WordPress Payment Gateway Plugins: Fees and Picks

For most WooCommerce stores the right WordPress payment gateway is WooPayments, the free plugin WooCommerce publishes itself. It takes card payments at 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction in the United States with no monthly fee and no setup fee, and it puts refunds, disputes and payouts inside the WooCommerce order screen instead of a separate dashboard. It is open to merchants in 38 countries including the UK, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, the UAE and most of the EU. If you sell somewhere else, or you already have a processor you are committed to, install that processor’s own free plugin instead.

The decision is really about two things a plugin cannot change: what your processor charges you on every sale, and whether it operates in your country. The table below puts both next to each other.

Work out your own monthly cost · Which suits which store · The pick · What to avoid · Setting it up · After you choose · FAQ

What does each WordPress payment gateway plugin cost to run?

Plugin	Processor fee per transaction	Plugin price	Where you can be based	Best for
WooPayments	2.9% + $0.30 US cards; +1% on non-US cards	Free	38 countries: UK, US, Canada, EU, Australia, NZ, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, UAE	Most WooCommerce stores
WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway	Stripe UK: 1.5% + 20p UK cards, 2.5% + 20p EEA, 3.15% + 20p international	Free	46 countries listed, including India, Brazil, Mexico, Thailand, Malaysia	Stores that want Stripe directly
WooCommerce PayPal Payments	PayPal UK: 2.9% + £0.30 on commercial transactions	Free	PayPal merchant countries, roughly 200	Adding PayPal alongside cards
Mollie Payments for WooCommerce	1.80% + €0.25 EEA consumer cards; iDEAL €0.32 flat; SEPA direct debit €0.35	Free	Europe and the UK	European stores needing iDEAL or Bancontact
WooCommerce Square	Square online: 3.3% + 30¢ on the free plan, 2.9% + 30¢ on Plus	Free	US, Canada, UK, Ireland, France, Spain, Australia, Japan, Mexico	Shops with a physical till as well
Razorpay for WooCommerce	2% + GST on cards, UPI and netbanking; no setup or annual fee	Free	India, plus Malaysia, Singapore and the US	Indian stores taking UPI
Stripe Payment Forms by WP Simple Pay	Stripe’s fee, plus 3% charged by the plugin on the free tier	Free tier adds 3%; Pro removes it	Anywhere Stripe operates	Taking payments without a store

Prices checked September 2026.

Fees are quoted in the currency of the rate card they come from, because none of these companies charges one worldwide rate. Note too that the plugin which looks cheapest, WP Simple Pay’s free tier, is the most expensive here: 3% on top of Stripe’s own fee, on every payment.

What will each gateway actually cost you a month?

Every rate below is a percentage plus a fixed fee, and which half hurts depends entirely on your basket size. On a $15 order the 30¢ matters more than the 2.9%; on a $300 order it is the other way round. Set your own numbers and the table re-sorts.

United States rates, read from each processor’s own pricing page on 6 September 2026. Non-US rates are in the table above. Figures exclude chargeback fees, currency conversion (Stripe adds 1%) and international cards (Stripe adds 1.5%).

The one number worth knowing before you install anything: PayPal's plugin can charge you two quite different rates. Payments taken through the PayPal button are billed at 3.49% + $0.49, while card payments taken through the same plugin's Advanced Credit and Debit Card checkout are 2.89% + $0.29. On 100 orders of $75 that gap is $65 a month, $780 a year, for the same plugin and the same customers — decided by which button they happen to press.

Do you need a payment gateway plugin at all?

WooCommerce on its own can only take payments that happen away from your website. Core ships three methods and no more: direct bank transfer, cheque, and cash on delivery. None of them charges a card.

So yes, you need a plugin. What you almost certainly do not need is a third-party one. WooCommerce publishes free official gateways for Stripe, PayPal and Square, and its own WooPayments service, and all four are offered from inside WooCommerce's own payments settings screen. For the great majority of stores the correct answer is one of those four and nothing else.

The category name also misleads. A payment gateway is the service that authorises a card: Stripe, PayPal, Square, Mollie, Razorpay. A payment gateway plugin is only a connector between WooCommerce and that service. It never touches the money and never sets the fee. Picking a plugin on its reviews while ignoring what the processor charges is choosing the wrong thing.

Which payment gateway plugin suits which store?

WooPayments

The gateway WooCommerce runs itself, on Stripe's infrastructure (WordPress.org listing). Version 11.1.0, 800,000+ active installs, rated 3.4 from 168 reviews, tested to WordPress 7.1. In the United States it charges 2.9% + $0.30 on domestic cards and adds 1% for a card issued abroad, with no setup fee and no monthly fee for online payments. Merchants can sign up in 38 countries and then accept payments from customers anywhere, in over 100 currencies.

Its distinguishing capability is that everything happens in one place. Disputes, refunds and payout schedules live on the WooCommerce order screen, so a member of staff handling a chargeback never needs a second login. The limitation is that this is also a lock-in: your payments account sits inside WooCommerce's arrangement with Stripe rather than a Stripe account of your own, so moving later means onboarding again. Sixty-one of its 168 reviews are one-star, mostly about account holds and payout delays.

WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway

The official Stripe connector, free, version 10.9.1, 700,000+ active installs, tested to WordPress 7.1. It lists 46 countries you can be based in, a wider net than WooPayments, and it is the way into Stripe for merchants in India, Brazil, Mexico, Thailand and Malaysia where WooPayments does not operate. Stripe's UK rate card is 1.5% + 20p for a UK card, 2.5% + 20p for an EEA card and 3.15% + 20p for an international one, with a further 2% when currency conversion is involved.

The distinguishing capability is that you keep your own Stripe account, with its dashboard, its API and its portability. The limitation is the rating: 3.1 stars from 237 reviews, 94 of them one-star. Card plugins collect complaints that belong to the processor, so read those reviews for the failure described rather than the number.

WooCommerce PayPal Payments

Free on WordPress.org, version 4.1.2, 800,000+ active installs, tested to WordPress 7.0.4, published by WooCommerce with PayPal and Syde. PayPal's UK rate for a standard commercial transaction is 2.9% + £0.30, with no monthly fee on standard checkout. Its distinguishing capability is reach: PayPal operates in around 200 markets, far more than any other option here, and a meaningful share of shoppers will pay with a PayPal balance and nothing else.

The limitation is the worst rating on this page, 2.8 from 577 reviews with 286 at one star, and the recurring theme is upgrades that break a working checkout. Treat it as a second payment button beside your card gateway, not your only one.

Mollie Payments for WooCommerce

Free on WordPress.org, version 8.1.9, 100,000+ active installs, rated 3.5 from 70 reviews, tested to WordPress 7.0.4. Mollie charges 1.80% + €0.25 on EEA consumer cards, 2.90% + €0.25 on commercial cards and 3.25% + €0.25 on non-EEA cards, with no monthly minimum. Its distinguishing capability is the local methods European shoppers actually reach for: iDEAL at a flat €0.32 regardless of basket size, plus Bancontact, BLIK, Przelewy24, Swish and TWINT.

That flat iDEAL fee is why Dutch stores use it: on a €200 order it costs 32 cents where a card would cost about €3.85. The limitation is stability, with 19 of its 70 reviews at one star, usually an update breaking checkout.

WooCommerce Square

Free on WordPress.org, version 5.5.0, 80,000+ active installs, tested to WordPress 7.1. Square charges 3.3% + 30¢ for an online card payment on its free plan, dropping to 2.9% + 30¢ on Square Plus, which is a monthly subscription. It is available to merchants in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, France, Spain, Australia, Japan and Mexico.

Its distinguishing capability is stock: if you also sell over a counter, Square keeps one inventory and one catalogue across the till and the website, which nothing else here does. The limitation is severe. The plugin is rated 2.1 from 121 reviews, 82 of them one-star, overwhelmingly about the product sync corrupting inventory or duplicating items. Install it if you need the till integration and can watch it; not as a card gateway on its own.

Razorpay for WooCommerce

Free on WordPress.org, version 4.8.8, 100,000+ active installs, tested to WordPress 7.1, updated within the last day. Razorpay charges a flat 2% plus GST on domestic cards, UPI and netbanking, with no setup fee and no annual maintenance charge, and new merchants get 90 days at 0% platform fee. For an Indian store that needs UPI, there is no realistic alternative on this list.

The limitation is real and you should know it before you install: the plugin is rated 2.5 from 23 reviews, 13 of them one-star, and the recurring report is a payment captured on Razorpay's side while the WooCommerce order still shows as failed. That specific fault is almost always a webhook that was never configured, which the setup section below covers. Configure the webhook first and reconcile a live transaction before you open the store.

Stripe Payment Forms by WP Simple Pay

Free on WordPress.org, version 4.17.3, 8,000+ active installs, rated 4.4 from 117 reviews, tested to WordPress 7.0.4. This one is not a WooCommerce gateway at all and does not integrate with WooCommerce; it is a standalone Stripe plugin that builds payment forms. Its distinguishing capability is that it needs no store: for a donation, a deposit, an event fee or a single service, you get a working Stripe checkout without installing WooCommerce.

The limitation is easy to miss: the free tier applies a 3% fee on top of whatever Stripe charges. On a £100 UK payment that is £3 to the plugin on top of Stripe's £1.70. Pro removes it.

Which one should you actually pick?

For most people: WooPayments. It is free, it has no monthly fee, its rate matches what Stripe and PayPal charge in the US, and keeping disputes and payouts on the order screen saves real time. If you are based in one of its 38 countries and you have no existing processor, start here.

For the harder case, outside those 38 countries or wanting to own the processor relationship: WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway. It covers 46 countries, it is free, and your Stripe account stays yours. In Europe choose Mollie instead when many orders come through iDEAL, Bancontact or BLIK, because flat per-transaction pricing beats card rates on all but small baskets. In India, Razorpay is the only one here that takes UPI.

The one to skip: WP Simple Pay's free tier for anything past testing. A 3% surcharge on top of your processor's fee is more than most WooCommerce stores pay in total. If you need payment forms rather than a shop, buy the Pro licence or use a WooCommerce gateway with a single product; either is cheaper within a few hundred pounds of takings.

Which payment gateway plugins should you not install?

Two third-party gateway plugins that older roundups still recommend carry unpatched security flaws with no fix available.

2Checkout Payment Gateway for WooCommerce has been closed on the WordPress plugin directory and cannot be installed. Version 6.2 and earlier carry a missing-authorisation flaw, scored 5.3, published in April 2024 with no fix.

Authorize.net Payment Gateway For WooCommerce, a third-party connector rather than software from Authorize.net itself, carries an unauthenticated payment bypass affecting version 8.0 and earlier, disclosed in June 2024 and still unpatched. On a checkout, a payment bypass means an order can be completed without a payment succeeding.

If either is active on your site, deactivate it and move to the official gateway for your processor. Authorize.net as a payment service is unaffected, and other connectors for it exist; it is these specific plugins that are the problem. A closed plugin keeps running on sites that already have it, which is why people miss this: nothing breaks, and no update ever arrives.

How do you set up a payment gateway without losing payments?

The plugin is the easy part. Integrations fail in the same three places every time: credentials left in test mode at launch, a webhook nobody configured, and no real transaction run end to end before launch. This order avoids all three.

1. Choose the processor before the plugin. Your country, your customers' preferred methods and the fees decide it; the plugin follows.
2. Install the gateway published by or with that processor, not a third-party connector.
3. Create API credentials in the processor's dashboard. You get two pairs, test and live. The secret key goes in the plugin settings field and nowhere else.
4. Start in test mode and confirm the plugin reports a successful connection.
5. Configure the webhook URL. This is the step most often skipped and it causes the worst failure. The webhook is how the processor tells your site that a payment completed. Without it a customer can pay while WordPress never hears back, leaving the order marked failed with the money already taken.
6. Check HTTPS across the whole checkout flow, not only the payment page.
7. Run a test transaction and reconcile it. The WooCommerce order status and the processor's dashboard must agree. If the processor says captured and WooCommerce says failed, the webhook is wrong.
8. Switch to live keys, take one small real payment, then refund it. Test and live keys differ often enough to make this worth the fee.

If you are still building the shop itself, our guide to setting up WooCommerce in four steps covers what comes before this, and our list of must-have WooCommerce plugins covers what comes after. If you have not settled on WooCommerce at all, we compare the alternatives in WordPress eCommerce plugins.

A checkout is the most attacked page on a shop, mostly by card testing, so pair whichever gateway you choose with the controls in our WordPress security plugins comparison. And if customers reach you through chat before they buy, our roundup of WordPress WhatsApp plugins covers taking enquiries that turn into orders.

Once the gateway is chosen

Three things decide whether the payments you have just enabled actually arrive.

• The checkout itself. Every extra field costs you completed orders, and the gateway cannot fix a checkout that asks for a company VAT number from a consumer. Our WooCommerce Checkout Manager review covers removing fields safely, and Direct Checkout covers skipping the cart page entirely.
• What happens when the card is declined. A failed payment with no follow-up is a lost sale you never hear about. Set the order-status emails before launch, and keep a working contact form on the checkout page so a stuck buyer can reach you rather than leaving.
• Whether you can restore the store. Payment plugins hold credentials and order data. Before you connect a live processor, have a backup you have actually tested restoring — the field is compared in WordPress backup plugins.

If you are still assembling the store rather than finishing it, the wider set is in WordPress eCommerce plugins compared and WooCommerce plugins.

Frequently asked questions

Which WordPress payment gateway should you use?

WooPayments for most WooCommerce stores, because it is free, has no monthly fee, and keeps refunds, disputes and payouts on the WooCommerce order screen. Choose the official Stripe gateway instead if you trade outside the 38 countries WooPayments covers, or if you want to own the processor relationship. In Europe, Mollie is cheaper when orders arrive through iDEAL or Bancontact, and in India, Razorpay is the only option here that takes UPI.

Does WooCommerce include Stripe and PayPal by default?

No. WooCommerce core ships only three payment methods: direct bank transfer, cheque, and cash on delivery. None of them takes a card. Stripe, PayPal and Square are free official extensions published by WooCommerce, and you install them from the payments screen inside WooCommerce.

Which WordPress payment gateway plugin has the lowest fees?

The plugin does not set the fee, the processor does. Among the processors here, Mollie is cheapest in Europe at 1.80% + 0.25 euro on EEA consumer cards and a flat 0.32 euro on iDEAL, and Razorpay is cheapest in India at 2% plus GST. WooPayments, Stripe, PayPal and Square all sit near 2.9% + 30 cents in the United States.

Are WordPress payment gateway plugins free?

The plugins in the table are all free to download and use. The exception is the free tier of Stripe Payment Forms by WP Simple Pay, which charges 3% on every payment on top of the fee charged by the processor. Every gateway charges a per-transaction processing fee whatever the plugin costs, and that recurring fee is the cost that matters.

Why do my WooCommerce orders show as failed when the payment succeeded?

Almost always a missing or misconfigured webhook. The webhook is the callback the processor uses to tell your site that a payment completed, and without it WooCommerce never learns the outcome, so the order stays failed or pending while the money is captured. Set the webhook URL in the processor dashboard, then run one test transaction and check that both systems agree.

Can I take payments on WordPress without WooCommerce?

Yes. WooCommerce suits a catalogue, a cart and a checkout. For a single payment, a donation, a deposit or an event fee, a standalone Stripe forms plugin does the job without a store. Match the tool to what you are selling rather than installing a full shop first.