10 Cheapest Credit Card Processing Services Of 2025

If you’re running a platform or marketplace and need a payment processor that offers flexibility and transparency, Finix is worth considering. Its pricing structure offers options like flat-rate, dynamic or custom pricing tailored to your business needs. For instance, its flat-rate processing fee is 2.75% plus 30 cents per transaction, while the dynamic pricing model is based on interchange, brand fees as well as 0.3% plus 30 cents. This level of transparency helps in forecasting costs without unexpected fees.

This is for companies that want to own the experience, set their own fee structures, brand the interface and build around a flexible API. You can charge per method, adjust for volume or go flat rate, and none of it’s buried in fine print. It also works with high-risk verticals like CBD and gaming, which is rare. You’ll need a dev on your team to unlock all its potential, but if you’re scaling and want more than Stripe or Square can give, Finix is a serious contender.

For small businesses with predictable monthly sales, Payment Depot can be a real money-saver. Instead of marking up every transaction with a flat rate like most processors, it offers interchange-plus pricing. This is where the wholesale card network fees stay separate from the processor’s margin. That setup gives you a clearer view of what you’re paying and why, which makes budgeting far less of a guessing game.

You get access to tools for invoicing, mobile payments, catalog and inventory management, recurring billing and customer data tracking, all without needing extra software or add-ons. Payment Depot’s reporting features give a clear snapshot of where your money’s going and help keep deposits reconciled with your actual sales, which can be a headache otherwise. Support is available around the clock by phone, and there are no contracts or penalties if you leave. For steady-volume businesses, it’s a practical and cost-conscious pick.

Learn more: Read our full Payment Depot review.

If you’re looking for a processor that won’t nickel-and-dime you, Helcim could be the perfect fit. Its Interchange-Plus model gives you the real cost of each transaction with a fixed markup, and the more you process, the smaller that markup becomes. That makes it easier to plan around fees and avoid unexpected costs.

There’s no monthly fee, no contract and all the essentials are included. You get invoicing, a virtual terminal, point-of-sale tools and even a no-code online store, all part of the base offering. The hardware isn’t free, but it’s reasonably priced and yours to keep.

Helcim won’t be the right fit for businesses with very niche payment needs, but for small businesses that just want clear pricing and reliable tools, it’s a solid pick.

Learn more: Read our full Helcim review.

If someone told me they ran a high-risk business, were just tired of vague rate promises, or wanted month-to-month contracts, I’d send them to Payline. The pricing structure is transparent from the start. You plug in your volume and average ticket, and the calculator does the math in real dollars. None of that “call for quote” frustration notorious in the credit card processing industry. What makes this service worth a second look is its comfort with high-risk merchants.

Payline is one of the few processors that works with industries most providers won’t touch, like CBD, credit repair, tobacco, vitamins/supplements, travel and high-ticket offers with long delivery windows. You can pick between two major gateways depending on how much control you need, and support doesn’t disappear once you sign. I wouldn’t call it the best fit for tiny operations or weekend sellers, but if you process consistently and need stability without being locked into a contract, this one checks the right boxes.

If you’re building something from the ground up and want total control over how payments work, Stripe delivers, even if it’s not the cheapest online credit card processing company you can find. It’s the processor I recommend to developers or anyone scaling a SaaS, subscription, or multi-vendor platform. You can brand everything, split payments, manage tax, automate payouts and tap into dozens of global payment methods. It’s modular and powerful. That said, even with a tech background, I’ve found Stripe’s dashboard and setup flow unnecessarily tedious.

In my own business, I ended up using a third-party tool just to make it manageable. The documentation may be thorough, but the platform isn’t built for ease. It’s built for customization, which means setup often turns into a project. If you’re not a developer—or don’t have one on retainer—you’ll hit friction fast. But for businesses with specific technical needs, especially those going global or managing complex revenue streams, Stripe gives you the tools you’ll never get from simpler plug-and-play options.

If someone came to me needing to accept payments by the end of the day with no tech background and no patience for third-party tools, I’d point them to Square. In fact, this is something I actually had to do a few months ago when I lost my login details for my old Square account. It was minutes before I’d have customers, so I used another LLC I have to create an account in mere minutes and was accepting payments right away.

It installs fast, looks clean and does exactly what most small retailers and service providers need. Hardware shows up ready to use. The dashboard walks you through setup. You don’t need to call support or figure out plug-ins just to start selling.

But once you’re in, you’re playing by their rules. It’s their hardware, their interface, their limitations. Rates are simple, but not the lowest. Any manually entered transaction or invoice quickly adds up, too. For many small shops, it’s worth the tradeoff. For those growing fast or trying to automate operations, Square starts to feel too rigid. Still, if ease and speed are more important than fine-tuning or cost control, this is one of the most accessible options on the market.

Not every business fits inside a checkbox. PaymentCloud is where I’d send someone who has a slightly offbeat setup or got stuck in underwriting purgatory with another provider. You won’t find a click-to-activate account here. Instead, you’ll work with a rep who actually explains the banking relationships and looks at your business before placing it. That means more steps, more back and forth, and more paperwork up front, but also a better chance of getting placed where you’ll stay.

They use familiar payment gateways like Authorize.net and Network Merchants Inc, but the process behind the scenes is what you’re paying for. You’ll need to ask about contracts, because not all offers come without strings. Some include early termination clauses or leasing agreements. Pricing isn’t public, which is annoying, but most merchants going this route expect that. This isn’t a processor for beginners or hobby sellers. It’s for business owners tired of hearing no.

Merchant One feels like the processor for small businesses that want a real person on the other end of the line. It skips the broker middlemen entirely, which means your account rep is actually someone with skin in the game. It works hard to get you same-day approvals and provide a dedicated rep, which takes a lot of pressure off during onboarding. If you’re a small business owner juggling startup logistics, that kind of direct relationship can make setup feel far less overwhelming.

Pricing starts at $13.95 per month, with swipe rates as low as 0.29%. There’s mention of interchange-plus pricing, too, but you’ll need to confirm the terms when signing. There’s no setup fee, and lease options for hardware are available. The gear includes everything from wireless terminals to mobile readers and full Clover systems.

You also get access to its payment gateway, which supports recurring billing, checks and PCI-compliant tools. For smaller teams that need to move fast and talk to real people, Merchant One fits the bill.

Learn more: Read our full Merchant One review.

When I talk to business owners who need strong support and fail-proof uptime, I point them to Elavon. They’ve been around for more than 30 years and understand industry-specific needs whether you run a restaurant, a field service operation or an online store. You get a professionally installed setup, with terminals and software tailored to your work style. And if something breaks or your transaction reports don’t match your expectations, you can actually reach someone by phone any time of day.

That reliability comes with a trade-off. Setup is manual and pricing isn’t instantly clear—you have to ask for a quote. The tech feels more traditional, not flash. But if you prefer human assistance and stable systems to DIY plug-ins and monthly rate haggling, Elavon offers what most mainstream options don’t: reassurance that there is always a person on the other end of the line.