Comparison · Updated October 29, 2026
Paymob vs PayTabs in Egypt
Paymob
B-
Paymob is a payment provider for businesses in Egypt, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Oman. Islam Shawky, Alain El Hajj and Mostafa Menessy started it in 2015 as students at the American University in Cairo. It signs merchants directly through local companies in each country and handles online card payments, payment links, subscriptions, instalments, mobile wallets and, in Egypt, card terminals. When it announced a $35 million pre-Series C round in September 2026, co-led by Mubadala and the EBRD, it said it serves more than 390,000 merchants across those four countries and that the Gulf now brings in close to half its revenue. Its UAE company is on the Central Bank of the UAE's register as a Category III retail payment services licensee, and it announced a full payment service provider licence from the Central Bank of Oman in January 2024. As of September 2026 its pricing pages list per-transaction rates in local currency: 2.75% + EGP 3 in Egypt, 2.9% + AED 1 in the UAE, and in Saudi Arabia 1% + SAR 1 on mada, 2.7% + SAR 1 on Visa and Mastercard and 3.5% + SAR 1 on international cards. Other Saudi pages show different card rates. Payouts are weekly in Egypt and the UAE and twice a week in Saudi Arabia. Read the country terms before you sign: the UAE terms tie you in for 24 months and add a monthly charge if you process less than AED 10,000. The UAE and Saudi terms both let Paymob withhold settlements and keep disputed amounts for 120 days or longer.
PayTabs
B-
PayTabs is a Riyadh-based payments company founded in Saudi Arabia in 2014 by Abdulaziz Al Jouf. It sells a payment gateway to online merchants across the Gulf and North Africa, a payment orchestration and switching platform to banks and large enterprises, and the Paymes Super App for small Saudi businesses. We review it from the point of view of a merchant in Saudi Arabia, where PayTabs publishes the most. There, PayTabs is a technology layer rather than your acquirer: its gateway terms say you sign a separate processing and settlement agreement with a partner bank or payment service provider, which sets your card rates, handles chargebacks and pays you out. PayTabs charges on top of that. As of October 2026 its Saudi gateway agreement lists a one-time SAR 999 setup fee, SAR 199 a month and SAR 1 per transaction, before VAT. The Paymes app is priced separately at SAR 49 a month, with mada cards at 1% and credit cards at 2.25% + SAR 1, which PayTabs labels a testing-phase price. Outside Saudi Arabia the only published prices we found are per-transaction plans on its Egypt page; other markets are quoted by sales. The contract has no fixed term, and either side can end it on 60 days' notice, but fees already paid, including the setup fee, are not refunded. Trustpilot rates it 2.6 out of 5, and recent reviews describe slow payouts, frozen funds and support that is hard to reach.
VS
Overview
We compare the two for a business registered in Egypt taking online payments in EGP, using each provider's Egyptian pricing page as of October 2026. Egypt is the one market where both publish an all-in per-transaction price. In Saudi Arabia, PayTabs's gateway fees sit on top of a card rate that a partner bank sets and does not publish, so a like-for-like Saudi comparison is not possible. Paymob's Egyptian Standard plan charges 2.75% + EGP 3 per transaction at any volume, with no monthly or subscription fee. PayTabs's Egypt page lists a Growth plan at 2.5% + EGP 2 for businesses processing EGP 30,001 to EGP 250,000 a month. It also lists an Insta plan at 2.5% + EGP 3, but only for micro merchants and freelancers selling through its Paymes social-commerce platform, up to EGP 50,000 a month. Above EGP 250,000 a month both quote custom prices. Within PayTabs's Growth band, PayTabs is cheaper on every order size, because both its percentage and its fixed fee are lower. Neither page says whether the online rate includes Egypt's 14% VAT. Paymob labels only its terminal rates as excluding VAT. Paymob is the more complete package in Egypt on what it publishes: a single rate for every merchant, published card-terminal rates and a phone hotline. Neither company publishes its Egyptian merchant terms, and neither publishes a payout timetable we could confirm for Egypt.
Key Takeaways
- ✓PayTabs is cheaper on published Egyptian prices for a business processing EGP 30,001 to EGP 250,000 a month: its Growth plan charges 2.5% + EGP 2 per transaction, against Paymob's 2.75% + EGP 3. On EGP 100,000 in 200 orders that is about EGP 2,900 against EGP 3,350.
- ✓Paymob publishes one rate for every Egyptian merchant at any volume. PayTabs publishes no gateway plan below EGP 30,001 a month; its Insta plan at 2.5% + EGP 3 is for micro merchants and freelancers using the Paymes social-commerce platform.
- ✓Paymob publishes Egyptian card-terminal rates that fall from 2.5% to 1.75%, excluding VAT, as monthly turnover rises. PayTabs Egypt publishes no in-person pricing.
- ✓Neither payout schedule is clear for Egypt. Paymob's pricing page says weekly, but the settlement answer on its WooCommerce listing, which names no country, says the next business day. PayTabs's FAQ describes Monday payouts after a holding period without naming Egypt. Get the schedule in writing from either.
- ✓Neither publishes its Egyptian merchant terms, so contract length, notice and exit fees must be read in the agreement you are offered. Paymob has a phone hotline (19079). PayTabs Egypt offers a WhatsApp line marked no calls, plus email and a web form, Sunday to Thursday, 8am to 5pm Arabian Standard Time.
Paymob
Paymob suits an Egyptian business that wants a single published online rate at any volume, published card-terminal pricing and a phone line, even if it pays a slightly higher per-transaction rate.
PayTabs
PayTabs suits an Egyptian online business processing roughly EGP 30,000 to EGP 250,000 a month, where its 2.5% + EGP 2 Growth plan undercuts Paymob on every order size, provided it confirms the plan, payout schedule and terms in writing.
The Verdict
It Depends on Your Needs
Why?
On published Egyptian prices, PayTabs is cheaper for an online business processing EGP 30,001 to EGP 250,000 a month. Its Growth plan charges 2.5% + EGP 2 per transaction against Paymob's 2.75% + EGP 3, which saves roughly EGP 450 on EGP 100,000 in 200 orders and more when orders are small. Paymob is the more complete published offer in Egypt. It has one rate for every merchant at any volume, published card-terminal rates with daily settlement, and a phone hotline. PayTabs publishes no website-gateway plan below EGP 30,001 a month and no in-person pricing, and its Egypt support runs by WhatsApp message, email and web form, with no phone calls. Neither publishes Egyptian merchant terms, and neither gives a payout timetable for Egypt that we could confirm, so the agreement you are offered matters more than the pricing page. A mid-sized online shop with steady volume will usually pay less on PayTabs. A smaller seller, a shop that also needs a card terminal, or a business that wants to phone its provider may be better served by Paymob.
Feature by feature
Detailed Comparison
Filter Options
Online pricing in Egypt (EGP, published plans, October 2026)
| Feature | Paymob | PayTabs |
|---|---|---|
| EGP 30,001 to 250,000 a month | 2.75% + EGP 3 | 2.5% + EGP 2 (Growth) Winner |
| Paymob's Egyptian pricing page lists one Standard plan, 'designed for Startups, Small and Medium Enterprises', at 2.75% + EGP 3 per transaction, under its 'Local' tab. PayTabs's Egypt page lists the Growth plan at 2.5% + EGP 2 per transaction for monthly volume from EGP 30,001 to EGP 250,000. PayTabs is lower on both the percentage and the fixed fee, so it is cheaper at every order size within that band. Neither page says whether the rate includes Egypt's 14% VAT. An older PayTabs price table still sits, hidden, in the Egypt page's code (2.7% + EGP 2 for this band, and an EGP 1,000 monthly fee below EGP 30,000). It is not shown to visitors, but confirm the plan in your agreement. | ||
| Up to EGP 30,000 a month | 2.75% + EGP 3 | 2.5% + EGP 3 (Insta, Paymes only) |
| Paymob's Standard plan has no volume floor. PayTabs publishes no gateway plan below EGP 30,001 a month. Its Insta plan, at 2.5% + EGP 3 for monthly volume up to EGP 50,000, is described as 'for micro merchants and freelancers using the Paymes social commerce platform', which is a different product from a website gateway. We set no winner because the two are not the same product. A small business that wants a website checkout from PayTabs should ask which plan applies. | ||
| International cards | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Paymob's Egyptian pricing page has an 'International' tab that shows no rate. PayTabs's Egypt page does not split rates by card origin. PayTabs's FAQ lists EGP, USD, EUR, GBP, SAR and AED as processing currencies in Egypt, with settlement in the local currency. Ask both for a written international-card rate if you sell abroad. | ||
| Monthly or setup fee | None | None listed |
| Paymob's pricing page says 'There are no monthly or subscription fees' and that you are charged only per transaction. PayTabs's Egypt plan cards list only a per-transaction fee, and the page invites you to 'Set up a FREE account'. Paymob's UAE terms add a minimum-volume charge, but that clause is UAE-only and outside this basis. | ||
| Above EGP 250,000 a month | Custom (Enterprise) | Custom (Enterprise) |
| Both invite larger merchants to ask for a quote. Paymob's WooCommerce listing advertises 50% off processing fees for three months for new customers without naming a country; PayTabs's Egypt page links to a special-offers page that now redirects to its homepage. | ||
EGP 30,001 to 250,000 a month
Paymob
2.75% + EGP 3
PayTabs
2.5% + EGP 2 (Growth)
Winner
Paymob's Egyptian pricing page lists one Standard plan, 'designed for Startups, Small and Medium Enterprises', at 2.75% + EGP 3 per transaction, under its 'Local' tab. PayTabs's Egypt page lists the Growth plan at 2.5% + EGP 2 per transaction for monthly volume from EGP 30,001 to EGP 250,000. PayTabs is lower on both the percentage and the fixed fee, so it is cheaper at every order size within that band. Neither page says whether the rate includes Egypt's 14% VAT. An older PayTabs price table still sits, hidden, in the Egypt page's code (2.7% + EGP 2 for this band, and an EGP 1,000 monthly fee below EGP 30,000). It is not shown to visitors, but confirm the plan in your agreement.
Up to EGP 30,000 a month
Paymob
2.75% + EGP 3
PayTabs
2.5% + EGP 3 (Insta, Paymes only)
Paymob's Standard plan has no volume floor. PayTabs publishes no gateway plan below EGP 30,001 a month. Its Insta plan, at 2.5% + EGP 3 for monthly volume up to EGP 50,000, is described as 'for micro merchants and freelancers using the Paymes social commerce platform', which is a different product from a website gateway. We set no winner because the two are not the same product. A small business that wants a website checkout from PayTabs should ask which plan applies.
International cards
Paymob
Not disclosed
PayTabs
Not disclosed
Paymob's Egyptian pricing page has an 'International' tab that shows no rate. PayTabs's Egypt page does not split rates by card origin. PayTabs's FAQ lists EGP, USD, EUR, GBP, SAR and AED as processing currencies in Egypt, with settlement in the local currency. Ask both for a written international-card rate if you sell abroad.
Monthly or setup fee
Paymob
None
PayTabs
None listed
Paymob's pricing page says 'There are no monthly or subscription fees' and that you are charged only per transaction. PayTabs's Egypt plan cards list only a per-transaction fee, and the page invites you to 'Set up a FREE account'. Paymob's UAE terms add a minimum-volume charge, but that clause is UAE-only and outside this basis.
Above EGP 250,000 a month
Paymob
Custom (Enterprise)
PayTabs
Custom (Enterprise)
Both invite larger merchants to ask for a quote. Paymob's WooCommerce listing advertises 50% off processing fees for three months for new customers without naming a country; PayTabs's Egypt page links to a special-offers page that now redirects to its homepage.
Best For Your Business
Recommendations based on your business type
Egyptian online shop processing EGP 30,000 to EGP 250,000 a month
Recommended
PayTabs
PayTabs's Growth plan, at 2.5% + EGP 2, is below Paymob's 2.75% + EGP 3 on both the percentage and the fixed fee, so it costs less at every order size in this band. Confirm the plan, VAT treatment and payout schedule in writing.
New or small website seller under EGP 30,000 a month
Recommended
Paymob
Paymob publishes the same 2.75% + EGP 3 rate with no monthly fee at any volume. PayTabs publishes no website-gateway plan below EGP 30,001 a month; its cheaper Insta plan is tied to the Paymes social-commerce platform.
Freelancer or micro merchant selling through social media
Both. PayTabs's Insta plan charges 2.5% + EGP 3 up to EGP 50,000 a month through Paymes. Paymob charges 2.75% + EGP 3 and offers payment links on its standard plan. PayTabs is slightly cheaper if you are happy to sell through Paymes.
Retailer that needs a card terminal as well as online payments
Recommended
Paymob
Paymob publishes Egyptian terminal rates from 2.5% down to 1.75% excluding VAT, with daily settlement for terminal sales. PayTabs Egypt publishes no in-person pricing.
Business processing over EGP 250,000 a month
Both move to custom enterprise pricing above this level. Get written quotes from each, including international-card rates, payout timing, reserves and contract terms.
Paymob: Best for 2 use cases
PayTabs: Best for 1 use case
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this comparison
On published prices, PayTabs is cheaper for an online business processing EGP 30,001 to EGP 250,000 a month. Its Growth plan charges 2.5% + EGP 2 per transaction, against Paymob's 2.75% + EGP 3. On EGP 100,000 in 200 orders that is about EGP 2,900 against EGP 3,350. Below EGP 30,001 PayTabs publishes no website-gateway plan, and above EGP 250,000 both quote custom prices. Neither page says whether VAT is included. Prices are as of October 2026.
Paymob's Egyptian pricing page says there are no monthly or subscription fees and you pay only per transaction. PayTabs's Egypt plan cards show only a per-transaction fee and list no monthly or setup fee, though the page does not say in words that none applies. Check your agreement, because neither publishes its Egyptian merchant terms.
Paymob's Egyptian pricing page says online payments settle weekly, while its WooCommerce listing says cards settle the next business day in an answer that names no country; card-terminal sales settle daily. PayTabs publishes no Egypt-specific schedule. Its general FAQ describes payouts each Monday after a holding period, with a $300 minimum. Get the schedule written into your agreement with either.
Both take Visa, Mastercard and Meeza cards, mobile wallets, cash at kiosks, Apple Pay and buy-now-pay-later providers such as valU, Forsa, Halan and Souhoola. Paymob lists kiosk cash through Aman and Masary; PayTabs lists Fawry, Masary and OPay. PayTabs also lists QR payments.
Paymob gives an Egyptian hotline, 19079, but does not publish its hours. PayTabs's Egyptian WhatsApp number is marked 'No Calls or Voice'; it also takes email and a contact form, and lists Egypt working hours of Sunday to Thursday, 8am to 5pm Arabian Standard Time (its WhatsApp support hours are given as 9am to 6pm).
PayTabs Egypt is part of PayTabs Group, founded in Saudi Arabia in 2014 by Abdulaziz Al Jouf. The group announced in March 2025 that it had acquired PayTabs Egypt from its former partner EFG Holding; press coverage reported a 51% stake, while PayTabs's own release speaks of both a majority stake and full ownership. Paymob was started in Egypt in 2015 by Islam Shawky, Alain El Hajj and Mostafa Menessy, then students at the American University in Cairo, and is venture-backed; in September 2026 it raised $35 million in a round co-led by Mubadala and the EBRD.
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