NOWPayments

NOWPayments lets businesses accept cryptocurrency payments on websites, online stores, and social media accounts. Its gateway supports more than 350 crypto coins and 75 fiat coins. Businesses can accept crypto and fiat payments through supported providers, including credit card and bank transfer via Banxa. Payment tools include invoices, subscriptions, buttons, donations, point of sale, widgets, plugins, and a white-label option. The API supports instant payment notifications and lets one order be paid with multiple cryptocurrencies. Named ecommerce integrations include WooCommerce, WHMCS, Magento 2, OpenCart, Zen Cart, PrestaShop, and Ecwid. NOWPayments describes its service as non-custodial and says it does not hold or store customer funds. Received crypto can be converted automatically into a chosen cryptocurrency using ChangeNOW. Account controls include two-factor authentication, role-based access, and withdrawal whitelisting, and the homepage advertises 24/7 support. The service is presented for businesses in areas including ecommerce, gaming, SaaS, marketplaces, charities, payroll, and travel. NOWPayments was founded in 2019 and identifies its operator as FD Transfers LLC. The Standard payment processing plan is free; blockchain network fees are excluded.

NOWPayments offers multiple payment formats, integrations, and account controls for businesses accepting cryptocurrency. Its listed plan excludes blockchain network fees, and the company may verify customers or request documents under its AML/KYC policy.

NOWPayments is aimed at businesses that want to take crypto payments through web stores, websites, or social accounts. Its listed tools and integrations cover businesses such as ecommerce, SaaS, marketplaces, charities, and travel.

NOWPayments is a non-custodial cryptocurrency payment gateway for businesses selling through websites, stores, and social channels. It is best suited to merchants that need unusually broad coin coverage and several collection formats. Its flexibility is compelling, but network charges and compliance checks make it a poor fit for businesses seeking an all-in-one, fixed-cost checkout.

Overview

Founded in 2019 by the team behind ChangeNOW, NOWPayments serves ecommerce, SaaS, marketplaces, gaming, casinos, adult platforms, trading services, charities, payroll providers, and travel businesses. The gateway supports more than 350 cryptocurrencies and over 75 fiat currencies. It says it is non-custodial, so it does not hold or store customer funds; that structure will appeal to merchants that want payments routed without placing balances with the processor.

Customers can pay in cryptocurrency, while fiat checkout is available through supported providers such as Banxa, including card and bank-transfer options. NOWPayments identifies its operator as FD Transfers LLC, incorporated in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, with registered and postal addresses in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Estonia.

Key features

Collection tools cover invoices, subscriptions, payment buttons, donations, point of sale, widgets, plugins, and white-label implementations. Recurring and marketplace payments are supported, so the same service can handle memberships, split-marketplace flows, and one-off sales rather than only a basic checkout page.

The payment API provides instant payment notifications and allows one order to be settled with multiple cryptocurrencies. Automatic conversion through ChangeNOW can turn received crypto into a chosen cryptocurrency, reducing the need to manage every incoming asset manually. Ecommerce integrations include WooCommerce, WHMCS, Magento 2, OpenCart, Zen Cart, PrestaShop, and Ecwid.

Account controls include two-factor authentication, role-based access control, and withdrawal whitelisting. These controls are meaningful for teams with multiple operators or strict payout procedures. Support is advertised around the clock. NOWPayments may verify customers, request identity or corporate documents, and screen against sanctions lists under its AML/KYC policy, which can add friction for privacy-sensitive or lightly documented businesses.

Pricing

The displayed plan has no subscription charge, but blockchain network fees are required separately. That distinction matters: the gateway can be free to start while the final cost still varies with network conditions. Fiat acceptance depends on supported providers rather than being an unconditional built-in method. Businesses needing enterprise arrangements must request custom pricing, and there is no free tier separate from this paid-service model.

Platforms

NOWPayments offers Android, iOS, web, and API access. The combination suits merchants that need hosted web collection, mobile administration, or a programmatic integration into an existing product.

Who it's for

Choose it for an ecommerce store, SaaS product, marketplace, charity, gaming service, or other operation that wants many coins, recurring billing, and multiple payment surfaces. It is also a strong candidate when non-custodial handling and automatic conversion are priorities. Look elsewhere if you cannot budget variable blockchain fees, want a fully free processor, or need to avoid identity and corporate-document requests.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Wide asset coverage: support for 350+ cryptocurrencies and 75+ fiat currencies gives international merchants more checkout options.
• Flexible collection: invoices, subscriptions, point of sale, donations, plugins, widgets, and white-label tools cover more than a single store format.
• Useful integration layer: API notifications, multi-crypto settlement for one order, SDKs, and named ecommerce plugins reduce custom development work.
• Non-custodial design: the service says it does not hold or store customer funds.

Cons

• Network fees remain separate: merchants must account for blockchain charges beyond the zero-price plan.
• Compliance can interrupt onboarding: verification, document requests, and sanctions screening may not suit anonymous or lightly documented operations.
• Enterprise costs require a quote: larger businesses cannot assess that tier from a published price.

Alternatives

Consider the Crypto Payment Processors list when you want to compare this category broadly, or the Payment Gateways list for a wider checkout-focused shortlist.

BitPay is a better comparison for merchants wanting Android, iOS, desktop, web, and API coverage with a free plan and volume-based tiers. KuCoin Pay suits businesses seeking a free consumer-payment option with no KuCoin Pay fee, while merchant pricing is volume-based. Plisio fits buyers who prefer a freemium wallet and a separately priced gateway API.

Strike API is another paid API-oriented option. Apirone offers a free-entry fixed-fee approach with separate network charges. BTCPay Server is the choice for free, self-hosted processing with no subscriptions or transaction fees.

CoinPayments provides paid processing modes with 3% fees in its stated options. CoinRemitter is worth considering for a freemium API with a free plan, a 0.23% transaction fee, request and wallet-address limits, and a paid premium tier.

Verdict

NOWPayments is a strong choice for merchants that need broad cryptocurrency support, recurring or marketplace payments, and many integration formats without holding customer funds. Choose it when that breadth outweighs variable blockchain costs and AML/KYC obligations. Look elsewhere if predictable all-in pricing, anonymous onboarding, or self-hosted control is your primary requirement.