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WooCommerce Payments, or your own gateway?
WooCommerce Payments is the built in option and it is genuinely convenient. The trade is convenience against control of your merchant relationship and your rate.
The fair summary
For a new store, the built in option removes a real barrier and you should probably use it. The case for your own gateway is about rate, category risk and account ownership, which are questions that only start to matter once volume is meaningful.
Side by side
Written to be accurate rather than flattering. Tell us if something here has changed.
| Consideration | WooCommerce Payments | NMIWP |
|---|---|---|
| The relationship | ||
| Who holds the merchant account | The platform | You |
| Who can terminate it | The platform | Contractual |
| Rate negotiation | No | Yes |
| Payout schedule | Platform controlled | Set by your processor |
| Cost | ||
| Transaction pricing | Published rate | Negotiated |
| Extra platform fee | Included | None from this plugin |
| Cost of the plugin | Free | From $49 a year |
| Capability | ||
| Saved cards | Yes | Yes |
| Subscriptions | Yes | Enterprise plan |
| ACH | Yes | Yes |
| Level III data | No | Yes |
| Multiple merchant IDs | No | Yes |
| Surcharge and cash discount | No | Planned |
| Setup | ||
| Time to first payment | Minutes | Days |
| Ongoing admin | Minimal | Processor relationship |
Stay where you are if
- You are starting out and want payments working today
- Your volume does not justify negotiating a rate
- You would rather have one bill and one support contact
- Nothing about your category is unusual
Move to NMIWP if
- You already have a merchant account you are happy with
- Your processor quoted better than the published rate
- You need Level III, multiple MIDs or surcharging
- Losing the account would be an existential problem for the business
Questions
Both can be enabled at once, which is the cheapest way to answer this question with your own data.
Ask us directlyCan I keep both enabled?
Yes. WooCommerce supports several gateways at once, which is a sensible way to trial one without switching everything.
Do I lose WooCommerce features by switching?
No. Orders, refunds, reporting and subscriptions all work the same way. Only the gateway underneath changes.
What about payouts?
Your processor controls settlement timing on your own merchant account. It is often faster, but confirm before assuming.
Is this more fragile?
It is one more integration you own. In exchange, no third party can freeze your funds by policy decision.
Related
Other comparisons and guides.
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