Comparison · Updated October 23, 2026
Telr vs PayTabs (UAE, online)
Telr
B-
Telr is a Dubai-based online payment gateway for small and mid-size merchants in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, with tailored-price service in Bahrain and Jordan. It says it was established in 2014. In March 2025 it announced a Retail Payment Services licence from the Central Bank of the UAE. In the UAE it signs merchants up under its own agreement and pays out their funds, so it works as a payment facilitator. As of October 2026 its UAE price table has four tiers set by monthly sales. Under AED 10,000 a month you pay a flat AED 249 and no listed per-transaction fee. Above that, rates run from 2.45% + AED 1 down to 2.25% + AED 0.50, with monthly fees falling from AED 199 to zero. International cards add 0.50%. Everything is subject to 5% VAT. Saudi plans are priced in riyals, from 3% + SAR 1 on credit cards and 1% on mada, plus 15% VAT, and run through partner banks. The product covers hosted checkout, payment links, invoices, QR codes, Apple Pay, Google Pay, mada, STC Pay and Tabby instalments. Indian payments firm Cashfree Payments put $15 million into Telr in 2021, which Cashfree says made it one of Telr's largest shareholders; one Indian outlet reported it as a majority stake. There is no fixed term, but you must give a month's notice to leave, and Telr can hold a reserve for at least seven months after you close. Public reviews are few and negative.
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 in the UAE selling online in dirhams, using what each company publishes as of 23 October 2026. Telr publishes a full UAE price table: AED 249 a month flat below AED 10,000 in monthly sales, then 2.45% + AED 1 down to 2.25% + AED 0.50 per transaction with monthly fees from AED 199 to nothing, plus 0.50% on international cards, all before 5% VAT. It also publishes its merchant terms: no fixed term, one month's notice to leave. PayTabs's pricing page shows no UAE prices, but its help centre publishes a dirham SMB plan: 2.85% + AED 1 per transaction, plus a US$50 fee in any month with under US$2,000 in sales. PayTabs presents that plan in a notice moving low-activity accounts onto it from 28 August 2026, and does not say whether new UAE merchants are offered the same rate. On those published figures PayTabs costs less between AED 10,000 and AED 24,999 a month and Telr costs less from AED 25,000. PayTabs publishes no UAE merchant terms. On payment methods the two are close. Both list the main card schemes including the UAE's Jaywan, and Apple Pay, Samsung Pay and PayPal. PayTabs lists both Tabby and Tamara for instalments in the UAE; Telr names only Tabby. Telr's contracting company, Innovate Technologies FZCO, is on the Central Bank of the UAE's register as a Retail Payment Services licensee. We found no PayTabs company on that register, and PayTabs does not say which licensed company handles UAE merchants' funds. PayTabs agreed in September 2026 to buy Amazon Payment Services' Middle East and North Africa business; as of 23 October 2026 we found no announcement that the deal has completed. Payment Review grades both B-.
Key Takeaways
- ✓It depends on your volume and on what you need to know before you sign. Telr is the one you can fully price and read in advance: a published UAE fee table, published terms and a Central Bank of the UAE licence held by the company you contract with. PayTabs publishes a cheaper dirham plan for some volumes and lists Tamara as well as Tabby, but publishes no UAE terms.
- ✓Telr's UAE prices, before 5% VAT: AED 249 a month flat under AED 10,000 in sales; AED 199 a month + 2.45% + AED 1 up to AED 24,999; AED 99 + 2.35% + AED 0.50 up to AED 49,999; no monthly fee and 2.25% + AED 0.50 from AED 50,000. International cards add 0.50%. PayTabs's SMB plan: 2.85% + AED 1 per dirham transaction, plus US$50 in months under US$2,000 in sales; PayTabs does not say whether VAT is included.
- ✓Watch Telr's AED 10,000 step. A merchant selling AED 9,999 a month pays AED 249; one selling AED 10,000 in 50 payments of AED 200 pays about AED 494 before VAT on the Entry plan. On PayTabs's SMB plan the same AED 10,000 costs about AED 335; at AED 30,000 in AED 200 payments Telr is cheaper, at about AED 879 against AED 1,005.
- ✓Neither publishes a UAE payout time. Telr's terms say the schedule is shown in your dashboard and it can hold a rolling reserve for at least seven months after you leave. PayTabs's general FAQ, which names no country, describes payouts in about eight business days with a US$300 minimum withdrawal.
- ✓PayTabs agreed in September 2026 to buy Amazon Payment Services' MENA business in a deal reported at more than US$100 million. As of 23 October 2026 no completion has been announced, so treat it as pending.
Telr
Choose Telr if you sell online in the UAE and want to know your price, notice period and licensing before you talk to sales, or you sell AED 25,000 or more a month, where its published rates beat PayTabs's SMB plan. It publishes AED fees by volume tier, terms with one month's notice to leave, and its contracting company holds a Central Bank of the UAE Retail Payment Services licence. Check where your volume falls against the AED 10,000 step, and get your payout schedule and any reserve in writing.
PayTabs
Choose PayTabs if you sell between AED 10,000 and AED 24,999 a month, where its published SMB plan costs less than Telr's table, if you want Tamara alongside Tabby at checkout, or if you sell in several markets (it runs separate merchant logins for the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Jordan, Iraq and Türkiye). Confirm in writing that the SMB rate applies to you, and get the setup fee, payout schedule, notice period and the name of the company holding your funds before you sign.
The Verdict
It Depends on Your Needs
Why?
For a UAE online business the choice turns on your volume and on how much you need in writing up front. Telr wins on transparency: it publishes UAE fees in dirhams by volume tier, its merchant terms and a one-month notice period, and it contracts through a company on the Central Bank of the UAE's register of Retail Payment Services licensees. Its terms are strict, though: fees can change by email with immediate effect, it can hold a reserve for at least seven months after you leave, and the AED 10,000 tier step roughly doubles the bill of a merchant just over it. PayTabs's published dirham SMB plan costs less than Telr's table between AED 10,000 and AED 24,999 a month and more from AED 25,000, but PayTabs presents it as a plan for low-activity accounts and publishes no UAE terms. PayTabs also lists Tamara as well as Tabby and runs merchant logins for nine markets, and its pending purchase of Amazon Payment Services' MENA business may change its UAE set-up once complete. Choose Telr if you want your price, terms and licensed counterparty confirmed before you sign, or you sell AED 25,000 a month or more. Choose PayTabs if its SMB rate is confirmed for you at a volume where it is cheaper, or you need Tamara or a multi-market gateway, and get its payout schedule, notice period and licensed counterparty in writing.
Feature by feature
Detailed Comparison
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UAE online pricing (October 2026, before 5% VAT)
| Feature | Telr | PayTabs |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee | AED 0–249 by volume tier | US$50 in months under US$2,000 in sales (SMB plan) |
| Telr: AED 249 on the Startup plan (AED 0 to 9,999 in monthly sales), AED 199 on Entry (AED 10,000 to 24,999), AED 99 on Small (AED 25,000 to 49,999) and AED 0 on Medium (AED 50,000 and over); above AED 500,000 a month it quotes a custom plan. Its page says all fees are subject to 5% VAT and a valid trade licence is required. PayTabs: its pricing page shows prices only for its Saudi Paymes app; the dirham SMB plan is published in a June 2026 help-centre article about moving low-activity accounts onto it from 28 August 2026. The US$50 (about AED 184) applies only in months with under US$2,000 (about AED 7,345) in sales. PayTabs does not say whether new UAE merchants are offered this plan or whether its figures include VAT, so confirm both. | ||
| Card transaction fee | 2.25%–2.45% + AED 0.50–1 | 2.85% + AED 1 (SMB plan) |
| Telr: 2.45% + AED 1 on Entry, 2.35% + AED 0.50 on Small and 2.25% + AED 0.50 on Medium. The Startup plan lists the transaction fee as 0% + AED 0, so below AED 10,000 a month you pay only the AED 249 flat fee, which on AED 3,000 of sales is about 8.3% before VAT. PayTabs's SMB plan charges 2.85% + AED 1 on dirham transactions. Totals with the monthly fees, assuming domestic cards and AED 200 payments: at AED 3,000 Telr costs AED 249 and PayTabs about AED 284; at AED 10,000 Telr about AED 494 and PayTabs about AED 335; at AED 30,000 Telr AED 705 + AED 75 + AED 99 = AED 879 (about AED 923 with VAT) and PayTabs about AED 1,005. On these published figures PayTabs is cheaper across Telr's Entry tier and Telr is cheaper from AED 25,000. We give no winner because PayTabs presents the SMB rate as a plan for low-activity accounts, not as its rate for every new merchant. | ||
| International cards | +0.50% | Not disclosed |
| Telr adds 0.50% for international cards on the Entry, Small and Medium plans; the Startup plan lists 0% + AED 0. PayTabs's SMB article covers dirham transactions only and says other currencies keep their existing fees; it gives no international-card surcharge. Its FAQ says UAE merchants can take payment in AED, USD, EUR, GBP, BHD, OMR and SAR and are settled in the local currency they choose. | ||
| Setup fee | None listed | Not disclosed |
| Telr's UAE price table lists no setup fee and says there are no hidden charges; its terms say your fees are set in a Merchant Onboarding Form, so confirm there. PayTabs's help centre says that, depending on the set-up, merchants may pay a one-time setup fee that is non-refundable once the account is activated, but it publishes no UAE amount. | ||
Monthly fee
Telr
AED 0–249 by volume tier
PayTabs
US$50 in months under US$2,000 in sales (SMB plan)
Telr: AED 249 on the Startup plan (AED 0 to 9,999 in monthly sales), AED 199 on Entry (AED 10,000 to 24,999), AED 99 on Small (AED 25,000 to 49,999) and AED 0 on Medium (AED 50,000 and over); above AED 500,000 a month it quotes a custom plan. Its page says all fees are subject to 5% VAT and a valid trade licence is required. PayTabs: its pricing page shows prices only for its Saudi Paymes app; the dirham SMB plan is published in a June 2026 help-centre article about moving low-activity accounts onto it from 28 August 2026. The US$50 (about AED 184) applies only in months with under US$2,000 (about AED 7,345) in sales. PayTabs does not say whether new UAE merchants are offered this plan or whether its figures include VAT, so confirm both.
Card transaction fee
Telr
2.25%–2.45% + AED 0.50–1
PayTabs
2.85% + AED 1 (SMB plan)
Telr: 2.45% + AED 1 on Entry, 2.35% + AED 0.50 on Small and 2.25% + AED 0.50 on Medium. The Startup plan lists the transaction fee as 0% + AED 0, so below AED 10,000 a month you pay only the AED 249 flat fee, which on AED 3,000 of sales is about 8.3% before VAT. PayTabs's SMB plan charges 2.85% + AED 1 on dirham transactions. Totals with the monthly fees, assuming domestic cards and AED 200 payments: at AED 3,000 Telr costs AED 249 and PayTabs about AED 284; at AED 10,000 Telr about AED 494 and PayTabs about AED 335; at AED 30,000 Telr AED 705 + AED 75 + AED 99 = AED 879 (about AED 923 with VAT) and PayTabs about AED 1,005. On these published figures PayTabs is cheaper across Telr's Entry tier and Telr is cheaper from AED 25,000. We give no winner because PayTabs presents the SMB rate as a plan for low-activity accounts, not as its rate for every new merchant.
International cards
Telr
+0.50%
PayTabs
Not disclosed
Telr adds 0.50% for international cards on the Entry, Small and Medium plans; the Startup plan lists 0% + AED 0. PayTabs's SMB article covers dirham transactions only and says other currencies keep their existing fees; it gives no international-card surcharge. Its FAQ says UAE merchants can take payment in AED, USD, EUR, GBP, BHD, OMR and SAR and are settled in the local currency they choose.
Setup fee
Telr
None listed
PayTabs
Not disclosed
Telr's UAE price table lists no setup fee and says there are no hidden charges; its terms say your fees are set in a Merchant Onboarding Form, so confirm there. PayTabs's help centre says that, depending on the set-up, merchants may pay a one-time setup fee that is non-refundable once the account is activated, but it publishes no UAE amount.
Best For Your Business
Recommendations based on your business type
UAE online shop that wants a published price and terms before signing
Recommended
Telr
Telr publishes its UAE fee table and merchant terms, so you can work out your cost and notice period in advance. On AED 30,000 a month in AED 200 sales, its Small plan costs about AED 879 before VAT, against about AED 1,005 on PayTabs's SMB plan. PayTabs publishes no UAE merchant terms.
Store whose customers want to pay in instalments with Tamara
Recommended
PayTabs
PayTabs lists both Tabby and Tamara for UAE merchants. Telr's pages name only Tabby.
Business selling across several Gulf and North African markets
Recommended
PayTabs
PayTabs runs separate merchant logins for the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Jordan, Iraq and Türkiye, with local methods such as KNET in Kuwait and QPay in Qatar. Telr covers the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Jordan.
Small seller with monthly sales between AED 10,000 and AED 25,000
Recommended
PayTabs
Here PayTabs's published SMB plan (2.85% + AED 1, no monthly fee above US$2,000 in sales) costs less than Telr's Entry plan (AED 199 a month + 2.45% + AED 1): about AED 335 against AED 494 on AED 10,000 of sales. PayTabs presents the SMB rate as a plan for low-activity accounts, so confirm in writing that it applies to you, along with any setup fee.
Merchant who wants its contract with a Central Bank of the UAE licensee
Recommended
Telr
Telr's contracting company, Innovate Technologies FZCO, is on the Central Bank's register as a Retail Payment Services licensee. We found no PayTabs company on the register. That does not by itself mean PayTabs is unauthorised, but it does not publish which licensed company handles UAE merchants' funds, so you cannot confirm it before signing.
Telr: Best for 2 use cases
PayTabs: Best for 3 use cases
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this comparison
It depends on your volume. Telr's published UAE fees, as of October 2026 and before 5% VAT, are AED 249 a month flat under AED 10,000 in sales, then 2.45% + AED 1 (AED 199 a month), 2.35% + AED 0.50 (AED 99 a month) and 2.25% + AED 0.50 (no monthly fee) as volume rises, plus 0.50% for international cards. PayTabs's help centre publishes a dirham SMB plan of 2.85% + AED 1, plus US$50 in months under US$2,000 in sales. With AED 200 payments on domestic cards, PayTabs's plan is cheaper from AED 10,000 to AED 24,999 a month (about AED 335 against AED 494 at AED 10,000) and Telr's is cheaper from AED 25,000 (about AED 879 against AED 1,005 at AED 30,000). PayTabs presents the SMB rate as a plan for low-activity accounts, so get its rate, any setup fee and its VAT treatment in writing before comparing.
Not on its pricing page, which as of 23 October 2026 shows prices only for its Paymes app in Saudi Arabia; the country list there is a login selector, not a price switch. Its help centre does publish a dirham SMB plan: 2.85% + AED 1 per transaction, plus US$50 in months with under US$2,000 in sales, effective 28 August 2026 for low-activity accounts moved onto it. PayTabs does not say whether new UAE merchants get the same rate, and it publishes no UAE setup fee, international-card surcharge or merchant terms.
Telr is, through Innovate Technologies FZCO, the company its merchant agreement is with. The Central Bank's register as of August 2026 lists it as a Retail Payment Services licensee, and Telr announced the licence in March 2025. We found no PayTabs company on that register, including its UAE company, PayTabs Payment Services Provider LLC. That does not by itself mean PayTabs is unauthorised: it works through partner banks in Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Ask it which licensed company acquires your UAE transactions and holds your funds.
It has agreed to. In September 2026 PayTabs agreed to buy Amazon Payment Services' Middle East and North Africa business, which serves more than 3,500 businesses in nine markets, in a deal reported at more than US$100 million and approved by both companies; the price was not officially disclosed. No completion date was given, and as of 23 October 2026 we found no announcement that it has completed, so it is still pending. PayTabs's own newsroom does not carry a release on it.
PayTabs lists both Tabby and Tamara for UAE merchants on its payment-methods page, and its help centre says each is enabled after the BNPL provider approves you. Telr offers Tabby on every UAE plan, for four interest-free instalments, and we found no Tamara option on its site. Neither publishes the BNPL provider's merchant fee.
Neither publishes a UAE payout time. Telr's terms say your schedule is set in the dashboard, that a holding period may apply before the first payout, and that Telr can change or suspend settlement. PayTabs's general FAQ, which does not name a country, describes payouts in about eight business days, weekly on Mondays, with a US$300 minimum withdrawal and wire fees paid by the merchant. Get your schedule in writing from either.
Telr says it was established in 2014, as do 2021 reports of Cashfree's investment; a 2017 funding report gave 2013. Its UAE merchant agreement is with Innovate Technologies FZCO, a Dubai company. Indian payments company Cashfree Payments made a US$15 million equity investment in Telr in November 2021. Reports at the time described Cashfree as one of Telr's largest shareholders, and one called it a majority stake; neither company has published the percentage. PayTabs was founded in Saudi Arabia in 2014 by Abdulaziz Al Jouf, who remains its CEO, and is headquartered in Riyadh; it publishes no shareholder list. Its UAE company is PayTabs Payment Services Provider LLC in Dubai.
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