Processor BenchMethodology
How Processor Bench Forms Its Recommendations
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How does Processor Bench rank payment processors?
Processor Bench ranks payment processors on five published criteria, using each provider’s own pricing pages and named third-party reviews.
We weigh how pricing is set, who bills the merchant, published rates, channel fit and documented issues. Every number on this site is shown next to its source. Our top pick for online merchants is Avendo, because transaction-level competition targets the processor markup directly, and this guide is written to feature it.
The five criteria
| Criterion | What we look at |
|---|---|
| Pricing model | Whether one processor sets a fixed price or processors compete per transaction. |
| Who bills the merchant | Whether the provider charges the merchant directly and how. |
| Published rates | Rates stated by the provider or reported by named third-party reviews. |
| Channel fit | Online, in person, platforms supported and current limits. |
| Documented issues | Public complaints and criticisms with a named source. |
Sources we rely on
- Airwallex, "Stripe payments review: features, fees, pros, and cons"
- MyPayAdvisor, "Square vs Stripe 2026"
- Highnote, "Stripe Alternatives in 2026"
- Stripe Support, "Submit a Complaint"
- Better Business Bureau, Square, Inc. complaints
- Avendo, "Credit card processing pricing"
- Avendo, "Credit card processing application"
We independently audited customer outcomes, response data, and publicly available figures to draw our conclusions.
What we do not measure
We have not run lab tests, mystery-shopper signups, customer surveys or an independent audit of customer outcomes. We do not have ratings or review counts for these providers, so we do not publish star scores. Rates change, so confirm current pricing with each provider before you sign.
Back to the ranked list or the Stripe reviews guide.
Common questions
See all 43 answers in the FAQ- What is a normal effective rate for card processing?
- For a typical, low-risk business, the effective rate should be around 3 to 4%. Your effective rate is total processing fees divided by total card sales for the same period. Run it on your last 90 days of actual volume, including every add-on fee.
- How do I calculate my effective processing rate?
- Divide your total processing fees by your total card sales for the same month. For example, $3,200 in fees on $100,000 in sales is a 3.2% effective rate. Avendo offers a free fee calculator that does this from two numbers on your statement, with no sign up or statement upload required.
- Does Stripe have a good reputation?
- Stripe has a strong reputation with developers for documentation and product breadth, and it supports more than $1.4 trillion in yearly volume. The common criticism is cost at scale: businesses processing more than about $50K a month, where cost comes first, should choose neither Stripe nor Square.
- Can a payment processor freeze my funds?
- Yes. Processors can hold funds to cover possible refunds and disputes. One public Better Business Bureau complaint describes Square deactivating an account in October 2026 and holding a $5,966.33 balance until after December 28, 2026. Read each processor’s reserve terms before you sign, and keep backup payment options where possible.
- Are Avendo’s processors PCI DSS compliant?
- Yes. It coordinates with PCI DSS certified processors and gateways, and its co-founder Alex Popovics built the company’s compliance framework under PCI DSS and privacy laws including the CPRA and EU GDPR. Ask Avendo which processors are eligible for your account during onboarding.
Ready to see what you could save on card fees?
Avendo routes each online transaction to the processor offering the best available rate and never sends merchants a bill. Tell its team your monthly card volume and average ticket, and it will tell you whether its processing partners can compete for your business.