Best Online Credit Card Payment Processing Services of 2021

The best online payment processing services for your e-commerce business or online store come with competitive rates for online sales, useful integrations with accounting and e-commerce platforms, and solid customer support. Here are our top picks.

Price: Free with pay-as-you-go pricing.
Processing fees: Flat 2.9% plus 30 cents per transaction.
Supported payments: Online, in-person and recurring billing.
Integrations: Accounting software like QuickBooks Online, e-commerce platforms like WooCommerce, inventory apps like Shopventory and more.

• Stripe offers a pay-as-you-go plan with no monthly fees.

• Transaction fees are flat-rate and transparent.

• Custom rates are available for businesses processing large volumes.

• It integrates with other platforms, such as QuickBooks Online and WooCommerce.

• It works with three models of credit card readers to support in-person transactions, if needed.

• It comes with 24/7 customer support, with email responses within 24 hours, chat options and phone call requests to talk live with a person.

• Technical expertise is required to take full advantage of the platform’s features.

Why we like it: Stripe offers a customizable checkout flow, flat-rate processing fees, integrations with other platforms and good customer support. The pay-as-you-go model means you only pay transaction fees. You can also use the system to accept in-person payments.

Price: Free with pay-as-you-go pricing.
Processing fees: 2.9% plus 30 cents per online transaction.
Supported payments: Online, in-person and recurring billing.
Integrations: Accounting software, including QuickBooks Online, e-commerce platforms such as WooCommerce and marketing platforms such as Mailchimp and Linktree.

• Square offers a pay-as-you-go plan with no monthly fees.

• Transaction fees are flat-rate and transparent.

• Customized rate packages are available for businesses processing more than $250,000 a year.

• It integrates with platforms such as QuickBooks Online, WooCommerce and Mailchimp.

• The company offers several credit card readers to support in-person transactions if needed.

• You get customer support Monday through Friday for free plans and 24/7 for premium accounts.

• Building your online store via Square requires a paid monthly plan.

Why we like it: Square charges simple, flat-rate processing fees and integrates with several platforms, allowing you to make online sales through multiple channels. For example, with a Mailchimp integration, you can use the email platform to create landing pages for selling items and accepting payments. Square can also connect with your shoppable Instagram posts, allowing you to sell through the social media platform.

Price: Free with pay-as-you-go pricing.
Processing fees: 3.5% plus 10 cents per card-not-present transaction.
Supported payments: Online, in-person and recurring billing.
Integrations: Payroll services, including Gusto and Paychex; operations management, such as Shopventory; and e-commerce with Ecwid and BigCommerce.

• Clover offers pay-as-you-go pricing.

• Transaction fees are transparent and flat rates so you know ahead of time what you’ll pay.

• It offers a variety of app integrations to connect your account with other systems.

• It has several credit card readers for in-person transactions in case you ever need to switch payment methods.

• You can get one-on-one phone support 24 hours a day.

• There is no custom rate available for high-volume-processing merchants.

• Some advanced POS features are available only with more expensive plans.

Why we like it: Clover integrates with e-commerce apps Ecwid and BigCommerce. It also syncs employee information across platforms like Gusto and Paychex. Some apps automatically update when you change information in Clover, so you have to change information only once.

Price: $54.95 per month.
Processing fees: 2.49% and up per transaction.
Supported payments: Online and in-person.
Integrations: Accounting software with QuickBooks Online and marketing integrations with Mailchimp and Constant Contact.

• PaySimple has features designed for subscription-based revenue management to allow you to see in advance how much money to expect each pay cycle.

• Integrations are available for key services that will benefit a subscription-based business.

• Credit card readers are available for in-person transactions.

• Customer support is available Monday through Friday to all users by email and phone.

• It requires a subscription to a monthly plan on top of transaction fees.

Why we like it: PaySimple has designed features to make payment processing easier for subscription services, with a user-friendly interface and helpful integrations. While it does charge a monthly fee, businesses that primarily collect recurring payments are likely to find the extra cost worth it since the platform makes it easy to automate these charges and view expected revenue from future payments.