PayPal vs zahls.ch
Global brand recognition vs. Swiss transparency with e-commerce tools
PayPal is the world's best-known payment provider with over 400 million users. zahls.ch is a Swiss payment facilitator with particularly transparent pricing and integrated e-commerce tools. For your Swiss online shop, the question is: global reach or local strength with transparency? This comparison provides you with the answer.
Total monthly costs of PayPal and zahls.ch with a turnover of CHF 20,000
Total monthly costs of PayPal and zahls.ch with a turnover of CHF 100,000
What are the advantages and disadvantages of PayPal and zahls.ch?
PayPal benefits from global recognition, no fixed costs and easy setup. Disadvantages are the highest transaction fees, no Swiss payment methods, only email and chat support, and the lowest Google rating (1.6 stars).
zahls.ch offers all Swiss payment methods including TWINT and PostFinance Pay, transparent pricing, integrated e-commerce tools, and the highest Google rating (5.0 stars). Disadvantages are higher overall costs than other Swiss providers, many plugins only available on request, and no support for Shopify.
Comparison table advantages and disadvantages PayPal vs zahls.ch
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
zahls.ch
Advantages
Numerous payment methods (including TWINT and PostFinance Pay)
Free plugins
Integrated e-commerce tools
Free trial available
Swiss company
Personal support
High Google rating
Disadvantages
Many shop plugins only on request
High transaction fees
Moderate awareness
Focus on e-commerce in Switzerland
Which payment methods do PayPal and zahls.ch offer?
zahls.ch supports 12 payment methods including TWINT, PostFinance Pay, WIR Pay and purchase on account. PayPal does not offer any of these Swiss payment methods. For Swiss online shops, this is a serious disadvantage. zahls.ch therefore covers the Swiss market comprehensively, while PayPal relies exclusively on international payment methods such as credit cards and its own wallet.
Comparison table payment methods PayPal vs zahls.ch
PayPal
zahls.ch
Which shopsystem plugins do PayPal and zahls.ch offer?
PayPal offers free plugins for Shopify, WooCommerce, Shopware, and Magento. At zahls.ch, many plugins are only available upon request, and support for Shopify, JTL, and Magento is missing. Instead, zahls.ch offers integrated e-commerce tools such as payment links and a mini webshop. PayPal does not offer e-commerce tools. For standard plugins, PayPal has the advantage; for e-commerce features, zahls.ch has the advantage.
Comparison table plugins and integrations PayPal vs zahls.ch
PayPal
zahls.ch
How does the support of PayPal and zahls.ch differ?
zahls.ch offers personal, free support in Switzerland. PayPal only provides email and chat support. The Google reviews show an extreme difference: zahls.ch 5.0 stars (3 reviews), PayPal 1.6 stars (56 reviews). zahls.ch offers the highest customer satisfaction, albeit on a very small review base.
Who is PayPal suitable for, and who is zahls.ch suitable for?
zahls.ch is clearly the better choice for Swiss online shops: 38% cheaper, all Swiss payment methods, integrated e-commerce tools and personal support. PayPal makes sense when an online shop has a high proportion of international customers who expect PayPal as a payment method. Many merchants therefore only use PayPal as a supplement to their Swiss provider.
How easy is the setup with PayPal and zahls.ch?
Both providers offer an uncomplicated setup without any programming knowledge. PayPal only requires business information, whereas zahls.ch relies on verification via photo ID with a free test phase. Both are quickly ready to use. zahls.ch offers the advantage that all Swiss payment methods are available from day one via a single contract.
What does PayPal cost compared to zahls.ch?
With a monthly turnover of CHF 20,000, zahls.ch costs CHF 489, PayPal CHF 790. zahls.ch is thus CHF 301 cheaper per month or 38% more cost-effective. With a turnover of CHF 100,000, the difference rises to CHF 1,701 monthly (zahls.ch: CHF 2,249 vs. PayPal: CHF 3,950). PayPal has the highest transaction fees of all compared providers. Despite its own high fees, zahls.ch is significantly cheaper than PayPal.
Comparison table of costs PayPal vs zahls.ch
Provider
Subscription
Setup costs
Monthly costs
Transaction fees
PayPal
PayPal
CHF 0.00
CHF 0.00
3.40%
+
CHF 0.55
zahls.ch
Beginner
CHF 0.00
CHF 0.00
2.90%
+
CHF 0.30
zahls.ch
Advanced
CHF 0.00
CHF 15.00
2.60%
+
CHF 0.30
zahls.ch
Professionals
CHF 0.00
CHF 29.00
2.30%
+
CHF 0.25
zahls.ch
Experts
CHF 0.00
CHF 49.00
2.00%
+
CHF 0.20
Additional remarks
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.
zahls.ch
zahls.ch stands out for its particularly transparent pricing with four clearly tiered subscription plans. However, many shop plugins are only available on request, and integrations for Shopify, JTL and Magento are missing. For verification, a photo ID and company information are required. A free trial period is available.
Conclusion: PayPal or zahls.ch – which provider is better for you?
zahls.ch offers personal, free support in Switzerland. PayPal only provides email and chat support. The Google reviews show an extreme difference: zahls.ch 5.0 stars (3 reviews), PayPal 1.6 stars (56 reviews). zahls.ch offers the highest customer satisfaction, albeit on a very small review base.
