Paystack pricing, free tier and alternatives (2026)

§1

Overview

Paystack is a payments company founded in Lagos that serves over 200,000 businesses. It accepts cards, bank accounts, bank transfers, USSD, Apple Pay, Visa QR, mobile money and POS payments, and routes transactions to improve success rates in markets where card declines are common.

In Nigeria, local transactions cost 1.5% + ₦100, with the flat part waived under ₦2,500 and the total capped at ₦2,000 per transaction; international cards cost 3.9% + ₦100. Money settles to your bank the next working day, and USD settlement is available through a pilot.

Developers get REST APIs for one-time and recurring payments, transfers and customer verification, plus plans and subscriptions with intervals from hourly to annual. Businesses must be registered in one of Paystack's five countries; it is a processor, not a merchant of record.

Paystack publishes separate rate cards for Ghana, Kenya, South Africa and Côte d'Ivoire in local currency, so check the page for your country. Volume discounts are available for merchants processing large amounts.

§2

Pricing and plans

Plan	Price	What you get
Local transactions (Nigeria)	1.5% + ₦100	₦100 waived under ₦2,500; capped at ₦2,000 per transaction
International transactions (Nigeria)	3.9% + ₦100	Settled in naira by default, USD settlement available
Transfers (Nigeria)	₦10 to ₦50	Per payout, by amount

The Nigerian rate card was read; Ghana, Kenya, South Africa and Côte d'Ivoire have their own pricing pages with local-currency fees, which were not captured here. No integration or maintenance fee; volume discounts are available. Settlement is automatic the next working day (T+1).

Source: paystack.com/pricing · prices as published, excluding tax.

§3

What it does

Local payment channels: Cards, bank transfer, USSD, mobile money, Visa QR and Apple Pay.
Subscriptions: Create plans with intervals from hourly to annually and subscribe customers via API or dashboard.
Transfers: Send payouts to bank accounts for ₦10 to ₦50 each in Nigeria.
Dedicated virtual accounts: Per-customer bank accounts for transfer payments at 1% capped at ₦300.
Next-day settlement: Automatic T+1 settlement to your bank account.

§4

Strengths and limitations

Strengths

Local fees are capped, which helps large tickets
Wide choice of African payment channels
Well-documented APIs and a free integration
Next-day automatic settlement

Limitations

Only for businesses in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa and Côte d'Ivoire
International cards cost 3.9% + ₦100 in Nigeria
USD settlement is still a pilot
Not a merchant of record

§5

Who it suits

Good for

Startups selling to customers in Nigeria and Ghana
Apps collecting local subscriptions in naira
Businesses that need bank transfer and USSD payments

Look elsewhere if

Businesses outside its five countries
Global SaaS that mainly sells to US and EU buyers

§6

Alternatives to Paystack

Tool	From	Free option
Razorpay Payment gateway (India, plus US, Singapore, Malaysia)	Usage-based	Paid
Stripe Payments Payment processor (API-first)	Usage-based	Paid
Polar Merchant of record with usage billing	Usage-based	Paid
PayPal Checkout Payment processor and wallet	Usage-based	Paid
Square Payments Payment processor (in-person and online)	Usage-based	Paid
Dodo Payments Merchant of record with usage billing	Usage-based	Paid

All payments and billing →

§7

Questions

How much does Paystack charge in Nigeria?

1.5% + ₦100 for local transactions, with the ₦100 waived under ₦2,500 and fees capped at ₦2,000; international cards are 3.9% + ₦100.

Which countries does Paystack support?

Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa and Côte d'Ivoire.

When does Paystack pay out?

Settlement is automatic on the next working day (T+1).

Sources read for this page