PayPal
$438/mo est.
- In-person rate
- 2.29% + 9c
- Online rate
- 2.99% + 49c
- Monthly fee
- Free
- Terminal cost
- PayPal Zettle reader ~$29 (first reader); extras ~$79
- Contract length
- Month-to-month
- Settlement time
- 1 business day
- Est. monthly cost
- $438/mo
PayPal
Widely recognized online checkout plus in-person card acceptance through PayPal Zettle, with built-in Venmo.
- In-person rate
- 2.29% + 9c
- Online rate
- 2.99% + 49c
- Monthly fee
- Free
- Contract
- Month-to-month
Best for
US online businesses that want a trusted, high-conversion checkout, with optional in-person card acceptance through PayPal Zettle.
Pricing breakdown
All prices in USDLast verified June 19, 2026Every fee we track, grouped by where it applies.
In-person payments
In-person terminal and tap-to-pay transactions.
- Transaction rate
- 2.29% + 9c
PayPal Zettle in-person card rate. Representative figure; verify the current US Zettle rate at the next refresh.
- Monthly fee
- Free
No monthly fee on the PayPal Zettle reader plan or standard online checkout.
- Terminal cost
- PayPal Zettle reader ~$29 (first reader); extras ~$79
Promotional first-reader pricing; verify current US Zettle hardware cost.
- Setup fee
- Free
Online payments
Online checkout and keyed-in card transactions.
- Transaction rate
- 2.99% + 49c
Standard online checkout. Some methods (e.g. PayPal Checkout / Pay Later) run 3.49% + 49c. Representative; verify.
- Monthly fee
- Free
No monthly fee on the PayPal Zettle reader plan or standard online checkout.
- Setup fee
- Free
Other fees
- Chargeback fee
- $20
Standard dispute fee; waived under Seller Protection on eligible transactions. Verify the current US figure.
- Early termination fee
- None
No lock-in contract.
- Refund fee
- Free
Fixed per-transaction fee is not returned on refunds (industry standard).
- PCI compliance fee
- Included free
PCI compliance handled by PayPal at no charge.
Contract terms
- Contract length
- Month-to-month
- Settlement time
- 1 business day
- Recurring billing
- Yes
Subscriptions API and recurring payments.
Accepted payment methods
Cards, wallets, and other methods supported by PayPal for US merchants.
Cards
- Visa
- Mastercard
- AMEX
- discover
Digital wallets
- Apple Pay
- Google Pay
Buy now, pay later
- paypal-pay-later
Other
- venmo
- ach
Strengths and trade-offs
Pros
- Trusted consumer brand that can lift online checkout conversion
- Venmo and Pay Later acceptance built into PayPal Checkout
- No monthly fee and no lock-in contract
- In-person card acceptance through PayPal Zettle
Cons
- Published rates run higher than the leanest flat-rate processors
- Account holds and reserves are a known pain point
- In-person Zettle ecosystem is lighter than POS-first platforms
About PayPal
PayPal is one of the most recognized payment brands in the US, and that consumer trust is its biggest draw at checkout: millions of buyers already have a PayPal account, and PayPal Checkout also lets them pay with Venmo and Pay Later. For online businesses it is a fast way to add a familiar, high-conversion payment option alongside standard card processing.
In person, PayPal Zettle provides a card reader and a simple point-of-sale app with flat-rate pricing, no monthly fee, and no lock-in contract. The standard online checkout is pay-as-you-go too. The trade-off is that the published rates run a little higher than the leanest flat-rate processors, and account holds can be a pain point, but the brand recognition and Venmo acceptance are hard to match.
PayPal was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in San Jose, USA.
How PayPal compares
Side-by-side with the closest alternatives by estimated cost.
Assumes $15,000/mo volume, $50 average transaction, 70% in-person and 30% online.
Chase Payment Solutions
$447/mo est.
- In-person rate
- 2.6% + 10c
- Online rate
- 2.9% + 25c
- Monthly fee
- Free
- Terminal cost
- Card Reader + Base $129, Countertop $399, Wireless $499, Smart Terminal $499
- Contract length
- Month-to-month
- Settlement time
- Same-day (Chase account)
- Est. monthly cost
- $447/mo
Square
$452/mo est.
- In-person rate
- 2.6% + 10c
- Online rate
- 2.9% + 30c
- Monthly fee
- Free
- Terminal cost
- Free reader; Reader $59, Terminal $299, Register $799
- Contract length
- Month-to-month
- Settlement time
- Next business day
- Est. monthly cost
- $452/mo
Stripe
$452/mo est.
- In-person rate
- 2.7% + 5c
- Online rate
- 2.9% + 30c
- Monthly fee
- Free
- Terminal cost
- Reader M2 $59, WisePOS E $249, Reader S700 $349
- Contract length
- No contract
- Settlement time
- Standard payouts
- Est. monthly cost
- $452/mo
Common questions about PayPal
The same questions US merchants ask before signing up.
Yes. PayPal handles in-person card payments through PayPal Zettle, using a small card reader and the Zettle app. In-person card payments are charged at 2.29% + 9c, with no monthly fee on the reader plan. That lets you take chip, tap, and contactless payments in a store or at a market alongside PayPal's online checkout.
PayPal's standard online checkout rate is 2.99% + 49c per transaction, with no monthly or setup fee. Some payment methods, such as Pay Later, can run slightly higher. PayPal is recognized by shoppers worldwide and includes buyer and seller protection, which can lift checkout conversion even though the rate is higher than a dedicated card processor.
Yes. Because PayPal owns Venmo, PayPal checkout can accept Venmo as a payment method for eligible US businesses, alongside PayPal balance, cards, and Pay Later. That gives you access to Venmo's large US user base at checkout without adding a separate provider.
The PayPal Zettle card reader is shown as PayPal Zettle reader ~$29 (first reader); extras ~$79, often with a discounted price on your first reader and a standard price on additional units. There is no monthly fee on the reader plan, so after the one-off hardware cost you pay only the per-transaction rate.
No. PayPal is month-to-month with no long-term contract and no early termination fee, for both online checkout and in-person Zettle payments. You can start taking payments without a lock-in commitment and stop whenever you choose, which makes it easy to run alongside another processor.
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