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What card processing actually costs you.

Everyone quotes 2.9% plus 30 cents, but your real cost depends on your volume and how big your average sale is. Put in your numbers and this works out the true effective rate and monthly fee for every major processor, then shows exactly where flat-rate pricing loses to subscription and interchange-plus deals.

Rates reviewed 11 July 2026. Standard online (card-not-present) consumer-card pricing in USD; your real rate varies with card mix and negotiation.

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That is about 167 sales a month. Change either number and every row updates.

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Processor Type Advertised Monthly fee Effective rate Total fees/mo Best for
How this works. For your volume and average ticket we work out how many sales you make, then add up every fee: the percentage on total volume, the fixed fee on each sale, and any monthly fee. Divide that by your volume and you get the effective rate, one honest number you can rank on. Two lessons fall out of it. A high fixed fee (PayPal's 49 cents, Braintree's 49 cents) punishes small average tickets hardest. And subscription or interchange-plus plans (Stax, Payment Depot, Helcim) carry a monthly cost that only pays off once your volume is high enough to spread it thin, which is exactly the crossover this tool shows. One angle this table leaves out on purpose: if you bill recurring subscriptions, bank debit (ACH or Direct Debit, via the likes of GoCardless) runs about 1 percent and undercuts every card processor here, though it only suits pull-based recurring payments, not one-off checkout. Figures are indicative standard online rates, always confirm and negotiate your own.

Common questions

What is the cheapest payment processor?

It depends on your volume and ticket size. Flat-rate players (Stripe, Square, Shopify Payments) win at low to medium volume; past roughly $40k to $50k a month, subscription and interchange-plus (Stax, Payment Depot, Helcim) usually take over. Enter your numbers to see your own answer.

How is the effective rate calculated?

Total monthly fees divided by total monthly volume, as a percentage. It combines the percentage, the fixed per-transaction fee and any monthly fee into one number. A high fixed fee hurts most on small tickets, since you pay it on every sale.

Is Stripe or PayPal cheaper?

Stripe is usually cheaper because its fixed fee is 30 cents against PayPal's 49 cents. PayPal can still earn its keep through higher checkout conversion. On small tickets the fixed-fee gap really matters, so run your real figures.

What is a merchant of record?

Providers like Paddle and Lemon Squeezy legally resell your product and remit sales tax and VAT worldwide for you. They cost more, around 5 percent, but for global digital goods that can beat handling tax compliance yourself.