PayHere Checkout

PayHere Checkout is a remote-payment gateway for eligible businesses based in Sri Lanka. It is a strong fit for merchants who need payment links, website or app checkout, and recurring billing; the right plan depends on transaction size and volume.

Overview

PayHere accepts major international cards and local methods such as HelaPay, Frimi, Genie, iPay, Q Plus and Sampath Vishwa. Payments can be collected in LKR, USD, GBP, EUR or AUD. This breadth suits merchants serving both local and foreign customers, although foreign-currency transactions cost an extra 1.0% on top of the plan’s processing fee.

Merchants can collect through payment links, shopping-cart plugins, checkout APIs or mobile SDKs. PayHere Links let a business take remote payments without a website. Onsite Checkout keeps customers on the merchant’s site, with payment credentials captured in an iframe served by PCI DSS certified backends. Recurring payments and subscriptions, subscription management, and refunds extend the service beyond one-off checkout.

Key features

• Payment links and multiple checkout routes: Links work for businesses without a site, while APIs and plugins serve online stores. Merchants can choose a collection method to match their setup.
• Store and learning-platform plugins: Integrations include OpenCart, WooCommerce, Magento, PrestaShop, ShopHere, Shopify, WHMCS, CS-Cart and Moodle. That range covers several common commerce and education platforms.
• Mobile SDKs: Android, iOS, React Native and Flutter SDKs support app integrations, giving mobile businesses another route to checkout.
• Recurring billing: Subscription support and management suit businesses that charge customers repeatedly, rather than relying only on individual payment requests.
• Security credentials: PayHere states that it is Central Bank approved, ISO/IEC 27001 certified and PCI DSS compliant through partner banks. The onsite iframe keeps payment credentials within PCI DSS certified backends.

Pricing

There are no setup fees. Each plan charges a processing fee, and the free tiers trade monthly cost for either a higher rate or tighter eligibility and transaction limits.

Foreign-currency payments add 1.0% to the active plan’s processing fee, so the listed rate alone understates the cost for international collections. LITE’s caps may rule it out for larger transactions or steady volume; paid plans lower the processing rate and raise or remove some limits, but the monthly charge matters. PayHere EDU and GOV have purpose-based eligibility, so their lower fees do not make them general-purpose substitutes.

Platforms

PayHere supports Android, iOS, web and API platforms. The combination of mobile SDKs, website plugins and checkout APIs makes it suitable for merchants building across more than one channel.

Who it's for

Any Sri Lankan business selling goods or services to local or foreign customers and accepting remote payments may apply, provided it has a valid business and a local bank account. It suits merchants that need local payment methods alongside international cards, or want to collect through links, a store, an app or subscriptions.

PayHere cannot be used to collect donations. Unsupported categories include gems and jewellery, unauthorized software licenses, outbound tours, dating, astrology, dropshipping, print-on-demand and multi-vendor platforms. Businesses in those categories should choose another provider. Support is available through live chat, email and a hotline at 0115 339 339.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Payment links allow collection without a website; plugins, APIs and SDKs cover stores and apps; recurring billing and refunds support ongoing payment operations; five currencies and a broad mix of international and local methods serve varied customers.
• Cons: Eligibility requires a Sri Lankan business and local bank account; unsupported categories exclude some business models; LITE has low transaction and monthly caps; foreign-currency payments add 1.0% to the plan fee.

Alternatives

Hosted Checkout Software is a useful category comparison for readers who want to consider checkout products beyond PayHere.

• Mollie may suit businesses comparing a pay-as-you-go model: its listed plan has no contract or commitment, with rates of 1.20% for domestic consumer debit and credit cards and 1.80% for other consumer cards.
• PayPal Invoicing is a relevant option for businesses focused on sending invoices; its free plan has no setup or subscription fees, with transaction fees when customers pay.
• Checkout Page may suit a small team testing a sales cap first: its free plan allows up to $3,000 in sales per 30 days and one team member.
• Checkout.com is another option for businesses evaluating payment processing, with tailored pricing.
• HitPay Payment Links is worth comparing for link-based collection: its listed plan has no setup or monthly fee, plus a 0.2% Payment Links fee and payment-method processing fee.
• Midtrans offers a pay-per-successful-transaction model without a subscription or integration fee.
• Paystack may suit businesses comparing Nigeria-specific transaction pricing: its listed local rate is 1.5% plus NGN 100, with the fixed fee waived under NGN 2,500.
• Airwallex Billing is an alternative to compare for invoicing and usage-based billing; its listed invoicing plan is free, while usage-based billing is $0.50 per successful transaction.

Verdict

PayHere Checkout is a sound choice for an eligible Sri Lankan merchant that needs several ways to collect remote payments, local methods alongside international cards, or subscription support. Its main advantage is the range of checkout routes and integrations; its main drawbacks are the eligibility restrictions, LITE caps and added foreign-currency fee. Check those limits against your customer mix and expected volume before choosing a plan.