Almost all of that gap is one subject: accounts limited and funds held, which has also been the subject of class-action litigation.

Read the full PayPal review analysis
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