What is the best payment gateway for WooCommerce?

WordPress is a popular open-source content management system with a history spanning more than 20 years. The platform was initially conceived as a blog publishing solution. However, the software's flexible, modular plugin and templating system has meant that it has since morphed into something much larger and more useful in scope than its humble blogging origins.
Today, WordPress is used in every industry imaginable, from basic business websites to fully-featured e-commerce stores. The numbers speak for themselves: more than 40% of all websites on the internet now use WordPress as a foundation.
The modular nature of this CMS, combined with its vast user base, means that someone somewhere has probably already implemented a custom plugin to add the exact functionality you require without having to pay a developer.
In the case of turning WordPress into a fully-fledged e-commerce store, that plugin is known as WooCommerce.
Although WooCommerce is installed just like any other WordPress plugin, the software turns the basic WordPress framework into a fully functional e-commerce platform. Customisable product listings, a shopping cart, taxes, stock levels and more are all included, plus anything else you could need to quickly build and deploy an online store.
Taking payments on a WooCommerce store
WooCommerce makes it simple to add a WordPress payment gateway to your online store, with a range of plugins, including the company's own offering, the official WooCommerce Payment Extension.
The WooCommerce Payment Extension seems, at first glance, like the best payment gateway plugin for WordPress. It's deeply integrated into the rest of the WooCommerce platform and makes it relatively straightforward to integrate a payment gateway into a WordPress website. However, whilst it scores top marks for ease of use, the official plugin does have a few potential drawbacks.
Potential downsides of the official WooCommerce payment plugin
Whilst the official WooCommerce plugin (WooPayments) is a completely free payment gateway for WordPress, (fees are taken on a per-transaction basis) there are some potential downsides to its use, depending on your intended application:
- WooPayments is available in a range of countries, but if your region isn't supported, you'll have no option but to look elsewhere.
- PCI-DSS compliance is not directly supported without customisation. You'll also need to keep a close eye on GDPR if you're selling to EU citizens.
- You'll be able to offer alternative payment methods and subscription-style payments, but the options aren't as comprehensive as those of rival offerings.
The WooCommerce payment extension is a completely free payment gateway for WordPress that’s a decent option for businesses on a budget. Still, you'll need to have an in-depth understanding of the documentation and ensure that hidden costs don't mount up.
If you're building a more extensive e-commerce operation or plan to expand into new countries or regions, better alternatives exist for integrating a payment gateway into a WordPress website.
What is the best payment gateway for WooCommerce? Questions to ask yourself before making a decision
There are plenty of options when it comes to choosing the best payment gateway plugin for WooCommerce, but not all of them will be able to offer your business the tools it needs to sell effectively in 2025 and beyond.
Here are some essential questions to ask when choosing the best payment gateway for WordPress.
Does the checkout offer suitable payment options?
The landscape of digital payments is changing at a rapid pace. Today's customers expect not just credit and debit card payment options but digital wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay, as well as the region-specific payment methods they are most comfortable with. That means a simple credit card payment gateway integration in WordPress may not be enough to keep your customers happy.
Will you be able to implement payouts?
Not every business needs to make payouts but if you need this kind of functionality from your payment provider for salary remittance or various types of customer compensation, it’s important to check how easily this functionality can be integrated into your workflow without needing multiple interfaces (or additional services).
Will the payment gateway achieve high conversions?
Of course, your conversion rates will vary tremendously depending on the industry and region you're working in. However, a good WooCommerce payment gateway allows you to customise the page layout, adding your own branding and giving you options to either embed the page on your site or redirect customers to a standalone page.
Will I need multiple integrations to get the functionality I require?
WordPress sites can be customised infinitely. However, whilst it's very easy to add dozens of plugins from different providers to cobble together a custom payment gateway in WordPress that gives you the full functionality you require, it can quickly become a nightmare to manage.
Updates and conflicting plugins can break your site, and managing multiple accounts from different payment providers can quickly become a chore. It's a much safer bet to stick with fully-featured WooCommerce payment plugins that offer everything you need in a single integration.
Is the provider able to offer great support and security?
As more people take their businesses online and customers embrace fully digital shopping, fraud and card chargebacks are surging. Add in the genuine risk of falling foul of GDPR and other legal requirements, and it becomes more important than ever to choose a provider that doesn’t just offer a credit card payment gateway integration in WordPress, but also one with the expertise to minimise exposure to security and legal risks.
In addition, if you're expanding into new regions or about to launch a hotly anticipated new product, you really don't want to be dealing with checkout page outages and other technical issues.
Introducing the Ecommpay plugin for WooCommerce
Ecommpay's WooCommerce payment plugin is the answer to all of the above questions, allowing you to accept payments seamlessly on your e-commerce store, issue payouts and integrate with the entire feature set of our payment ecosystem.
- Accepts credit and debit cards.
- One step and two step payments and recurring payments.
- Alternative, local payment methods for a tailored customer experience.
- Let customers spread the cost of payment with Buy Now Pay Later.
- A powerful Merchant Dashboard with analytics and money management.
The Ecommpay WooCommerce payment gateway plugin doesn’t require any special technical knowledge or development time to set up, allowing you to get up and running in no time at all.
Installing the Ecommpay plugin for Wordpress and WooCommerce
The Ecommpay WooCommerce payment gateway plugin is very simple to install and use. Simply head over to the WordPress Marketplace to download our payments plugin.
- Download and install our free WooCommerce plugin. It’s quick and easy. Feel free to test it any time.
- Create a Merchant account with Ecommpay and provide all the necessary documents.
- Once approved, go live and start accepting payments in just a couple of days.
- Receive weekly or even more frequent settlements.
- Scale your business easily and expand to new markets with the same plugin.
Once you see the “Plugin Activated” message, you’re ready to add your account details and begin testing.
Selecting the best payment gateway is an important decision
There are plenty of free WooCommerce payment plugins, but choosing the right one can be crucial for your business. A quality payment platform integration can make expansion into new regions a much smoother process, whilst positively impacting your conversions and profit margin. Ecommpay's WooCommerce plugin adds an even greater level of flexibility to your store for a seamless, customer-friendly shopping experience.