Comparison of Swiss online payment providers for 2023

Online payments: theory for understanding

In order to accept payments in an online shop, Comerciante need an acceptance agreement with an acquirer and a processing contract with a payment provider. The following explains exactly what an acquirer and a payment provider are and how they interact with the online shop.

What is a payment service provider (PSP)?

A payment service provider, or PSP, is a company that takes care of the technical integration of online payment methods in online shops. An online Comerciante (Comerciante) only needs to negotiate with one payment provider to obtain all the desired payment methods, integration systems and e-commerce tools and to meet the security requirements. The corresponding contract with the payment provider is called a processing contract because it relates to the technical processing of payments.

How a payment service provider (PSP) works

What is an acquirer and an acceptance agreement?

An acquiring or acceptance agreement is an agreement between a Comerciante and an acquirer (also known as an acquiring bank). This contract regulates the acceptance and processing of credit card payments and other electronic payments. The acquiring bank is the credit institution that processes card payments for Comerciante. Comerciante can enter into an acceptance agreement with acquirers such as Worldline or Concardis, for example, or with a payment facilitator (PF) such as Payrexx.

What is a payment facilitator?

A payment facilitator (also known as a PF or collecting PSP) is in direct contact with the Comerciante and manages the account with the acquirer. The payment facilitator can sign the acceptance agreement on behalf of the acquirer, making setup easier because the Comerciante has fewer direct relationships. The payment facilitator therefore enables the integration of various payment methods in the online shop with just one contract.

How a payment facilitator (PF) works

How do you choose the right provider?

Crucial for Comerciante is a simple and reliable integration, a wide range of payment methods and tools, good support and a payment provider that is as cost-effective as possible in order to avoid unnecessary costs. In addition, every online shop should clarify the following prerequisites:

• Which payment methods should be offered in the online shop? Not every provider supports all common payment methods. Depending on the region or origin of the provider, different payment methods are available.

• Which tools are needed for the online shop? Each provider has a slightly different range of integrated e-commerce tools. Some providers specialize specifically in donation pages, for example, while others focus on online shops. Some, however, also offer an all-in-one solution for different business models.

• Which shop system do you use? Most providers offer plugins for the most popular shop solutions* for integrating the payment solution into the online shop. If you do not have your own shop yet, or if it was custom-developed, there are some providers that have a solution for every case.

• How is payment security ensured? A payment provider meets the highest security standards for online payments. By signing a contract with a PSP, you also meet these standards and can guarantee your customers the highest level of payment security.

It is recommended to choose a payment provider that is also an acquirer or payment facilitator, so that Comerciante have a single point of contact for everything.

Overview of the functions of individual payment providers

The following table shows which payment provider offers which payment methods*, which shop systems are compatible, and how the companies are rated on Google.

*The most common methods in Switzerland are listed.

In addition to the most well-known shop systems, there are some providers that offer their own shop systems – setting these up requires no programming knowledge. In the table, such offers are listed as "Integrated E-Commerce Tools". This tool allows the simple creation of shops for products, vouchers, subscriptions or donation pages.

Datatrans has been merged with Planet as well as Hoist, protel, and Proximis under the joint brand planet. In this article, we refer to Datatrans (planet).

Functional matrix of the various payment providers

**Datatrans has been merged with Planet as well as Hoist, protel, and Proximis under the joint brand planet. In this article, we therefore refer to "Datatrans (planet)" and refer to the public conditions of Datatrans.

Cost analysis

In this section, a calculation of the monthly costs (subscription and transaction fees) is carried out. The calculation is done once for an online shop with a turnover of EUR 20,000 and once for one with a turnover of EUR 100,000.

For the cost analysis, the cheapest offers from the individual payment providers for the corresponding commercial turnover were selected. The price details are mostly* taken from the websites of the respective payment service providers. In the diagram, any setup costs are not included.

*In the case of Datatrans' offer, the acquiring costs are not publicly visible. Therefore, a value of 2% was assumed (average of all other providers).

Online shops with a monthly turnover of EUR 20,000

The cost analysis shows the monthly fees for smaller online shops with a commercial turnover of EUR 20,000 with 200 credit card transactions per month. The average value of a transaction is therefore EUR 100 per purchase.

Monthly costs at a turnover of EUR 20,000 (excluding setup)

The lowest fees as a smaller online shop are obtained with Payrexx, closely followed by PostFinance. At a cost of EUR 790, PayPal is the most expensive for online shops with this volume. The absolute price difference between Payrexx and PayPal is EUR 441. The costs with the cheapest payment provider Payrexx are therefore more than 50% lower than with the most expensive offer. In addition, Payrexx offers startups and non-profit organizations exclusive discounts of 30% and 50% off all pricing plans respectively.

Online shops with a monthly turnover of EUR 100,000

The cost analysis shows the monthly fees for medium-sized online shops with a commercial turnover of EUR 100,000 with 1,000 credit card transactions per month. The average value of a transaction is therefore EUR 100 per purchase.

Monthly costs at a turnover of EUR 100,000 (excluding setup)

Payrexx is the cheapest provider with costs of EUR 1,549 per month, followed by wallee. For medium-sized online shops, PayPal, Stripe, and Worldline are significantly more expensive than the other providers. Overall, Payrexx is EUR 2,401 cheaper than the most expensive provider, which represents a percentage price difference of over 60%.

No calculation was carried out for large online shops, as most payment providers do not offer public special conditions for larger customers – e.g. Datatrans, Payrexx, Stripe, walle, Worldline and zahls.ch.

All payment providers in detail

Payrexx: Payment facilitator with integrated e-commerce tools

Payrexx is both a payment provider and a payment facilitator. Thanks to a low-cost pricing model and a variety of payment interfaces and e-commerce tools, Payrexx represents a modern and user-friendly all-in-one solution.

With integrated tools such as payment links, one-page shops with their own URL, virtual terminals, QR-Pay, and digital invoices, Payrexx meets the individual needs of almost every Comerciante. Payrexx is suitable for selling products, services, online tickets, or vouchers, but also for collecting membership fees or processing donation projects. Thanks to the 30-day trial phase, the payment platform can be tried out for free. Payrexx has an average Google rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars from a total of 126 reviews.

Price overview of Payrexx

* Preferred conditions between 1.5% and 1.3%

What do Comerciante need to do for integration?

Since every Comerciante receives a payment website with their own internet address, no integration or programming knowledge is required. If you already have a shop, you can integrate the payment solution using the available plugins. To register with Payrexx, you only need a valid photo ID and, if applicable, an entry in the commercial register.

PostFinance Checkout: a comprehensive e-payment solution

PostFinance enjoys high customer acceptance in Switzerland. PostFinance Checkout is a payment solution that offers all common payment methods (PostFinance E-Finance, PostFinance Card, TWINT as well as Visa and Mastercard) as well as various shop plugins. The prices listed below already include all payment provider and acquiring costs. PostFinance also offers a free trial period for 30 days in a simulation mode. PostFinance has an average Google rating of 2.5 out of 5 stars from 119 reviews.

Price overview of PostFinance Checkout

What do Comerciante need to do for integration?

PostFinance Checkout is available to all companies based in Switzerland or the Principality of Liechtenstein that have a business account in EUR with PostFinance.

Worldline: Acquirer and payment provider

Worldline offers both acquiring and payment provider services and therefore usually provides these offers in a package. With the Worldline e-commerce package, payments can be processed directly via a payment window. Transfers are possible in more than 20 currencies and customers can decide for themselves which currency they wish to pay in. This is also because Worldline provides dynamic currency conversion. In addition, Worldline offers various payment functions, such as subsequent debiting or the booking of partial amounts. Worldline has an average Google rating of 2.8 out of five stars from a total of 420 reviews.

Price overview of Worldline

What do Comerciante need to do for integration?

No programming knowledge is required. According to Worldline, it is particularly suitable for existing e-commerce solutions and static websites.

Datatrans: Provider with lots of experience

Datatrans is the largest provider in Switzerland and can be integrated either as an external payment option (external payment window) or through implementation (via API in the shop layout). With Datatrans Payment Pages, Comerciante have access to all payment methods with a single integration. Datatrans Secure Fields blend seamlessly into the design and help improve the Comerciante's conversion rate. In addition, you also have the opportunity to create a test account with this provider. Datatrans has an average Google rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars from 16 reviews.

Price overview of Datatrans

The setup costs cannot be found on Datatrans' website, and an average value of EUR 100 was assumed. In addition, the minimum billing per month is EUR 290 (excluding external acquiring costs), and external acquiring fees of approximately 2% apply in addition to Datatrans' costs.

What do Comerciante need to do for integration?

Datatrans itself does not have an online shop tool, so you must already own your own online shop. This can be a self-developed shop or you can use a standard shop system. Since Datatrans is neither an acquirer nor a payment facilitator, Comerciante also need acceptance agreements with another acquirer.

PayPal: an international payment provider

PayPal is a simple solution for shop providers, but quickly becomes more expensive with larger order volumes. Payment links, email invoices, and various plugins are available. According to its own figures, the payment facilitator PayPal has more than 240 million active users and offers the ability to make payments in over 100 currencies. PayPal is an international provider, which allows Comerciante to choose from a variety of different languages. PayPal has an average Google rating of 1.7 out of 5 stars from a total of 474 reviews.

Price overview of PayPal Switzerland

PayPal does not charge setup fees or monthly subscription costs, which is particularly worthwhile for shops with very few transactions.

What do Comerciante need to do for integration?

To use PayPal, Comerciante only need to provide company details as well as a commercial register number. No developer skills are required.

Stripe: Provider for developers

Stripe offers developer-friendly tools for connecting payment provider services to various web and mobile apps with a modern design. It enables credit card payments and also makes several other payment methods available, such as Alipay. Stripe, like Payrexx and PayPal, is a payment facilitator. Basically, Stripe is attractive due to its pricing, especially for smaller online shops. The provider has a Google rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars from 48 reviews.

Price overview of Stripe

Stripe also charges no one-off setup costs or fixed monthly fees. No additional fees are charged for refunds either.

What do Comerciante need to do for integration?

Comerciante must possess developer knowledge for the implementation. Furthermore, a valid photo ID and a company number are required for verification.

wallee: Omni-pay provider from Switzerland

Wallee is a Swiss payment provider based in Winterthur. Over 1,000 customers trust this company. Payments can be processed online, either integrated on the website or via redirection. The templates can be changed as desired and plugins for various shop systems are also available. A test mode is also available. Wallee has a Google rating of 3 out of 5 stars from 39 reviews.

Price overview of wallee

What do Comerciante need to do for integration?

In order to use one of the many integrations, Comerciante usually need to take a few technical steps and integrate a wallee plugin or API into their shop.

saldiaPay: Payment provider with its own shop system

SaldiaPay is a Swiss payment provider that offers digital payment solutions for businesses. They enable the processing of credit card payments, accept digital wallets and provide secure, user-friendly payment services. saldia offers diverse solutions such as online payments, online shops or logistics services, thereby earning a good reputation in various industries.

Price overview of saldiaPay

What do Comerciante need to do for integration?

Programming knowledge is not necessary to use saldiaPay. With saldiaShop, you can easily create an online shop and immediately have the appropriate payment provider saldiaPay and many other integrations such as bexio, saldiaLogistics and swissbilling. The verification process includes personal identification with a photo ID and, if available, entry in the commercial register.

zahls.ch: New Swiss payment solution for the web

Zahls.ch is a Swiss provider whose offer is very clearly structured. In addition to classic payments, e-commerce tools are also available. This includes an online terminal, payment links, digital invoices and a self-configurable payment page (small online shop). Zahls.ch provides all Swiss payment methods and a large selection of international payment methods. Zahls.ch has an average Google rating of 5 out of 5 stars from a total of 3 reviews.

Price overview of zahls.ch

What do Comerciante need to do for integration?

Programming knowledge is not necessary to use zahls.ch, on the contrary. You can very easily create an online shop using the built-in tool. The verification process includes providing a photo ID and, if available, entry in the commercial register.

Conclusion: Which payment provider is right for you?

Basically, it is recommended to clarify the individual requirements of the online shop precisely and then, if possible, start with low-cost options rather than starting with too high expectations and paying unnecessarily much. For young and digital enterprises, Payrexx is an exciting option, for example. Payrexx offers an all-in-one solution with various tools that you can test and is the cost leader for medium-sized online shops – followed by PostFinance and wallee. PayPal, Stripe, and Worldline, on the other hand, charge relatively high transaction fees, and Datatrans incurs high monthly fixed costs.

In addition to prices, the functional scope and supporting services should also be considered. The most versatile and useful tools are offered by zahls.ch and Payrexx.

With over 200 payment instruments (including integrated External provider), Payrexx offers the largest selection of payment methods, followed by Datatrans (planet) with over 40 different payment instruments.

In terms of simplicity of installation, PayPal, Payrexx and zahls.ch surpass the other payment providers. In general implementation, Stripe is more comprehensive than the other providers. With PostFinance, advanced developer skills are needed to install the plugins.

The opportunity to test the provider and its features in a free phase is of great advantage to Comerciante, as this ensures that the payment provider meets their needs. Datatrans, Payrexx, PostFinance, wallee, Worldline, saldiaPay, and zahls.ch enable customers to try out the provider.

Datatrans, PostFinance, and Worldline have the most experience in the field of payment service providing.

In summary, when choosing a payment provider, it is worth looking not only at the well-known ones but also keeping an eye on the newer digital payment providers. These are often cheaper, yet still offer a variety of tools and can better address the individual needs of individual Comerciante. For smaller and medium-sized shops, Payrexx and wallee offer great advantages, while for larger companies it may be worthwhile to deal with the larger providers that have a lot of experience. Generally, Payrexx is clearly among the frontrunners in the areas of price, diversity, and simplicity.

Sources

Prices: Datatrans, PayPal, Payrexx, PostFinance, Stripe, wallee, Worldline 1, Worldline 2, saldiaPay, zahls.ch

Plugins for shop systems: Datatrans, PayPal, Payrexx, PostFinance, Stripe, wallee, Worldline, saldiaPay, zahls.ch

Payment instruments: Datatrans, PayPal, Payrexx, PostFinance, Stripe, wallee, Worldline, saldiaPay, zahls.ch

Icons: Flaticon

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Authors

Authors: Melanie Frutiger and Sven Otziger, Payrexx AG

Email address: melanie.frutiger@payrexx.com