How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Ratings come from G2, Capterra or Trustpilot, with the date we checked them.
What is the best merchant services provider in 2026?
Helcim is the best merchant services provider for most growing businesses because it charges $0 per month with transparent interchange-plus pricing at interchange plus 0.40 percent plus 8 cents in person, and its margin falls automatically as volume grows. Square is the best pick for new small sellers, Stripe for online sellers, and Stax for high-volume merchants.
Key takeaways
- Square, Stripe, Helcim, and Chase all start at $0 per month, so a new seller can take card payments with no monthly fee.
- Flat-rate pricing is simple but does not fall with volume, while interchange-plus pricing from Helcim, Dharma, and Host Merchant Services gets cheaper as you grow.
- Stax replaces the percentage markup with a subscription from $99 per month, which only pays off above roughly $10,000 per month in volume.
- Payment Depot publishes no monthly membership fee on its current vendor pricing page, so do not use the $49 per month figure still circulating in third-party guides.
How much does credit card processing cost in 2026?
A small seller pays 2.6 to 2.9 percent plus 10 to 30 cents per transaction on flat-rate plans: Square charges 2.6 percent plus 15 cents in person and 3.3 percent plus 30 cents online on its free plan, Stripe charges 2.9 percent plus 30 cents online, and Chase charges 2.6 percent plus 10 cents in person and 2.9 percent plus 25 cents online. Interchange-plus plans charge the card network cost plus a small markup: Helcim charges interchange plus 0.40 percent plus 8 cents in person, Dharma charges interchange plus 0.15 percent plus 8 cents for a $20 monthly fee, and Host Merchant Services charges interchange plus 0.25 percent plus 10 cents for retail with a $14.99 monthly fee.
Should you choose flat-rate or interchange-plus pricing?
Choose flat-rate pricing if you process under roughly $8,000 to $10,000 a month, sell mostly in person, and want a predictable rate on every sale. Square and Stripe are the simplest flat-rate options, with no monthly fee, no contract, and no termination fee, and Square's own guidance is that flat rates stop making sense above roughly $8,000 to $10,000 a month. Choose interchange-plus pricing if you process more, since the markup falls with volume: Helcim's margin drops automatically in five tiers to 0.15 percent plus 6 cents in person above $1 million a month, and Dharma drops to a 0.10 percent margin above $100,000 a month.
What hidden fees should you check before choosing a processor?
Check six fees before you sign. First, the monthly fee: Square, Stripe, Helcim, and Chase start at $0, while Dharma charges $20 per month, Host Merchant Services charges $14.99 per month, and Stax charges from $99 per month. Second, the chargeback fee: Stripe charges $15 to receive a dispute plus $15 to respond, Helcim charges $0 if you win and $15 if you lose, and Dharma charges $25. Third, the refund policy: Stripe does not return the original processing fee on refunds. Fourth, the termination fee: Square, Stripe, Helcim, and Stax have no long-term contract or termination fee on standard pricing, but Dharma's own pages conflict on a $49 account closure fee, so get it in writing.
How we picked these 8 providers
We picked these 8 providers by checking that each one is a real merchant services provider in active operation in 2026, publishes its pricing or rate structure, and fits a distinct buyer, from the new small seller to the online developer to the high-volume merchant. We opened every vendor homepage and pricing page on 11 November 2026 and took rates from those pages. Stax is the exception: its $99, $139, and $199 tiers are third-party reads of its pricing page from October 2026, and the guide flags that. National Processing was excluded because it rebranded as pmtbox in late 2025 and no longer lists specific plan pricing.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 Square | New and small in-person sellers wanting an all-in-one POS with no monthly fee | $0 per month on the Free plan; in-person 2.6 percent plus 15 cents, online and invoice 3.3 percent plus 30 cents, manually entered 3.5 percent plus 15 cents | Yes, Square Free at $0 per month; Plus and Premium offer a free 30-day trial |
 Stripe | Online and developer-led businesses selling online, subscriptions, or internationally | $0 per month, no setup or monthly fee on Standard; online domestic cards 2.9 percent plus 30 cents, international cards plus 1.5 percent, in-person Terminal 2.7 percent plus 5 cents | Yes in effect, with no monthly fee and pay-as-you-go pricing, so no free trial is needed because there is no subscription for standard Payments |
 Helcim | Growing US and Canadian businesses wanting transparent interchange-plus with no monthly fee | $0 per month; interchange plus 0.40 percent plus 8 cents in person and interchange plus 0.50 percent plus 25 cents online for $0 to $50,000 per month | Yes, $0 monthly fee with no paid plan required, and all payment tools included at $0 per month |
 Stax | High-volume merchants who can beat percentage pricing with a subscription | From $99 per month for up to $150,000 per year in processing; $139 per month for $150,000 to $250,000 per year; $199 plus per month above $250,000 per year, plus interchange at 0 percent markup and $0.08 per in-person transaction | No free plan; a first month free is reported in promotions but was not verified on the vendor pricing page in this run |
 Payment Depot | Higher-volume merchants wanting wholesale interchange-plus rates | Quote, no monthly membership fee listed on the current vendor pricing page; variable rates 0.2 percent to 1.95 percent, 0 percent markup on interchange, $0.08 per card-present transaction and $0.15 per card-not-present transaction | No free plan |
 Dharma Merchant Services | Values-driven small businesses and nonprofits wanting fully published interchange-plus rates | $20 per month, $15 per month for nonprofits; retail, restaurant, lodging, and healthcare at interchange plus 0.15 percent plus $0.08 per authorisation, ecommerce at interchange plus 0.20 percent plus $0.11 | No free plan and no free trial reported |
 Host Merchant Services | Retail and restaurant merchants wanting a small, US-support-led interchange-plus provider with a rate lock | $14.99 per month monthly fee, plus $14.99 per month gateway fee for online accounts; retail interchange plus 0.25 percent plus $0.10, restaurant interchange plus 0.20 percent plus $0.09, ecommerce interchange plus 0.35 percent plus $0.10 | No free plan |
 Chase Payment Solutions | Chase business-banking customers who want payments and deposits in one place | $0 per month on the QuickAccept free plan; in-person tap, dip, and swipe 2.6 percent plus 10 cents, ecommerce 2.9 percent plus 25 cents, manually keyed and payment links 3.5 percent plus 10 cents | Yes, $0 per month QuickAccept plan for in-person and keyed payments; it requires a Chase Business Complete Banking account at $15 per month unless waived, for example with $2,000 plus in eligible QuickAccept deposits per statement period |
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We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
The 8 best merchant services providers in 2026
| Tool |
Best for |
Starting price |
Free plan |
| Square |
New and small in-person sellers, no monthly fee |
$0 per month; 2.6% plus 15 cents in person |
Free plan, $0 per month |
| Stripe |
Online and developer-led businesses |
$0 per month; 2.9% plus 30 cents online |
No monthly fee, pay as you go |
| Helcim |
Transparent interchange-plus with no monthly fee |
$0 per month; interchange plus 0.40% plus 8 cents in person |
$0 monthly fee, all tools included |
| Stax |
High-volume merchants beating percentage pricing |
From $99 per month; interchange at 0% markup |
No free plan |
| Payment Depot |
Higher-volume merchants wanting wholesale rates |
Quote; 0.2% to 1.95% variable, $0.08 per transaction |
No free plan |
| Dharma Merchant Services |
Values-driven small businesses and nonprofits |
$20 per month; interchange plus 0.15% plus 8 cents |
No free plan |
| Host Merchant Services |
Retail and restaurant merchants, rate lock |
$14.99 per month; interchange plus 0.25% plus 10 cents |
No free plan |
| Chase Payment Solutions |
Chase business-banking customers |
$0 per month; 2.6% plus 10 cents in person |
$0 per month QuickAccept plan |
#1Square
Best for: New and small in-person sellers wanting an all-in-one POS with no monthly fee4.6/5 on
G2 (1,208 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit squareup.com
Starting price$0 per month on the Free plan; in-person 2.6 percent plus 15 cents, online and invoice 3.3 percent plus 30 cents, manually entered 3.5 percent plus 15 cents
Free planYes, Square Free at $0 per month; Plus and Premium offer a free 30-day trial
Square charges a flat rate rather than interchange-plus, so the same percentage applies to every card type. There is no monthly fee on Free, no chargeback fee, and no PCI compliance fee stated on its pricing page, and hardware starts at $59 for a contactless and chip reader, $299 for Square Terminal, and $799 to $899 for Square Register. Funds are available next business day free, or instantly for a fee reported at 1.75 percent.
What we like- No long-term contract or termination fee, and you can cancel or switch plans anytime
- Free POS software, free magstripe reader, and Tap to Pay on iPhone and Android with no extra hardware
Watch out for- Flat rates do not fall with volume, so a high-volume merchant pays the same 2.6 percent plus 15 cents as a new seller except for the small Plus and Premium discount, which makes Square comparatively expensive above roughly $8,000 to $10,000 a month
#2Stripe
Best for: Online and developer-led businesses selling online, subscriptions, or internationally4.2/5 on
G2 (462 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit stripe.com
Starting price$0 per month, no setup or monthly fee on Standard; online domestic cards 2.9 percent plus 30 cents, international cards plus 1.5 percent, in-person Terminal 2.7 percent plus 5 cents
Free planYes in effect, with no monthly fee and pay-as-you-go pricing, so no free trial is needed because there is no subscription for standard Payments
Stripe is a flat-rate, pay-as-you-go processor with no long-term contract and no termination fee on standard pricing. It is developer-first, so most non-trivial customisation needs engineering work, and as a payment facilitator it carries account-stability risk for some merchants. Payouts are typically 2 business days in the US, with faster and instant options extra, and custom pricing with interchange-plus and volume discounts is available only on request for large-volume businesses.
What we like- No setup, monthly, minimum-volume, or closure fees on standard pricing, and no fee when a payment fails
- The deepest online toolkit, with Checkout, Payment Links, Billing, invoicing, Radar fraud screening, and 135 plus currencies
Watch out for- Fees stack quickly, since Billing, Tax, Radar add-ons, and other products are charged separately on top of the 2.9 percent plus 30 cents
#3Helcim
Best for: Growing US and Canadian businesses wanting transparent interchange-plus with no monthly fee3.9/5 on
G2 (19 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit helcim.com
Starting price$0 per month; interchange plus 0.40 percent plus 8 cents in person and interchange plus 0.50 percent plus 25 cents online for $0 to $50,000 per month
Free planYes, $0 monthly fee with no paid plan required, and all payment tools included at $0 per month
Helcim passes interchange and card-network costs through at cost and adds only its published margin, shown on every statement. The margin falls automatically in five tiers to 0.15 percent plus 6 cents in person and 0.15 percent plus 15 cents online above $1 million a month, and the average in-person rate is about 1.78 percent plus 8 cents in the US. Equipment is purchased outright, never leased, and there is no per-user fee.
What we like- No monthly, setup, PCI, statement, monthly-minimum, or cancellation fees, and no long-term contract
- Automatic volume discounts based on the average of the last 3 months, with no negotiation needed
Watch out for- Interchange-plus statements are harder to predict than a flat rate, since the total varies by card type on every sale
#4Stax
Best for: High-volume merchants who can beat percentage pricing with a subscription4.9/5 on
G2 (12 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit staxpayments.com
Starting priceFrom $99 per month for up to $150,000 per year in processing; $139 per month for $150,000 to $250,000 per year; $199 plus per month above $250,000 per year, plus interchange at 0 percent markup and $0.08 per in-person transaction
Free planNo free plan; a first month free is reported in promotions but was not verified on the vendor pricing page in this run
Stax is a subscription model, not interchange-plus with a percentage markup: pay the monthly fee, then interchange at cost plus a flat per-transaction fee, with $0.15 per online or keyed transaction and ACH at 1 percent, capped at $10. Standard funding is next business day. It is US-only, does not serve high-risk categories, and includes a virtual terminal, invoicing, recurring billing, and analytics in the subscription.
What we like- 0 percent percentage markup on interchange, so the subscription replaces the percentage cut
- No long-term contract and no cancellation fee on standard service
Watch out for- The $99 per month fee punishes low-volume and seasonal months, since at $5,000 a month it alone is nearly 2 percent before interchange
#5Payment Depot
Best for: Higher-volume merchants wanting wholesale interchange-plus rates2.3/5 on
Trustpilot (1,261 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit paymentdepot.com
Starting priceQuote, no monthly membership fee listed on the current vendor pricing page; variable rates 0.2 percent to 1.95 percent, 0 percent markup on interchange, $0.08 per card-present transaction and $0.15 per card-not-present transaction
Free planNo free plan
Payment Depot was acquired by Stax Payments and now runs on the Stax platform. The vendor page presents it as the Costco of payment processing: a membership or subscription buys wholesale rates, but the current page does not publish the membership price, so the older $49 and $59 to $199 figures circulating online should not be presented as the current vendor price. Hardware is purchased, not leased, and the company lists an Orlando, Florida address and phone on its pricing page.
What we like- No cancellation fees and no long-term contracts, per the vendor pricing page
- Interchange-plus with 0 percent percentage markup, plus an all-in-one dashboard, unlimited users, next-business-day funding, recurring billing, and no batch fees
Watch out for- Pricing is the least clear of the eight, since the current vendor page gives a wide 0.2 percent to 1.95 percent variable range and no monthly fee, while third parties report a $49 per month membership or $59 to $199 per month subscription tiers, so a merchant cannot comparison-shop from the vendor page alone without a quote
#6Dharma Merchant Services
Best for: Values-driven small businesses and nonprofits wanting fully published interchange-plus rates4.4/5 on
Trustpilot (140 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit dharmamerchantservices.com
Starting price$20 per month, $15 per month for nonprofits; retail, restaurant, lodging, and healthcare at interchange plus 0.15 percent plus $0.08 per authorisation, ecommerce at interchange plus 0.20 percent plus $0.11
Free planNo free plan and no free trial reported
Dharma, founded in 2007, is a small registered ISO and MSP working with Synovus Bank and the TSYS and Fiserv platforms, not a direct processor, and it signs US merchants only. Chargebacks cost $25. Optional add-ons are MX Invoicing at $10 per month and an ecommerce gateway integration at $10 per month plus $0.05 per transaction, and the MX B2B app is $20 per month for Level 2 and 3 interchange optimisation.
What we like- Publishes its full markup by industry, with worked examples for a $25 and $100 sale, which almost no competitor does
- No annual fee, monthly minimum, PCI fee, early-termination fee, batch fee, AVS fee, or virtual-terminal fee, per its published fee list
Watch out for- The $20 per month fee is $240 a year before processing a dollar, so very small merchants may do better with a $0 per month processor
#7
Host Merchant Services
Best for: Retail and restaurant merchants wanting a small, US-support-led interchange-plus provider with a rate lock
Visit hostmerchantservices.com
Starting price$14.99 per month monthly fee, plus $14.99 per month gateway fee for online accounts; retail interchange plus 0.25 percent plus $0.10, restaurant interchange plus 0.20 percent plus $0.09, ecommerce interchange plus 0.35 percent plus $0.10
Free planNo free plan
HMS has operated since about 2010 from Newark, Delaware, and is a registered ISO with bank sponsorship through Wells Fargo. It does not lease equipment in its standard offer and offers a free statement analysis with a claim to beat current rates. High-risk accounts are routed to outside partners with custom pricing, so the published rates apply only to low-risk merchants. Other fees on the vendor page include PIN debit at $0.20 per batch, a batch fee of $0.75, annual 1099 reporting at $24 per year, and voice authorisation at $5 per month optional.
What we like- Month-to-month agreements, no setup fee, no early-termination fee, and a rate-lock guarantee with no unexpected rate increase
- Free equipment for qualified merchants, next-day funding, 24/7 US-based support, and a named account manager
Watch out for- The headline markup is higher than Helcim and Dharma, at 0.25 percent retail versus 0.15 to 0.40 percent elsewhere and 0.35 percent online
#8Chase Payment Solutions
Best for: Chase business-banking customers who want payments and deposits in one place3.9/5 on
G2 (15 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit chase.com
Starting price$0 per month on the QuickAccept free plan; in-person tap, dip, and swipe 2.6 percent plus 10 cents, ecommerce 2.9 percent plus 25 cents, manually keyed and payment links 3.5 percent plus 10 cents
Free planYes, $0 per month QuickAccept plan for in-person and keyed payments; it requires a Chase Business Complete Banking account at $15 per month unless waived, for example with $2,000 plus in eligible QuickAccept deposits per statement period
Chase Payment Solutions is the merchant-services arm of JPMorgan Chase and a leading US merchant acquirer. Month-to-month contract on standard plans, with custom pricing available by volume. Hardware is purchased separately, with $99 to $499 reported for terminals and the Chase POS Terminal reported at $499. It accepts all major cards and digital wallets at the same flat rate on basic pricing, and disputes and chargebacks are reported at $25 to $100, which is not stated on the Chase fees page opened in this run.
What we like- Same-day deposits to a Chase business checking account at no extra cost, which is the cash-flow perk fintechs charge about 1.5 to 1.95 percent for
- A direct acquiring bank, not an aggregator, with 24/7 merchant support
Watch out for- The value case largely assumes the merchant already banks with Chase, since standalone terminals and the ecommerce gateway carry monthly fees from $9.95
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest merchant services provider?
For a new seller, Square, Stripe, Helcim, and Chase all start at $0 per month. Helcim is the cheapest at volume, with interchange plus 0.40 percent plus 8 cents in person and automatic discounts as volume grows. Stax is the cheapest above roughly $10,000 a month, since its $99 per month subscription replaces the percentage markup entirely.
Do I need a monthly fee to accept credit cards?
No. Square, Stripe, Helcim, and Chase all offer $0 per month plans, so you can start taking card payments with no monthly fee. Interchange-plus providers with monthly fees, such as Dharma at $20 per month and Host Merchant Services at $14.99 per month, usually work out cheaper once you process more, since their per-transaction markup is lower than flat-rate plans.
What is interchange-plus pricing?
Interchange-plus pricing passes the card network cost, called interchange, through at cost and adds a small fixed markup, such as Helcim's 0.40 percent plus 8 cents or Dharma's 0.15 percent plus 8 cents. Flat-rate pricing charges one percentage on every sale regardless of card type.
Can I cancel my merchant services contract anytime?
With Square, Stripe, Helcim, and Stax, yes: there is no long-term contract or termination fee on standard pricing. Dharma and Host Merchant Services are also month-to-month, though Dharma's own pages conflict on a $49 account closure fee, so get it in writing. Older processors and high-risk accounts often carry early-termination fees, so check the agreement before signing.
Is Square or Stripe better for online sales?
Stripe is better for online sales that need subscriptions, international payments, or custom checkout, since it offers Billing, 135 plus currencies, and the deepest developer toolkit. Square is better if you also sell in person and want one account for POS, online store, and invoicing.
Sources we checked (8)
- https://squareup.com/us/en/point-of-sale/restaurants/pricing
- https://stripe.com/pricing
- https://www.helcim.com/pricing/
- https://staxpayments.com/pricing
- https://paymentdepot.com/pricing/
- https://dharmamerchantservices.com/industries/ecommerce-online/
- https://hostmerchantservices.com/pricing/
- https://www.chase.com/business/payments/merchant-fees
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has 5+ years in B2B and SaaS SEO. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.