NOWPayments

NOWPayments is a cryptocurrency payment processor for businesses selling online, in person, or through social accounts. It suits merchants that want multiple payment formats and broad coin support; businesses that need predictable costs should weigh blockchain network fees and possible verification checks.

Overview

Founded in 2019 by the team behind ChangeNOW, NOWPayments serves ecommerce, SaaS, marketplaces, gaming, charities, payroll, travel, and other businesses. It describes its service as non-custodial, meaning it says it does not hold or store customer funds. Payments can be made in cryptocurrency, with fiat options through supported providers such as Banxa for card and bank transfers.

Its breadth is a practical strength: the gateway supports 350+ crypto coins and 75+ fiat coins, and businesses can accept payments on websites, online stores, and social accounts. The trade-off is that blockchain network fees still apply, and the company may request identity or corporate documents and screen customers against sanctions lists.

Key features

Businesses can choose invoices, subscriptions, payment buttons, donation tools, point of sale, widgets, plugins, or a white-label option. Recurring and marketplace payments are supported. This range can cover different checkout and collection needs without limiting the service to a standard online store.

The API supports instant payment notifications and lets one order be paid using multiple cryptocurrencies. Named ecommerce integrations include WooCommerce, WHMCS, Magento 2, OpenCart, Zen Cart, PrestaShop, and Ecwid. Received crypto can also be automatically converted into a chosen cryptocurrency using ChangeNOW, which is useful for businesses that prefer to settle in a selected coin.

Account controls include two-factor authentication, role-based access, and withdrawal whitelisting. The company advertises 24/7 support. These features may suit businesses managing payment access across staff, though verification requirements can add friction for some customers.

Pricing

Standard payment processing: free. Cryptocurrency and supported-provider fiat payments are included, with recurring and marketplace payments available. Blockchain network fees are excluded, so the listed free processing price does not remove the cost of sending transactions across a network. Enterprise pricing is available on request.

There is no free plan. The standard processing price is free, but network fees remain a material cost to account for; businesses seeking enterprise terms must request custom pricing.

Platforms

NOWPayments supports Android, iOS, web, and API access. Its API and SDK coverage, together with plugins for several ecommerce platforms, gives merchants options to connect payment processing to an existing store or build around the API.

Who it's for

NOWPayments is a fit for merchants that want to accept many cryptocurrencies and need formats such as subscriptions, donations, point of sale, or marketplace payments. Its stated customer segments also include casinos, adult platforms, trading platforms, gaming, SaaS, charities, payroll, and travel.

It is less suitable for a business whose priority is avoiding variable transaction costs: blockchain network fees are required. Businesses should also be comfortable with possible identity or company-document checks.

Pros and cons

• Broad payment coverage: 350+ crypto coins, 75+ fiat coins, and fiat payments through supported providers give merchants multiple ways to collect.
• Several collection formats: Invoices, subscriptions, buttons, donations, point of sale, widgets, plugins, and white-label options address varied business models.
• Non-custodial positioning: The company says it does not hold or store customer funds.
• Network costs still apply: The free standard processing price excludes blockchain fees.
• Verification can be required: Identity or corporate documents and sanctions screening may be part of customer checks.

Alternatives

BitPay may suit businesses that want a processor with a free plan and support across more listed desktop platforms, including Linux, macOS, and Windows.

KuCoin Pay is worth considering for consumer payments: its listed consumer plan costs nothing, though merchants may apply handling fees.

Plisio offers a free wallet plan and a freemium model, making it an option for readers who want wallet features alongside payment API access.

Apirone may fit businesses looking for a fixed-fee structure, with a service fee and network fee based on supported cryptocurrency and transfer type.

BTCPay Server is a free, self-hosted option with no subscriptions or transaction fees.

CoinPayments offers payment processing modes with stated fees of 3% plus network fee per individual payment in ASAP Mode, or a 3% fee for coins and tokens deposited to a wallet.

CoinRemitter has a free plan with a 0.23% transaction fee, a 100 API requests-per-minute limit, and limited-hours support.

Blockonomics may suit merchants seeking Bitcoin payment acceptance, with the first 10 payments free and a 1% fee thereafter.

Compare more options in Crypto Payment Processors and Payment Gateways.

Verdict

Choose NOWPayments if your business needs broad cryptocurrency support, multiple payment formats, and integrations for ecommerce or API-based workflows. Its breadth and non-custodial approach are the main reasons to consider it; look elsewhere if blockchain network fees or possible verification checks make it a poor fit.