The 7 Best Payment Gateway Providers in Australia

Worldpay is the best payment gateway provider we have researched, due to its impressive range of integrations (over 100), 30-minute fund transfer time, and reasonable fees. However, there’s no shortage of strong global and local alternatives, particularly for businesses that value transparent pricing or access to the best card machines for your small business.

Being able to accept card payments — both online and in person — is essential for modern Australian businesses. Whether you’re selling through a website, over the phone, via social media or in a physical location, choosing the right payment gateway can have a major impact on your costs and cash flow.

To match you with a payment gateway provider that aligns with your needs, this guide explores the best global and Australian solutions, breaking down their unique features, price points and suitability for different types of businesses. Read on for our detailed insights, or use our free comparison tool to compare quotes from leading providers.

The Best Payment Gateways For Small Businesses: Overview

The table below summarises our picks of payment gateway providers for small Australian businesses, along with their basic pricing information and their scores from our expert researchers.

What Is a Payment Gateway?

A payment gateway is a piece of digital infrastructure that allows you to accept card payments. It’s the software that processes the customer’s card data and enables a quick, secure transaction to take place.

Payment gateways aren’t just for selling online, either. Whether you’re taking a card payment through your website, or face-to-face with a PDQ machine or mobile card reader, it’ll be passing through a payment gateway.

Best 5 Global Payment Gateway Providers

Global payment gateway providers are a popular choice for businesses that sell internationally or are looking to benefit from useful POS integrations. Here’s a deep dive into the best global payment gateway providers to consider in 2026.

1. Worldpay: Best Payment Gateway for Small Businesses Overall

Worldpay is one of the biggest payment solutions providers on the market, and is a great option for high-volume businesses, thanks to its custom transaction rates and low minimum spend charges.

Why we recommend Worldpay

Worldpay offers custom transaction pricing for Australian businesses with higher annual card turnover, with in-person rates that can fall well below the Australian average of ~1.4%–1.6% for Visa and Mastercard, depending on volume, card mix and risk profile.

For smaller businesses with lower annual card turnover, Worldpay can also offer fixed or blended rates, which are typically higher than custom pricing but still competitive by Australian standards.

Another advantage is transparency: Worldpay allows merchants to estimate expected processing costs using its pricing and quote tools, helping businesses forecast fees before committing.

We recommend Worldpay for high-volume merchants because it specializes in enterprise-scale features like advanced fraud prevention. It also specialises in serving large businesses, meaning it can support your business as it grows. Competitor takepayments, on the other hand, advertises itself as a solution for small businesses.

Examples of services suited to growing businesses are Worldpay’s proprietary advanced fraud prevention features. which are all the more essential when you’re processing a large volume of transactions. We’d recommend Wordpay’s Fraudsight, which uses the latest technology to predict fraudulent transactions before they occur.

Worldpay also integrates with a large number of third-party software packages, including popular EPOS systems like Epos Now, making it easy to use Worldpay’s card processing services alongside the rest of your merchant toolkit.

Reasons to avoid Worldpay and top alternatives

Worldpay isn’t always the best fit for Australian businesses with low card turnover. While its negotiated rates can be competitive at scale, smaller merchants will often be quoted higher blended rates than flat-fee providers that are designed for low or unpredictable volumes.

For example, providers like Square offer simple, flat in-person pricing with no minimum monthly processing requirements, which can work out cheaper for new or smaller Australian businesses.

Worldpay can also be more expensive on the hardware side. Terminal rental and service fees are usually charged monthly and tend to be higher than newer Australian providers that either offer low-cost terminal rentals or one-off hardware purchases with no ongoing licence fee.

Contract length is another drawback. In Australia, Worldpay commonly operates on longer minimum contracts (often 18–24 months), whereas many modern payment providers now offer month-to-month or no-lock-in agreements. If flexibility matters, alternatives like Square are generally easier to exit without early termination fees.

2. Clover: Best for Hospitality and Retail Businesses

Clover is a zero-contract payment services provider that also specialises in EPOS systems, and is a great option for businesses seeking sleek hardware and competitively custom transaction fees.

Why we recommend Clover

Clover is a strong option for Australian businesses that want a combined payment gateway and EPOS system in one platform. Its POS software is well-suited to retail and hospitality environments, offering inventory management, staff controls, and reporting alongside card payments.

What’s more, for higher-volume Australian merchants, Clover offers custom transaction pricing, with rates negotiated on a case-by-case basis depending on turnover, card mix, and business type. This makes it a better fit for established businesses than those just starting out.

On the hardware side, Clover stands out. The Clover Flex functions as both a card machine and a compact EPOS device, with a built-in receipt printer, barcode scanner and touchscreen interface.

Clover also offers several countertop POS terminals with integrated card readers, allowing businesses to run payments and POS from a single device. All Clover hardware has a sleek, modern design that fits well in upmarket retail, cafés and hospitality venues.

Reasons to avoid Clover and top alternatives

Clover doesn’t offer tap to pay on iPhone or Android, and its hardware lineup is better suited to fixed-location businesses like cafés, restaurants and retail stores. While the Clover Flex is technically mobile, it’s relatively bulky compared with lightweight card readers designed for on-the-go use.

For Australian businesses that prioritise mobile or online payments, providers like Till Payments, Eway or SecurePay can be better alternatives.

This is because these providers focus more heavily on online, phone and API-based payments, and are often a stronger fit for ecommerce, service businesses or businesses taking payments remotely, rather than at a physical counter.

3. Square: Best for Small and Micro-Businesses

Square is a popular all-in-one payments provider for Australian small businesses, combining card readers, POS software and online selling tools under one simple, no-contract pricing model. It’s particularly well known for its ease of setup, transparent flat fees, and strong app ecosystem for newer or smaller merchants.

Why we recommend Square

Square is a strong choice for Australian micro-businesses and small teams that want to start taking card payments quickly, without contracts or upfront software costs.

One of Square’s biggest strengths is its free POS plan. Australian merchants can use Square POS at no cost to manage products, staff, inventory and reporting, and even build a basic ecommerce website or online checkout using Square Online. In our research, this made Square one of the best ecommerce-enabled POS platforms for small Australian businesses.

Customer support is another one of Square’s pluses. Square offers phone, email and live chat support in Australia, making it easy to resolve issues quickly. While providers like Worldpay also offer multiple support channels (with 24/7 phone support), Square’s onboarding and self-service tools are generally easier for non-technical users.

Reasons to avoid Square and top alternatives

While Square’s simplicity makes it ideal for smaller merchants, it does lack some features that larger or more complex businesses may expect. For instance, settlement times are typically next business day, rather than near-instant payouts, and there’s limited scope to negotiate pricing as your turnover grows.

Moreover, for Australian businesses processing high transaction volumes, a provider like Worldpay or Till Payments may offer better long-term value through custom pricing and faster settlement options.

Meanwhile, businesses focused primarily on online or phone payments — rather than in-person sales — may prefer Eway or SecurePay, which specialise in gateway-led online transactions.

4. Epos Now: Best for Multi-Location Businesses

Like Clover and Square, Epos Now is an all-in-one POS and payments platform that combines cloud-based point-of-sale software with integrated merchant services.

Why we recommend Epos Now

Epos Now is a strong choice for Australian businesses that want a unified POS and payments solution. Its cloud-based software streamlines inventory, staff management, payments and more, which can reduce admin overhead and provide real-time insight into your business performance.

Epos Now’s merchant services use a flat-rate card processing structure, with 1.7% per Visa and Mastercard transaction, and refunds are processed at no additional cost. This helps keep pricing predictable for small and medium-sized businesses.

Since sales data, stock levels and reporting are all stored centrally in the cloud, business owners and managers can view and control operations across different stores or venues without having to be on-site. This makes Epos Now a competitive option for businesses with multiple locations.

Reasons to avoid Epos Now and top alternatives

Despite its integrated nature, Epos Now may not suit every Australian business. Its flat processing rate is simple but can turn out more costly overall for larger turnover businesses, which can negotiate better rates elsewhere.

For Australian merchants who prioritise simple, standalone payments without a full POS system, providers like Square or Stripe are often easier to set up and scale with, offering flat fees and easy plug-and-play hardware. Alternatively, for online-first businesses, dedicated gateways like Eway or SecurePay may be a better fit.

5. Stripe: Best for Omnichannel Sellers

Stripe is a global payments platform that’s widely used in Australia for online and in-person payments, marketplaces, and platform-based businesses.

Stripe isn’t a traditional payment gateway in the classic sense — it operates more like a payments orchestrator — but it’s fully licensed to process card payments in Australia and settle funds into an Australian business bank account with transparent, flat pricing.

Why we recommend Stripe

Stripe is ideal for Australian businesses that want unified online and in-person payments through a single platform, without lock-in contracts and with clear, flat-rate pricing. Its Stripe Terminal product lets merchants accept in-store card and contactless payments, while Stripe Payments handles web, mobile and API-driven checkout experiences — all in one system.

One of Stripe’s biggest strengths is its developer ecosystem and integration flexibility — it supports hundreds of plugins, third-party POS systems and ecommerce platforms, plus powerful tools like Stripe Connect for marketplaces and Stripe Billing for subscriptions.

On pricing, Stripe’s flat, pay-as-you-go model suits businesses that prefer predictable fees without lengthy contracts or negotiated tiers. Standard card processing for Australian merchants is 1.7% + $0.30 per domestic transaction, with international cards at about 3.5% + $0.30.

Reasons to avoid Stripe and top alternatives

Stripe’s pricing, while transparent, can be higher overall than specialised payment gateway providers for businesses with significant in-store sales.

Flat rates like 1.7% + $0.30 don’t decrease with volume, which means large merchants often pay more than they would with negotiated merchant account rates from providers like Worldpay or Till Payments.

Another consideration for some Australian merchants is support and setup complexity. Since Stripe is API-driven, businesses that want a simpler POS without custom development might find platforms like Square or Clover simpler to deploy.

Best Australian Payment Gateway Providers

While global payment gateway services can be convenient, Australian-based providers tend to be optimised for domestic cards and EFTPOS routing, while offering stronger alignment with Australian regulations and payment standards.

Here are our top local merchant account providers for Australian businesses.

1. Till Payments: Supports social media purchases

Till Payments is a reliable Australian-based payment gateway provider that operates on a custom pricing model.

We were impressed by Till Payments’ versatility: besides being integrated into websites, its payment gateway also supports in-app purchases on platforms such as Instagram. This is a great way to connect with a clientele that shops through social media.

Till Payments is also quick on payouts, as it allows you to receive funds on the same business day if you sign up for its Same Day Settlement offering.

The provider also offers customer support through email and a 24/7 phone line. However, it doesn’t offer a live chat channel like the one Stripe packs, which can be a problem for business owners with minor queries who would like fast responses.

2. Eway: Flat-rate transparent pricing

Eway is an Australian payment gateway provider that specialises in online and card-not-present payments. It uses a transparent, flat-rate pricing structure with no hidden fees, which makes its costs easier to forecast and is therefore a great fit for online sellers operating on tight margins.

Eway settles funds to Australian bank accounts on a next-business-day basis, which is faster than other providers like SumUp (which can take up to five working days).

The provider also offers local customer support to assist you throughout the payment process, including 24/7 emergency technical support. However, like Till Payments, Eway doesn’t offer live chat support, which may be a drawback for merchants looking for instant, low-friction help with minor queries.

3. SecurePay: Useful third-party integrations

SecurePay is a secure Australian payment gateway. Rather than focusing on POS features or in-person payments, SecurePay is designed for online checkouts, phone payments and recurring transactions, making it a solid option for ecommerce businesses, professional services and other organisations processing regular card-not-present payments.

SecurePay integrates smoothly with a wide range of shopping carts and accounting platforms, allowing businesses to plug it into their existing workflows seamlessly. However, with the provider lacking built-in POS tools and social selling features, it’s less suitable for businesses after an all-in-one payments and POS platform.

4. Fat Zebra: Strong API platform

Unlike many flat-rate gateways, Fat Zebra lets merchants pay the underlying card scheme interchange fees, plus a small fixed fee per transaction. This can be more cost-effective for businesses with higher average ticket sizes or strong card-present versus card-not-present mix optimisation.

The provider’s API-driven approach, which allows developers to build tailored checkout experiences and embed secure payments directly into websites and mobile apps, really helps it stand out from the crowd. This makes Fat Zebra a strong choice for SaaS companies and tech-forward merchants looking to integrate payments into their existing systems.

SN: Fat Zebra was acquired by SecurePay in April 2025, but remains a separate entity with distinct features and price points.

How Does a Payment Gateway Work?

A useful way to think of this technology is that it’s like… a gateway! It’s a place one thing (the customer’s card details) needs to go through to get somewhere else (authorisation of the card by the bank involved).

Let’s take a look at where a payment gateway sits in a typical card transaction:

There is one more detail to note: you’ll need a merchant account before you can start taking payments. A payment gateway makes the transaction happen, but you still need somewhere for the money to go.

Payment gateways commonly come as part of a package when you set up a merchant account. Some providers may charge an additional fee for this service. Other payment services, such as a virtual terminal, pay-by-link feature and invoicing tool, are also often included as standard with this type of package.

However, other payment gateway services offer a service that can work alongside a merchant account from a different provider. This does offer more flexibility and customisability, but it typically comes at a greater cost — and with more hassle.

Top Factors to Consider When Choosing a Payment Gateway Provider

When shopping for your payment gateway provider and considering how to get a merchant account, be sure to bear the following factors in mind:

• International support: If you sell to customers overseas, your payment gateway should support a wide range of card types and multiple currencies. This ensures international customers can pay easily and helps you avoid losing sales due to card or currency limitations.
• Transaction volume and pricing: Payment gateway fees often change depending on how much you process. Some providers use flat-rate pricing, while others offer interchange-plus or volume-based discounts. Estimating your expected sales volume and transaction count will help you choose the most cost-effective option.
• Customer support availability: Payment issues can directly impact revenue, so responsive support is essential. Check what support channels are offered (phone, email, live chat), whether support is available 24/7, and if you can speak to a real person when something goes wrong.
• Hosted checkout versus API integration: Hosted payment pages are quicker to set up and reduce your PCI compliance burden, but they redirect customers away from your site. API-based integrations keep the checkout on your website and create a smoother customer journey, though they require more technical expertise to implement and maintain.
• PCI DSS compliance: PCI DSS compliance is mandatory if you accept card payments. Always confirm that your payment gateway meets PCI standards, as this helps protect customer data and reduces the risk of fraud or penalties.
• Shopping cart and platform compatibility: Your payment gateway must integrate with your ecommerce platform or shopping cart. Compatibility ensures customers can move smoothly from browsing to checkout, without errors or abandoned carts.