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 best-known 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 the strengths and weaknesses of both providers.
Total monthly costs of Datatrans and PayPal with a turnover of CHF 20,000
Total monthly costs of Datatrans and PayPal with a turnover of EUR 100,000
What are the advantages and disadvantages of Datatrans and PayPal?
Datatrans convinces with Swiss payment methods like TWINT and PostFinance Pay, omnichannel support, and a high Google rating (4.1 stars). Disadvantages are the required acquirer contract, paid plugins, and a paid support hotline.
PayPal benefits from worldwide brand awareness, no fixed costs, and easy setup. Disadvantages are the highest transaction fees of all compared providers, no Swiss payment methods like 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 chargeable plugins
Complex setup
No e-commerce tools
High monthly fixed costs
Fees not transparent
Chargeable support hotline
PayPal
Advantages
monthly fixed costs
Free plugins
High recognition 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
Email or chat support only
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 serious 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
Zahlen 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, while Datatrans has broader coverage among Swiss shop systems.
Comparison table of 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 of Datatrans and PayPal differ?
Datatrans offers a paid support hotline. PayPal only provides email and chat support – there is no telephone or in-person consultation. 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.
For whom is Datatrans suitable and for whom PayPal?
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 familiar payment method, and no Swiss payment methods are required.
How easy is the setup with Datatrans and PayPal?
With PayPal, company information and a commercial register number are sufficient – setup is completed in just a few minutes. Datatrans first requires the conclusion of a separate merchant 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.
How much does Datatrans cost compared to PayPal?
With a monthly turnover of 20,000 EUR, Datatrans costs 398 EUR (excluding acquiring costs), and PayPal costs 790 EUR. Datatrans is therefore nominally 392 EUR cheaper, although acquiring fees (approx. 1.6%) must still be added. With 100,000 EUR turnover: Datatrans 2,015 EUR (excluding acquiring), PayPal 3,950 EUR. PayPal has the highest transaction fees of all compared providers (3.4% + 0.55 EUR), but waives monthly fixed costs in return.
Comparison table of costs Datatrans vs PayPal
Provider
Subscription
Set-up 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 – Comerciante:innen therefore require a separate acceptance agreement with an acquirer before payment processing can be set up. The stated costs therefore do not include any acquiring fees (approx. 1.6% extra). The test account is only activated once the acquirer contract has been concluded.
PayPal
No separate setup is required with PayPal – 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 EUR) and supports neither TWINT nor PostFinance Pay.
Conclusion: Datatrans or PayPal – which provider is the better fit?
Datatrans offers a paid support hotline. PayPal only provides email and chat support – there is no telephone or in-person consultation. 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.
