Payment Processors
My favorite payment processor is Stripe – we wrote about why we think everyone should use it. All funds are now deposited in 2-4 days, and it’s very easy to get started with and use, as merchant accounts can be a hassle. Customer service is great, and fees are easy to understand.
If you’re not interested in Stripe, I’d recommend Braintree or Authorize.Net. Braintree is similar to Stripe in terms of service and simplicity.
Authorize.Net is more involved to set up, but offers flexible and powerful options for payment processing that other services don’t have. It can also use an existing merchant account, which is handy if you have one for a brick-and-mortar store and want to keep funds flowing into the same account.
We have more information on payment processors here, as well as a comparison document. We also have some recommendations specific to WooCommerce here.
| Stripe | Braintree | Authorize.Net | |
| Pros | Easy to get account Includes merchant account and payment gateway Nice dashboard, easy to understand Funds deposited in 2-4 days Accept all major cards Easiest Apple Pay setup Great developer tools | Easy to get account Includes merchant account and gateway Funds deposited quickly Accept all major cards Accept PayPal easily Easy Apple Pay setup Great developer tools | Can offer merchant account + gateway or gateway only Accepts all major cards Can use Apple Pay (setup is more difficult) Most dependable gateway service Fees can be structured / negotiated for volume Good developer tools & huge ecosystem |
| Cons | Flat fee structures can be more expensive for some transactions No volume discounts for transactions | Flat fee structures can be more expensive for some transactions | Setup can be more intensive Apple Pay setup is currently difficult |