PayPal
PayPal is a payment platform that lets businesses accept payments online and lets individuals send and receive money, backed by a large base of consumers who already have PayPal accounts. Standard PayPal Checkout for domestic transactions costs 3.49% plus $0.49 per transaction.
Facts checked on against the sources listed at the end of this page.
- Pricing
- Pay as you goPaid from 3.49% + $0.49 per transaction (domestic PayPal Checkout)
- Open source
- NoProprietary
A good fit for
- Businesses that want to reach the large existing base of consumers who already trust and use PayPal
- Merchants who want simple invoicing alongside payment acceptance
- Marketplaces and smaller sellers wanting buyer and seller protection built in
- Individuals sending or receiving peer-to-peer payments
Not a good fit for
- Businesses wanting the lowest possible per-transaction card processing rate compared to some other processors
- Merchants who want a single unified integration for cards, PayPal and Venmo, where Braintree may be a better fit
- High-volume businesses that haven't negotiated a custom rate and are paying standard fees
PayPal pricing
Domestic PayPal Checkout transactions cost 3.49% plus $0.49 per transaction for standard business accounts. Rates vary for international transactions, micropayments and qualified nonprofits, and larger businesses can negotiate custom rates.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| PayPal Checkout (domestic) | 3.49% + $0.49 per transaction | Payment acceptance from PayPal accounts and cards, buyer/seller protection. |
Prices in USD, checked on 27 September 2026. Current prices on paypal.com.
Main features
- PayPal Checkout
- Accept payments from PayPal account holders and cards through a hosted checkout flow.
- Invoicing
- Send professional invoices and collect payment through PayPal.
- Peer-to-peer transfers
- Send and receive money between individuals with a PayPal account.
- Buyer and seller protection
- Dispute resolution and protection programs for eligible transactions.
- Recurring billing
- Support for subscription and recurring payment collection.
About PayPal
PayPal lets businesses accept payments from the large existing base of consumers who already have PayPal accounts, alongside credit and debit card acceptance, invoicing and recurring billing.
Because PayPal owns Braintree and Venmo, businesses that want the broadest payment method coverage sometimes use Braintree's unified integration instead of PayPal's own checkout directly, though PayPal Checkout remains a common standalone choice for smaller merchants and marketplaces.
PayPal also offers consumer-facing features like peer-to-peer money transfers, a PayPal balance and debit card, and buyer/seller protection programs that are part of its broader appeal beyond pure payment processing.
- Made by
- PayPal
- Free plan
- No monthly fee for a standard business account; fees are per transaction
- Available on
- Web, iOS, Android, REST API, Checkout buttons and plugins
PayPal alternatives
Questions about PayPal
How much does PayPal charge per transaction?
Domestic PayPal Checkout transactions are 3.49% plus $0.49 per transaction for standard business accounts.
Does PayPal have a monthly fee?
No, there's no monthly fee for a standard PayPal business account; fees are charged per transaction.
What's the difference between PayPal and Braintree?
Braintree, also owned by PayPal, offers a single unified integration for cards, PayPal, Venmo and digital wallets, while PayPal Checkout is PayPal's own standalone checkout product.
Can I send invoices through PayPal?
Yes, PayPal includes invoicing tools for billing customers directly.
Sources and links
Work on PayPal? Claim this listing. Something wrong or out of date? Suggest a correction. Stats come from the public GitHub and npm APIs and update every day.