10 Best Alternative to Paypal & Similar Payment Methods
PayPal is the bridge that connects individuals, companies, and firms and lets them freely transact the money from one part of the world to another.
It’s been here for over a decade and has successfully developed itself as the world’s favorite money transferring channel trusted and used by tiny grocery stores and fortune tech giants alike.
PayPal enables its users to send and receive money without them having to worry about currency conversion.
But PayPal too has its own drawbacks, Varying transaction fees in different countries, Hidden charges, and occasional account freezing are some reasons why using a PayPal alternative may better suit your personal & business requirements.
Now, where do you find good PayPal alternatives and how do you decide which one is just right for you?
That’s where I come into the picture. Reading this article thoroughly will let you see each alternative to Paypal from a vantage point and will help you make the correct decision.
If that sounds good, let’s quickly hop in and see what amazing PayPal alternatives do we have in store for you:
Quick Comparison: Best Alternative to Paypal & Similar companies
Alternative | Pricing | Navigation Efficiency | Remark |
Stripe | 2.9% + $0.30 | 4.5 | Better service at the same rate |
TransWire | Less than 1% | 4 | Cheapest international transaction |
Payoneer | 2% + $3 | 4.5 | High utility |
Square | 2.75% + 15% surcharge | 4 | Business solution for SMEs |
Google Pay | Free/2.9% on credit cards | 3.5 | Accessible but varying features |
Skrill | 1.45% + $0.50 | 4 | Quickest money transfer |
2Checkout | 2.9% + $0.30 | 3.5 | Best for global sellers |
Instamojo | 2.9% + Rs 3 | 4 | India’s own PayPal alternative |
QuickBooks | 2.9% + $0.25 | 4.5 | Excellent accountancy |
ShopifyPayments | 2.9% + $0.30 | 5 | Easy for Shopify users |
Key Observations
#1. Paypal Alternatives with lowest transaction-fee
#2. Best Paypal Alternatives for online business
#3. Best Paypal Alternatives with speedy transaction
1. Stripe
If you wish to build your online business on the fastest growing Payment integration of the world that is also flexible enough to merge perfectly with your business module, you might want to check out Stripe. Stripe is well trusted by numerous big brands including Shopify, Amazon, and zoom. With Stripe’s 99.99% track record in reliability, you can freely scale or modify your systems and see Stripe adapt to the changes in real-time. Stripe also brings undeniable perks like Fraud resistance, Invoicing, business record management, and financing that free an online business from a boatload of duties.
- Advantages:
- Best Payment API
- Intuitive AI based UI
- New features with every update
- Reliable on every standard
- Disadvantages:
- Not available in many countries
- transaction rates similar to PayPal
- Best for whom:
Online businesses looking for intelligent and safe API integration for transactions are the ideal customers for Stripe’s services.
- Charges: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
Learn more: https://stripe.com/in
2. TransWire
If you make a lot of payments across the borders, PayPal can quickly empty your pocket as it implies a rather heavy transaction and conversion fee on each transaction you make.
TransWire was born out of necessity to make international transactions cheaper and it does what it claims. TransWire has the reputation of being one of the most transparent and affordable PayPal alternatives with no hidden charges and no inflation.
With a TransWire account, you are eligible to get a debit card, transfer money to 40+ currencies, batch payments, receive payments from clients, and many more.
And if you ever face an issue (which is rare), their customer support cell will be at your service 24×7 to sort your queries.
- Advantages:
- Affordable money transfer
- Instant support
- No hidden charges
- Disadvantages:
- No record keeping and planning tools
- Active in only 55 countries
- Best for whom:
TransWire is an ideal channel for individuals and firms making frequent small transactions internationally. It may not be the best option for transactions of large sums.
- Charges: less than 1% of what you send
Learn more: https://transferwise.com/in
3. Payoneer
Are you a freelancer or an online seller trying to enter the global market to expand your reach?
If so, Payoneer will be your perfect companion to collect and manage payments with its simple and easy-to-follow transaction module and accommodations like an International bank account, Free VAT payment, and direct FIRCs.
Payoneer removes the lengthy formalities and lets you set up a free account in less than 10 minutes that provides you an international debit card to make quick international payments on the go. Once you’re a Payoneer customer, you can shuffle between 150+ currencies and pay or collect payments from over 200 countries.
- Advantages:
- Quick account set up
- Pay VAT without any extra fees
- Free transaction between two Payoneer users
- Disadvantages:
- Annual fee on inactive accounts
- Expensive services
- Best for whom:
Individuals, freelancers, and SMEs intending to send and collect payments from multiple countries would benefit the most from Payoneer.
- Charges: 2% of what you pay + $3 fixed
Learn more: https://www.payoneer.com/in/
4. Square
A simple payment option can determine whether you’ll make the sale or not. Customers don’t like to struggle to make payments if there are stores with better and more flexible payment modules.
If you run an online E-commerce, and PayPal is not coming up to your standard, Square will be an excellent alternative to Paypal.
Sync square your main website and your social media handles to sell where your audience hangs out.
This intelligent PayPal alternative keeps the confusion out of scope. Automatic billing, Invoice tracking, and Payments management leave no room for you to lose track of even slightly of your financial records.
- Advantages:
- Get paid from almost anywhere
- Track your inventory
- Flexible methods
- Disadvantages:
- Very expensive
- Hidden charges
- Best for whom: It’s designed for customer’s comfort and hence accepts all payment methods including Debit/Credit cards, E-cheques, and cash. Large scale E-commerce websites should consider integrating Square in their modals.
- Charges: 2.75% + 15% fixed surcharge
Learn more: https://squareup.com/us/en
5. Google Pay
Google is that one brand everyone on this planet can blindly trust, after all, it’s what monopolizes silicon valley. As a PayPal alternative, Google Pay has got some insanely amazing features like easy integration, multiple transfer channels, superb customer support, and almost free service.
Businesses prefer choosing Google Pay as a primary method on their websites to make payments because the customers get both the efficiency and trust of Google. That’s how they know their money is safe.
Google pay accepts Bank transfers, UPIs, and Debit cards payment and does not charge you at all for making payments as long as you’re not using a credit card.
- Advantages:
- One of the safest
- Negligible changes
- Quick integration
- Disadvantages:
- Limited transactions
- Can only send money to merchants in many countries
- Best for whom:
Google Pay is a great PayPal alternative for those who shop or sell online. It may not be the right choice for individual international transactions due to limited features in most countries.
- Charges:
- 2.9% for credit cards
- Free bank to bank transfer
Learn more: https://pay.google.com/intl/en_in/about/
6. Skrill
If you’re an online gamer or crypto marketer, you have to transfer your money from place to place in a blink of an eye otherwise you’ll be left behind in the online arena.
Skrill is for people who want to dominate the money game by being the quickest. It offers a platform to send, receive, and store the money you make online from different channels. It barely takes any time to set up a free account and receive a mastercard that can be used almost anywhere in the world.
And in case you make frequent transactions, Scrill would love to reward you with some cash. Collect loyalty points on each transaction and use them to buy anything online. It’s that easy.
- Advantages:
- Instant money transfer
- Low currency conversion rate
- 20+ years of trust
- Disadvantages:
- Mastercard available for European countries only
- No 24×7 customer support
- Best for whom:
Individuals and businesses involved in trading and online gambling should definitely have a Skrill account.
- Charges: 1.45% of what you pay + $0.50
Learn more: https://www.skrill.com/en/
7. 2Checkout:
Going global has never been this easy. With this PayPal alternative, You can sell goods, services, and subscriptions to both national and international customers while 2Checkout will collect and manage payments for you.
If you’re wondering, Why should I trust you on that?
Glad you asked, 2Checkout has been an active Payment channel for over 15 years and has had almost no bad reviews.
It’s built for large-scale online sellers and E-commerce stores, along with accepting payments, it will help you manage your finances and analyze the possibility of risk.
Wait, there’s more, once set up, you don’t have to give manual input, it automatically bills your regular and occasional clients as per its database.
- Advantages:
- Sales partnering
- Available everywhere
- 80+ currencies
- Disadvantages:
- As expensive as PayPal
- Not for common use
- Best for whom:
Although it’s a little expensive, the service delivery and custom accommodation is worth the money. It’s a must-have API for sellers selling services & subscriptions all around the globe.
- Charge: 2.9% + $0.30
Learn more: https://www.2checkout.com/
8. Instamojo
Instamojo works much like PayPal, the only catch is that Instamojo is specially built for Indian users. It’s been one of my favorite digital tools for a while now. it’s a payment gateway that collects payments for you and lets you pay other Instamojo users using their Email IDs (see another similarity).
Instamojo is loaded with free and paid tools that are able to get you started with your online store in minutes even if you don’t have any prior experience. Mojo aims to become a one-stop control panel for the businesses it serves and has pretty much achieved this feat with real-time analytics, order management, and shipping tracker.
- Advantages:
- Setup your store from scratch
- Send money via mail or username
- Automate payment collection
- Disadvantages:
- Only available in India
- No seller verification
- Best for whom:
Instamojo is a decent digital business solution and payment gateway for Indian businesses that can help Indian Influencers, marketers, and entrepreneurs sell products, and generate revenue.
- Charges: 2% + Rs 3
Learn more: https://www.instamojo.com/
9. QuickBooks
If all you’re looking for is a Payment API, any of the above-mentioned PayPal alternatives would suffice, but if you’re a business that needs financial services and accountancy along with a payment gateway, QuickBooks was made to keep you in mind.
It creates automated invoices for your clients and customers, lets you manage to bill, accept payments via cards, and bank transfers, and sets reminders to make sure that you don’t miss out on any of your payments.
You don’t have to enter your account details every time you pay someone, just link your account once and it remembers your credentials making your experience smoother and faster.
- Advantages:
- Free accounting and payroll sheets
- Simple integration
- Invoicing and payment reminders
- Disadvantages:
- System instability
- Limited transactions per month
- Best for whom:
Small sellers and freelancers who need an API to take care of the payment and accountancy of their websites are ideal QuickBooks customers
- Charges: 2.9% + $0.25
Learn more: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/in/
10. Shopify Payments
Did you know that Shopify has its own API for its users who run eCommerce stores on Shopify? This PayPal alternative targets businesses that are active on Shopify that want a streamlined and bug-free integration to send, collect and organize payments.
You can also integrate Shopify Payments on other platforms where you sell including Facebook & Pinterest. It takes a monthly subscription to get started with Shopify Payments that packs everything Shopify has to offer in one bundle.
- Advantages:
- Smooth integration with Shopify
- Direct support
- POS availability
- Disadvantages:
- For sellers only
- Highly saturated
- Best for whom:
Shopify Payments is a standard choice for sellers engaged in eCommerce stores running on Shopify or on any other major platform for a hassle-free experience
- Charges: 2.9% + $0.30
Learn more: https://www.shopify.com/payments
Alright!
So these were our top 10 picks for Best PayPal alternatives. Hope it made things clear to you and helped you choose which one of these is the right payment solution for you and your business.
My personal favorites are the following;
- Payoneer
- Stripe
- Instamojo
However, bear in mind that there may be a good difference between our needs and budget. Choose what fits your business the best.
If you own a small online business in India, I would highly suggest Instamojo, but if you reside in the UK or US, it’s far better to choose 2Checkout.
For quick transactions, there’s nothing better than Skrill and Stripe.
And if you’re a little tight on budget, you can always cling to TransWire’s negligible charges to make or receive payments.
I’ll leave the rest to you and your concise, it was great having you here.
Thank you!