When you’re new to developing an eCommerce site—or maybe you’re just a creature of habit—it’s easy to let payment processors be an afterthought. The design, functionality, and content planning that goes into the launch of any successful online enterprise tends to dominate the conversation.
Whatever payment processor is recommended by the cart, template, or service you’re utilizing is enough, right? After all, it just needs to take cards.
Of course, it’d be nice to think that whatever solution is attached out of the box is best, but we all know that’s too good to be true.
The fact is, there are a lot of robust payment processing software options out there. If you’re spending time perfecting your customer experience through every step of the sales pipeline, you’ll want to be sure to end their transaction on a high note.
So, what kind of options are out there? Let’s look at the major players and the services they offer.
Stripe
Stripe has gained quite a huge foothold in the eCommerce world over the past few years. It’s a major processor that integrates easily with WooCommerce, Magento, and Shopify. Stripe’s rise to fame can be largely attributed to its ease of use and flexibility.
For beginners, Stripe is simple to connect to most template-based eCommerce sites. Their sign-up process is fast and doesn’t require any complicated approvals. In just minutes, Stripe can be configured to deposit to your bank account.
For those with more complicated needs, they offer a customizable Billing API that allows developers to create custom pricing or even subscription models quickly.
Who is Stripe for?
Stripe has a low barrier of entry and is easy to integrate into all the major platforms. If your processing needs are simple or your website is built in-house, Stripe is a great option.
Stripe’s Pricing
Stripe utilizes a pay-as-you-go pricing system. They charge 2.9% of your transaction amount, plus 30 cents per card use.
Braintree
Braintree comes with a trusted brand-name behind it: Paypal.
In fact, one element that really sets Braintree above the rest is its ability to process both credit card transactions and Paypal without any special plug-ins. While Apple Pay and Samsung Pay have become strong contenders for alternative payment methods to credit cards, Paypal is still heavily utilized.
Speaking of Apple Pay and Samsung Pay, Braintree supports them as well. With some minimal setup, customers can use Braintree to checkout using Apple Pay and Samsung Pay, even if you don’t have a mobile app.
Finally, Braintree offers a point of sale system as well, which means you can avoid having a second processor for in-store transactions.
Who is Braintree for?
Braintree integrates easily with most major platforms like Magento and WooCommerce. However, it does not integrate with Shopify. It’s great for retail stores that want to keep the same processor for both in-store and online.
Braintree’s Pricing
Braintree also utilizes a pay-as-you-go pricing system. They charge 2.9% of your transaction amount, plus 30 cents per card use.
Image courtesy of Capterra
Chargify
Chargify is tailored for companies in the SaaS (software as a service) industry. So, if you create a web or computer app that has a subscription model, Chargify is the perfect solution for you.
Not only does Chargify manage the payment processing, but their service also helps manage subscriber relationships.
Chargify is easy to set up right out of the box, with no coding required. The subscriptions you can create to offer to your clients are easily customizable and allow benefits like grandfathered pricing, pricing experiments, and negotiated terms.
Who is Chargify for?
This answer is a little more cut and dry. If you offer subscriptions for your app or software, Chargify is tailormade for your industry.
Chargify’s Pricing
Pricing is determined by features used.
Square
Square has become a popular option for point-of-sale credit card transactions over recent years. They’re known for letting even the smallest businesses easily accept credit cards through both their in-store terminals and scanners that plug directly into cell phones.
Square also offers online credit card processing. However, it does not integrate with popular eCommerce software. Square’s online processing is a self-contained store with light functionality.
Who is Square for?
Square is perfect for a small business that takes credit cards in-store and through a limited website. If you only focus on a few key products and don’t need the ability to sort, search, or highly customize your site, Square is a perfect option. Their approval process is simple, and their online stores can be set up by a web design novice.
Square’s Pricing
Square charges 2.75% of every transaction.
Before you settle on the final draft of your eCommerce website, it’s important to get your processing provider squared away. After all, you’ll want to ensure that whomever you choose will not only integrate well with your business but the platform you’ve chosen for your website.
With a little research, your eCommerce site will soon be a lean, mean, card-charging machine.