CREDIT CARD PROCESSING · DDR COMPARISON MATRIX™

Credit Card Processing Comparison

A feature-by-feature breakdown of the 11 credit card processors DDR scores: rates, fees, payouts, holds, point-of-sale, online checkout, shopping carts and invoicing, verified on each processor's own pages. Last verified November 2026. Choose how you get paid, tick your must-haves, then compare at least two processors that fit: their terms and how they feel to use differ more than their rates suggest.

Set Up Your Comparison

1. How customers pay you

Pick one or more. Only processors we score for every one you pick are shown, with their DDR Score for it.

2. Your monthly card sales

Sets the estimated monthly cost for each processor, in the table and in Feature Match.

3. Where you sell online

Optional. Shows only processors that connect to your store, and adds its fee on outside processors. Picking one adds Online.

Lowest estimated cost at $10K a month ($45 in-person sales): Helcim, about $234 a month. Each processor's estimate is the first row of Pricing & Fees; for your own sale size and mix, use the fee calculator.

7 Credit Card Processors for In-Person Payments, Compared Side by Side

Grouped by DDR Tier, not a forced 1-7 rank

Product	DDR Score / Tier	Highlighted Strengths	Considerations
Helcim	7.97 · DDR Category Leader	Lowest cost in DDR's model at most small-business sizes; no monthly fee, no contract, and a markup that drops on its own as you grow	Only WooCommerce among the major carts; fee varies by card; no instant payouts and a slower first payout
GoDaddy Payments	7.55 · DDR Strong PerformerLimited review data	2.5% in person with no per-sale fee, and next-day or instant payouts any day	Built for GoDaddy sites, with one other major cart; online wallets and fraud tools aren't stated
PayPal	7.31 · DDR Strong Performer	Works with all five major shopping carts, and customers can pay with PayPal or Venmo	Price depends on the product: PayPal Checkout costs 3.49% + 49¢; new sellers can face holds of up to 21 days
Square	7.26 · DDR Strong Performer	Free point-of-sale app with offline payments and next-day deposits; meets every in-person and invoice essential DDR checks	Highest in-person price on the Free plan at common sizes; online rate on Free rose to 3.3% + 30¢ in January 2026
U.S. Bank Payment Solutions	6.52 · DDR Lower Scoring Solutions	Full point-of-sale plans with table management and loyalty; free same-day deposits, weekends included, with U.S. Bank checking	Flat rates near the top of DDR's model; online needs a $15/mo plan; Elavon's terms set a 3-year term
Stax	6.42 · DDR Lower Scoring Solutions	Card costs at the card's bank fee plus a few cents, so it gets cheaper per dollar as volume grows	$99+ monthly membership and a $750 fee to leave; Tap to Pay, tips and offline mode aren't stated
Clover	6.16 · DDR Lower Scoring Solutions	Wide hardware range, and Clover Go starts at $199 with no monthly fee and offline payments	Contract and termination terms depend on who sells it; 36-month hardware subscriptions can't be cancelled

Helcim7.97DDR Score

DDR Category Leader

Strengths: Lowest cost in DDR's model at most small-business sizes; no monthly fee, no contract, and a markup that drops on its own as you grow

Considerations: Only WooCommerce among the major carts; fee varies by card; no instant payouts and a slower first payout

GoDaddy Payments7.55DDR Score

DDR Strong PerformerLimited review data

Strengths: 2.5% in person with no per-sale fee, and next-day or instant payouts any day

Considerations: Built for GoDaddy sites, with one other major cart; online wallets and fraud tools aren't stated

PayPal7.31DDR Score

DDR Strong Performer

Strengths: Works with all five major shopping carts, and customers can pay with PayPal or Venmo

Considerations: Price depends on the product: PayPal Checkout costs 3.49% + 49¢; new sellers can face holds of up to 21 days

Square7.26DDR Score

DDR Strong Performer

Strengths: Free point-of-sale app with offline payments and next-day deposits; meets every in-person and invoice essential DDR checks

Considerations: Highest in-person price on the Free plan at common sizes; online rate on Free rose to 3.3% + 30¢ in January 2026

U.S. Bank Payment Solutions6.52DDR Score

DDR Lower Scoring Solutions

Strengths: Full point-of-sale plans with table management and loyalty; free same-day deposits, weekends included, with U.S. Bank checking

Considerations: Flat rates near the top of DDR's model; online needs a $15/mo plan; Elavon's terms set a 3-year term

Stax6.42DDR Score

DDR Lower Scoring Solutions

Strengths: Card costs at the card's bank fee plus a few cents, so it gets cheaper per dollar as volume grows

Considerations: $99+ monthly membership and a $750 fee to leave; Tap to Pay, tips and offline mode aren't stated

Clover6.16DDR Score

DDR Lower Scoring Solutions

Strengths: Wide hardware range, and Clover Go starts at $199 with no monthly fee and offline payments

Considerations: Contract and termination terms depend on who sells it; 36-month hardware subscriptions can't be cancelled

See exact plan tiers and pricing for each feature in the full comparison below.

Colors identify each processor, not a performance rating.

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Showing: In person · $10K a month · Change

Feature

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U.S. Bank Payment Solutions

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◐Partial / plan-gated

Add‑onAdd-on

VariesVaries by plan

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Dotted underline = feature confirmed, exact plan tier unconfirmed

Coming soon to this matrix

Reporting and data export, hardware locked to its processor, international and multi-currency selling, and paid dispute-protection add-ons, once each is checked on every processor's own pages.

Frequently Asked Questions: Credit Card Processing Comparison (5 Questions)

Which credit card processors work with Shopify?

PayPal is built into Shopify, and Clover and Authorize.net have official Shopify apps. Square works only through an app from another company, and Stripe can't be added separately where Shopify Payments is offered, including the US. Shopify adds a fee of 2% (Basic plan) to 0.2% (Plus) on orders paid through any outside processor, so most Shopify stores use Shopify Payments.

Which payment processors have no contract or cancellation fee?

Square, Stripe, PayPal, Helcim and GoDaddy Payments state no long-term contract or cancellation fee. Authorize.net shows its all-in-one account terms only when you sign up. Stax's terms include a $750 deconversion fee when you leave, U.S. Bank's linked terms set a three-year term, and Clover's terms depend on who sells it to you.

Which processors let clients pay invoices by bank transfer, and what does it cost?

All eight processors scored for invoices accept customer bank transfers (ACH). Caps matter on large invoices: Stripe and Zoho cap the fee at $5 (Stripe adds its 0.4% Invoicing fee on top), Helcim at $6, PayPal, Stax and GoDaddy (on its Plus plan) at $10, and Square at $10 only on its paid plans. QuickBooks charges 1% with no cap on standard pricing.

Which processors offer instant payouts?

Square, Stripe, PayPal, GoDaddy Payments, Clover and QuickBooks Payments offer instant or same-day payouts for a fee of about 1.5% to 1.95%; Zoho offers them on request, any day including weekends. Helcim and Stax don't offer instant payouts.

How do I use this comparison?

Choose how you get paid with the tabs at the top, then tick the features you need. The Feature Match table shows which processors have all of them and the plan you'd need. For what each would cost at your volume, use the fee calculator; for the full DDR Scores, see the category page.