WooCommerce’s strength is that it does not care which gateway you use. That is also why store owners rarely revisit the choice: WooPayments was one click at setup, it worked, and the fee looks like everyone else’s. This page compares the options on cost and features, and shows when the switch pays.
The gateways WooCommerce supports
| Gateway | Model | US card rate | Monthly | Subscriptions support | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WooPayments | Bundled (Stripe infrastructure) | 2.9% + 30¢, +1.5% international, +1% conversion | $0 | Yes | Default; wallets included; $15 disputes |
| Stripe (official plugin) | Bundled | 2.9% + 30¢ | $0 | Yes | Same rates as WooPayments; direct Stripe dashboard |
| PayPal Payments | Bundled | About 3.49% + 49¢ PayPal; card rates vary | $0 | Yes via vault | Keep for wallet customers |
| Square | Bundled | 2.9% + 30¢ online | $0 | Yes | Fits stores that also use Square in person |
| Braintree | Bundled | 2.59% + 49¢ | $0 | Yes | PayPal and Venmo included |
| Authorize.net (official extension) | Gateway on your merchant account | Your processor’s rate | $25 + 10¢ + batch | Yes (CIM) | Oldest integration |
| NMI | Gateway on your merchant account | Your processor’s rate | Reseller-set | Yes (Customer Vault) | Broad; multi-MID |
| accept.blue | Gateway on your merchant account | Your processor’s rate | Provider-set | Yes | Modern; Level 3; invoicing |
| Fluidpay | Gateway on your merchant account | Your processor’s rate | Partner-set | Yes | Native plugin or AIM emulator |
Cost at three volumes
Merchant account gateway priced at $20 a month, 10¢ per item, interchange plus 0.30% + 10¢; blended card-not-present interchange 1.95% + 10¢.
| $8,000 / 100 orders | $50,000 / 600 orders | $200,000 / 2,000 orders | |
|---|---|---|---|
| WooPayments or Stripe | $262 | $1,630 | $6,400 |
| Merchant account gateway | $226 | $1,325 | $5,120 |
| Difference per year | $432 | $3,660 | $15,360 |
Add international sales and the WooPayments column grows by 1.5% to 2.5% of that share. Add B2B customers with commercial cards and Level 3 data through accept.blue, NMI or Fluidpay widens the gap further.
Features that matter on WooCommerce
Subscriptions. WooCommerce Subscriptions needs a gateway with a vault. All of the above qualify. What differs is migration: moving subscribers between bundled providers or to a merchant account gateway requires an encrypted vault export, then remapping the subscription records to new tokens. Plan it around renewal dates.
Wallets. Apple Pay and Google Pay are built into WooPayments and Stripe. The merchant account gateways support them through their hosted fields on most plans; confirm for your specific gateway and plugin version.
PCI. Every gateway in the table can be configured with hosted fields so the store stays on SAQ A. The hosted page and PCI guide explains the difference between that and a direct-post setup.
Refunds and disputes from the WooCommerce order screen. Supported by WooPayments, Stripe, Square, Braintree and Authorize.net; partially by others. Minor day to day.
How to switch gateways on WooCommerce
- Install and configure the new gateway plugin in test mode. Run test orders.
- Enable it live alongside the old gateway. Place a real low-value order with each card type. Refund it.
- If you use Subscriptions: request the vault export from the old gateway, import to the new one, remap subscription payment tokens (the new gateway’s plugin usually includes a migration tool or CSV import). Time this after a renewal run.
- Set the new gateway as the default and, after a week of clean orders and settlements, disable the old one. Keep its plugin installed until every subscription has renewed at least once on the new gateway.
- Cancel the old gateway account.
A store without subscriptions can do this in an afternoon. With subscriptions, two to four weeks.
When to stay on WooPayments
Under about $10,000 a month. No international volume to speak of. No developer, no time, no appetite for a second vendor. WooPayments is fair at that scale.
When to move
Over $15,000 a month. International customers. B2B orders on commercial cards. A subscriber base large enough that Account Updater and retry logic matter. A physical location where you want dual pricing on the same merchant account. Or a reserve or hold that has already happened. In every one of those cases the arithmetic above applies and the switch is a plugin.