What is the best payment gateway for marketplaces in 2026?
A marketplace doesn't collect like a store. It collects other people's money.
For most marketplaces, the best payment gateway is Stripe Connect: seller onboarding and identity checks included, no platform fee if Stripe prices your sellers directly, and 2.9% + 30¢ per domestic card in the US. If your model depends on holding funds in escrow for weeks and running a wallet per seller in Europe, Mangopay is the specialist, on quote. If you already process serious volume across countries, Adyen for Platforms brings its own banking licenses in the US, UK and EU.
The card rate is not the hard part. Once your platform takes money on behalf of sellers, regulators treat that as a payment service. In the EU that falls under PSD2, the payment services directive. The practical answer for most platforms is simple: let a licensed provider hold the funds, run KYC (know your customer) on sellers and pay them out. We compared five providers on that first, then on what they really cost per seller.
Our ranking is editorial: a sponsored spot is always labeled on its card, and no affiliate link changes a score.
The right gateway for your marketplace model
5 marketplace payment providers side by side
Each tool carries the same score on every payment page in our Labs, and the rank follows it. The price column shows a card payment and, where it exists, the marketplace-specific fee. Each provider's license is in its card below.
| Best for | What it does best for a marketplace | Free plan | Team size | Visit | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stripe Connect | Best gateway to launch a marketplace | Seller onboarding and KYC included | 4.0/5 | 2.9% + 30¢ per card; $0 platform fee (option 1) or $2 per active account (option 2) | ✓ | First sale to thousands of sellers | Visit → |
| 2 | Mangopay | Best for escrow and seller wallets | Escrow with no time limit, wallets | 3.6/5 | Quote only, no self-serve plan | — | Established EU marketplace | Visit → |
| 3 | Lemonway | Best licensed EU provider with public seller fees | Licensed in France, seller fees published | 3.5/5 | 1.10% + €0.25 per card; €5,490 setup + €840/month | — | EU marketplace with a launch budget | Visit → |
| 4 | PayPal (multiparty) | Best add-on for PayPal-loyal buyers | The checkout button buyers know | 3.4/5 | 3.49% + $0.49 per PayPal Checkout payment | ✓ | Add-on to another gateway | Visit → |
| 5 | Adyen for Platforms | Best for a large international platform | Banking licenses in the US, UK and EU | 3.3/5 | $0.13 + payment method fee; minimum invoice | — | Large international platform | Visit → |
Prices read on the providers' official pages in 2026, in the currency each one shows. Mangopay publishes no rates and works on quote. Lemonway shows euros only.
Is your tool missing from this page? Email us: hello@hackceleration.com
How we compared and scored
We read each provider's official pricing, its developer docs on connected accounts, identity checks and payouts, and what founders, developers and sellers report on forums and review sites. Most lists that rank on Google for this query are written by payment companies ranking themselves first, with no exact prices. We ranked only providers whose pricing we could read on their own pages, and we give the license wherever the provider states it itself (Stripe, Mangopay, Lemonway, Adyen).
Each tool's overall score is the same one it carries on our other payment rankings: one value per tool, everywhere. It rests on five criteria. For a marketplace we add a pass-or-fail question before any score: can the provider hold your sellers' funds and verify them for you? All five ranked providers pass. Braintree Marketplace does too, but only for US-based merchants and with no public price, so it stays a mention. Mollie's marketplace product is left out here because it only covers Europe, so it can't serve a US or global seller base; it appears on our European pages.
- Per-payment feesCard rate, fixed fees, fee per seller and per payout.25%
- Payouts and cash flowEscrow, first payout delay, countries covered.25%
- Integrations (platforms, API)API quality, hosted onboarding, ready-made plugins.20%
- Freedom (plans, contracts)Setup fees, minimum billing, self-serve access.15%
- Support and freeze riskFund holds, how support responds.15%
Our ranking is editorial: a sponsored spot is always labeled on its card, and no affiliate link changes a score.
Stripe Connect
Stripe Connect is Stripe's product for platforms and marketplaces. It handles seller onboarding, identity checks, splitting payments and payouts. In Europe, Stripe's entity is an electronic money institution licensed by the Central Bank of Ireland. Seller funds sit in Stripe's safeguarding accounts, and Stripe's own guidance is clear: the platform must not hold or control those funds.
The first choice is who sets seller pricing. In option 1, Stripe bills your sellers directly at its standard rates and your platform pays nothing extra. In option 2, you set their fees and pay $2 per active account per month, 0.25% + 25¢ per payout, and 0.25% of the volume you pay out. An account counts as active in any month a payout is sent to it. Risk-based identity checks are included either way.
The second choice is the account type. With Standard and Express, Stripe hosts the seller sign-up. With Custom, you build the whole flow, but compliance requirements no longer update on their own. With Express and Custom, your platform carries fraud and dispute liability. Stripe now steers new builds toward its Accounts v2 API.
For a US platform, Stripe usually schedules the first payout within 7 to 14 days of the first live payment, depending on industry and risk. After that, US funds settle in 2 business days by default.
- Seller identity checks included, about 110 countries on Express and Custom
- No platform fee when Stripe prices your sellers
- Funds in safeguarding accounts, never on your books
- ✓Self-serve setup, no setup fee
- ✓The easiest API to wire up
- ✓Payouts in many countries from one dashboard
- ✗$2 per active seller per month in option 2
- ✗You carry fraud and disputes on Express and Custom
- ✗Onboarding gets strict for sellers outside common countries
The default for a new marketplace. Start in option 1 so the platform pays nothing, and only switch to option 2 if you need to set seller fees yourself. Then batch payouts weekly to shrink the 25¢ fixed fee.
Mangopay
Mangopay is a Luxembourg electronic money institution, licensed by the CSSF since 2013 and built for marketplaces from day one. Every seller gets an e-wallet. You decide when funds are released: escrow has no time limit, and there is no cap on a wallet balance.
Coverage is wide: identity checks in 190+ countries, local payouts in 30+ countries, 30+ payment methods and 15+ currencies. Marketplace software vendors that have built on both Stripe and Mangopay say the same thing: Stripe is easier to integrate, Mangopay wins narrowly on escrow and wallets, and its pricing is harder to read.
Know this before launch: in the European Economic Area, no payout leaves until the seller's verification is approved. New integrations must use Mangopay's hosted verification flow. And the platform itself has to be based in the EU, which rules it out for a US company without a European entity.
- Escrow with no time limit
- One e-wallet per seller
- Identity checks in 190+ countries
- ✓Built for marketplaces since 2013
- ✓Fees taken from your commissions, one invoice a month
- ✓Local payouts in 30+ countries
- ✗No public pricing, quote required
- ✗No payout until KYC is approved
- ✗Sellers complain about canned support replies
The specialist when your model runs on escrow in Europe. Verify sellers at sign-up, not at their first sale: verification is what blocks payouts, and it's what fills your support inbox.
Lemonway
Lemonway is a French payment institution licensed by the ACPR, the French banking supervisor, since 2012. It's the only provider in this ranking that publishes a per-seller verification fee, alongside its payout, virtual IBAN and chargeback fees (€35).
The entry ticket is real: €5,490 setup and €840 a month for support before your first transaction. In return, cards cost 1.10% + €0.25. On €1M of yearly sales, that rate saves €4,000 against a 1.5% card rate with the same fixed fee. It covers the support fee only once you have volume.
Operators report an integration in about 20 days and a migration of 3,200 sellers in six months. Sellers, on the other hand, complain about accounts frozen during verification updates, and some developers find the API and its docs unclear.
- ACPR-licensed payment institution
- Per-seller verification fee published
- Virtual IBANs and pay by bank as options
- ✓Cards at 1.10% + €0.25
- ✓€0.50 payouts in Europe
- ✓Every fee on one public page
- ✗€5,490 setup fee
- ✗€840 a month support fee
- ✗Waves of frozen accounts during checks
A solid pick for an EU marketplace with real volume or a launch budget. Under a few million euros in sales, the fixed fees outweigh the savings on cards.
PayPal (multiparty)
PayPal's multiparty solution lets platforms onboard sellers, take partner fees on each sale, pay sellers out and handle disputes. Partner fees settle once a day, the next day, in the transaction's currency.
The catch comes first: PayPal must approve your platform before you go live, and developers on PayPal's own community describe partner applications that never got an answer. Platform fees aren't supported for digital goods, and multiparty doesn't work for first-party setups where you sell your own products.
Price matters too. At 3.49% + $0.49 per PayPal Checkout payment, it costs noticeably more than a Stripe card payment. Next door, Braintree Marketplace (also PayPal) only serves US-based merchants and sub-merchants, and it doesn't support PayPal as a payment method or recurring billing.
- Partner fees taken on each sale
- Built-in dispute handling
- A wallet many buyers already trust
- ✓No monthly fee
- ✓Payouts at 2%, capped at $1
- ✓Reassures hesitant buyers
- ✗Your platform needs PayPal's approval first
- ✗No platform fees on digital goods
- ✗3.49% + $0.49 per checkout payment
Add it, don't run on it alone. File your partner application weeks before launch, and keep another gateway ready in case the answer is slow.
Adyen for Platforms
Adyen is a Dutch company that holds banking licenses in the US, the UK and the EU, plus local payment and payout licenses. Its platform product covers 33+ countries and 23+ languages. It automates seller KYC and KYB (business verification), lets sellers start on light KYC, and handles splits, commissions and dynamic reserves.
It goes further than the others: branded accounts and cards for your sellers and seller financing. Card pricing reads clearly: $0.13 plus interchange, the network fee and Adyen's markup, line by line instead of one blended rate.
The limit is the minimum invoice. It depends on your industry and model, and the official page shows no amount. Developers also rate Adyen harder to set up than Stripe Connect. A young marketplace will pay that minimum before it benefits from the rest.
- Banking licenses in the US, UK and EU
- Light KYC to get sellers started
- Branded accounts and cards for sellers
- ✓Interchange-plus pricing on cards
- ✓One provider across 33+ countries
- ✓Dynamic reserves sized to risk
- ✗Minimum invoice with no public amount
- ✗Built for large volume
- ✗Harder to set up than Stripe Connect
Worth a look once your marketplace processes millions across several countries. Before that, get the minimum invoice in writing and compare it with your Stripe bill.
What marketplace gateway lists don't tell you
The top results for this query are written by payment providers ranking themselves first. None of them gives a cost per seller, each provider's license, or the moment your sellers' money gets stuck.
Why a regular gateway isn't enough
A store collects its own money. A marketplace collects its sellers' money, and that's a regulated payment service. In Europe, the commercial agent exemption only applies when you act for one side of the deal, which rules out a classic marketplace. The simplest path is a licensed provider that holds the funds, which is what all five ranked here do.
Splits, escrow, commission: three different things
A split cuts one payment into parts, one per seller. Escrow holds money until an event, such as delivery. Your commission is what your platform keeps. Mangopay can hold funds with no time limit. Stripe pays out on a rolling schedule by default. Don't confuse any of this with split payments in the buy now, pay later sense, which is a different topic.
The real cost for 100 sellers
Take 100 active sellers and $100,000 paid out in a month, one payout each. On Stripe option 2, the platform line costs $200 in active accounts, $275 in payouts (0.25% + 25¢) and $250 on volume: $725. On option 1, it costs $0. On Lemonway, 100 European payouts cost €50, plus €80 to verify 100 businesses, plus €840 support. Card fees come on top in every case.
US platforms: the money transmitter question
In the US there is no single national license: money transmission is regulated state by state. Some states exempt a platform that acts as the seller's agent. California's regulator, for instance, accepted a travel marketplace whose terms named it the seller's limited payment collection agent and said a buyer's payment counts as paid to the seller. It refused a contractor marketplace whose terms lacked that wording. Write it into your terms, and let a licensed provider hold the funds.
1099 forms: who files them
On Stripe Connect, Stripe issues the 1099-K when it controls seller pricing or the seller pays Stripe's fees directly. When your platform controls pricing, filing is on you. The federal 1099-K applies above $20,000 in gross volume and 200 transactions; 1099-NEC and 1099-MISC start at $2,000 in payments. Stripe's filing tool costs $2.99 per form e-filed with the IRS, $1.49 per state e-filing and $2.99 per mailed form, with free e-delivery.
When your US sellers actually get paid
On Stripe, a new account's first payout usually lands 7 to 14 days after the first live payment, then US funds settle in 2 business days. A payout schedule (daily, weekly, monthly) only changes when money is sent, not when it becomes available. Tell sellers this before launch: the first-week wait is the top reason they email support.
- Is the provider licensed, and by which regulator?
- Who runs seller KYC: you or the provider?
- How long can it hold funds before a payout?
- What does one active seller cost, and one payout?
- Who carries fraud and dispute losses?
- Is there a setup fee or a minimum invoice?
- Are your sellers in supported countries?
- Who files 1099s for your US sellers, and at what cost?
Eight tips to pay sellers without getting stuck
These come from official pricing pages, provider docs and what founders and sellers report. You won't find them on the usual vendor-written lists.
Verify sellers at sign-up, not at first sale
MangopayVerification doesn't block collecting money. It blocks paying it out. On Mangopay in Europe, no payout leaves before approval. If you only ask for documents after the first sale, your seller waits for their money and emails your support. Ask for clear, complete documents on day one.
- Effect
- Fewer frozen funds
Pick the right Stripe pricing option
Stripe ConnectIn option 1, Stripe bills your sellers and the platform pays nothing. In option 2, you set their fees but pay $2 per active account, 0.25% + 25¢ per payout and 0.25% of volume. If you stay on option 2, move payouts from daily to weekly: the 25¢ fixed part drops with every payout you skip.
- Saving
- 25¢ per payout avoided
Get the seller's country right the first time
TrapOn Stripe, a connected account's country can't be changed later. A seller signed up under the wrong country has to open a new account and redo verification. Ask for the country of establishment as the very first field.
- Fix
- New account required
Decide who eats fraud before you pick an account type
Stripe ConnectWith Express and Custom accounts, your platform is liable for fraud and disputes. With Standard, the seller deals with Stripe directly. If your margins are thin, price that risk into your commission, or keep a reserve.
- Liable on Express
- Your platform
Apply to PayPal early
PayPalPayPal must approve your platform before multiparty goes live, and developers report applications left unanswered. File it as soon as your legal entity exists, and launch with another gateway if the answer hasn't come.
- Blocker
- Approval before go-live
Sellers far from your home market: plan a mixed setup
TipFounders with sellers in Southeast Asia describe Stripe onboarding getting too strict outside the easy countries. Some collect with Stripe and pay out through a second provider (names that come up include Payoneer, Wise Platform and Airwallex), at the cost of heavier reconciliation. KYC follows you to any regulated provider.
- Hidden cost
- Reconciliation work
Keep option 1 if you don't want to file 1099s
Stripe ConnectWhen Stripe controls seller pricing, Stripe issues the 1099-K. Switch to option 2 and the filing lands on your platform. At $2.99 per IRS e-file, plus $1.49 per state e-file where the state requires one, 1,000 qualifying sellers cost $2,990 to $4,480 a year in forms alone, before any mailed copies.
- Per IRS form
- $2.99
Paying US sellers by bank transfer? Look at Dwolla
DwollaDwolla is a bank transfer API built for platforms, with ACH (standard and same day), the RTP network and FedNow. It doesn't process cards, so it pairs with a card gateway rather than replacing one. Pricing is custom, based on volume and rails, so ask for a quote before you compare it with Stripe's payout fees.
- Rails
- ACH, RTP, FedNow
Keep going
These pages complete this one without repeating it.
The general ranking, no third-party sellers.
You run an online storePayment gateway for ecommerceCard fees and store plugins.
You sell subscriptionsSaaS payment gatewayRecurring payments and dunning.
You want to leave StripeSwitch from StripeAlternatives and migration.
You want buy now, pay laterBest buy now, pay laterInstallments for your buyers.
You automate with MakeMangopay in MakeConnect wallets to your other tools.
FAQ: payment gateways for marketplaces
Does a marketplace need its own payment license?
Not if a licensed provider holds the funds for you. Once your platform takes money for sellers, regulators see a payment service. Getting your own license is slow and expensive. Most marketplaces rely on a provider that carries it: Stripe (Central Bank of Ireland in Europe), Mangopay (CSSF), Lemonway (ACPR) or Adyen (banking licenses in the US, UK and EU). With Stripe, your platform must not hold or control seller funds.
Does a US marketplace need a money transmitter license?
Usually not, if a licensed provider holds the funds and your terms make you the seller's payment agent. Licensing works state by state. California's regulator accepted the agent-of-payee exemption for a marketplace whose terms said a buyer's payment counts as paid to the seller, and refused it when that wording was missing. If you offer stored-value wallets, get a lawyer's opinion first.
Who sends 1099-K forms to marketplace sellers?
It depends on who controls pricing. On Stripe Connect, Stripe issues the 1099-K when it prices the seller or the seller pays Stripe's fees. If your platform sets the fees, you file, using Stripe's tool at $2.99 per IRS e-file. The federal 1099-K threshold is more than $20,000 and more than 200 transactions in a year.
What's the difference between split payments and escrow?
A split divides one payment between sellers; escrow holds money until something happens. You can use one without the other. A cart with three sellers splits into three shares. An equipment rental holds funds until the item comes back. Mangopay holds funds with no time limit.
Who handles KYC for marketplace sellers?
The provider runs it, but you often collect the documents. With Stripe Standard and Express, Stripe hosts the whole flow. With Custom, your platform shows it. Mangopay requires its hosted flow for new integrations. Lemonway charges €0.40 a month per verified individual, €0.80 per business.
How much does Stripe Connect cost per seller?
Nothing, or $2 per active seller per month, depending on the option. In option 1, Stripe bills your sellers at its standard rates. In option 2, you set their fees and pay $2 per active account, 0.25% + 25¢ per payout and 0.25% of payout volume. A seller who gets no payout in a month isn't counted as active.
Stripe Connect or Adyen for Platforms?
Stripe Connect to launch, Adyen once you're big. Stripe is self-serve with public prices and the easier setup. Adyen brings its own banking licenses, branded seller accounts and interchange-plus pricing, but it has a minimum invoice with no public amount. If you're processing millions across several countries, ask Adyen for a quote.
Can Braintree run a marketplace?
Only in the US. Braintree Marketplace is limited to merchants and sub-merchants based in the United States. It doesn't support PayPal as a payment method or recurring billing, and pricing goes through sales. For sellers outside the US, look at Stripe Connect or PayPal multiparty instead.
How do I take my commission on each sale?
Through the split: you pay the seller their share and keep the rest. On PayPal, it's a partner fee settled the next day, and it isn't supported for digital goods. On Mangopay, the provider's own fees come out of your commissions once a month. On Stripe option 2, you set seller fees yourself.
Can my account get frozen?
Yes, with any regulated provider. Sellers describe funds held during verification or after a review, and some founders report a whole Stripe account frozen over a single suspicious charge. Keep documents current, hold a cash reserve, and have a second gateway ready if your business depends on payouts.