Developer-first payments infrastructure for internet businesses.
2.9% + $0.30
online rate
$0
monthly fee
2-day
payout
Developers
SaaS
Marketplaces
Paystack Review
Stripe-owned African payment platform serving 200,000+ businesses in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa and Cote d'Ivoire.
No reviews yetFounded 2015Lagos, NigeriaListing updated
- Starting rate
- 1.5% + NGN 100, capped
- Monthly fee
- None
- Payout
- Next day
- Contract
- No contract
- PCI level
- Level 1
- Regions
- Global
Overview
For businesses operating in Africa, choosing a payment processor often comes down to more than card acceptance. Local payment methods, currencies, payouts, business onboarding, and the countries supported by the provider can all affect whether a platform works in practice.
Paystack is built around payments for businesses in African markets and is particularly relevant to startups, online businesses, and merchants selling locally or across supported markets.
Paystack Pricing by Country
Paystack pricing is not necessarily identical across every market.
When comparing costs, check the pricing applicable to your specific country and payment method.
Important costs can include:
- Card transaction fees
- Bank payment fees
- International payment fees
- Currency conversion
- Payout-related costs
Paystack Supported Countries and Currencies
Country availability should be one of the first things an international business checks.
A processor can have excellent features but still be unsuitable if your business location, customers, or preferred settlement currency isn't supported.
Who Is Paystack Best For?
Paystack is particularly relevant to:
- African startups
- eCommerce businesses
- SaaS companies
- Online service businesses
- Businesses collecting digital payments
Is Paystack Owned by Stripe?
Stripe acquired Paystack, but Paystack continues to operate as a payment technology platform focused on African markets.
Paystack Payout Times
Payout timing depends on the market, payment method, account setup, and applicable settlement rules. Businesses should confirm the current settlement schedule for their specific country.
Best for
African ecommerce
Mobile money acceptance
Developer integrations
Recurring billing in Africa
Regions
Global
Industries
Online retail
Fintech
Education
Licensed betting
Media and creators
Pros
- Covers each market's local rails, USSD, bank transfer and Visa QR in Nigeria, M-PESA in Kenya, mobile money in Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire, with automatic routing that keeps success rates high
- Cheap transparent local pricing with a hard fee cap in Nigeria of 1.5% + NGN 100 capped at NGN 2,000, and zero setup or monthly fees everywhere
- APIs, SDKs and 60+ integrations including Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix and BigCommerce, with Stripe behind the engineering
Cons
- Merchant signup is limited to businesses based in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa and Cote d'Ivoire, with Egypt and Rwanda still in early access
- Payout holds and delays during compliance reviews are the dominant complaint theme in customer reviews
- Feature fragmentation across markets: terminals, virtual accounts, USSD and identity verification are Nigeria-only, and payout timing varies from one to two working days
Pricing
Pricing at a glance
Nigerian local transactions cost 1.5% + NGN 100, waived under NGN 2,500 and capped at NGN 2,000 per transaction; international cards cost 3.9% + NGN 100. Ghana is a flat 1.95%, Kenya 1.5% for M-PESA and 2.9% for local cards, South Africa 2.9% + ZAR 1 plus VAT. No setup or monthly fees in any market.
- Pricing model
- Flat rate
- Contract
- No contract
- Free trial
- No
- Monthly minimum
- None
Fee breakdown
| Online card rate | 1.5% + NGN 100, capped |
|---|---|
| In-person card rate | 0.5% capped at NGN 1,000 on Paystack Terminal in Nigeria |
| International surcharge | 3.9% + NGN 100 in Nigeria, 3.8% in Kenya, 3.1% + ZAR 1 in South Africa |
| Monthly fee | None |
| Setup fee | None |
| Monthly minimum | None |
| Chargeback fee | No Paystack penalty for accepted chargebacks, card-network arbitration fees apply only if escalated |
| Early termination fee | None |
Listing updated How we keep listings current
Features
Payment methods
- Visa
- Mastercard
- Amex
- Apple Pay
- ACH
- Netbanking
- Wallets
Integrations & deployment
- API
- Hosted checkout
- Drop-in UI
- Mobile SDK
- Virtual terminal
- Payment links
- Invoicing
- POS hardware
- Shopify
- WooCommerce
- BigCommerce
- Wix
Capabilities
- Recurring billing
- Multi-currency
- Fraud protection
- 3D Secure
- Tokenization
- Marketplace split
- Reporting dashboard
- Developer-friendly
- 24/7 support
At a glance
- Currencies
- Settles in NGN, GHS, KES or USD, ZAR and XOF depending on market, with optional USD settlement in Nigeria and Kenya
- Payout
- Next day
- PCI level
- Level 1
- High-risk friendly
- No
Reviews
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Frequently asked questions
- How much does Paystack cost?
- There are no setup or monthly fees in any market. Nigerian local transactions cost 1.5% + NGN 100, with the NGN 100 waived under NGN 2,500 and fees hard-capped at NGN 2,000 per transaction; international cards cost 3.9% + NGN 100. Ghana charges a flat 1.95%, Kenya charges 1.5% on M-PESA and 2.9% on local cards, and South Africa charges 2.9% + 1 rand plus 15% VAT on fees.
- Which countries can use Paystack?
- Merchant signup is live for businesses registered in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa and Cote d'Ivoire, with Egypt and Rwanda in early access. Businesses based in the US, UK, Europe or Asia cannot open a Paystack account, though merchants in the live markets can accept international cards from customers worldwide.
- How fast does Paystack pay out?
- Settlement is automatic and free: next working day in Nigeria and Ghana, and two working days in Kenya and South Africa. Nigerian merchants can optionally settle international transactions in US dollars through a domiciliary account pilot, and Kenyan merchants can charge and settle international cards in either KES or USD.
- Who owns Paystack?
- Stripe acquired Paystack in October 2020 for a reported 200 million dollars and it continues to operate as a Stripe company under its own brand. It marked ten years in January 2026 and remains headquartered in Lagos with offices across Africa, the US and Dubai.