Which buy now, pay later provider should your online store use in 2026?
What Affirm, Klarna, Afterpay, PayPal and Zip really take from a $200 and an $800 order, when the money lands, and who eats the loss when a shopper stops paying.
You want "4 interest-free payments" under your Add to cart button. The offers are everywhere. Straight answers to a store owner's three questions are not: what do I pay per order, when do I get paid, and who's on the hook if the shopper doesn't pay?
The short answer: Affirm is the strongest all-round pick for a US online store, with pay-in-4 and longer monthly plans. Klarna is the best-known name at checkout and the easiest to switch on through Stripe. Afterpay covers small orders from $1. PayPal Pay in 4 pays you in full at capture and adds nothing to sign if you already take PayPal. Zip has the lowest fee we found, 4.5% + 30¢.
We priced two orders: $200, a typical apparel or beauty basket, and $800, a considered purchase like a mattress or an e-bike part. Prices come from Stripe's and PayPal's official US pricing pages.
The ranking is editorial: a sponsored spot is always labeled on its card, and no affiliate link changes a score.
The best BNPL for your store at a glance
Pay in 4 and monthly plans, 6% + 30¢ via Stripe
Lowest merchant fee4.5% + 30¢ via Stripe
Paid in full at capture4.99% + $0.49, no extra contract
Big tickets up to $10,000Pay Monthly from $49 to $10,000
Small orders from $1Pay in 4 from $1 to $399.99
Best known at checkout5.99% + 30¢ via Stripe
5 buy now, pay later providers for online stores
The cost column shows the merchant fee on a $200 order. Affirm, Klarna, Afterpay and Zip don't publish a direct rate card for small merchants, so we use Stripe's US prices, the most common way a store adds them. PayPal's rate is from its own US page.
| Best for | Fee on a $200 order | Free plan | Team size | Visit | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Affirm | Best overall | $12.30 | 3.6/5 | 6% + 30¢ via Stripe | — | Stores selling $100 to $2,000 orders | Visit → |
| 2 | Klarna | Best known at checkout | $12.28 | 3.5/5 | 5.99% + 30¢ via Stripe | — | Stripe stores wanting a known brand | Visit → |
| 3 | Afterpay | Small orders from $1 | $12.30 | 3.5/5 | 6% + 30¢ via Stripe | — | Apparel and beauty under $400 | Visit → |
| 4 | PayPal Pay in 4 | Paid in full at capture | $10.47 | 3.4/5 | 4.99% + $0.49 | — | Stores already taking PayPal | Visit → |
| 5 | Zip | Lowest merchant fee | $9.30 | 3.4/5 | 4.5% + 30¢ via Stripe | — | Price-sensitive stores on Stripe | Visit → |
Official US prices in 2026. On Shopify without Shopify Payments, a third-party transaction fee is added on top.
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How we compared and scored
The top results for this search are vendor blogs and agency roundups. They quote fee ranges with no source, disagree with each other, and rarely say when the merchant gets paid. None prices the same order across providers, and few mention that Shopify charges extra when the BNPL sits outside Shopify Payments.
We read Stripe's US local payment methods pricing, PayPal's US installments page, Stripe's Afterpay documentation, and Shopify staff answers on Shop Pay Installments. Then we went through merchant threads on the Shopify Community and Reddit. Every fee is applied to a $200 and an $800 order.
Scores match our other BNPL pages: a provider keeps the same score everywhere. Sezzle isn't ranked because we found no official merchant rate. Shop Pay Installments is covered below without a score, because its rate is only visible inside a Shopify admin.
- Merchant costOfficial fee, fixed fee, cost on $200 and $800, promotions, Shopify surcharge.30%
- Access and approvalStore approval, shopper declines, order range covered.20%
- IntegrationsAvailability on Stripe, PayPal, Shopify, WooCommerce and other platforms.20%
- Shopper experiencePlan lengths, shopper fees, whether the shopper leaves your checkout.15%
- Risk and payoutsWho carries default, upfront payout, refunds and disputes.15%
No affiliate link changes a score or a rank.
Affirm
Affirm is the provider most US stores reach for when orders get bigger than an impulse buy. It covers short pay-in-4 plans and longer monthly ones, and it's the engine behind Shop Pay Installments on Shopify. That reach is why it tops our ranking despite its price.
Affirm doesn't publish a direct rate card for small merchants. The readable price is Stripe's: 6% + 30¢ per order, or 7.99% + 30¢ on Enhanced. On a $200 order you pay $12.30. On $800, $48.30. Stripe has offered a 2.9% + 30¢ promotion on Affirm to some businesses for at least a month: check your dashboard before you go live, it can cut your launch cost in half.
Through Stripe, the money lands on your usual payout schedule and Affirm carries the default. The catch is cost: Affirm is among the most expensive options in this ranking, and on Shopify without Shopify Payments the platform fee stacks on top.
- Pay-in-4 and monthly plans from one provider
- Powers Shop Pay Installments on Shopify
- Available as a Stripe payment method
- ✓Covers bigger orders than most pay-in-4 providers
- ✓Default risk carried by Affirm
- ✓Promotional rate on Stripe for some businesses
- ✗6% + 30¢ is at the top of the range
- ✗No public direct rate card for small stores
- ✗Enhanced plan climbs to 7.99% + 30¢
The right default if your average order is above $150 and you want one provider for short and long plans. Below $100, Zip or PayPal Pay in 4 will cost you less.
Klarna
Klarna is the name many shoppers already know, which matters at the last step of a checkout. On Stripe, it costs 5.99% + 30¢ per order: $12.28 on $200, $48.22 on $800. A lost dispute costs $15. Like Affirm, Klarna has been offered at a 2.9% + 30¢ promo rate for at least a month to some businesses on Stripe.
You switch it on as one more payment method in Stripe, the payout follows your Stripe schedule, and Klarna carries the default. Klarna also decides on its own whether your store stays eligible and can turn the option off, so don't build your whole checkout around it.
One rule to check before you ship: Shopify's own Klarna rules say the fee isn't returned when you refund the order. If you sell apparel with a high return rate, multiply your returns by the fee to see what it really costs.
- A Stripe payment method you toggle on
- Promo rate for some businesses
- Strong shopper recognition
- ✓A brand shoppers trust at checkout
- ✓No separate contract on Stripe
- ✓Default risk carried by Klarna
- ✗5.99% + 30¢, well above Zip
- ✗$15 for a lost dispute
- ✗Klarna can withdraw your eligibility
A safe second option for any Stripe store, and the first one if your shoppers already ask for it by name. Check the promo rate in your dashboard before launch.
Afterpay
Afterpay's Pay in 4 is built for small orders. Through Stripe, Pay in 4 covers US orders from $1 to $399.99, and orders from $400 to $2,000 move to 6 or 12 monthly payments. The Stripe price is 6% + 30¢: $12.30 on a $200 order, the same as Affirm.
The pain point shows up on Shopify. One merchant on the Shopify Community added it up: 6% for Afterpay plus 2% for Shopify's third-party fee, close to 8% per order, and the provider told them it couldn't negotiate merchant fees. The same thread says you can't surcharge BNPL shoppers to cover it. The workaround merchants mention is running Afterpay through Stripe Checkout instead of a separate app.
Through Stripe, Afterpay pays you on your normal schedule and carries the default.
- Pay in 4 from $1
- Monthly plans up to $2,000
- Available as a Stripe payment method
- ✓Covers the smallest orders in this ranking
- ✓Splits small orders into four payments
- ✓Default risk carried by Afterpay
- ✗6% + 30¢, at the top of the range
- ✗Close to 8% with Shopify's third-party fee
- ✗Fees not negotiable for small stores
A good fit if most of your orders sit between $50 and $400. For bigger baskets, Affirm covers more for the same fee.
PayPal Pay in 4
In the US, PayPal Pay in 4 is not billed at the standard PayPal rate: it costs 4.99% + $0.49 per order. That's $10.47 on $200 and $40.41 on $800, cheaper than Affirm, Klarna and Afterpay on both. Pay in 4 covers orders from $10 to $2,000. Pay Monthly, issued by WebBank, goes from $49 to $10,000, the widest range in this ranking.
Payout is the strongest point. You get the full amount at capture, and PayPal says you face no late-payment risk.
The limit is on the shopper side. PayPal has to approve each buyer, and Pay in 4 doesn't show for everyone: Shopify staff point it out on the community forum. That's why it works best next to another provider, not instead of one.
- Full payment at capture
- Pay Monthly up to $10,000
- No new contract if you take PayPal
- ✓Cheaper than Affirm, Klarna and Afterpay
- ✓Cash in hand right away
- ✓Widest order range we found
- ✗Each shopper must be approved by PayPal
- ✗4.99% + $0.49, more than standard PayPal
- ✗You need a PayPal business account
Turn it on next to your main BNPL. It covers the shoppers another provider declines and pays you faster than anyone else here.
Zip
Zip is the cheapest provider in this ranking on Stripe: 4.5% + 30¢ per order. On $200 you pay $9.30, three dollars less than Affirm. On $800, $36.30. A lost dispute costs $3, against $15 for Klarna.
The trade-off sits with the shopper. Stripe's listing flags a customer fee on Zip, so your buyer may not get the "no fees" promise the others make. Its shopper experience scores lowest in our ranking for that reason. Zip also has fewer native platform apps than Klarna or Affirm: on Stripe it's one switch, elsewhere check first.
- Lowest merchant fee we found
- Cheap disputes at $3
- A Stripe payment method you toggle on
- ✓4.5% + 30¢, below every other provider
- ✓$3 for a lost dispute
- ✓Default risk carried by Zip
- ✗The shopper can pay a fee
- ✗Less known than Klarna or Afterpay
- ✗Fewer native platform integrations
The pick when margin matters more than brand. Pair it with Klarna or PayPal so shoppers who want a fee-free plan still have one.
What a $200 and an $800 order really cost you
The headline rate isn't enough. What counts is what's kept on each order, plus what your platform adds.
A $200 order
An $800 order
On Shopify, add the platform fee
- Run the fee on your real average order, not the rate card
- Check your Stripe dashboard for a promo rate before launch
- Ask who keeps the fee when you refund an order
- Confirm the order range covered: $1, $10 or $49 minimum
- Read what the default guarantee excludes: disputes stay with you
- Offer two providers so a decline doesn't kill the sale
Adding BNPL to your store, platform by platform
The cheapest provider on paper is useless if it doesn't fit your checkout cleanly.
Shopify: Shop Pay Installments first, then compare
Platform feeShop Pay Installments runs on Affirm and only the Affirm fee applies, once per order, according to Shopify staff. The rate isn't published: you see it in your admin under Settings, then Payments. Merchants on the forum quote very different rates, and some turn it off after looking. Check yours, then compare it with a third-party app plus Shopify's third-party fee.
- Where to see the rate
- Settings, then Payments
Stripe stores: four providers, one dashboard
GatewayIf your store already takes cards through Stripe, Affirm, Klarna, Afterpay and Zip are payment methods you switch on. The payout follows your Stripe schedule, and you can run two side by side to cover declines. Stripe's promos on Klarna and Affirm show in the dashboard: they don't apply to everyone.
- Cheapest
- Zip, 4.5% + 30¢
PayPal stores: Pay in 4 is already there
WalletIf you already offer PayPal at checkout, Pay in 4 and Pay Monthly are part of the same account. There's no extra contract, but the fee is 4.99% + $0.49 per Pay in 4 order, not your standard PayPal rate. Add the Pay Later messaging on product pages so shoppers see the installment amount before the cart.
- Pay in 4 range
- $10 to $2,000
Sezzle: not ranked
Not rankedSezzle shows up in many US roundups, but we found no official merchant rate on its own pages. Ask for a written quote and compare it with Zip's 4.5% + 30¢ on Stripe before you sign.
The traps that cost more than the fee
These come up again and again in merchant threads. None of them is on a pricing page.
The decline you didn't plan for
AccessEach provider approves your store and each shopper on its own rules. PayPal Pay in 4 doesn't show for everyone, and Klarna can withdraw your eligibility. Run two providers side by side: the second one costs nothing until it's used.
Fees kept on refunds
Hidden costAsk each provider whether its fee comes back when you refund. Shop Pay Installments merchants on the Shopify forum say it doesn't, and Shopify keeps its Klarna fee on refunds in Europe, where Klarna runs inside Shopify Payments. If your return rate is high, the real fee is the rate plus your returns times the rate.
Rates you can't negotiate
PriceA small store rarely gets a custom rate. One merchant was told flatly the provider couldn't negotiate merchant fees. Your lever is the promo rate in Stripe and the choice of provider, not a phone call.
BNPL hidden at the last step
ConversionA plan the shopper discovers at payment doesn't raise the basket. Show the installment amount on the product page and in the cart. PayPal reports buyers who pay later spend about 50% more per order in its own data: you only get that lift if they see it early.
Your BNPL is picked, what's next
These pages go further on payments and your store.
Every provider, every situation.
Your gateway doesn't offer BNPLBest payment gateway for ecommerceStripe, PayPal, Adyen and more.
Klarna isn't working for youKlarna alternativesWhere to go and what it costs.
You want to move off PayPalPayPal alternativesThe options that replace it.
You haven't picked a platform yetBest ecommerce platformShopify, WooCommerce and others.
You also want to sell subscriptionsBest ecommerce subscription appBoxes, refills, subscribers.
BNPL for ecommerce merchants · FAQ
Who pays the fee when a shopper uses buy now, pay later?
You do. "Interest-free" means free for the shopper: the provider keeps its cut from your sale. On a $200 order through Stripe, that's $12.30 with Affirm or Afterpay and $9.30 with Zip. Several providers forbid passing a surcharge on to BNPL shoppers only.When does the merchant get paid with BNPL?
Up front, in one payment. PayPal pays the full amount at capture. Through Stripe, Affirm, Klarna, Afterpay and Zip land on your normal Stripe payout schedule. The shopper's installments are the provider's problem, not yours.What happens if the shopper stops paying?
Nothing changes for you. In every option ranked here, the provider carries the default risk: PayPal states you face no late-payment risk on Pay in 4. What stays with you is the ordinary dispute: an item not received or not as described still comes back to your store.Can I add BNPL to Shopify without Shopify Payments?
Yes, through a third-party payment app, but you pay more. Shopify charges its third-party transaction fee on top of the provider's rate, and the shopper often leaves the Shopify checkout to pay. One merchant on the Shopify forum counted 6% for Afterpay plus 2% for Shopify, close to 8% per order.Is Shop Pay Installments cheaper than Affirm?
Not that you can check in advance. Shop Pay Installments runs on Affirm, and Shopify staff say only the Affirm fee applies, once per order. The rate isn't public: it shows up in your Shopify admin under Settings, then Payments. Look it up there before you compare it to Stripe's 6% + 30¢ for Affirm.Which BNPL has the lowest merchant fee?
Zip, at 4.5% + 30¢ through Stripe, then PayPal Pay in 4 at 4.99% + $0.49. Klarna sits at 5.99% + 30¢, Affirm and Afterpay at 6% + 30¢. Watch the promotions: Stripe has offered 2.9% + 30¢ on Klarna and Affirm for at least a month to some businesses.Does BNPL really raise average order value?
Often, but measure it. PayPal says buyers who pay later spend about 50% more per order in its own data, and a PrestaShop store reported its average order going from €320 to €477. Both are self-reported. Compare your own numbers for three months before and after.Should I offer more than one BNPL provider?
Yes, two is the safe number. Every provider approves your store and each shopper on its own rules, and some shoppers get declined by one and approved by another. PayPal Pay in 4 costs nothing to switch on if you already take PayPal, so it makes a good second option.