Ready to Accept Crypto Payments?
Get expert guidance on setting up crypto payment acceptance for your business.
Curated List
Quick Take
Crypto payment gateways include: Third-party processors (BitPay: 1% fee, Coinbase Commerce: 1% waived on USDC, NOWPayments: 0.5-0.8%) — 1-3 day setup, no development required, good for low volume. Custom gateways ($15,000–$80,000, 0.2-0.4% fees) — 5-8 week build, lower ongoing cost, full ownership. Breakeven: at $15,000 custom cost and 0.7% fee saving, breakeven is $2.1M annual volume. Recommended: start with USDC + BTC.
Third-Party Payment Processors
BitPay
Processing fee: 1% on business transactions. Supported currencies: BTC, ETH, XRP, USDC, USDT, and others. Settlement: USD, EUR, or GBP via bank transfer (daily). KYC: required for high-volume merchants.
Best for: e-commerce businesses wanting a fast implementation with no blockchain expertise required.
Limitations: 1% fee scales linearly with volume (at $1M/year, $10,000 in fees). Limited customization. Vendor dependency.
Coinbase Commerce
Processing fee: 1% per transaction (waived on USDC). Supported currencies: BTC, ETH, SOL, and others. Settlement: crypto held in your Coinbase account or converted to fiat.
Best for: merchants who already use Coinbase for treasury management. USDC fee waiver is a meaningful benefit.
Limitations: Coinbase account dependency. Limited API customization.
NOWPayments
Processing fee: 0.5%–0.8%. Widest currency support (300+ cryptocurrencies). Non-custodial option available.
Best for: businesses wanting maximum currency coverage or non-custodial processing.
Limitations: More complex compliance landscape with exotic currency support. Some currencies have very low liquidity.
Custom Payment Gateway (Built by Clickmasters)
Processing cost: 0.2%–0.4% (conversion spread only — no processing fee layer). Development cost: $15,000–$80,000 one-time.
When custom is right:
Annual crypto payment volume above $500,000 (the fee saving vs 1% third-party exceeds the development cost within 12–24 months)
Specific currency support requirements (B2B stablecoin settlement)
Custom checkout flow requirements
White-label requirements
Compliance architecture requirements (regulated industries)
Breakeven analysis: At 1% third-party fee vs 0.3% custom conversion cost (0.7% saving), a $15,000 custom gateway breaks even at $2.1M annual transaction volume. At $40,000 custom gateway, breakeven is $5.7M annual volume.
The Currency Recommendation
For most US businesses: USDC + BTC covers 80%+ of business crypto payment use cases. USDC for stablecoin settlement (zero volatility risk). BTC for the largest consumer crypto user base.
Do not accept unlimited currencies in your first implementation. Start narrow, add currencies based on actual customer demand.