Gateway Comparison
Use this guide to choose between the native PaymentsAI Gateway and an external gateway.
Decision flow
When to choose which
| If you… | Choose |
|---|---|
| Want the fastest path to live, no third-party account | PaymentsAI Gateway |
| Already process through NMI and a backend processor | NMI |
| Already have a Stripe account | Stripe |
| Want a PayPal wallet option | PayPal |
| Want to accept cryptocurrency (invoice-based only) | Coinbase |
| Want Buy Now, Pay Later (invoice-based only) | Klarna |
| Want interest-free installments on existing cards | Splitit |
Note on invoice-only gateways:
Coinbase and Klarna are only available through manual orders and invoice-based payments. They cannot be used as direct checkout elements. See Supported Payment Methods.
Key trade-offs
- PaymentsAI Gateway: Lowest setup effort, no VAR sheet required from the merchant, and no external processor. Subject to PaymentsAI review, rolling reserves, and periodic KYC reviews. Available to merchants in specific countries across North America and Europe (see Supported Payment Methods). PaymentsAI can provide a VAR sheet for this gateway on request. See Pricing and Fees for the full fee schedule.
- NMI: Highest setup effort. Requires a backend processor account and a VAR sheet issued by that processor. Best when you already use NMI.
- Stripe / PayPal / Splitit: Medium effort. Bring your own account and credentials; processing is handled entirely by the provider. Fees on these gateways are governed by your agreement with the provider, not PaymentsAI.
- Coinbase / Klarna: Medium effort with an invoice-only workflow. Customers receive an invoice link and select the gateway from there; not available as a direct checkout element.