A crypto payment gateway is the layer between your checkout and the blockchain: it generates invoices, watches for incoming payments, confirms them on-chain, and tells your system when an order is paid. The four below cover the realistic range from fully self-hosted to fully managed.
The one decision that drives the rest: custody
Non-custodial gateways send payments straight to a wallet you control — you hold the funds and the keys, and the gateway never touches your money. Custodial gateways receive on your behalf and let you withdraw or auto-settle, which is more convenient but means trusting a third party with balances.
Everything else — fees, supported coins, settlement options, KYC — tends to follow from that choice. Decide how much custody you're willing to give up before you compare features.
The four, side by side
Fees, coin lists, and settlement options change over time, so treat the table as a shape-of-the-market guide and confirm current terms before you commit.
| Gateway | Custody | Settlement | Fee shape | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BTCPay Server | Non-custodial, self-hosted | Direct to your wallet | No processing fee (you run the server) | Sovereignty, no middleman, technical teams |
| Coinbase Commerce | Managed | To Coinbase balance / payouts | Flat percentage per transaction | Brand trust, simple managed setup |
| NOWPayments | Custodial options | Auto-convert or crypto payout | Low percentage, many coins | Wide coin coverage, auto-conversion |
| CoinGate | Custodial | Fiat (EUR) or crypto settlement | Percentage per transaction | European merchants wanting fiat settlement |
Directional comparison — verify live fees, coin coverage, and availability with each provider.
BTCPay Server: maximum control
BTCPay is free, open-source, and self-hosted. You run the server (or use a shared host), and payments go directly to your wallet with no processing cut and no third party holding funds. It supports Bitcoin, Lightning, and — via plugins — a range of altcoins.
The trade-off is operational: you own uptime, backups, and updates. For teams that value sovereignty and want to avoid per-transaction fees, that ownership is the point; for others it's overhead.
Managed gateways: convenience over control
Coinbase Commerce, NOWPayments, and CoinGate handle the infrastructure for you. You get dashboards, hosted checkouts, plugins for common e-commerce platforms, and — critically — the option to auto-settle into a stablecoin or fiat so you don't hold volatile balances.
You pay for that convenience with a per-transaction fee and, for custodial options, trust that the provider holds and releases your funds correctly. For most merchants who just want orders marked paid, that's a fair trade.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between custodial and non-custodial gateways?
Non-custodial gateways (like BTCPay) route payments straight to a wallet you control; the gateway never holds funds. Custodial gateways receive on your behalf, which is more convenient but means trusting them with your balances.
Can I avoid per-transaction fees entirely?
Self-hosting BTCPay Server has no processing fee because there's no middleman — you only pay network fees and your hosting costs. Managed gateways charge a percentage in exchange for running everything for you.
How do I avoid holding volatile crypto as a merchant?
Choose a gateway that auto-settles into a stablecoin or fiat. Coinbase Commerce, NOWPayments, and CoinGate all offer conversion so an order paid in BTC lands in your account as dollars or euros.
Which gateway is best for a small online store?
If you want zero setup and are fine with a fee, a managed gateway with an e-commerce plugin is fastest. If you're technical and want no fees or middleman, BTCPay Server is the standard choice.