Payments & POS
PayPal
Ubiquitous online wallet and checkout trusted by shoppers worldwide.
4.4· 2,664 reviews· via G2Founded 1998 · San Jose, CA
What is PayPal?
PayPal is a global online payments company that lets consumers and businesses send, receive, and hold money and check out online without sharing card details. It powers checkout for millions of merchants and peer-to-peer transfers worldwide.
Best known for: Ubiquitous online wallet and checkout
Key features
- Online checkout and buy buttons
- Peer-to-peer money transfers
- Buyer and seller protection
- Invoicing and payment requests
- Multi-currency support
- Business and merchant accounts
Who PayPal is best for
- Small online sellers who want a checkout buyers already trust
- Businesses that need to invoice or accept one-off payments fast
- Merchants wanting PayPal, Venmo, and card acceptance in one account
Ideal team: Solo sellers, freelancers, and SMBs who want zero-setup online payments and buyer familiarity over the lowest rate.
PayPal pricing
Popular
Standard (pay-as-you-go)
$0
- PayPal Checkout 3.49% + 49¢
- Card via Advanced Checkout 2.99% + 49¢
- In-person QR code payments 2.29% + 9¢
Costs to watch before you commit
- PayPal-branded checkout (3.49% + 49¢) is pricier than most flat-rate card processors.
- Cross-border and currency-conversion fees stack on top of the base rate.
- Account holds and reserves can freeze funds for new or high-risk sellers.
- Chargebacks carry a $20 dispute fee if not resolved in your favor.
Top PayPal alternatives
Popular Payments & POS tools teams evaluate alongside PayPal.
SquareAll-in-one POS, hardware, and payments for retail, food, and services.
Checkout.comEnterprise payment orchestration with interchange++ and multi-acquirer routing.
GoCardlessBank debit and ACH collection built for recurring and invoice payments.
Lemon SqueezyMerchant of record for digital products, SaaS, and subscriptions.
Authorize.netLong-standing payment gateway that plugs into existing merchant accounts.