Free tool
Payment Gateway Optimizer
Compare provider fees against your real volume and product mix.
Inputs
| Provider | Effective rate | Per transaction | Monthly fees | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Wise BusinessBest by cost | 0.78% | $0.94 | $391.70 | Best for invoicing / B2B, not card-present checkout. |
 SumUp | 1.94% | $2.33 | $970.00 | Strongest for in-person; weaker online feature set. |
| ADAdyen | 1.98% | $2.38 | $991.71 | |
| STStripe | 3.53% | $4.23 | $1,762.60 | |
| PAPayPal | 4.27% | $5.12 | $2,136.83 | Higher fees; useful for buyer trust. |
What you may be overpaying for
- · Your profile is straightforward — pick the lowest cost option that fits your channel.
Suggested next move
Switching from your highest-cost option (PayPal) to Wise Business could save approximately 1745 USD per month at this volume.
Cheapest is not always best. Consider settlement speed, fraud tools, dispute handling, and existing integrations.
What this tool does
The Payment Gateway Optimizer compares the major providers — Stripe, PayPal, Wise Business, SumUp, Adyen — against your actual volume, average order value, and international mix.
It returns the effective rate, per-transaction cost, and monthly fee for each, and flags where your profile makes a particular provider a poor fit.
Who it is for
Online stores deciding which gateway to integrate.
B2B businesses sending invoices and wondering whether they are overpaying on cards.
Service businesses with mixed online and in-person revenue.
How it works
- Enter your monthly card volume and average order value. The transactions count is derived automatically if you leave it blank.
- Set your international share, refund rate, and chargeback rate honestly — these are the inputs that move the result most.
- Pick your sales model and channel. The tool flags providers that are a poor structural fit even when their numbers look good.
- Read the comparison table and the observation list to see where the largest savings sit.
What your results mean
Effective rate is the total monthly cost expressed as a percentage of your card volume — the most useful single number for comparison.
The 'best by cost' label only ranks on monthly cost. It does not weigh integration effort, payout speed, or feature breadth.
If two providers are within roughly 0.1% effective rate of each other, factors other than fees should decide.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Comparing on headline rate alone — fixed fees per transaction matter much more at low average order values.
- Forgetting that international cards usually carry an extra 1–1.5% surcharge on top of the domestic rate.
- Switching providers before checking refund and chargeback handling, which can cost more than fee savings if disputes are common.
Frequently asked questions
- Are these the exact rates each provider will give me?
- No. They are public default rates as of the last update. Larger merchants and certain regions can negotiate lower percentages or different fixed fees. Always confirm in writing before switching.
- Why does the cheapest option not always show as 'best'?
- The 'best by cost' label is purely numeric. The observations and notes flag structural fit issues — for example, SumUp is built for in-person and is weaker for online-only businesses.
- Does this include payout fees?
- Not currency conversion fees on payout. Wise Business in particular has a meaningful advantage if you frequently convert payouts to a different currency — that benefit is not modeled here.
- How often should I re-run this comparison?
- Once a quarter, or any time your volume, AOV, or international mix changes by more than about 25%.
How to use this tool
Enter your real numbers where you have them, and use the defaults as a starting point everywhere else. The tighter your inputs, the more useful the result.
When professional advice helps
Use the result to frame the question, not to settle it. For binding decisions, confirm specifics with a qualified professional in your jurisdiction. See how this tool works for what it does and doesn't model.
Related guides
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How payment gateway fees actually work
Percentage rate, fixed fee, currency conversion, refunds, chargebacks — what each component means and where SMBs typically lose margin.
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Headline rates look similar. The trade-offs underneath them are not. A practical breakdown for small businesses.
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Payment fees are the SMB cost line that grows fastest with revenue and gets reviewed least often. Here is what to watch.
Glossary
Chargeback
A reversal of a card payment initiated by the cardholder's bank, usually after a dispute.