5 Of The Best Payment Processors For Small Businesses In 2025

5 of the best payment processors for small businesses in 2025, ranked by popularity, pricing, and ease of use. These platforms offer a balance of affordability, scalability, and user friendliness:

Extremely popular, especially among small businesses, mobile businesses, and those needing a simple POS system.

• Price: In-person: 2.6% + $0.10 per transaction (for swiped cards)
• Online: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
• Keyed-in: 3.5% + $0.15 per transaction
• Generally no monthly fees for basic plans, offering a free mobile card reader and POS app.

Ease of Use: Very high. Square is known for its user friendly interface, quick setup, and intuitive software, making it ideal for beginners. It offers integrated systems for invoicing, payroll, and inventory.

Very popular, particularly for online businesses and developers due to its flexibility and robust APIs.

• Price: Online: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
• In-person: 2.7% + $0.05 per transaction
• No setup fees or monthly fees.

Ease of Use: High for those with some technical knowledge or who want to customize their payment experience. While easy to get started with basic functions, its full potential is unlocked by developers. Excellent for integrating with e-commerce platforms.

Widely recognized and a favorite for online payments due to its widespread use by consumers.

• Price: Online: 2.89% + $0.49 per transaction (for standard online payments)
• In-person: 2.29% + $0.09 per transaction
• No monthly minimums for standard accounts, but offers premium plans with more features.

Ease of Use: High. PayPal is known for its intuitive design and easy integration into most e-commerce platforms. It's user-friendly even for new business owners.

• Massive Market Growth: The global digital payment market was valued at approximately $122.32 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach an astounding $712.14 billion by 2033, demonstrating a robust Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 21.80% during the forecast period. 
  
  
• Digital wallets, like PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay, are increasingly becoming the preferred method for online shopping. In 2024, they accounted for 50% of global e-commerce transactions, indicating their significant importance in the online retail landscape. 
  
  
• Mobile payments are a major driver of digital payment adoption. By 2024, over 2 billion people worldwide are using digital wallets, a 10% increase from the previous year. Furthermore, mobile payment transactions accounted for 35% of all digital payment transactions globally in 2024, signaling a strong consumer preference for mobile platforms. 
  
  
• The B2B payments market is experiencing a massive digital transformation. The global B2B payments market size was valued at an estimated $86.51 trillion in 2024 and is projected to exceed $373.13 trillion by 2037, growing at an impressive CAGR of over 11.9%.
  
  
• With the increasing volume of digital transactions, fraud remains a significant concern. In 2023, global losses due to digital payment fraud amounted to $32 billion, emphasizing the critical need for businesses and payment processors to invest in advanced security measures and fraud detection technologies.

Popular among Shopify merchants and online stores.

• Price: Online: 2.9% + 30¢ (basic plan), with lower rates at higher plans
• No extra transaction fees when using Shopify Payments

Ease of Use: Built into Shopify; seamless for store owners, excellent all-in-one solution for e-commerce.

Popular with businesses already using QuickBooks.

• Price: Invoicing or ACH: 1% (capped at $10)
• Credit cards: 2.9% + 25¢ (online), 2.4% + 25¢ (swipe)
  

Ease of Use: Fully integrated with QuickBooks accounting, Ideal for service providers, consultants, and businesses needing streamlined bookkeeping.