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.
Payment Depot
ISO · 2.8/5 mean
Payment Depot, now operating as "Payment Depot by Stax," is a California-based merchant services provider founded in 2013 that pioneered the subscription/interchange-plus pricing model for small businesses, but has experienced significant customer service and transparency issues since its 2021 acquisition by Stax.
Read the full review →PayPal
Payfac / Aggregator · 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 September 7, 2026.
| Criterion | Payment Depot | PayPal |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing transparency | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| Feature set | 2.0 | 5.0wins this criterion |
| 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 | Payment Depot | PayPal |
|---|---|---|
| Online rate | Interchange + 0% + $0.15 | 2.89% + $0.29 (Advanced Credit and Debit Card Payments); 2.99% + $0.49 (Standard Credit and Debit Card Payments); 3.49% + $0.49 (PayPal Checkout) |
| Monthly fee | $0 | $0 Pay-as-you-go | Enterprise agreements have monthly fees |
| Payout | Next business day | 1-3 business days (standard bank transfer) |
| Contract | None | Pay as you go or month-to-month business accounts |
| In-person rate | Interchange + 0% + $0.08 | 2.29% + $0.09 per card-present transaction (PayPal's published POS rate, not Tap to Pay only) |
| Keyed rate | Interchange + 0% + $0.15 |
From the Payment Depot review
PayPal offers a buyer-trusted checkout, wide platform integrations, and no monthly fee, against Payment Depot's post-acquisition record of support and billing complaints. Payment Depot remains relevant for high-volume merchants where interchange-plus pricing undercuts PayPal's flat percentage rates.
Pick PayPal if you want a buyer-trusted checkout button and wide platform coverage with no monthly fee
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 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
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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 | $10/month, or $19.99/month if non-compliant | 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 | None | Not applicable for standard pay as you go accounts; enterprise/reseller contracts may have terms |
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| Last fact-checked | September 7, 2026 | September 7, 2026 |
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