Payment processing fees eat into your margins every month. With traditional credit card processors charging 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction, a business processing $10,000/month loses over $300 to fees alone. Crypto payment gateways promise lower costs, but their fee structures vary widely.

This guide breaks down the exact fees for every major crypto and stablecoin payment gateway in 2026, with real cost calculations at different volume levels.

How payment gateway fees work

Crypto gateway fees come in different forms. Understanding the model matters because two gateways with the same "1% fee" can cost very different amounts depending on how that fee is applied:

Percentage per transaction: charged on every incoming payment (BitPay, Stripe, CoinGate)
Percentage on withdrawal: charged only when you move funds out of your wallet (Fivo)
Percentage + fixed fee: a percentage plus a flat amount per transaction (BitPay adds $0.25/tx)
Conversion fee: extra charge when auto-converting between coins (NOWPayments adds 0.5%)
Zero fees: open-source, self-hosted solutions with no processing fee (BTCPay Server)

The fee model matters as much as the percentage. A 0.5% fee on withdrawal (charged once) costs far less than a 0.5% fee per transaction (charged on every payment) if you batch your withdrawals.

Fee breakdown by gateway

Fivo: 0.5% on withdrawal

Fivo charges zero fees on incoming payments. The only fee is 0.5% when you withdraw USDC or EURC from your Fivo wallet. No per-transaction fee, no monthly fee, no setup cost.

$1,000/month: $5 total cost
$10,000/month: $50 total cost
$100,000/month: $500 total cost

BitPay: 1% to 2% + $0.25 per transaction

BitPay uses volume-based tiered pricing. Merchants under $500K/month pay 2% + $0.25 per transaction. The rate drops to 1.5% at $500K and 1% at $1M+. The fixed $0.25 per transaction adds up significantly for businesses with many small payments.

Assuming 50 transactions per month at the standard tier (2% + $0.25):

$1,000/month: $32.50 (2% of $1,000 + 50 x $0.25)
$10,000/month: $212.50 (2% of $10,000 + 50 x $0.25)
$100,000/month: $2,012.50 (2% of $100,000 + 50 x $0.25)

Stripe Stablecoins: 1.5% per transaction

Stripe charges a flat 1.5% on every stablecoin payment with no fixed per-transaction fee. Available to US merchants only.

$1,000/month: $15
$10,000/month: $150
$100,000/month: $1,500

NOWPayments: 0.5% to 1%

NOWPayments charges 0.5% when the customer pays in the same cryptocurrency the merchant receives. If auto-conversion to a different coin is enabled, the fee increases to 1%.

$1,000/month: $5 to $10
$10,000/month: $50 to $100
$100,000/month: $500 to $1,000

CoinGate: 1%

CoinGate charges a flat 1% per transaction. No tiered pricing, no fixed per-transaction fee. Simple and predictable.

$1,000/month: $10
$10,000/month: $100
$100,000/month: $1,000

Coinbase Commerce: 1% (closing March 2026)

Coinbase Commerce charged 1% per transaction. The platform is shutting down on March 31, 2026, so it is no longer a viable option for new merchants.

BTCPay Server: 0%

BTCPay Server is free and open-source. There are zero processing fees. The only costs are network/miner fees (paid by the sender) and server hosting (~$8/month for a VPS). It requires technical knowledge to set up and maintain, and is primarily focused on Bitcoin.

Traditional comparison: Stripe cards

For reference, Stripe's standard credit card processing fee is 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. With 50 transactions per month:

$1,000/month: $44 (2.9% of $1,000 + 50 x $0.30)
$10,000/month: $305 (2.9% of $10,000 + 50 x $0.30)
$100,000/month: $2,915 (2.9% of $100,000 + 50 x $0.30)

Full cost comparison table

Monthly cost at $10,000 volume (50 transactions)

Gateway              Fee Model             Cost/month    Cost/year
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Fivo                 0.5% on withdrawal    $50           $600
NOWPayments          0.5% (same coin)      $50           $600
CoinGate             1% per tx             $100          $1,200
Stripe Stablecoins   1.5% per tx           $150          $1,800
BitPay               2% + $0.25/tx         $212          $2,550
Stripe Cards         2.9% + $0.30/tx       $305          $3,660

Savings: Fivo vs Stripe Cards = $255/month = $3,060/year

Cost at scale: $100,000 per month

At higher volumes, the differences become dramatic:

Monthly cost at $100,000 volume (500 transactions)

Gateway              Fee Model             Cost/month    Cost/year
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Fivo                 0.5% on withdrawal    $500          $6,000
NOWPayments          0.5% (same coin)      $500          $6,000
CoinGate             1% per tx             $1,000        $12,000
BitPay ($1M+ tier)   1% + $0.25/tx         $1,125        $13,500
Stripe Stablecoins   1.5% per tx           $1,500        $18,000
Stripe Cards         2.9% + $0.30/tx       $3,050        $36,600

Savings: Fivo vs Stripe Cards = $2,550/month = $30,600/year

A business processing $100,000/month saves over $30,000 per year by switching from credit card processing to Fivo. Even compared to the cheapest crypto alternatives, Fivo's withdrawal-based model keeps costs at the bottom.

Hidden costs to watch for

The advertised fee is not always the full cost. Watch for these additional charges:

Network gas fees: paid by the customer on every crypto transaction. Varies by chain. On L2s like Polygon, Base, and Arbitrum, gas is typically under $0.01. On Ethereum mainnet, it can be $1 to $10+.
Bridge fees: for cross-chain payments, the customer pays a small bridge fee. On Fivo, this is handled automatically via Circle CCTP.
Conversion fees: if the gateway converts crypto to fiat or to a different coin, expect 0.5% to 1.5% extra. BitPay includes conversion in their fee. NOWPayments charges 0.5% extra.
Withdrawal/payout fees: some gateways charge to move funds to your bank. Check the fine print.
Chargeback fees: credit card specific. $15 to $25 per dispute. Crypto payments have zero chargebacks.
Monthly minimums: some gateways have minimum payout thresholds. CoinGate requires 50 EUR minimum.

Which fee model is best for your business?

Many small transactions (e.g., digital downloads, micro-payments): avoid gateways with fixed per-transaction fees ($0.25 or $0.30 adds up fast). Fivo, Stripe Stablecoins, or CoinGate are better choices.
Few large transactions (e.g., B2B invoices, consulting): the per-transaction fixed fee matters less. Focus on the percentage. Fivo (0.5%) is the most cost-effective.
High volume ($100K+/month): BitPay's tiered pricing improves at scale, but Fivo's flat 0.5% still wins. At $1M+/month, BitPay charges 1% + $0.25; Fivo charges 0.5%.
Need fiat settlement: only BitPay and CoinGate deposit directly to your bank. The conversion is included in their fee.
Stablecoin only: Fivo offers the lowest rate at 0.5% with no hidden costs and 9 EVM chains.

The bottom line

Payment processing fees are one of the largest operational costs for online businesses. Switching from credit cards (2.9% + $0.30) to stablecoins can cut costs by 80% or more. Among crypto gateways, the range is 0% (self-hosted BTCPay) to 2% (BitPay at low volumes), with most falling between 0.5% and 1.5%.

Fivo and NOWPayments tie for the lowest rate at 0.5%, but Fivo's withdrawal-based model means you can batch payments and pay the fee once, and Fivo offers 9 EVM chains with cross-chain bridging. For merchants focused on stablecoin payments with minimal fees, Fivo is the most cost-effective option.

See for yourself: create a free Fivo account, process a test payment, and compare the numbers with your current provider.

Crypto Payment Gateway Fees Compared: The Real Cost in 2026