Top 20 Best Payment Platform For Freelancers (2023)

Thousands of professionals are ditching their jobs for freelancing, as it allows for more flexibility and a better growth opportunity.

Freelancing is rapidly gaining popularity among professionals as a primary source of income.

However, there are some inherent issues with Freelancing as well, and the most important one is ensuring timely payments.

If you are a freelancer, you might have experienced similar issues too.

As you work with clients across multiple locations, it’s better to have a reliable payment method to ensure that your payments are received on time.

Often people ask what the best payment platforms are for freelancers, so I have compiled a list of the top 20 payment platforms for freelancers.

What Are Payment Platform/ Gateways

Also known as a payment gateway, a payment platform is a third-party service that allows merchants to securely accept credit card payments from customers online or in person.

The best payment Platform delivers secure and reliable service, superior support, and competitive transaction processing fees without a long-term contract.

What You Must Consider When Choosing A Payment Platform

Choosing the right payment platform for your business is an important decision. If you choose a gateway that doesn’t fit your business model, you might end up losing a lot of money and customers as well.

Here are the most important factors:

1. Cost

The most important thing you need to consider while choosing a payment platform is the total cost that you’ll incur.

The costs involved in using a payment gateway come in three types: set-up fee, monthly fee, and transaction fee.

To find the most cost-effective choice for your business, both the volume and value of your transactions need to be considered.

Most payment gateways have a competitive transaction fee rate of 2.9% + 30ç.

This might work well for businesses when the value of their transactions is often not that high; however, if they are, the transaction fees can increase your expenses significantly.

If your business deals primarily in high-value transactions, make sure you look for payment gateways that offer their services for a set monthly fee and a low transaction fee.

2. Types Of Cards Allowed

The most commonly used credit cards are Visa, MasterCard. All of these card types are accepted by most payment platform.

However, if your customers usually pay you using other card types, such as a debit card or a Diners Club card, you need to make sure that your payment gateways support that card.

3. Mobile Payment Support

A majority of customers shop using mobile phones and tablets now, so it’s important to select a gateway that can support payments made from mobile devices as well.

This will give your customers the flexibility to pay you regardless of what device they use.

4. Recurring Payment

If you run a subscription-based business, you need to pick a payment platform that’s equipped to handle all the moving parts that go into recurring billing.

Any provider you choose needs to be able to save and store customer details for future transactions, automatically charge credit cards on preset subscription schedules, and offer retry options for failed transactions.

Otherwise, you may have to do all this additional work manually.

5. Multiple Currency Support

If you do business internationally, you need to make sure that your payment gateway can handle payments in different currencies and from different countries.

It is of utmost importance to let your customers pay in their currency.

You’ll also want to, check for fees involved in foreign currency transactions.

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Best Payment Platform For Freelancers (2022)

1. PayPal

This name is synonymous with online payment platform. For more than a decade, Paypal has established itself as an undisputed leader in the market.

There are multiple reasons to use Paypal as your online payment platform.

Let’s take a look at some of them:

1. It’s reliable & efficient
2. It offers multiple withdrawal options
3. It seamlessly integrates to the websites via plugins
4. It’s best for recurring payments

Although Paypal has these many benefits, it has one limitation that might overshadow its benefits. It charges very high transaction & transfer fees, depending on your & your Client’s location.

2. Payoneer

If you are looking for a Paypal alternative for freelancers, Payoneer should be your choice. It’s old, & it’s reliable.

Due to its simplicity & efficiency, it remains one of the most popular online payment platform(s) globally.

Some of the benefits of using Payoneer are as follows:

1. It can be used globally
2. Transactions are quick & easy
3. Signup with Pioneer is absolutely free of cost
4. It charges way too little as compared to Paypal

3. Stripe

Stripe is comparatively a new platform in the list.

But with its excellent service, & flexible charges, it is becoming freelancers’ favourite payment platform.

Stripe lets you collect payments from clients without creating an online store.

Let’s take a look at some of the benefits of using Stripe over other payment platforms.

1. It charges less & variable fees, depending on your location
2. It’s very easy to use
3. It offers Seamless integration with multiple WordPress platforms
4. You can collect payments via WPforms

4. Wise

If you want local bank account entries in local currency in your Bank account, I strongly recommend Wise, as a Payment Platform.

Designed to ease the headache of converting foreign currencies, Wise is a great option for freelancers who work with clients from a large number of countries.

Another benefit of using Wise is their currency exchange rate, which is almost identical to what you see on the Internet.

Let’s take a look at the other benefits of using Wise:

1. You get paid directly in your account in local currency
2. Lower transfer charges as compared to other platforms
3. No additional charges by exchange rates
4. Variable transfer fees, depending on your & your Client’s location

5. QuickBooks

It’s one of the most popular accounting software & payment platform fused together. With QuickBooks, you can easily create invoices & share them with your clients. At the same time, you can also accept payments straight to your Bank accounts.

Let’s take a look at some of the benefits of using QuickBooks:

1. Payment from the Client’s end is very easy
2. You can manage all your transactions via QuickBooks
3. They offer to ‘pay as you grow” fees structure

6. 2Checkout

This is also one of the best Paypal alternatives available in the market. You can set 2 Checkout ass your payment platform on almost all WordPress websites via WordPress plugins.

One more feature that sets 2Checkout apart is its wider range. Using 2Checkout, you can collect.

Payments, even from the countries where Stripe & Paypal doesn’t work.

Let’s take a look at some of the benefits:

1. This is also one of the best Paypal alternatives available in the market. You can set 2 Checkout ass your payment platform on almost all WordPress websites via WordPress plugins.
2. One more feature that sets 2Checkout apart is its wider range. Using 2Checkout, you can collect.
3. Payments, even from the countries where Stripe & Paypal doesn’t work.
4. Let’s take a look at some of the benefits:

7. Instamojo

If you are not a fan of monthly fees charged by Online Payment platform(s), Instamojo is a perfect choice for you. It allows freelancers to send & receive money hassle-free. You can create payment links & ask your clients to pay you using that link.

Some benefits of using Instamojo:

1. No signup fees or monthly charges
2. Simple & Easy payment solutions
3. Fixed fees on transactions

8. Revolut

Revolut already boasts of over 6 million loyal users just by making monetary transactions more straightforward,hassle-free, and at your fingertips. To start with Revolut, download the app from iStore or GooglePlay Store, register, and open an account.

Being a freelancer, it is essential to keep track of where your money is coming from and where it is going personally and professionally.

Revolut mobile application is neat, fast and almost everything you can do within app. Its one of the best I’ve ever seen.

Revolut’s business account helps you get rid of unwanted changes in the name of exchange rates, cross-border transfers, and other kinds of fees that none of us remember and yet lose a chunk of our money in the long run.

9. Sage Pay

Sage Pay is without a doubt one of the most effective internet Payment platform(s) available. They’ve obtained an edge over competitors due to their aggressive pricing.

But, not only do they have competitive pricing, but their system also offers improved levels of security. Its goal is to make processing secure and efficient.

10. Bambora

Bambora is a worldwide payment service that allows e-commerce businesses to receive international credit card payments from consumers worldwide. You can accept payments in different currencies securely and transparently, and it also eliminates exchange rate exposure when accepting foreign currencies.

It’s a smart choice for businesses looking to serve Eastern Europe, Western Europe, the US, and Canada with one reliable platform. It also provides tools to manage their finances across multiple countries, currencies, and exchange rates.

11. Bluepay

Bluepay is ideal for companies because it supports a variety of platforms. It. Allows you to get paid faster with competitive fees and clear statements that give you a comprehensive picture of your transactions.

Safeguard your company with its industry-fraud prevention capabilities, including chargeback prevention and risk mitigation techniques that are still adjustable enough to fit any business. You can get paid in any currency you choose, which helps you do business on a global scale without having to worry about foreign exchange fees or associated costs.

12. Braintree

Braintree Payment Platform is a popular payment gateway that lets businesses and customers make payments. It includes lightning-fast processing, minimal costs, and credit card authorization built-in.

Braintree can handle transactions for clients from over 100 countries. It also supports a wide range of credit cards issued by all major US banks and many thousand other international financial institutions that are members of the MasterCard or Visa networks, including nearly all card types used throughout the world.

13. RazorPay

RazorPay is a payment Platform for Indian businesses that allows them to take payments on their websites and mobile apps. It’s a well-known, stable, and versatile solution with complete control of your account.

The developer-friendly APIs allow you to quickly connect your business’ website, and the simple connection protects consumers.

14. Alipay

Alipay is a highly reputable payment solution with 700 million users across the world. It supports transactions in 14 major foreign currencies, offers free additional escrow services to assist customers, check items before releasing funds, and is secure because it’s based in China.

It also accepts payments via WebMoney, and Visa and MasterCard.

15. Square

Square is best known for its credit card processing and mobile POS system. However, freelancers should know that Square also offers a free service called Square Invoices.

Square Invoices does have some weaknesses — no multicurrency support and limited sales tax functionality. There’s also no project management at the free level, so if you tend to have complex multistage projects where you bill by milestone, you’ll need to spring for the paid version of the software, Square Invoices Plus. For $20/month, this package allows you to create milestone-based payment schedules and offers some basic project management features.

For online invoice payments, the Square fee is 2.9% + $0.30 per invoice or 3.5% + $0.15 to charge a card stored on file. The fee is the same for all card types, and there is no charge for customers who pay invoices via cash or check. You can cancel your account at any time (but Square can unilaterally cancel your account too).

16. FreshBooks

If your business does a lot of quotes/proposals, FreshBooks might be the invoicing software you need. Technically, FreshBooks is accounting software, but it lacks accounts payable, budgeting, and tax support capabilities, so it might not work as well as the various versions of QuickBooks. FreshBooks does have project management capabilities, so if this functionality is important to your business, you might want to take a closer look at FreshBooks.

Each of FreshBooks’ pricing plans only supports one user by default (additional users cost $10/month each), and the software does not support multiple businesses. FreshBooks has a three-tiered plan, from the Lite ($6/month) to the Plus ($10/month) to the Premium ($20). These prices are less than half of what they were just a few months ago.

17. Google Pay

Google Pay (combines and replaces the previously used Android Pay, Google Pay Send and Google Wallet) allows you to send and receive payments for free, from your mobile or desktop device – your clients just need to enter your email address or phone number to send you the money. Once you create an account, you get a PIN number you’ll use to manage all transactions.

18. Skrill

Skrill is an online payment processor that allows you to make international money transfers at a low cost.

Skrill payment processing time: up to 3 days for the Skrill review team to approve the transfer, and up to 24 hours to have the payment transferred to your account.

19. TransferWise

TranferWise is an international transfer service that lets you carry out transactions by matching your transfers and taking a small commission fee.

There are no border-crossing fees for international transfers because the money doesn’t travel internationally – it just travels from one Transferwise account to another.

20. MoneyGram

Moneygram is another money transfer company that offers both domestic and international transfer – it’s mostly geared towards international transactions with over 360,000 on-site agent locations (over 25,000 in Africa alone).

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Which Payment Method Is Best For Freelancer?

PayPal is arguably the best payment platform. PayPal is an online payment system with over 270 million users – you create an account on the PayPal website, connect your credit card and then the client can pay you via his/her own account before you withdraw the money from your PayPal balance.

• PayPal payment processing time: 3-5 business days
• PayPal fees:
  • $0.30 for each US transaction + 2.9% of the amount you receive from the US
  • 4.4% for each non-US transaction + fixed fee percentage depending on the country
• Country availability: Available in over 200 countries. However, not all countries can receive payments (only send them), so check the eligibility of your country here before opening a PayPal account.
• Currencies: Available in 26 currencies
• Payment methods: Bank transfer, PayPal Debit Mastercard, Requesting a check
• Transfer limit: up to $10,000 per transaction

CONCLUSION

In order to be successful as a freelancer, you have to manage your payments efficiently. Unlike a job, if you don’t keep track of your payment schedules, you’ll be losing a lot of money.

So I always recommend using a reliable payment gateway to ensure timely payments with the lowest transaction fees.

Hopefully, after reading this guide on the Best payment Platform(s) for freelancers, you will be able to determine which platform is best for you based on your location and goals.

Remember, it’s your money, so don’t lose it to some ponzi platforms.

Thanks for reading!