Payment Gateway Comparison | PayPal | Stripe | Worldpay | Authorize.net

As mentioned in our previous blog post choosing a payment gateway can be a daunting task and we recommended some important questions to consider before making your decision.

Within this article we go on to compare some of the popular payment gateways that are available for ecommerce websites.

PayPal

PayPal is well known and trusted by a large amount of Internet users. Many of your customers are likely to already have a PayPal account and will instantly recognise this payment option when at the checkout.

The payment process is quick and easy for those that already have a PayPal account, as they can make a purchase without having to enter any card details. However, often those that do not have an account presume that they need one in order to carry out a transaction (even though this is not the case) so this can result in abandoned baskets. To satisfy both customer types you could opt to integrate multiple payment gateways and include PayPal as one of them.

PayPal offers an offsite payment option (PayPal Standard), where your customers will be redirected to PayPal from your checkout page, or an onsite option (PayPal Pro), where the customer will enter their payment details directly into your website.

With PayPal Standard, PayPal handles the transaction on your behalf and this greatly eases the burden of PCI DSS compliance. With PayPal Pro it means that you handle card data directly on your website and therefore more complex security measures have to be put in place and the costs are generally higher.

As well as accepting payments through your website PayPal also offers card readers and the ability to request payments via email.

What is PCI DSS?

PCI DSS is the worldwide Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard that was set up to help businesses process card payments securely. In simple terms, this means that you have to adhere to a list of standards that protect your customers from fraud.

Useful links:

Fees: https://www.paypal.com/uk/webapps/mpp/paypal-fees

PayPal Standard and Pro comparison: https://www.paypal.com/uk/webapps/mpp/compare-business-products

PCI DSS information: https://www.paypal.com/uk/webapps/mpp/pci

Help becoming PCI DSS compliant: https://pci2.trustwave.com/action.php

Stripe

Stripe is growing in popularity. It offers competitive pricing with no monthly fees and has an easy setup process.

Stripe only offers an onsite payment option. However, one of the great things about Stripe is that it takes care of PCI DSS compliancy for you and only requires that you have an SSL certificate installed on your website.

What is an SSL certificate?

An SSL certificate creates an encrypted connection, which in turn will make your website more secure. They help to protect the transfer of sensitive information such as credit card numbers, passwords and usernames. This is something your hosting provider or website developer should be able to help with.

Useful links:

Fees: https://stripe.com/gb/pricing

PCI DSS information: https://stripe.com/docs/security/stripe

Worldpay

Worldpay is a well-established company offering a range of plans for businesses from pay as you go to fixed monthly rates. There is also the option to take payments over the phone or via email. You may also be looking to get a card machine or till system. If you are interested in any of their products it is best to call them directly so that they can offer you the most suitable package.

There are also different options available when it comes to processing transactions through your website with Worldpay. Customers can be redirected to Worldpay’s website or you can opt for an integrated solution. Please note that depending on your chosen ecommerce software you may also be limited to which option is available to you.

Useful links:

Information: https://www.worldpay.com/uk/sme/online/online-payment-gateway

Onsite Payments Information and Fees: https://www.worldpay.com/uk/sme/online/online-payment-gateway/hosted-payment-page

Offsite Payments Information and Fees: https://www.worldpay.com/uk/sme/online/online-payment-gateway/integrated-pay-page

PCI DSS information: https://www.worldpay.com/uk/sme/saferpayments

Authorize.net

Auhtorize.net is a powerful and well-known payment gateway, which allows businesses to accept payments across multiple platforms.

As with many of the other payment gateways there are different options available when it comes to processing transactions through your website. Please note that depending on your chosen ecommerce software you may also be limited to which option is available to you.

In regards to price there is a fee per transaction as well as a monthly cost.

Useful links:

Information: https://www.authorize.net/en-gb/payments/ecommerce/

PCI DSS information: http://www.authorize.net/resources/blog/understanding-pci-compliance/

Sage Pay

One of the main advantages of SagePay is that they also offer more than online payments; you can take orders over the phone and through Electronic Point of Sale (EPOS).

With an ecommerce website you have a few options available: you can opt for the customer to be redirected to SagePay to complete payment, this will simplify your PCI compliancy or you can choose for customers to stay on your website for the entire transaction but more security measures will need to be implemented. Please note that depending on your chosen ecommerce software you may also be limited to which option is available to you.