Budget online payment processor

If you’re in the U.S. and just want to start accepting credit cards online without a complicated setup, Stripe is my default recommendation.

Best simple options

Stripe has no setup or monthly fee on standard pricing, and you can use hosted Checkout or no-code Payment Links, so you don't necessarily need to build a payment system yourself.stripe.com

Square is attractive if you want an all-in-one system for online + physical sales, but its free-plan online rate is currently 3.3% + 30¢, making it more expensive than Stripe for ordinary online card transactions.api.squareup.com

PayPal's basic Checkout rate is 2.99% + 49¢; its Expanded Checkout option is 2.89% + 29¢, but the latter has different eligibility/setup considerations.www.paypal.com

My pick: Start with Stripe + Stripe Checkout if you have a website or online business. It's inexpensive, requires no monthly commitment, and gives you room to add subscriptions, invoices, payment links, wallets, and other payment methods later.

If you tell me what you're selling (e.g. services, physical products, SaaS, subscriptions) and roughly how much you'll process per month, I can tell you which processor will actually be cheapest for your situation.