PayPal review

PayPal is a digital wallet for shopping, payments, money transfers and savings. Its product information says users can pay online or in stores with PayPal checkout or a PayPal Debit Card, and send or request money. Accounts are required to send and receive money.

PayPal also offers Pay in 4 and Pay Monthly installment options, subject to approval and availability, plus merchant offers and rewards on eligible purchases. Its PayPal Savings account is held at Synchrony Bank, and the listed APY is variable. Users can buy, sell and transfer cryptocurrency; fees and risks apply.

For businesses, PayPal sells payment processing options ranging from a standard checkout account to hosted payment pages, integrated checkout and phone payments. The pricing page lists a free standard business account, but transaction fees apply. Paid plans and add-ons can raise the cost, so the useful comparison is total processing cost, not just the monthly price.

PayPal combines consumer payments and business checkout in one service. For shoppers, the listed options cover online and in-store payments, money transfers, installment payments, merchant offers, savings and cryptocurrency. Pay in 4 and Pay Monthly add payment flexibility, though availability and approval apply.

For businesses, the standard account has no monthly maintenance fee, according to the pricing information. It lists these processing rates:

• PayPal Checkout and Venmo: 3.49% + $0.49.
• Standard card payments: 2.99% + $0.49.
• In-person card or QR payments: 2.29% + $0.09.

Payflow Link is another $0-per-month option for a hosted payment page, with a listed $0.10 per transaction. Businesses that need more control can choose paid plans: Payflow Pro is $25 per month, while Payments Pro and Payments Pro Payflow are $30 per month. A Virtual Terminal for phone payments is also listed at $30 per month. That range gives businesses multiple ways to accept payments without making every account pay a fixed monthly fee.

The free business options still charge per transaction. Payflow Link is listed at $0.10 per transaction, while standard checkout rates vary by payment type; the monthly price alone is not a useful cost estimate. Payments Advanced costs $5 per month, but its processing fees are not published. Payments Pro Payflow also has unpublished per-transaction fees, and Payflow Pro’s Fraud Protection Services fees are not published. Annual billing prices are not published either.

Add-ons can push costs up: Recurring Billing is $10 per month, and the Recurring Payment Tool is $30 per month. Other listed charges include $0.15 per network token issued and 0.6% per successful recovered transaction for Smart Retries. Some business fees therefore need confirming before comparing plans.

There are also service and eligibility caveats. Installments are subject to approval and availability; savings APY is variable; cryptocurrency carries fees and risks. One Reddit thread describes a seller’s disputed transaction ending in a refund, a dispute fee and account closure. That is one user’s account, not proof of a typical outcome, but it is a reminder that dispute handling can be a serious concern.

PayPal’s business plans start at $0 per month, but processing fees apply. The Standard account has no monthly maintenance fee; PayPal Checkout and Venmo payments cost 3.49% + $0.49, standard card payments cost 2.99% + $0.49, and in-person card or QR payments cost 2.29% + $0.09, according to the published pricing information.

For hosted checkout, Payflow Link is $0 per month plus $0.10 per transaction. Payflow Pro is $25 per month, also with a $0.10 transaction fee. Payments Advanced costs $5 per month, but its processing fee is not published. Payments Pro and Payments Pro Payflow both cost $30 per month, before applicable processing fees. Virtual Terminal is $30 per month, with domestic transactions listed at 3.39% + $0.29.

Add-ons can raise the bill: Recurring Billing is $10 per month, and the Recurring Payment Tool is $30 per month. Annual prices are not published, and some transaction fees are unspecified, so compare total costs—not just monthly plan prices.

Switching to PayPal means setting up the payment option you need: the listed business plans cover standard checkout, hosted payment pages, integrated checkout, and phone payments. If you’re moving away, plan to replace the PayPal payment route in the places customers use it and review any recurring payments separately. The pricing information lists recurring billing as a $10-per-month add-on for some plans, but it does not explain how subscriptions or customer records transfer.

PayPal requires accounts to send and receive money, which may matter if your reason for leaving is reducing account requirements. The published material does not say what data export options are available, so confirm what you can download before closing an account. It also includes no Reddit posts or comments, so we can’t responsibly attribute common reasons for leaving to Reddit users. For businesses, compare the fees on your replacement before switching: PayPal’s monthly price can be low, while transaction fees and add-ons still affect total cost.