Compare Crypto Payment Gateways by Where Your Money Goes

Coin counts and fees are the easy part. The bigger difference is where a customer's payment lands: your own wallet, a provider's account, or on its way to a bank.

See Where Payments Go Start Accepting Crypto

Sourced from each provider's own pages
Dated and re-checked
Says where the other product wins

Where Does Your Customer's Payment Actually Go?

The common settlement patterns behind crypto checkouts. Pick a pattern on each side to see who controls the money at every step.

Held in a provider account
Passes through a provider address
In a wallet you control
Paymento flow

Processor-managed

The provider receives the payment before you do.

Provider balance

Customer pays
Credited to your account with the providerLands first
You request a withdrawalMinimums and payout fees may apply
Your wallet or bank

Standard flow at CoinPayments platform CoinGate Cryptomus

Provider address, then payout

Customer pays
Held at the provider's deposit addressThe fee is deducted hereLands first
Paid out to your walletLess the fee and a payout network fee

Standard flow at NOWPayments

Provider, then your bank

Customer pays
Provider addressSwept and exchanged to fiatLands first
Local currency in your bankSettled every business day

Standard flow at BitPay

Merchant-controlled

The payment lands at an address in a wallet you control.

Paymento: direct to your wallet

Customer paysBy address and QR, or a connected wallet
Your existing walletNo settlement stepLands first

Offered by Paymento, bring your own wallet

Paymento: embedded store wallet

Customer pays by QREthereum and Solana; Tron connects a wallet
Your store walletOnly your passkey can authorize itLands first
You start settlementWhen you choose, never automatically
Your main walletThe destination you configured

Offered by Paymento, embedded wallet store

Self-hosted: your wallet, your server

Customer pays
Your walletWatched by software you host and maintainLands first

Offered by BTCPay Server

These are common patterns, not fixed labels for providers. Several providers offer more than one: NOWPayments also has an optional custody balance, and CoinPayments runs a separate non-custodial product, DepiPay. Each comparison shows which pattern its standard flow follows.

Every Comparison in One Place

Published standard rates as of 12 October 2026. Several providers offer lower custom rates at volume, and the products include different services, so read the full comparison before deciding on price.

Provider	Where the payment lands first	Standard fee	Comparison
Paymento	Your wallet or your store wallet	0.5% + $0.20 on embedded wallet stores	Pricing
NOWPayments	Provider deposit address, then payout	1% 1.5% multi-currency or fixed rate	NOWPayments alternative
CoinPayments	Platform balance	1% Volume discounts via sales	CoinPayments alternative
BitPay	Provider address, then your bank	2% + 25¢ Below $500,000 a month	BitPay alternative
CoinGate	Account balance	1% Standard plan	CoinGate alternative
Cryptomus	Business wallet balance	2% New users, negotiable to 0.4%	Cryptomus alternative
BTCPay Server	Your wallet, self-hosted	0% You run the server	BTCPay Server alternative
Coinbase Commerce	Closed; replaced by custodial Coinbase Business	1% Coinbase Business, migrating merchants	Coinbase Commerce guide

BitPay's rate falls to 1.5% + 25¢ from $500,000 a month and 1% + 25¢ from $1,000,000. Network fees are paid to the blockchain and are not included anywhere above.

Six Questions to Ask Any Crypto Payment Gateway

Useful whichever provider you pick, including us.

Where does the payment land first?Your wallet, a provider address or an account balance. Everything else follows.
Who holds the keys?If it is you, learn how to keep a wallet secure. If not, find out who does.
How is the fee taken?Deducted from each payment, debited from a ledger, or billed separately. It changes what you receive.
What does your customer have to do?Count the steps at checkout: an account, a verification, a wallet connection.
How do you get your money out?Settlement schedules, withdrawal minimums and payout fees sit between a sale and spendable funds.
What happens when you leave?With a balance, you withdraw first. With your own wallet, there is nothing to take with you.

Comparing Crypto Payment Gateways

What does non-custodial mean for a payment gateway?

That the gateway never holds your money. With Paymento, payments go to a wallet you control, there are no pooled wallets, and Paymento cannot move funds without your authorized session. More in non-custodial crypto payment gateways explained.

What is the difference between Paymento's two wallet options?

With bring your own wallet, payments go straight to a wallet you already use and there is nothing to settle. With an embedded wallet store, each order gets its own address inside a store wallet only your passkey can authorize, customers pay by QR code on Ethereum and Solana, and you consolidate to your main wallet when you choose.

Is Paymento the best choice for every merchant?

No. If you need fiat paid into a bank, a very long list of coins, or built-in conversion, other providers do those things and Paymento does not. Paymento is built for merchants who want payments in their own wallet. For a wider roundup, including providers not compared here, see our guide to the best crypto payment gateways.

How are these comparisons kept accurate?

Every competitor detail comes from that company's own pricing, help-centre or legal pages, kept on file, and is re-checked at least every 90 days. Each page shows its last-verified date. If you spot something out of date, let us know.

Accept Crypto Directly Into Your Own Wallet

Non-custodial payment infrastructure with hosted checkout, payment links, an API and plugins for WooCommerce, WHMCS and OpenCart.

Start Accepting Crypto How Paymento Works

0.5%per successful payment, billed to your balance
$0monthly fee
$15free credit for new accounts

Research & Verification

Last verified 12 October 2026
Re-checked at least every 90 days
Each comparison lists its own sources

Primary sources only. Pricing pages, help centres, documentation and terms published by each provider. No third-party reviews.
Every claim traced. Each statement maps to a dated record of the exact page it came from, with a saved copy.
Re-verified before updates. Sources are re-checked at least every 90 days and whenever a provider changes its pricing or product.
Balanced by design. Each page states where the other provider is the better choice, and describes behaviour that can vary as the provider describes it.

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