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.
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 →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 →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 2, 2026 and August 19, 2026.
| Criterion | PayPal | Shift4 |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing transparency | 3.0wins this criterion | 2.5 |
| Feature set | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| Ease of use | 4.0wins this criterion |
Straight from each provider's published documentation. Where a number isn't published, we say so rather than estimate.
| Metric | PayPal | Shift4 |
|---|---|---|
| Online rate | 2.89% + $0.29 per transaction | 2.7% – 3.5% + $0.10 – $0.30 per transaction |
| Monthly fee | $0 Pay-as-you-go | Enterprise agreements have monthly fees | $10 – $50 per month |
| Payout | 1-3 business days (standard bank transfer) | 1 – 2 business days |
| Contract | Pay as you go or month-to-month business accounts | 1 – 3 year contracts. Enterprise agreements may be longer. |
| In-person rate | 2.29% + $0.09 per card-present transaction (PayPal's published POS rate, not Tap to Pay only) | 1.4% – 2.6% + $0.05 – $0.20 per transaction |
| Keyed rate | 3.49% + $0.09 for manually entered cards, published on PayPal's POS pricing page |
From the Shift4 review
PayPal offers month-to-month accounts with no contract and a consumer brand that measurably helps checkout conversion, while Shift4's one- to three-year contracts carry early-termination costs. Shift4 remains the stronger fit for hospitality operators who need unified POS and payments that scale from single locations to stadiums and resorts.
Pick PayPal if you want pay-as-you-go terms and a wallet brand buyers recognize at checkout
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.
| 3.0 |
| Customer support | 3.0 | 3.5wins this criterion |
|---|
| Contract terms | 4.0wins this criterion | 3.0 |
|---|
| Industry reputation | 5.0wins this criterion | 4.0 |
|---|
| 2.5% – 3.9% + per transaction fee |
| International rate | Cross-border fee +1.50%; currency conversion spread 4.00% (3.00% on some transaction types) | +1% cross-border fee (in addition to normal card rates) |
|---|
| PCI fee | None | $5 – $25 per month |
|---|
| Statement fee | Varies by product/region | $5 – $15 monthly |
|---|
| Chargeback fee | Region dependent ($20 US) | $15 – $25 per chargeback |
|---|
| Early termination | Not applicable for standard pay as you go accounts; enterprise/reseller contracts may have terms | Depends on contract terms: Often $250 – $500 (Some contracts charge liquidated damages equal to remaining contract value) |
|---|
| Last fact-checked | September 2, 2026 | August 19, 2026 |
|---|