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.
Global Payments
Payment Processor · 2.2/5 mean
Global Payments Inc. is a Fortune 500 payments technology behemoth, processing trillions of dollars annually across 38 countries, offering massive scale and enterprise capabilities, but consistently criticized by small and mid-size merchants for opaque pricing, hidden fees, rigid contracts, poor customer support, and a significant history of legal actions.
Read the full review →Shift4
Payment Processor · 3.5/5 mean
Shift4 Payments is a full-service payment processor and POS provider specializing in integrated commerce solutions for restaurants, hospitality, retail, and enterprise merchants.
Read the full review →Shift4 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.
| Criterion | Global Payments | Shift4 |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing transparency | 1.0 | 2.5wins this criterion |
| Feature set | 4.0 | 5.0wins this criterion |
| Ease of use | 2.0 |
Straight from each provider's published documentation. Where a number isn't published, we say so rather than estimate.
| Metric | Global Payments | Shift4 |
|---|---|---|
| Online rate | Not disclosed | 2.7% – 3.5% + $0.10 – $0.30 per transaction |
| Monthly fee | Not disclosed | $10 – $50 per month |
| Payout | Typically next business day; varies by contract | 1 – 2 business days |
| Contract | Contracts carry a three-year initial term with an automatic renewal clause extending the contract for one-year periods after that | 1 – 3 year contracts. Enterprise agreements may be longer. |
| In-person rate | Not disclosed | 1.4% – 2.6% + $0.05 – $0.20 per transaction |
| Keyed rate | Not disclosed | 2.5% – 3.9% + per transaction fee |
From the Shift4 review
Global Payments spans 38 countries with deep vertical software for healthcare, education, and restaurants, a broader international footprint than Shift4 offers. Shift4 earns the higher grade here, with faster onboarding, a far stronger customer-review record, and an end-to-end POS-plus-acquiring stack built for hospitality.
Pick Global Payments if you need vertical software and acquiring across dozens of countries at enterprise scale
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.
| 3.0wins this criterion |
| Customer support | 1.0 | 3.5wins this criterion |
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| Contract terms | 1.0 | 3.0wins this criterion |
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| Industry reputation | 4.0 | 4.0 |
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| International rate | Not disclosed | +1% cross-border fee (in addition to normal card rates) |
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| PCI fee | p to $125/month PCI non-compliance fee — well above industry standard | $5 – $25 per month |
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| Statement fee | Charged monthly (amount varies by contract) | $5 – $15 monthly |
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| Chargeback fee | Non-refundable; amount varies by contract | $15 – $25 per chargeback |
|---|
| Early termination | Up to $500 USD; some contracts include liquidated damages clauses for higher penalties | Depends on contract terms: Often $250 – $500 (Some contracts charge liquidated damages equal to remaining contract value) |
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| Last fact-checked | August 19, 2026 | August 19, 2026 |
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