Head to head
Compared side by side on published facts and the same six criteria every review is graded on — generated from the live directory, not a sales page.
Checkout.com
Payment Processor · 2.7/5 mean
PayPal
Payment Processor · 4.0/5 mean
PayPal is a global, feature-rich digital payments platform (consumer wallet + merchant services) with extensive integrations and brand reach. It is trusted by many businesses but criticized in public reviews for dispute handling and account-hold practices.
Read the full review →PayPal holds the higher standing — by grade, then mean category score. The row-by-row picture below is what should actually decide it for your business.
Both graded against the same six criteria. How we grade · Last fact-checked August 19, 2026 and September 2, 2026.
| Criterion | Checkout.com | PayPal |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing transparency | 1.0 | 3.0wins this criterion |
| Feature set | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| Ease of use | 3.0 | 4.0 |
Straight from each provider's published documentation. Where a number isn't published, we say so rather than estimate.
| Metric | Checkout.com | PayPal |
|---|---|---|
| Online rate | Not disclosed | 2.89% + $0.29 per transaction |
| Monthly fee | Not disclosed | $0 Pay-as-you-go | Enterprise agreements have monthly fees |
| Payout | Not disclosed | 1-3 business days (standard bank transfer) |
| Contract | Not disclosed | Pay as you go or month-to-month business accounts |
| In-person rate | Not disclosed | 2.29% + $0.09 per card-present transaction (PayPal's published POS rate, not Tap to Pay only) |
| Keyed rate | Not disclosed | 3.49% + $0.09 for manually entered cards, published on PayPal's POS pricing page |
From the Checkout.com review
PayPal is open to businesses without enterprise volume commitments, publishes its rates, and brings a buyer-trusted brand that helps checkout conversion — none of which Checkout.com offers smaller merchants. Checkout.com still holds up for high-volume global enterprises that need direct local acquiring and deep API control rather than a wallet-led checkout.
Pick PayPal if you want a recognized checkout brand with no monthly fee or volume requirements
Ideal for
Not recommended for
Ideal for
Not recommended for
The full reviews carry the pricing narratives, contract analysis and everything else behind these numbers — or let the matching funnel score the whole directory against your business.
| Customer support | 2.0 | 3.0wins this criterion |
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| Contract terms | 2.0 | 4.0wins this criterion |
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| Industry reputation | 3.0 | 5.0wins this criterion |
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| International rate | Not disclosed | Cross-border fee +1.50%; currency conversion spread 4.00% (3.00% on some transaction types) |
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| PCI fee | Not disclosed | None |
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| Statement fee | Not disclosed | Varies by product/region |
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| Chargeback fee | Not disclosed | Region dependent ($20 US) |
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| Early termination | Not disclosed | Not applicable for standard pay as you go accounts; enterprise/reseller contracts may have terms |
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| Last fact-checked | August 19, 2026 | September 2, 2026 |
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