Alternatives

NOWPayments alternative: Crypto Merchant vs NOWPayments (2026)

NOWPayments' pricing page now lists 1% per payment, or 1.5% with automatic conversion, plus the network fee, and its terms of 19 October 2026 exclude residents and citizens of the EU, UK, US, UAE and Russia. Crypto Merchant charges 1% per paid invoice and takes sign-ups from any country, so it can suit merchants in the EU, UK, US and UAE that those terms leave out. NOWPayments is the better choice if you need hundreds of coins, plugins, fiat withdrawal or payments sent straight to your own wallet.

Last checked: 29 October 2026

Crypto Merchant wrote this comparison, and we're not affiliated with any gateway named here. Every competitor fact comes from the vendor's own pages, linked under the table. Prices and terms change, so check them before you decide.

How does Crypto Merchant compare with NOWPayments?

The fees are close; the real differences are countries, custody and coverage. NOWPayments can pay straight to your own wallet and lists 300+ currencies. Crypto Merchant is custodial, accepts 11 coins and has no country exclusions at sign-up.

Feature	Crypto Merchant	NOWPayments
Payment fee	1% of each paid invoice, in the coin paid, deducted when it's credited. Expired or cancelled invoices cost nothing.	1% without conversion; 1.5% for auto-converted or fixed-rate payments; plus the network fee. “As low as 0.3%” for eligible partners.^[1]
Monthly and setup fees	None, and no setup fee. Going live takes a one-time $25 payment, credited in full to your gas balance for network fees. It isn't refunded as cash.	None listed on the pricing page.^[1]
Conversion	Optional: swap everything into one holding coin. The rate is the live market price and includes a service margin.	Off-chain conversions 1%. The same page's FAQ also says manual conversion in custody is 0.5%.^[1]
Payouts and withdrawals	Any time, no minimum, no Crypto Merchant payout fee: network fee only. Each coin to its own address, or swapped into one holding coin first.	0% withdrawal and mass-payout fee: network fee only.^[1]
KYC or KYB to sign up	Email, name and business name. We don't ask for identity documents when you create an account.	An email address and a crypto wallet to register. The terms say NOWPayments may run KYC on individuals and may make it mandatory; fiat partners may require KYB.^[2]
Custody	Custodial. We hold the keys; every wallet comes from one recovery phrase kept offline on paper. Payments collect in a pool wallet dedicated to your business.	Hybrid: payments go straight to your own wallet, or to an opt-in custody account run by a third party.^[1],[2]
Coins and networks	11 coins on 11 networks. USDT on Ethereum, BNB Smart Chain, Polygon, Arbitrum One, Tron and Solana. USDC on Ethereum, BNB Smart Chain, Polygon, Base, Arbitrum One and Solana. Plus BTC, ETH, LTC, SOL, XRP, BNB, TRX, POL and GRAM (TON).	300+ currencies (350+ on some pages). USDT on Omni, Tron, BNB Smart Chain, Ethereum, Solana and Polygon; not on TON.^[1],[3]
Country limits	Anyone, in any country, can sign up. The Terms prohibit illegal goods, fraud and sanctions evasion.	Terms exclude residents and citizens of the EU, UK, US, UAE and Russia, and places where crypto is restricted.^[2]
E-commerce plugins	None: no WooCommerce, Shopify or WHMCS plugin. Use payment links, the hosted checkout or the API.	WooCommerce and WHMCS. Shopify not confirmed.^[2],[4]
Fiat (bank) settlement	No. Crypto only: payouts go to crypto addresses.	Fiat withdrawal through licensed partners, who set the fees; NOWPayments says it adds no markup.^[1],[2]
API and webhooks	REST API with Bearer keys for invoices, payment links, balances and coins. Webhooks signed with HMAC-SHA256, retried for about two days.	API with IPN payment notifications, plus billing, subscriptions and a POS terminal.^[4]
Payment links	Yes: fixed-price or pay-what-you-want links, a hosted checkout page and invoices.	Yes.^[4]

Every Crypto Merchant cost is on the pricing page, and every API field in the API reference.

Sources

Every NOWPayments fact in the table comes from these pages, checked 29 October 2026. “Not confirmed” means none of them stated it.

[1]Pricing: https://nowpayments.io/pricing
[2]Terms of service, last updated 19 October 2026: https://nowpayments.io/doc/fd-tos.pdf
[3]Supported coins: https://nowpayments.io/supported-coins
[4]Payment tools: https://nowpayments.io/payment-tools

When is NOWPayments the better choice?

NOWPayments is the better choice if you need a coin or tool Crypto Merchant doesn't have, or want payments to reach your own wallet directly.

You need a coin Crypto Merchant doesn't accept: NOWPayments lists 300+ currencies, against our 11.
You want payments to arrive straight in your own wallet. NOWPayments offers that; Crypto Merchant is custodial.
You run WooCommerce or WHMCS and want a plugin. Crypto Merchant has none.
You need fiat: NOWPayments offers fiat withdrawal through partners. Crypto Merchant pays out in crypto only.
You need subscriptions, a POS terminal or mass payouts. NOWPayments lists all three.
You want a provider with a track record and reviews. Crypto Merchant launched on 28 October 2026 and has neither yet.

When does Crypto Merchant fit better?

Crypto Merchant fits better if NOWPayments' terms leave you out, or you'd rather have one service handle custody and network fees.

Your business is in the EU, UK, US or UAE, which NOWPayments' terms exclude. Anyone can sign up for Crypto Merchant from any country; you still follow the rules on crypto where you do business, and our Terms prohibit sanctions evasion, dealing with sanctioned people or regions, and illegal goods.
You don't want to manage gas: sweeps, swaps and token payouts are paid from your gas balance, with nothing added on top for sweeps.
You want a small API with signed webhooks: invoices, payment links and balances, with HMAC-SHA256 signatures and retries for about two days.

How do I switch from NOWPayments to Crypto Merchant?

Sign up, go live with one payment, then point your checkout and webhooks at Crypto Merchant. There's no plugin to install: you use payment links, the hosted checkout or the API.

1
Create an account
Sign up with your email, your name and your business name. We don't ask for identity documents when you create an account.
2
Go live
Turn on the coins and networks you want, then make the one-time $25 go-live payment in any coin. It's credited in full to your gas balance, which pays network fees, and isn't refunded as cash if you close the account.
3
Start taking payments
Share your checkout page, create payment links or invoices in the portal, or create invoices from your site with the API.
4
Point your webhooks
Add your server's HTTPS address under Developers, check the CM-Signature header on every event, and fulfil orders on invoice.paid. Webhooks has the details.
5
Wind down NOWPayments
Keep your NOWPayments account until its open payments are finished and you've withdrawn any custody balance, then remove its plugin or API calls.

Frequently asked questions

Is NOWPayments KYC?

Not at sign-up, according to its terms: registration needs an email address and a crypto wallet. The same terms say NOWPayments may run a KYC check on individuals and may make KYC mandatory in future, and its fiat partners may require business verification. Crypto Merchant doesn't ask for identity documents when you create an account.

How much does NOWPayments charge?

Its pricing page lists 1% for payments without conversion and 1.5% for auto-converted or fixed-rate payments, plus the network fee, and 0% on withdrawals and mass payouts. Many reviews still quote an older 0.5%. Crypto Merchant charges 1% of each paid invoice.

Is NOWPayments trustworthy?

We can't judge that for you, and we're a competitor. What its own documents say: it's run by FD Transfers LLC of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, under terms last updated 19 October 2026, and unless you opt into custody it can send payments straight to your own wallet, so it doesn't have to hold your funds.

Does NOWPayments work in the EU, UK or US?

Its terms say the service is not provided to residents or citizens of the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, the United Arab Emirates or Russia. Crypto Merchant takes sign-ups from any country.

Is Crypto Merchant built on NOWPayments?

No. Crypto Merchant isn't built on another gateway: it runs its own wallets, all derived from one recovery phrase kept offline on paper.

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