If you’re setting up a web shop, you need to integrate online payments.
An online payment system integrates your payment gateway and merchant account to provide an all-in-one solution, so you only need one app.
In some cases, online payment systems are also payment processors, meaning they will process and hold funds on your behalf.
In addition, different payment systems will support different online payment methods. This can mean comparing various payment options.
Today, many online payment gateways are all-in-one solutions or payment systems. This means that most online payment gateways are also payment solutions.
Here is a list of the top online payment system solutions in the UK:
| Payment Gateway | Monthly Fee | Merchant Account Fee | Payment Processor | Transaction Fee (UK) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Square | NA | NA | NA | 1.4% + 25p |
| Ecompay | Custom | Custom | NA | Custom |
| Braintree | NA | NA | NA | 1.9% + 20p |
| Shopify Payments | £1, £50, £259 | NA | Yes | 2% + 25p or less |
| Fis | Custom | Custom | NA | Custom |
| Payoneer | NA | NA | Yes | 3% |
| PayPal | NA | NA | Yes | 1.2% |
| Adyen | NA | NA | Yes | 1%+10p+ |
| Amazon Pay | NA | NA | Yes | 2.7% + 30p+ |
| Fondy | NA | NA | Yes | 1.3% + 20p |
| Authorize.net | £19 | NA | NA | 10p+/2.49% + 10p+ |
| Checkout.com | NA | NA | Yes | Custom |
| Clover | NA | NA | NA | Custom |
| Nochex | NA | NA | Yes | 2.9% + 20p |
| Opayo | £25+ | NA | NA | NA |
| Klarna | Custom | Custom | Yes | Custom |
| Verifone | Custom | Yes | Yes | 2.59% + 49p |
| Sumup | NA | NA | Yes | 2.5% |
| Stripe | NA | NA | Yes | 1.4% + 20p |
*Please note, pricing was accurate at the time of writing in December 2022. All brands are subject to changes in pricing and product availability at any time. Please use this research as a basis for your own.
1. Square
Square dominates online payment services for small businesses across the UK and Europe.
The solution combines a payment gateway with a merchant account for full-service online payments. In addition, you can choose to add on physical points-of-sale and card readers for a monthly fee.
Square is a strong option for small businesses because it offers merchandising, loyalty programs, split payments, invoicing and many other tools for online and offline sales. It’s also affordable, with no monthly fees, even for the merchant account.
- Accepts all major cards and payment apps
- Does not act as a payment processor
- Includes free Merchant account
- Transaction fees start at 1.4% + 25p
Website: https://squareup.com/
2. Ecommpay
Ecommpay is a relatively new financial startup, however, the brand is already one of the most popular in Europe. It also stands out from many online payment systems in the UK, because it accepts bank payments and transfers.
In addition, with over 5 ways to integrate the payment gateway into your web pages and apps, it offers versatility regardless of your technical skills.
In addition, Ecommpay offers a full merchant account service as part of its payment gateway platform. You also get full analytics, invoicing and other sales tools.
- Accepts 100+ payment options
- Includes free merchant account
- Enables two-way transactions and payouts
- Is not a payment processor
- All fees are custom
Website: https://ecommpay.com/
3. Braintree
Braintree used to be one of the largest payment systems in the UK. Today, it belongs to PayPal, which continues to operate it as a payment platform.
The app is also one of the most feature-rich out there, with solutions for everyone from small business owners to enterprises.
Braintree also offers a full suite of money management tools including payouts, analytics, fraud prevention, and much more. Plus with low rates and no monthly fee, it’s affordable even for small businesses.
- Accepts all major payment options
- Includes free merchant account
- Links with Hyperwallet for payouts
- No monthly fees
- Not a payment processor
- Transaction fees from 1.9% + 20-
Website: https://www.braintreepayments.com/
4. Shopify Payments
Shopify is one of the world’s largest eCommerce platforms. So, it makes sense that the store builder also offers a payment system for its online stores.
In addition, you can use Shopify as a payment processor or as a payment gateway. This means Shopify processes money for you, funds are stored by Shopify and then transferred to you.
While you have to use Shopify to access Shopify payments, thousands of retailers already do. If you do, Shopify’s integrated solution makes a lot of sense.
There is a monthly fee of £1 for the Basic account, £49 for the Shopify account and £259 for the advanced account. That fee covers the sale platform, merchant account and payment gateway.
- Accepts all major credit and debit cards plus Apple Pay and Google Pay
- Includes free merchant account
- Is a payment processor
- Transaction fees start at 2% + 25p for the basic account
- Offers card readers for offline sales
Website: https://www.adyen.com/
5. Fis
Fis, formerly Worldpay, is one of the world’s largest online payment systems.
Worldpay was one of the largest payment gateways. Now, it’s owned by FIS Global, a U.S.-based financial services company offering everything from banking software to shopping carts to online gateways.
Fis does not act as a payment processor. However, its Worldpay service allows you to accept payments from all major payment options, send invoices and use virtual checkout for telephone and text sales.
- Accepts all major payment methods
- Includes a merchant account
- Is not a payment processor
- Transaction and account fees are completely custom
- Full-service financial offerings for businesses are available
Website: https://www.fisglobal.com/
6. Payoneer
Payoneer is a payment services provider designed around international transactions. It stands out by offering payment consolidation, including the option to pay vendors and suppliers from your Payoneer account before withdrawing accounts.
Payoneer also allows you to connect your marketplaces, eCommerce stores, and vendors into one platform. You can then manage all incoming and outgoing transactions in one place.
In addition, you can accept payments in any currency – even from bank transfers.
- Accepts all major payment methods
- Includes a merchant account
- Is a payment processor
- Accept payments from Amazon and eBay directly
- Rates from 3% for credit card payments
- Full payment and finance app
Website: https://www.payoneer.com/
7. PayPal
PayPal is one of the world’s largest payment systems with personal digital wallet services, online checkout, a payment gateway, and payment processing.
PayPal also offers a merchant account, although as a payment processor, it makes those requests on your behalf, so you don’t need your own account.
In addition, PayPal offers multiple solutions for business including invoicing, integration into most major e-commerce platforms and no need to have a PayPal account to check out.
- Accepts all major cards and banks
- Includes a merchant account
- Is a payment processor
- Accept payments from any platform that supports PayPal
- Rates from 1.2% + local fixed fee
Website: https://www.paypal.com/
8. Adyen
Adyen is one of the largest online payment providers in the world. It’s also based in the UK and is built around offering ease of use to small businesses and non-technical audiences.
At the same time, it’s a top choice for some of the world’s largest brands.
Adyen is also one of the most diverse payment solutions available, with hundreds of payment options accepted. Plus, with multiple integration options including a drag-and-drop builder and plugins, it’s very easy for most people to use.
- Accepts most payment methods
- Includes a merchant account
- Is a payment processor
- Pays out on sales day or in batches based on card scheme or payment method
- Rates from 1% up to 30%
Website: https://www.adyen.com/
9. Amazon Pay
Amazon Pay is an Amazon Merchant Services solution that allows you to add an Amazon Checkout button to your own website or app.
Here, you simply add the code and customers check out, transferring the purchase to Amazon.
Customers benefit here by using stored payment methods in Amazon like a digital wallet. They use stored data processed through Amazon’s secure gateway.
Then, funds are moved into your Amazon account and paid out based on your payment schedule.
- Accepts all major credit cards
- Includes a merchant account
- Is a payment processor
- Must have £100 or more in your account to request a payout
- Rates average 2.7% + 30p
Website: https://pay.amazon.co.uk/
10. Fondy
Fondy is a relatively new payment system provider but is quickly coming to dominate in the space.
The brand offers solutions for eCommerce, apps, eCommerce platforms, installation payments and more. Plus, with more than 300 payment methods accepted, it’s more flexible than most competitors.
Fondy is also built around ease of use, with simple redirects and integration. This means setup is easy, even if you don’t have a development team. In addition, Fondy is one of the few payment providers that offer integrated support for drop shipping and supplier payouts.
- Accepts 300+ payment methods
- Includes a merchant account
- Is a payment processor
- Instant payout available
- Transaction rates from 1.3% + 20p
Website: https://fondy.io/
11. Authorize.net
Authorize.net is one of the oldest online payment solutions. It’s also owned by Visa, making it one of the best-backed solutions you can choose.
Authorize.net is also fully scalable, with solutions for small and micro businesses as well as enterprises.
However, Authorize.net is not a payment processor. In addition, you’ll have to pay extra for a merchant account on the platform. That’s at odds with most of the industry, which provides the merchant account for free.
- Accepts most major payment options
- Includes a merchant account
- Transaction rates from 2.49% + 15p
- £19 per month + £35 setup fee
- Is not a payment processor
Website: https://www.authorize.net/
12. Checkout.com
Checkout.com is a full-service payment services provider.
The website attempts to offer an all-in-one solution so you only need one account. That account allows you to create a payment gateway, request payments from accounts, and pay your vendors.
Checkout.com also has dozens of tools for small and medium businesses. These include analytics, payment tracking, returns and much more.
In addition, Checkout.com offers as a full payment processor, meaning you won’t need any other accounts.
- Accepts dozens of payment options
- Includes a merchant account
- Is a payment processor
- Direct payouts to bank
- No monthly fees
Website: https://www.checkout.com/
13. Clover
Clover started out as a cloud-based point-of-sale system based on Android. Today, it continues to offer low-cost point-of-sale solutions.
The company is also an online payment systems provider. This includes hardware, software, a merchant account, payment processing, and more.
That makes Clover an ideal solution for small businesses and startups. However, the system is also popular with high street brands, as it offers integrated point-of-sale and e-commerce solutions.
- Accepts all major credit cards
- Includes a merchant account
- Is not a payment processor
- Includes point-of-sale hardware (optional)
- Rates are custom but average 2%
Website: https://uk.clover.com/
14. Nochex
Nochex is an all-in-one payment system, offering a payment gateway, payment processing, and a merchant account. The solution is also extremely small-business friendly with a single transaction fee and no other fees.
In addition, Nochex offers lower rates for charities, with all proceeds donated to charities.
- Accepts major credit cards
- Includes a merchant account
- £50 startup fee
- Is a payment processor
- Transaction fees are 2.9% + 20p
Website: https://www.nochex.com/
15. Opayo
As SagePay, Opayo was one of the largest payment processors in the world. Today, the app is still there but with a different name and some new features.
Despite changing its name, Opayo is also still very much built for small businesses with ease of use, analytics and even invoicing integrated into the solution.
In addition, Opayo uses a unique payment model, where you pay a flat rate per transaction, without a percentage fee.
That can make the service extremely affordable, especially if you process close to the number of transactions included in your subscription each month.
- Accepts Mastercard, Visa, Maestro, American Express, and JCB
- Includes a merchant account
- £25 for 350 transactions, £45 for 500 transactions, otherwise custom pricing
- Builder and APi connections available
- Is not a payment processor
Website: https://www.opayo.co.uk/
16. Klarna
Klarna is a unique digital wallet crossed with a payment gateway and merchant account. The app allows customers to create an account and then handle all payments through that app – enabling faster and more secure payments.
For merchants, Klarna functions as a payment gateway and merchant account as well as a payment processor.
Here, Klarna requests funds from the customer, which are then held for 7 days. You then receive a payout to your linked bank account.
Klarna is also unique in that it offers financing for customers, meaning they can make payments or take out a loan directly from Klarna.
- Accepts most major credit cards
- Includes a merchant account
- Is a payment processor
- No monthly fees
- Custom pricing
Website: https://www.klarna.com/
17. Verifone
Verifone is a unique online payment system offering digital checkout, full support for digital wallets, and a host of physical point-of-sale solutions.
The service specializes in offering physical point-of-sale hardware such as mPOS and POS. It also offers online payments via Klarna, AliPay, Google Pay and most other digital wallets.
This makes the solution ideal for omnichannel brands looking for online and offline payment processing.
- Accepts all major digital wallets
- Includes a merchant account
- Is a payment processor
- 2.59% + 49p transaction rate
- Custom pricing
Website: https://www.verifone.com/
18. SumUp
SumUp, like Verifone and Square, is an omnichannel payment processor with a mix of point-of-sale hardware and payment processing software. The solution is geared towards small businesses with invoicing, same-day payout options, and even store builders.
SumUp is also a full-service payment provider. You can have the platform request money from an account, process it for you and then store it until your payout date. In addition, you can process and manage payments in person via mobile payments and links.
- Accepts all major credit cards
- Includes a merchant account
- Is a payment processor
- 2.5% transaction rate
- No monthly fee
Website: https://www.sumup.com/
19. Stripe
Stripe is one of the world’s largest online payment systems. It’s also extremely popular for everything from SaaS payment processing to retail.
With a full-service solution as a payment processor, merchant account and payment gateway, it offers everything you need to start accepting payments online.
Stripe also offers significant in-account analytics and money management tools, client management, vendor payment and more.
In addition, you can bill in 135 currencies, with full support for almost all payment options including digital wallets.
- Accepts all major payment methods
- Includes a merchant account
- Is a payment processor
- Payout in 3-7 days
- 1.4% + 20p transaction fee
Website: https://stripe.com/
What’s Next?
If you’re looking for an online payment platform, you’ll have a lot of options. Many offer full payment solutions, including payment gateway, payment processor, and merchant account. That means you’ll only need one account to start accepting payments online. Good luck trying out options and picking one for your online store.