Which payment gateways should I use for my website (Stripe, PayPal, Apple Pay, etc.)?

For most new or growing sites: Use a card processor (e.g., Stripe, Adyen, Braintree, Checkout.com) as your primary, add PayPal Checkout as an alternative, and turn on wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay) plus relevant local methods (e.g., SEPA Direct Debit, iDEAL, Klarna) where your customers are. In the EU, make sure 3D Secure/SCA is enabled. That mix maximizes conversion while keeping setup sane.

What “payment gateway” actually means

People say gateway to mean a few different things:

Processor/aggregator: Moves money, handles authorization, settlement, payouts (e.g., Stripe, Adyen, Checkout.com, Braintree, Square, Mollie).
Wallets: A way customers pay through saved credentials (Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, Link, Shop Pay).
Local methods: Bank transfers and region-specific options (SEPA, iDEAL, Bancontact, EPS, Przelewy24, Sofort, BLIK, Pix, etc.).
Merchant account + gateway (classic): Separate provider for each; more work, only worth it at very large scale or special cases.

You’ll likely need a primary processor (to accept cards and route alternative methods) and additional payment methods layered on top.

How to choose (fast)

Ask these first:

Where are your customers? Pick a provider with strong coverage and local methods for those countries.
What are you selling? One-off goods vs. subscriptions vs. marketplace payouts require different features.
How will people pay? Mobile-heavy sites benefit enormously from Apple Pay/Google Pay; B2B may prefer invoices/bank debits.
What’s your AOV and margin? Higher AOV favors bank-based methods and BNPL; thin margins need the lowest effective cost, not just the headline rate.
How technical is your team? Hosted checkout is quick; full API gives best UX and data, but needs engineering time.
Compliance & risk: EU SCA/3DS, chargebacks, fraud tools, KYC if you pay out to third parties.

The usual suspects (strengths & watch-outs)

Stripe — Great default for web and mobile.

Pros: Excellent APIs/SDKs, subscriptions, invoicing, marketplace payouts (Connect), broad local methods, solid fraud tools, easy Apple Pay/Google Pay.
Watch-outs: Costs add up if you enable many add-ons; not all high-risk categories supported.

PayPal (Checkout) — Add as a secondary option, not the primary.

Pros: Huge brand recognition, converts well for certain audiences; merchant doesn’t handle card data.
Watch-outs: Some buyers don’t have/like PayPal; funds flows/disputes can be different from card processor flows; fees are typically not the lowest.

Braintree (by PayPal) — Developer-friendly + vaulting + PayPal under one roof.

Pros: Good card processing, tokenization, PayPal/Venmo integration, marketplace features.
Watch-outs: Coverage and local methods not as broad as Stripe/Adyen in some regions.

Adyen — Enterprise-grade, great global coverage and optimization.

Pros: Very strong authorization rates, risk tools, in-store+online unification; wide local methods.
Watch-outs: Best fit for larger merchants; implementation is more involved.

Checkout.com — Modern global processor.

Pros: Competitive performance and coverage, good for scale and multi-acquirer setups.
Watch-outs: Typically mid-to-large merchants; engineering lift is real.

Square — If you also sell in person.

Pros: Seamless POS + online, easy onboarding.
Watch-outs: International coverage and online features are more limited than others.

Mollie / PayU / Rapyd, etc. — Regional specialists or orchestration layers.

Pros: Strong local methods; quick wins in their core geographies.
Watch-outs: May lack advanced features outside their focus regions.

Apple Pay & Google Pay — Must-have wallets if your processor supports them.

Pros: One-tap checkout, higher conversion on mobile, lower fraud due to device cryptography.
Watch-outs: You still need a processor; not everyone uses a compatible device.

Recommended stacks by business model

Direct-to-Consumer e-commerce (global or EU-heavy)

Primary: Stripe / Adyen / Checkout.com
Turn on: Apple Pay, Google Pay, relevant local methods (SEPA, iDEAL, Bancontact, Sofort, etc.)
Add: PayPal Checkout as alternative
Consider: BNPL (Klarna, Afterpay, Affirm) if AOV is mid-to-high

SaaS / Subscriptions

Primary: Stripe or Braintree for subscriptions, dunning, proration, invoicing
Methods: Cards + SEPA/ACH debits (lower fees, better retention) + wallets
Nice-to-have: Invoicing with bank/wire for annual contracts

Marketplaces / Platforms (you pay out to sellers)

Primary: Stripe Connect / Adyen for Platforms / Braintree Marketplace
Must-haves: Onboarding & KYC, split payments, tax handling, robust dispute flows

Donations / Non-profits

Primary: Stripe/Braintree/Mollie (easy hosted forms)
Methods: Cards + local bank methods + PayPal (donor familiarity)
Consider: Recurring donations, low-fee bank debits

Omnichannel retail (online + in-store)

Primary: Adyen or Square for unified customer profiles, tokens, and reporting
Methods: Wallets + local methods; tap-to-pay on mobile if supported

EU & compliance notes (important if you sell in Europe)

SCA / 3D Secure: Make sure your gateway supports exemptions (low-risk, MIT, trusted beneficiary) and smart 3DS to avoid conversion drops.
Local methods matter: many EU buyers prefer bank-based payments. Enabling them can lift conversion more than shaving 10–20 bps off card fees.
GDPR & PCI: Use hosted fields or tokenization to minimize scope; avoid storing raw PANs.

Cost, performance, and reliability (what actually moves the needle)

Headline fees aren’t everything. Focus on effective cost: authorization rate ↑, fraud/chargebacks ↓, dispute win rate ↑, payment method mix optimized. A 1% auth-rate lift often dwarfs a tiny fee discount.
Settlement speed & currencies. Check payout timing, whether you can settle in your home currency, and FX margins for cross-border.
Downtime planning. If payments are mission-critical, keep a backup processor or use a provider that supports smart routing / multiple acquiring connections.
Data portability. Ensure you can export tokens/customer IDs if you ever switch.

A practical default setup (that works for most teams)

Pick a primary: Stripe (or Adyen/Checkout.com if you’re already at larger scale).
Enable wallets: Apple Pay and Google Pay.
Add PayPal Checkout as a secondary button.
Turn on local methods where you ship (SEPA direct debit for EU subscriptions; iDEAL/Bancontact/Sofort where relevant).
Configure SCA/3DS with exemptions and automatic retries.
Fraud: Start with the provider’s default risk rules; tune using chargeback feedback.
Measure: Track auth rate, checkout drop-off, chargeback rate, and payment method share per country.

Implementation checklist

Choose hosted checkout vs. API integration (start hosted; move to API when you have bandwidth).
Set up test cards, webhooks, and end-to-end refund/chargeback flows.
Configure taxes and invoices (especially for subscriptions and B2B).
Localize checkout: language, currency, and method availability by IP or shipping country.
Add card updater/account updater to reduce involuntary churn on subscriptions.
Set alerts for declines and payout failures; implement smart retries.
Document your dispute playbook (evidence templates, timelines).

Quick recommendations by situation

Small shop, need to launch this week: Stripe + Apple Pay/Google Pay + PayPal. Use hosted checkout.
Mobile-first audience: Same as above, but prioritize Apple Pay/Google Pay placement and 1-tap flows.
EU-centric subscriptions: Stripe or Braintree + SEPA Direct Debit + smart dunning; keep cards/wallets as fallback.
Enterprise/global retail: Adyen or Checkout.com, plus PayPal button; consider a secondary acquirer for resilience.
Also selling in person: Square (if supported in your region) or Adyen for unified online/offline.

Start simple: one strong primary processor, wallets for conversion, PayPal for coverage, and local methods where they matter. Optimize later for performance, not just fees. If you outgrow your starter stack, add routing, a second acquirer, and deeper risk tuning—but only after the basics are humming.