5 PayPal Alternatives for Bloggers and Solopreneurs
For online businesses, providing a secure payment option is critical. While plenty of payment options are available out there, PayPal has been arguably one of the most popular ones. It is a feature-rich payment tool loved by freelancers and solopreneurs across the globe.
However, depending on your location and business size, this tool may not be the best alternative for you. For example, in India, the government has imposed several restrictions on PayPal account transactions. Sometimes, you may find the transaction fees higher or completion of the transaction might be delayed.
Whatever the reasons are, there is no need to rest the future of your low-cost business on PayPal alone. You can find different alternatives to PayPal with similar or even better features.
Read on to find out more about your options to keep receiving payments without any hassle.
Square
Launched in 2009, Square is one of the most advanced payment collection alternatives for PayPal users. Although it began as a mobile payment device, Square now supports a wide variety of online transactions.
Compared to PayPal, you can quickly sync your Square account with your online store, Mobile Point of Sale (mPOS) system, and also desktop Point of Sale (POS) system. It provides with a wide array of features that PayPal can’t match such as free and impressive built-in POS software.
The payment transaction fees are also affordable. Usually, you have to pay a flat rate for all types of transactions as follows:
- 2.75% for swiped/dipped/tapped transactions.
- 3.5% + $0.15 for keyed transactions.
- 2.9% + $0.30 for online transactions.
There are no monthly minimum charges or account statement fees of any kind. You also don’t need to pay extra for recurring payments or a full-fledged virtual terminal.
PayPal, on the other hand, requires you to use the Virtual Terminal feature or Payments Pro Account (both of which have a $30 monthly fee) for recurring payments. Plus, you have to pay additional $10, bringing the monthly fee to $40. But, Square offers you a relatively better deal, especially if you have a newly opened low-investment business.
The biggest drawback, however, is the account stability issue. Square can often hold your funds for verification if transactions look suspicious, which often occurs owing to their aggressive fraud prevention strategy.
QuickBooks GoPayment
QuickBooks GoPayment is the online payment processing arm of the QuickBooks accounting and payment ecosystem. Using GoPayment, you can create invoices and keep track of your receivables. You can also credit the payments directly into your bank account.
You can use it in the following three ways:
- As a standalone system to receive online payments.
- Sync it with your QuickBooks accounting ecosystem to keep all your transactions in one place.
- Sync it with QuickBooks Payments (a full-fledged credit card processing service) to get lower transaction fees compared to the standalone GoPayment system.
QuickBooks has four flexible pricing plans including pay-as-you-go and monthly fee ($20) options. You will have to pay 2.90% plus $0.25 per online transaction for a pay-as-you-go plan, which is suitable for small vendors.
QuickBooks accepts almost all major credit/debit cards and online payment applications. However, per transaction fees can quickly add up if you have small sales tickets.
Stripe
Stripe is popular because it offers both, features and flexibility. Its impressive client list includes Lyft, Under Armour, Pinterest, and TaskRabbit, among others. It has an easy-to-use merchant interface with advanced reporting features. It streamlines the merchant account as well as the payment gateway.
Stripe’s transaction costs are compatible with PayPal. The pay-as-you-go pricing is 2.9% plus $0.30 per successful card transaction. Unlike PayPal, however, Stripe accepts ACH transactions at just 0.8% per transfer fee. But, the platform will charge you relatively less compared to PayPal for micropayments of under $10.
It comes with excellent developer tools for third-party e-commerce integrations including WooCommerce and Shopify. However, you need to have some coding knowledge for easier integration and customization. Further, like Square, it has account stability issues.
Payoneer
Payoneer is available in many countries and processes payments in several currencies. The e-commerce giant, Amazon and the leading hospitality provider, Airbnb are some of the companies using Payoneer services.
However, unlike Square or Stripe, Payoneer solely focuses on facilitating international transactions. It is neither a Payment Service Provider (PSP) nor a merchant account provider.
Freelancers and solopreneurs can find this tool quite attractive for receiving international payments quickly and safely. If you have to exchange currencies when receiving payment, you have to pay an exchange fee of up to 2% (it may go to 2.75% in some countries) above the mid-market rate.
For direct credit card payments, you will need to pay 3% fee per transaction. The fee is 1% for USD e-checks. Payoneer claims to reduce your payment fees by up to 71%. It also supports local bank transfers in more than 200 countries. You can use a Payoneer debit card to withdraw money directly from your account through an ATM anywhere in the world.
Skrill
Skrill is a payment gateway provider that began electronic payments in 2001. It offers plenty of payment options including credit cards, bank transfers (local and global), mobile money wallets, and cash withdrawals from ATM. The biggest benefit of Skrill is the security. Freelancers and solopreneurs can transfer large sums of money to their local accounts securely.
For personal accounts, receiving money into your Skrill account is always free of charge. However, Skrill adds a fee of 3.99% to its wholesale exchange rates for transactions involving a currency conversion.
Sending money to an email address or another Skrill wallet will cost you 1.45% (with a minimum fee of $0.50) of the transaction amount. For withdrawing funds from your local bank account, it will charge a flat fee of $5.50 per transaction.
For business payment options, Skrill offers digital wallet checkout, quick checkout (100 local payment methods and over 170 direct bank transfer), and integrated payment gateway options. However, you have to contact their sales team to get the pricing.
Wrapping Up
You don’t have to rely solely on PayPal to get paid as a freelancer or a solopreneur. From Square to Skrill, these five alternatives offer you varying degrees of safety, competitive transaction costs, and ease of use. Whatever your reasons, make sure to choose the most suitable money transfer tool, depending on your circumstances. So, which one will you choose? Let us know in your comments.