Datatrans vs PayPal
Established Swiss PSP vs. the world's most famous payment provider
Datatrans by Planet is an established Swiss PSP with many years of experience in the enterprise segment. With over 400 million users, PayPal is the world's most popular payment provider. The two pursue fundamentally different approaches: Datatrans as a classic PSP with a separate acquirer agreement, PayPal as a global all-in-one solution. This comparison shows you the strengths and weaknesses of both providers.
Total monthly costs from Datatrans and PayPal with a turnover of CHF 20,000
Total monthly costs for Datatrans and PayPal with a turnover of CHF 100,000
What are the advantages and disadvantages of Datatrans and PayPal?
Datatrans convinces with Swiss payment methods such as TWINT and PostFinance Pay, omnichannel support and a high Google rating (4.1 stars). Disadvantages are the required acquirer contract, paid plugins and a premium-rate support hotline.
PayPal benefits from global recognition, no fixed costs and easy setup. Disadvantages are the highest transaction fees of all compared providers, no Swiss payment methods such as TWINT or PostFinance Pay, only email and chat support, and the lowest Google rating at 1.6 stars.
Comparison table advantages and disadvantages Datatrans vs PayPal
Datatrans
Advantages
Numerous payment methods (including TWINT and PostFinance Pay)
Free trial available
High brand awareness
High Google rating
Support for omnichannel payments (POS)
Disadvantages
Partly paid plugins
Complex setup
No e-commerce tools
High monthly fixed costs
Fees are not transparent
Paid support hotline
PayPal
Advantages
monthly fixed costs
Free plugins
High awareness and acceptance
Ideal for international payments
Disadvantages
No support for TWINT and PostFinance Pay
No e-commerce tools
High transaction fees
Headquarters in the USA
Only email or chat support
Low Google rating
Which payment methods do Datatrans and PayPal offer?
Datatrans supports 12 payment methods, including TWINT, PostFinance Pay and Reka, which are essential in Switzerland. PayPal does not offer any of these Swiss payment methods – neither TWINT nor PostFinance Pay are available. For Swiss online shops, this is a major disadvantage, as TWINT and PostFinance Pay are among the most popular payment methods in Switzerland. Datatrans has a clear advantage here.
Comparison table payment methods Datatrans vs PayPal
Datatrans
PayPal
Mastercard
Yes
Yes
Visa
Yes
Yes
Postfinance Pay
Yes
No
Twint
Yes
No
American Express
Yes
Yes
Entdecken
Yes
Yes
PayPal
Yes
Yes
ApplePay
Yes
Yes
GooglePay
Yes
Yes
SamsungPay
No
Yes
WIRpay
No
No
REKA
Yes
No
CENTI
No
No
Crypto
No
No
Purchase on account
Yes
Yes
Bezahl mit Bank
No
No
Which shop system plugins do Datatrans and PayPal offer?
Datatrans offers plugins for WooCommerce, Shopware, JTL, Ecwid, Drupal and Magento – some of which are subject to a fee. PayPal provides free plugins for Shopify, WooCommerce, Shopware and Magento, but does not support JTL, Drupal or Ecwid. Neither provider offers integrated e-commerce tools. PayPal has an advantage with its Shopify integration, Datatrans with broader coverage for Swiss shop systems.
Comparison table plugins and integrations Datatrans vs PayPal
Datatrans
PayPal
No
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
No
No
How does the support from Datatrans and PayPal differ?
Datatrans offers a paid support hotline. PayPal only provides email and chat support – there is no telephone or personal advice. The Google reviews show a clear difference: Datatrans 4.1 stars (26 reviews), PayPal 1.6 stars (56 reviews). Datatrans offers the more professional support, despite being paid.
Who is Datatrans suitable for and who is PayPal suitable for?
Datatrans is suitable for larger Swiss companies that require Swiss payment methods, already have an acquirer contract, and are looking for professional omnichannel solutions. PayPal is useful when an online shop has a high share of international customers who expect PayPal as a trusted payment method, and no Swiss payment methods are required.
How easy is it for you to set up Datatrans and PayPal?
With PayPal, company information and a commercial register number are sufficient – setup is completed in a few minutes. Datatrans first requires the conclusion of a separate acquiring agreement with an acquirer before the test account is activated. This process is significantly more complex and time-consuming. In terms of setup speed, PayPal has a clear advantage.
What does Datatrans cost compared to PayPal?
With a monthly turnover of 20'000 CHF, Datatrans costs 398 CHF (excluding acquiring costs), PayPal 790 CHF. Datatrans is therefore nominally 392 CHF cheaper, but the acquiring fees (approx. 1.6%) must still be added. For a turnover of 100'000 CHF: Datatrans 2'015 CHF (excluding acquiring), PayPal 3'950 CHF. PayPal has the highest transaction fees of all compared providers (3.4% + 0.55 CHF), but dispenses with monthly fixed costs.
Comparison table of costs Datatrans vs PayPal
Provider
Subscription
Setup costs
Monthly costs
Transaction fees
Datatrans
Get Started
CHF 0.00
CHF 20.00
1.60%
+
CHF 0.29
Datatrans
Scale Now
CHF 0.00
CHF 125.00
1.60%
+
CHF 0.29
PayPal
PayPal
CHF 0.00
CHF 0.00
3.40%
+
CHF 0.55
Additional remarks
Datatrans
Datatrans is not a Payment Facilitator – merchants therefore need a separate acceptance agreement with an acquirer before payment processing can be set up. The stated costs therefore do not include acquiring fees (approx. 1.6% extra). The test account is only activated once the acquirer agreement has been concluded.
PayPal
With PayPal, no separate setup is required – a PayPal business account is sufficient. For verification, company information and a commercial register number are required. Please note that PayPal charges the highest transaction fees of all compared providers (3.4% + 0.55 CHF) and supports neither TWINT nor PostFinance Pay.
Conclusion: Datatrans or PayPal – which provider suits you better?
Datatrans offers a paid support hotline. PayPal only provides email and chat support – there is no telephone or personal advice. The Google reviews show a clear difference: Datatrans 4.1 stars (26 reviews), PayPal 1.6 stars (56 reviews). Datatrans offers the more professional support, despite being paid.
