Payments
Best Payment Processing for Contractors & Trades (2026)
Every contractor takes payments — and most overpay on card fees without realizing it. We compare the processors trades actually use, organized by the one thing that decides your cost: the pricing model. Real rates, honest trade-offs, affiliate-transparent.
The short answer
Your card cost is decided by the pricing model, not the brand. At low volume, flat-rate processors Square and Stripe are simplest. As you grow, interchange-plus Helcim is the most transparent and usually cheapest, with no monthly fee. At high volume, subscription pricing like Stax drops the percentage markup entirely once the monthly fee is amortized. For big-ticket trades, steering large invoices to ACH beats every card model. No vendor pays for placement.
The headline filter: pricing model
Payment cost is decided by the pricing model, not the brand. Flat-rate (Square, Stripe) is simplest and best at low volume. Interchange-plus (Helcim) is the most transparent and usually cheapest as you grow, with no monthly fee. Subscription/membership (Stax) drops the percentage markup entirely and wins at high volume once the monthly fee is amortized. The right pick depends on your monthly card volume and average ticket — and for big-ticket trades, steering large invoices to ACH beats every card model.
Simple, predictable per-transaction rates (for example 2.6% + 10 cents). Easiest to understand and start with; best for lower-volume shops where simplicity beats squeezing out basis points.
Square
Flat-rate payments and POS, the default for small service businesses
$0 (free plan); $49 or $149/mo for lower rates
monthly
Rates: Flat-rate. In-person 2.6% + 15¢ (free plan); online/invoice 3.3% + 30¢; keyed/card-on-file 3.5% + 15¢. Paid plans ($49/mo and $149/mo per location) lower in-person rates to 2.5% and 2.4%. No monthly fee on the free plan.
- Model
- flat rate
- Founded
- 2009
- Capterra
- —
- Best team size
- 1-20
Best for: Solo and low-to-mid-volume service businesses that want the simplest possible setup with predictable flat-rate pricing and free hardware
Stripe
Developer-friendly flat-rate payments, strongest for online and integrations
$0
monthly
Rates: Flat-rate, no monthly fee. Online 2.9% + 30¢; in-person (Stripe Terminal) 2.7% + 5¢; international cards +1.5%; ACH is far cheaper (good for recurring and large invoices). No setup or monthly fees on standard accounts.
- Model
- flat rate
- Founded
- 2010
- Capterra
- —
- Best team size
- 1-500
Best for: Contractors whose payments are mostly online or invoiced, who want cheap ACH on big-ticket and recurring billing, or whose software already runs on Stripe
QuickBooks Payments / GoPayment
Card + ACH that auto-reconciles to your QuickBooks invoices
0
monthly
⚠ Reputation warning
Documented pattern of holds/freezes on large, legitimate transactions (reports into the tens of thousands of dollars) during opaque reviews, with uneven support to resolve them.
Rates: Pay-as-you-go: card-present ~2.4%, invoiced/online ~2.9%, keyed ~3.4%, +~$0.25/txn; ACH 1% (uncapped on accounts opened on/after Sep 6, 2023); instant deposit 1.75%. Optional "Pay Monthly" plan lowers swipe/keyed rates. No Payments-specific monthly fee. Rates mid-2025 — reconfirm..
- Model
- flat rate
- Founded
- 1983
- Capterra
- 4.3 / 5
- Best team size
- 1-50
Best for: Contractors who already run their books in QuickBooks and want payments that auto-reconcile to invoices — with a backup plan for the documented large-payment hold risk
PayPal / PayPal Zettle
Zero-monthly card acceptance with universal brand trust — and Tap to Pay
0
monthly
⚠ Reputation warning
Long, well-documented history of freezing account balances for 21–180 days when it detects an unusual sales spike — the exact profile of a contractor landing a big job.
Rates: In-person/QR 2.29% + $0.09; keyed 3.49% + $0.09; invoicing (card) 2.99% + $0.49, or via ACH 1% (cap $10); online 2.99% + $0.49. No monthly/setup fee on the POS app; first reader $29. Optional add-ons: Invoicing $14.99/mo, Payments Pro $30/mo, Recurring $10/mo..
- Model
- flat rate
- Founded
- 1998
- Capterra
- 4.6 / 5
- Best team size
- 1-10
Best for: Solo and small trades that want zero-monthly, trusted card acceptance (especially Tap to Pay) and will keep a backup account given PayPal's freeze history
You pay the interchange cost set by the card networks plus a transparent fixed markup. Usually the cheapest and most transparent model, especially for higher-volume businesses.
Helcim
Transparent interchange-plus pricing with no monthly fee or contracts
$0
monthly
Rates: Interchange-plus, no monthly fee, no contracts. Starts at interchange + 0.40% + 8¢ in-person and interchange + 0.50% + 25¢ online; average effective ~1.93% + 8¢ in-person and ~2.49% + 25¢ online. Automatic volume discounts above $50K/mo.
- Model
- interchange plus
- Founded
- 2006
- Capterra
- —
- Best team size
- 1-200
Best for: Higher-volume contractors who want the lowest transparent processing cost with no monthly fee or contract, and don't mind reading an interchange-plus statement
Dharma Merchant Services
Transparent interchange-plus, no contract, PCI included — the integrity pick
15
monthly
Rates: Interchange + 0.15% + $0.08 (retail) / 0.20% + $0.11 (eCommerce). Monthly fee $15–$20 (includes PCI). No annual fee, no monthly minimum, no setup, NO early-termination fee. Add-ons: invoicing/recurring $10/mo; QuickBooks sync ~$17.95/mo; Authorize.Net gateway $20/mo..
- Model
- interchange plus
- Founded
- 2007
- Capterra
- —
- Best team size
- 1-50
Best for: Established trades doing enough monthly volume that transparent interchange-plus beats flat-rate, who value an ethical, no-contract processor
National Processing
Low-cost interchange-plus with a lifetime rate-lock — read the equipment terms
9.95
monthly
⚠ Reputation warning
Documented pattern of hidden/undisclosed fees clashing with "lowest fee" marketing, plus a "free equipment = 3-year contract + ETF" gotcha despite standard accounts being month-to-month.
Rates: Interchange-plus; monthly account fee ~$9.95–$19+ (custom plans ~$59–199 for high volume). Example effective: in-person ~2.41–2.5% + $0.10; online 2.9% + $0.30; keyed 3.5% + $0.15. "Meet or beat" guarantee (up to $500). PCI non-compliance fee $99/mo. "Free" equipment carries a 3-year term + ETF..
- Model
- interchange plus
- Founded
- 2007
- Capterra
- —
- Best team size
- 1-50
Best for: Cost-conscious small-to-mid trades with steady volume that want low interchange-plus pricing and will maintain PCI and skip leased equipment to keep it month-to-month
A flat monthly fee plus interchange and a small per-transaction fee, with no percentage markup on processing. Saves money once monthly volume is high enough to amortize the subscription.
Stax
Subscription (membership) pricing — flat monthly fee, no percentage markup
$99+
monthly
Rates: Subscription pricing: $99/mo (up to $150K/yr volume), $139/mo ($150K-$250K), $199+/mo ($250K+), plus interchange and a flat per-transaction fee (8¢ terminal / 15¢ online or mobile). No percentage markup on processing.
- Model
- subscription
- Founded
- 2014
- Capterra
- 3.1 / 5
- Best team size
- 10-500
Best for: High-volume, higher-ticket contractors who process enough to amortize a monthly subscription and want to eliminate percentage markup on processing
Clover
All-in-one POS hardware + software — capable, but watch the contract
14.95
monthly
⚠ Reputation warning
Frequently sold on long contracts (36–48 months) with steep early-termination fees, reseller-variable pricing and hidden fees, plus held-funds complaints.
Rates: Processing: in-person 2.3–2.6% + $0.10, keyed/online 3.5% + $0.10. Software plans (often billed on 36-month terms): ~$14.95/mo up to ~$179–354/mo. Hardware: Clover Go ~$49–199, Flex ~$749, Mini ~$849, Station Duo ~$1,899. Sold via Fiserv/resellers, so terms vary..
- Model
- subscription
- Founded
- 2010
- Capterra
- 3.9 / 5
- Best team size
- 1-50
Best for: Trades that also run a fixed counter or showroom and can commit to a multi-year contract — who want one POS for field and office
Authorize.Net
The flexible, no-contract gateway with the broadest integration ecosystem
25
monthly
Rates: All plans $25/mo gateway fee, $0 setup. All-in-One: $25/mo + 2.9% + $0.30 (merchant account included). Gateway-Only: $25/mo + $0.10/txn + $0.10 daily batch (you also pay your separate processor). Gateway + eCheck adds 0.75% ACH. No long-term contract / no ETF..
- Model
- subscription
- Founded
- 1996
- Capterra
- 4.5 / 5
- Best team size
- 1-50
Best for: Trades that already have a website, software, or merchant account and want a flexible, no-contract gateway to add online, invoice, and recurring payments
Where to start
Low volume or want the simplest setup? Square or Stripe (flat-rate, no monthly fee). Processing real volume and want the lowest transparent cost with no monthly fee? Helcim (interchange-plus). High-volume, big-ticket shop that can amortize a subscription? Stax. And for large invoices on any processor, push customers to ACH — it beats card fees by a wide margin on big-ticket jobs.