💡 Quick Answer
There's no single "best" gateway. The choice depends on your business:
- Beginners (up to $2k/month): PagSeguro or Mercado Pago
- Growth ($2k-20k/month): Stripe or Pagar.me
- High volume ($20k+/month): Cielo or Rede (negotiate rates)
- International: PayPal + Stripe
Pro Tip: Always have 2 gateways to never lose sales if one goes down!
📊 Complete Comparison Table - Top 8 Gateways
| Gateway | Debit Fee | Credit Fee | Installments | Settlement | Approval |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PagSeguro | 1.99% | 3.79% | 4.19% + 0.40%/mo | 14-30 days | Instant |
| Mercado Pago | 1.99% | 3.49% | 4.49% + 0.99%/mo | 14-30 days | Instant |
| Stripe | 2.9% + $0.30 | 2.9% + $0.30 | 3.4% + $0.30 | 7-14 days | 2-3 days |
| Pagar.me | 1.89% | 3.79% | 4.19% + fees | 30 days | 1-2 days |
| Cielo | 2.10% | 4.29% | 4.99% + fees | 30 days | 5-7 days |
| Rede | 2.39% | 4.49% | 5.19% + fees | 30 days | 5-7 days |
| PayPal | 4.79% + $0.60 | 4.79% + $0.60 | 5.79% + $0.60 | Instant | Instant |
| Getnet | 2.19% | 4.39% | 4.99% + fees | 30 days | 3-5 days |
⚠️ Important: Base rates for reference. Higher volumes allow negotiation.
🏆 Detailed Analysis of Top 8 Gateways
Best for Beginners
✅ Pros
- Instant approval
- No monthly fee
- Transparent checkout
- Payment splitting
- Card reader included
❌ Cons
- Higher fees
- Limited support
- Dated interface
- Complex API
Ideal for: Small businesses starting, without formal business registration.
Most Popular
✅ Pros
- Marketplace integration
- Better rates
- QR Code/PIX
- Seller protection
- Modern API
❌ Cons
- Frequent holds
- Strict analysis
- Initial limits
- Sudden blocks
Ideal for: Those already selling on MercadoLibre or want to start quickly.
✅ Pros
- Best API
- 10/10 documentation
- Global coverage
- Reliable webhooks
- Modern checkout
❌ Cons
- No cash advance
- Slower approval
- English support
- High flat rate
Ideal for: Developers, SaaS, international sales.
✅ Pros
- Excellent API
- Antifraud included
- Advanced split
- Good documentation
- Own checkout
❌ Cons
- Strict approval
- Complex setup
- High monthly fee
- B2B focus
Ideal for: Marketplaces, platforms, complex splits.
✅ Pros
- Largest acquirer
- Volume negotiation
- Credibility
- National coverage
- In-person support
❌ Cons
- High bureaucracy
- Old API
- Difficult integration
- High initial rates
Ideal for: Large companies with volume to negotiate.
✅ Pros
- Market tradition
- Good acceptance
- Loyalty program
- Payment split
- Multi-acquiring
❌ Cons
- Confusing interface
- Slow support
- Complex setup
- Poor documentation
Ideal for: Established mid-size companies.
✅ Pros
- Global trust
- Buyer protection
- 200+ countries
- No setup
- Express checkout
❌ Cons
- Highest fees
- 180-day holds
- Limited support
- Difficult chargebacks
Ideal for: International sales, foreign customers.
✅ Pros
- Santander Group
- Good promotions
- SuperGet included
- Payment links
- White label checkout
❌ Cons
- Less popular
- Limited API
- Few features
- Basic integration
Ideal for: Santander customers, traditional businesses.
💰 Fee Calculator - $2,000/month Simulation
Base: 70% credit, 20% installments, 10% debit
PagSeguro
$80.40
Mercado Pago
$77.80
Stripe
$64.00
Pagar.me
$79.00
Cielo
$90.20
PayPal
$107.80
💡 Maximum annual savings: $518.40 (choosing Stripe vs PayPal)
🎯 Decision Guide by Business Profile
🌱 Just Starting Out?
Choose: Mercado Pago + PagSeguro
- Instant approval, no bureaucracy
- Ready-to-use checkout
- Accepts personal ID (no business registration needed)
- Having 2 options = never lose a sale
📈 Growing Business?
Choose: Stripe + Pagar.me
- Modern and reliable APIs
- Best for automation
- Advanced features (splits, subscriptions)
- Excellent documentation
🏢 High Volume/Enterprise?
Choose: Negotiate with Cielo/Rede
- Custom rates by volume
- Dedicated account manager
- Customized contracts
- Can reach 1.5% on credit
🌍 International Sales?
Choose: PayPal + Stripe
- Accepted worldwide
- Native multi-currency
- Exchange protection
- Customers trust more
🔧 Integration and Features Comparison
| Feature | PagSeguro | Mercado Pago | Stripe | Pagar.me |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| REST API | ✅ Basic | ✅ Good | ✅ Excellent | ✅ Very good |
| Webhooks | ⚠️ Unstable | ✅ Reliable | ✅ Perfect | ✅ Reliable |
| Transparent Checkout | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| PIX (Instant Payment) | ✅ | ✅ QR Code | ❌ | ✅ |
| Bank Slip | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Subscriptions | ✅ Basic | ✅ Basic | ✅ Advanced | ✅ Advanced |
| Payment Split | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ Connect | ✅ Advanced |
| Antifraud | ✅ Basic | ✅ Good | ✅ Radar | ✅ Included |
💸 Hidden Costs Nobody Talks About
⚠️ Watch Out for Extra Costs!
Beyond basic fees, consider:
- Chargeback: $3 to $10 per dispute (even if you win)
- Monthly fee: Some charge $10-40/month above X transactions
- Inactivity: Fee if no payments processed for 90 days
- Early settlement: 0.5% to 1% additional
- Withdrawal fee: $0.60 to $2 per transfer
- Currency conversion: 4% to 6% on international transactions
- Refund: You lose the fee even with cancellation
- Manual review: $0.14 per transaction in some cases
✅ Market Best Practices
- Always use 2 gateways: Main + backup (avoid losing sales)
- Negotiate after 6 months: With history, get better rates
- Monitor chargebacks: Above 1% can cause problems
- Test before launch: Simulate all possible scenarios
- Configure webhooks: Essential for reliable automation
- Document everything: Screenshots help in disputes
- Enable antifraud: Better to reject than have chargeback
- Offer PIX: Lower fee and instant money
🔄 How to Migrate Gateways (Without Losing Sales)
Safe Step-by-Step:
- Implement new in parallel: Don't turn off the old one yet
- Test with 10% of traffic: Use A/B test for 15 days
- Migrate subscriptions gradually: 20% per week
- Keep history: Export all data first
- Notify saved customers: Email about new checkout
- Monitor metrics: Conversion rate must maintain
- Have rollback ready: If something goes wrong, revert quickly
🏆 Converso.pro Final Recommendation
Our Honest Suggestion:
For 90% of Brazilian e-commerces:
- Start with: Mercado Pago (main) + PagSeguro (backup)
- At 6 months: Add Stripe for international option
- With $10k+/month: Negotiate with Cielo/Rede to reduce fees
- Always: Have PIX active (lowest fee, instant money)
Ready to Configure Your Gateways?
Converso.pro integrates with all major Brazilian payment gateways
✓ 5-minute setup ✓ Multiple gateways ✓ Optimized checkout