International payment gateways make it easy to accept cross-border payments in different currencies and pay you in yours. The best international payment gateways based on my evaluation are:
- Best overall: Stripe
- Best processing rates and local payments: Adyen
- Best add-on payment gateway for websites: PayPal
- Best for recurring payments: Braintree
- Best for fee optimization: Helcim
Ideally, these gateways should be able to process payments from credit cards and ACH transfers (especially for mid- to enterprise businesses) and come with APIs or integrations for enhanced operational efficiencies. They should be secure and equipped with additional anti-fraud measures to reduce chargebacks.
Top international payment gateway comparison
For international transactions, it’s essential to compare the number of currencies supported and whether a provider has a cross-border fee. My table compares my top picks based on these factors along with their ratings, monthly fee if any, and currency conversion.
| Our rating (out of 5) | Monthly fee (starts at) | Cross-border fee | Currency conversion fee | Number of currencies supported | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stripe | 4.79 | $0 | 1% | 1% | 135+ |
| Adyen | 4.58 | $0 | None* | 1.2%–3% | 37*** |
| PayPal | 4.45 | $0–$30 | 1.5% | 4% | 25 |
| Braintree | 4.39 | $0 | 1% | None | 134 |
| Helcim | 4.23 | $0 | None** | Based on card issuer | 2 |
| *Included in the processing fee. **Card issuer fees. ***Dynamic currency conversion, supported countries for local payouts and cross-border payouts also differ greatly. |
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Stripe: Best overall
Our rating: 4.79 out of 5
Stripe earned the top spot in my evaluation of the best international payment gateways because of the sheer number of countries (47) and currencies (135+) it supports, coupled with industry-leading security and anti-fraud measures in the payment processing industry.
Stripe has zero monthly fees, flat-rate pricing, and the best API and SDK tools among the featured providers in this list. You can integrate Stripe into just about any program that takes payments with the appropriate technical know-how. You can also choose between local currency or multi currency-based pricing when accepting international payments.
Stripe is also ranked first by my fellow experts when it comes to leading payment gateways and top international merchant services.
Why I chose Stripe
While Stripe only offers interchange pricing to high-volume sellers or enterprises, its flat-rate processing fees are average and can even come out cheaper than Adyen, known for its interchange pricing, when accepting non-Visa and non-Mastercard brands. I also like its global features, specifically for international merchants — the ability to present in local currency and the security ID recognition feature that can validate ID cards from more than 33 countries.
Its biggest strength, fully-customizable integrations and powerful APIs, can also be its weakest link, as you would likely need a developer to fully customize your business payment solution. But, when it comes to accepting payments, Stripe can be as fluid and provide everything you need — and that’s a win in my book.
Pricing
- Monthly fee: $0.
- Payment gateway fee: $0.
- Payment processing fees:
- International payments: + 1.5% fee, 1% spread for currency conversion.
- Ecommerce: 2.9% + 30 cents.
- Touchless: 2.9% + 30 cents.
- Card-present: 2.7% + 5 cents.
- Keyed-in: 3.4% plus 30 cents.
- Payment service fees:
- Virtual terminal: 2.9% + 30 cents.
- Invoicing: + 0.4%–0.5%, 25 invoices free per month.
- Recurring billing: + 0.5%–0.8%.
- ACH: 0.8%, $5 cap.
- Chargeback fee: $15 (non-refundable)
- Failed transaction fees: $4–$15.
- Deposit speed: 2 business days, instant payout for 1% (minimum 50 cents).
Features
- Support for more than 135 currencies, over 45 merchant countries, and 34+ languages.
- Real-time native currency display and transaction (present in local currency).
- Stripe Radar includes an ID recognition feature that can validate IDs from more than 33 countries.
- Customizable checkout process, billing, and subscription features.
- Accepts cryptocurrency payments.
- Integrations with more than 600 partners and excellent SDK and API functions for creating your own integrations.
- Customizable risk management and fraud detection tools.
- Low-cost ACH processing.
- 24/7 chat and phone support, email, resource library.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Highly customizable and versatile due to available integrations and well-documented APIs. | Coding skills required for customization. |
| Low-cost ACH processing. | Limited in-person sales and virtual terminal features. |
| Offers options for both multi currency and US dollar-based processing. | No native Level 2 and 3 card processing. |
| Free merchant account and instant account approval. | Non-refundable chargeback fees. |
Related: Best international merchant accounts
Adyen: Best processing rates and local payments
Our rating: 4.58 out of 5
When it comes to accepting international payments, Adyen is the cheapest option, especially for high-volume and B2B businesses. It has better ACH processing fees than Stripe (40 cents markup per transaction vs 0.8% with a $5 cap) and is one of two on my list that offers interchange pricing — which overall helps you save in the long run even with its $120 monthly sales minimum.
Adyen is also a dedicated merchant services provider and a direct processor with numerous partnerships with local banks, letting you save on cross-border fees because of local payouts and like-for-like settlements. Application is required and can take a while, compared to Stripe’s instant approval process, but you are less likely to experience frozen funds.
Why I chose Adyen
Adyen comes as a close second to Stripe, beating it in other areas such as affordability and security. As I’ve already mentioned earlier, Adyen just comes out as a cheaper option than Stripe, particularly for high-volume transactions, especially when it comes to international payments. Adyen ultimately lost points to Stripe because of its more global reach.
That being said, I really like Adyen’s dynamic currency conversion feature, as it gives customers the option to choose what currency to buy in. And as long as your currency is supported by Adyen, you can get like-for-like settlements — meaning no currency conversion and cross-border fees. And due to its local acquiring license in many countries as a direct processor, you are less at risk of being declined a payment request — which can be costly (like Stripe’s $4–$15 fees for failed transactions).
Security is also one thing Adyen is excellent at. You get a risk management dashboard as a client to monitor fraud and optimize risk procedures — you can set risk rules and block lists to stop synthetic subscribers and testing attacks, for example.
Pricing
- Monthly fee: $0.
- Payment gateway fee:
- Monthly minimum: $120.
- Processing fees:
- In-person: Interchange + 13 cents for Visa and MC, 3.3% + 23 cents for AmEx, 3%–3.95% + 13 cents for other card brands.
- Online: Interchange + 13 cents for Visa and MC, 3.3% + 23 cents for AmEx, 3%–3.95% + 13 cents for other card brands.
- Payment services fee:
- Invoicing: $0.
- ACH: 13 cents plus 27 cents markup per transaction.
- Chargeback fee: $5-$100, non-refundable.
- Deposit speed: Per programmed schedule or immediate (manually).
Features
- Support for 37 currencies and nearly 100 countries.
- Dynamic currency conversion (DCC) — customers have a choice to accept DCC or decline and pay in local currency.
- Like-for-like settlements (no currency conversion and cross-border fees) if the currency is also supported as a settlement currency by the payment method.
- Local and cross-border payouts.
- Dedicated merchant account.
- Advanced fraud detection and prevention tools.
- Unified commerce — multiplatform and omnichannel payment integration.
- Offline payments (manual setup).
- Risk management tool you can customize depending on your business’ acceptable risk levels.
- Business hours phone support, in person training, support via ticket, dedicated account managers.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Dynamic currency conversion. | Monthly minimum sales requirement ($120). |
| Interchange-plus pricing. | Application process required. |
| Robust omnichannel features. | Limited invoicing features. |
PayPal: Best add-on payment gateway for websites
Our rating: 4.45 out of 5
PayPal is a global household name, being one of the most trusted and popular payment gateways in the industry. And because of this trust, studies have shown an increase in conversions whenever consumers see a PayPal button on a checkout page. It is not uncommon to see the PayPal button as an alternative button for payments on a checkout page — making it a great fit as an add-on gateway for websites, particularly those that have their own processors already.
And what’s even better is that PayPal has made it easy to add its checkout feature just about anywhere online — with one-click integrations with most ecommerce platforms, Buy Now buttons for social media and website pages, and “easy” checkout options for most marketplaces.
Why I chose PayPal
Even though PayPal is known for its complex fees and high currency conversion rates (4%), it scored high in my evaluation when it comes to security, payment, and most importantly, global features. PayPal is a highly-trusted provider because they simply made it convenient for consumers to pay because anyone with a debit or credit card can open a PayPal account and send and receive funds from there—even Venmo and cryptocurrency.
PayPal fees are not as competitive as Adyen or Helcim, but makes for an easy payment option for anyone anywhere in the world. I recommend having a main payment provider and including PayPal as a trusty backup or second choice for customers.
Pricing
PayPal’s pricing is complex, with different rates based on the payment method and country of transaction. I recommend referring to the PayPal pricing page for complete details. Here is a general overview of its pricing:
- Monthly fee: $0–$30.
- Payment gateway fee: $0–$25 if adding on a website.
- Processing fees:
- In-person: starts at 2.29% + 9 cents.
- Online: starts at 2.59% + 49 cents.
- International: 1.5%.
- Currency conversion: 4%.
- Echeck: 3.49% capped at $300.
- Chargeback fee: $20 for transactions not processed through a buyer’s PayPal account or through guest checkout.
- Dispute fees: $15 standard transaction; $30 for high-volume transactions.
- Instant withdrawal: 1.50% of payout volume.
- Deposit speed: Same-day deposits to own PayPal account, two to three days to a regular bank account.
Features
- Support for 25 currencies and 45 countries.
- Easy integration with any checkout page.
- Accepts Venmo and cryptocurrency payments.
- Built-in Buy Now, Pay Later feature (PayPal Credit).
- Ecommerce integrations with over 30 online stores, nearly 18 marketplaces, more than 15 website design systems, and many others not mentioned on PayPal website.
- Same-day deposits to own PayPal account, two to three days to a bank account.
- Native POS system (Zettle POS).
- Customer support – extended phone support, active seller community, help center, text messaging, and social media customer support.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Widely-known and trusted platform by consumers. | High currency conversion rate (4%). |
| Easy integrations for other sales channels, including social. | Does not support ACH payments. |
| Seamless online checkout integration. | Notorious for holding and unpredictable freezing of seller funds and account closures with little recourse. |
Braintree: Best for recurring payments
Our rating: 4.39 out of 5
Braintree, a PayPal-owned payment gateway, is optimized for online sales. They specifically introduce themselves as a full-stack payments platform for one’s app or website. Similar to Stripe, it comes with developer tools to customize your checkout pages.
Its international payment fees are in the typical range, but unlike PayPal, Braintree does not charge any currency conversion fees. Its ecommerce (online) transaction fees are lower than Stripe. Its recurring billing feature is why I recommended it as one of the best B2B payment gateways, and this online payment feature also comes out cheaper than Stripe’s.
Why I chose Braintree
I like that Braintree comes with a dedicated merchant account (unlike Stripe and PayPal, which provide aggregated accounts). Dedicated accounts offer more security and stability for your funds. Braintree also has partnerships with local banks in other countries, like Adyen, so you can settle a transaction in multiple currencies. Braintree merchant accounts are set up as single currency by default, but you can request for a multi currency set up.
However, unlike Ayden that lets you get like-for-like payments, all international payments are automatically converted into US dollars and deposited into your bank account with an additional 1% fee per transaction.
Braintree depends on PayPal for in-person transactions. This means you also get to accept Venmo and cryptocurrency payments because of this full PayPal integration.
Pricing
- Monthly fee: 0%.
- Payment gateway fee: $0.
- Payment processing fees:
- International payments: + 1%.
- Ecommerce (online credit card and digital payments processing): 2.59% + 49 cents.
- In-person: Through PayPal and based on PayPal rates.
- Venmo: 3.49% + 49 cents.
- ACH processing: 0.75% per transaction capped at $5 per transaction.
- Payment service fees:
- Virtual terminal: 2.59% + 49 cents.
- Recurring billing: 2.59% + 49 cents.
- Chargeback fee: $15; non-refundable.
- Deposit speed: 2–3 business days (no instant payouts).
Custom flat rates and interchange-plus pricing are available for established businesses based on business model and processing volume. Discounted ACH debit rates available for enterprise businesses.
Transaction fees are not refunded for refunded transactions.
Features
- Support for 134 currencies and 45 countries.
- Provides a dedicated merchant account and full PayPal integration.
- Chargeback protection.
- Accepts Venmo payments.
- Customer support – 24/7 emergency support, extended hours (email, phone, and chat), support library, developer documentation.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Comes with a dedicated merchant account. | No instant payouts. |
| Optimized for online payments. | Dependent on PayPal for some features, such as in-person sales. |
| Sandbox account provision — try its tools for free. | Invoicing needs third-party integration. |
Helcim: Best for fee optimization
Our rating: 4.23 out of 5Â
Helcim comes in last due to its extremely limited supported currencies (US and Canadian dollars) as of this writing. However, Helcim still deserves a spot on this list, especially if you are a business handling large volumes of transitions between the mentioned currencies. Helcim provides automated volume discounts, interchange plus pricing, and ultimately lets you use its payment services for free — invoicing, virtual terminal, recurring billing, and Level 2 and 3 card processing for B2Bs.
Aside from savings, Helcim optimizes all the fees involved in accepting payments. This means everything is automatic — as you move along tiered levels based on transactions, discounts are given. Helcim is also the only one in this list that offers zero-cost processing through compliant surcharging.
Why I chose Helcim
I like Helcim because it is automated and cost-effective. Like Adyen, you can really keep your transaction costs low. But unlike Adyen, Helcim offers more discounts as you process more transactions. What’s even better is that everything is automated. I think Helcim can also be synonymous with savings because it is the only provider in this list that also lets you use all payment services without any additional transaction fee or subscription.
Pricing
With Helcim, you automatically get discounts the more transactions you process each month, letting you save especially with high-volume transactions.
According to Helcim, the average processing fee for card-present transactions is 1.93% + 8 cents, while the average processing fee for card-not-present transactions is 2.49% + 25 cents.
- Monthly fee: $0.
- Payment gateway fee: $0.
- Payment processing fees:
- Interchange plus 0.15-0.4% and 6-8 cents per card-present transactions.
- Interchange plus 0.15%-0.50% and 15-25 cents per card-not-present transactions.
- Plus 1% international sales (Helcim specified that this fee is bank-imposed and not a markup on its end).
- Payment service fees:
- Invoicing: Interchange plus 0.15%–0.5% + 15–25 cents.
- Recurring Billing: Interchange plus 0.15%–0.5% + 15–25 cents.
- Chargeback fee: $15, refundable.
- Deposit speed: 2 business days.
Features
- Support for USD and CAD currencies only.
- Free payment gateway, virtual terminal, invoicing, subscription management, ecommerce, and mobile app.
- Free traditional merchant account.
- Customer support: Phone and email support (Monday to Friday: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mountain time, Saturdays: 9 a.m to 5 p.m. MT), knowledgebase.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Automated volume discount. | Only available for those in the US and Canada; support only USD and CAD currencies. |
| Built-in compliant surcharging and Level 2 and 3 data optimization. | Slow deposit speed; no instant payouts. |
| Excellent 24/7 service. | Strict approval process. |
How do I choose the best international payment gateway for my business?
Global expansion can be daunting, and it is critical to efficiently and securely accept and manage transactions across borders in a way that also ensures cost-saving efficiencies are in place. Here are my recommendations on choosing the best payment gateway for international transactions.
- Determine what your business needs from a payment gateway as requirements vary. For example, your business might need Level 2 and 3 card processing or a virtual terminal as you handle a lot of manual B2B payments. From here, you can narrow down your choices to providers that offer these features, ideally for free and built-in already.
- Review each provider’s transaction costs. Each gateway has set pricing structures and processing fees, and this is where you need to pay close attention, as this is where most of your losses or savings will come from. Look at setup fees, monthly fees, payment processing fees, any additional fees for payment services such as invoicing, chargeback, and more. Decide whether to go with a flat-rate, interchange, or tiered fee structure.
- Consider currency support. Of course, you need to go with a gateway that supports the currencies and countries you do business with or plan to work with in the future.
- Evaluate security and integrations. Security standards should be excellent, with robust encryption and anti-fraud security measures. Integrations also play a big role in your decision, as these increase or maintain business operational efficiency, reduce implementation costs, and create a more flexible payments infrastructure.
- Assess customer support, user experience, and refer to user reviews. Access to customer support is key and, ideally, 24/7 support is needed as you transact globally. Consider the user interface from the back end (as a user) and from the front end (as a customer). The payment process should feel secure and be intuitive and user-friendly. Reading reviews from real-world user reviews and experts like us at TechRepublic can help you gain perspective and better comparison on providers, too.
Methodology
Leveraging my experience helping retail businesses scale their operations globally, I looked at popular and equally highly-rated payment gateways that accept international payments. From my initial list, I graded them using an in-house rubric of 20 data points based on pricing, security and uptime performance, payment global features, API, and integrations, and real-world user reviews.
This article and methodology were reviewed by our retail expert, Meaghan Brophy, and payments expert, Anna Dizon.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
What is the safest international payment method?
Wire transfers and credit cards are the most commonly used payment methods for international payments for businesses. Ideally, local payment or cash advance collections are the safest, but they are not used as there are other secure methods that aren’t as limiting as the mentioned options.
How does a payment gateway work?
A payment gateway is the front-end (customer-facing) part of collecting payments during checkout. Payment gateway accepts the payment and encrypts the customer’s data before sending it to a payment processor for fund transfer invitations.
Which is the best international payment gateway?
The best international payment gateway is Stripe. Adyen comes a close second. Braintree, PayPal, and Helcim are great options, too.
Read the full article here
