Best 5 merchant service provider in U.S. and Canada in 2025

Whether you're launching your first store or running an established business, a great merchant service provider can help you handle your payments smoothly, offer tools to grow your sales, and protect your bottom line.

But with so many merchant service providers available, how do you pick the best one? In this guide, we’ve evaluated the popular merchant service providers across different pricing structures, features, customer service, fraud protection, international processing, and integration options.

Let’s dive in!

Merchant service providers with low transaction fees in the U.S. and Canada

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The merchant service providers with the lowest transaction fees in the U.S:

The merchant service providers with the lowest transaction fees in Canada:

Which merchant service providers offer free payment tools?

The best merchant service providers don’t just process payments—they give you the tools to grow. Whether you’re selling online, in person, or billing customers on a schedule, you need flexible, easy-to-use options that fit the way your business runs.

Here are the providers that offer the widest range of free payment tools:

• Helcim: The best free all-in-one platform for growing businesses online and in person.
• Square: Offers diverse payment hardware for brick-and-mortar shops. Basic payment tools are free.
• Stripe: Best for SaaS, marketplaces, or global eCommerce companies with technical resources. Most tools are free.
• Clover and Moneris: Great for brick-and-mortar businesses, but require a 3–5 year contract or monthly fees.

1. Helcim

Helcim offers a full suite of payment tools with no monthly fees and no contracts. Here is what's included:

• Helcim Fee Saver: Passes the processing fees to your customers when they choose to pay by credit card over cheaper options like debit, ACH, check, or cash.
• Virtual Terminal: Process payments over the phone, for mail orders, overdue invoices, or repeat billing, all in one place.
• Point-of-sale software: Free POS software to run your business, track sales, manage inventory and customer data, and connect to payment hardware for both in-person and online transactions.
• Tap to Pay on iPhone: Accept tap and contactless payments using just your iPhone, no extra hardware needed.
• Online checkout: Create an online storefront with no coding or additional cost.
• Invoicing: Send and manage one-time or recurring invoices, handle late payments, and automate follow-ups.
• Recurring payments: Automate billing, customize subscription plans, and grow revenue—whether you're managing memberships, payment plans, or retainers.
• Hosted payment page: Build a checkout page that you can embed on your website or share via email, text, or QR code.

2. Square

Square is well-known for diverse in-person payment hardware. What’s included:

• POS software: In addition to standard POS features, Square’s software includes built-in customer loyalty programs.
• Virtual Terminal: Like Helcim, Square’s virtual terminal allows you to manually enter card details. It also merges recurring billing into the virtual terminal. Some merchants may find this convenient, while others may find it difficult to navigate between recurring and one-time payments. Currently, Square requires you to export transaction data manually to QuickBooks, whereas Helcim offers automatic syncing.
• Self Kiosk: A self-service ordering solution that combines hardware, software, and payments for faster checkout.
• Invoicing: Square offers two invoicing plans. The free plan includes basic functionality, but features like adding custom fields or editing invoice names are only available on the $30/month paid plan, which also includes project management tools.
• Online store builder: Easily set up and manage your online store, including inventory, orders, and customer details.
• Payment links: Send your customers a link or QR code to pay.

3. Stripe

Stripe offers one of the most highly customizable online payment stacks on the market. Stripe is commonly used by companies with developer resources to create a unique payment experience. What’s included:

• Payment Links: Create and share a payment link via email, SMS, QR code, or as a button on your website. It’s a simple way to start accepting payments without writing any code.
• Hosted Checkout: Generate a secure, branded checkout page that you can embed into your site. Stripe’s standout feature is its smart localization: it automatically displays the most relevant payment methods based on your customer’s location.
• Subscription Billing: Like Helcim, Stripe supports recurring payments. But it also offers usage-based billing, which lets you charge customers based on how much they use your service, perfect for cloud hosting, software, and API-based businesses.
• Invoicing: Easily send custom invoices to clients. An interesting feature is personalizing the domain the invoice is sent from, which adds a professional and branded touch.
• Marketplace Builder: Stripe Connect is an ideal solution for marketplace apps that connect buyers and sellers (Lyft or Doordash). It gives you full control over splitting payments, managing payouts, and adding complex logic to your app or software product.

4. Clover

Clover is a strong choice for brick-and-mortar businesses—especially in the restaurant, café, and food service industry. However, merchants must sign a 3–5 year contract and pay a monthly fee of up to $84.95 for their POS setup.

• POS Hardware and Software: Clover offers a variety of durable terminals tailored for retail and restaurants. Whether you're running a counter, table service, or mobile setup, Clover has the hardware to match.
• Clover Kitchen Display: This feature helps centralize the communication between front-of-house and kitchen staff, so orders stay on track.
• Self-Kiosk: A self-service ordering station designed for restaurants, complete with a built-in receipt printer. It speeds up service and reduces staff workload.
• Online Ordering System: While Clover doesn’t include a website builder, it integrates with your existing online store through APIs or third-party platforms.
• Basic Invoicing Tool: Clover allows you to create and send invoices to customers, collect payments, and track status. It covers the essentials, but lacks more advanced invoicing automation found in other platforms.
• Virtual Terminal: A straightforward tool that lets you manually enter card details and accept payments by phone or in person without a terminal.

5. Moneris

Moneris is a strong option for restaurant and retail environments, similar to Clover. However, it requires a 3–5 year contract and is only available to Canadian merchants. Its online tools are also more limited compared to Helcim, Square, and Stripe.

• eCommerce Integration with Wix: Moneris integrates with Wix, allowing you to build an online store and accept payments. However, this comes with an additional monthly fee ranging from $32 to $160, on top of Moneris’s processing fees and contract terms.
• Online Ordering for Restaurants: Through a partnership with UEAT, Moneris offers a branded online ordering system for restaurants, allowing businesses to launch their own white-label app.
• POS Systems and Terminals: Moneris provides a wide selection of in-person payment terminals suited for retail, hospitality, and professional services.
• Hosted Payment Page: Merchants can create a secure, branded checkout page and embed it on their website. For more advanced setups, Moneris also supports integration via API.

How do different top merchant service provider’s contract terms compare?

Even if a provider offers low fees or slick tools, a bad contract can cost you more than you expect. Some lock you into multi-year agreements with steep cancellation fees. Others give you the freedom to leave anytime—no penalties, no pressure.

Here’s how contract terms compare across five popular merchant service providers in the U.S. and Canada:

1. Helcim (No contracts, no cancellation fees) is one of the most flexible providers out there. There’s no long-term contract, no cancellation fee, and no hidden charges. That makes it a solid choice for small and medium businesses that want transparent pricing without the risk of getting locked in.

• Contract length: None
• Early termination fee: None
• Other notes: No monthly fees, setup fees, PCI fees or any other hidden fees

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2. Square follows a pay-as-you-go model. You only pay when you process payments, and there are no commitments or cancellation penalties. Just note that if you want advanced POS features, you'll need a monthly subscription.

• Contract length: None
• Early termination fee: None
• Monthly fees: Advanced features start at $35/month

3. Stripe is built for developers and businesses that want a customizable payment system. There’s no contract or cancellation fee, but advanced features like invoicing, fraud tools, or currency conversion come with add-on costs.

• Contract length: None for most merchants
• Early termination fee: None
• Other notes: Add-on fees for advanced features can add up fast

4. Clover sells its hardware and payment processing directly or through third-party resellers like Fiserv, Wells Fargo, or Payment Depot. That means contract terms can vary, but they often involve 3–5 year commitments with early termination fees. In some cases, you're also locked into equipment leases.

• Contract length: Often 3–5 years (depends on reseller)
• Early termination fee: From $300–$1,000 depending on resellers
• Other notes: Watch for bundled hardware leases that add to cancellation costs

5. Moneris is a major player in Canada, especially for in-person payments. But it often requires a 3–5 year contract, and hardware is typically rented—not owned. If you cancel early, you may owe both a termination fee and the remainder of your hardware lease.

• Contract length: 3–5 years
• Early termination fee: Yes
• Other notes: Hardware leasing agreements may carry additional penalties

Which merchant service providers offer international transaction processing?

If you sell to customers outside the U.S. or Canada, not every merchant service provider will cut it. Some providers only handle domestic transactions. Others charge steep fees for accepting foreign currencies or cards issued outside your country.

• Helcim: Accepts USD or CAD from global customers with transparent cross-border fees based on card type.
• Stripe: Supports 135+ currencies and countries but adds multiple extra fees for foreign cards and currency conversion.
• Square: Accepts international cards in USD or CAD.
• Clover: Allows international transactions in local currency, but fees and terms vary widely depending on your reseller.

Helcim international processing

Helcim lets you accept USD or CAD from customers, whether they’re local or international. Your customer’s bank handles the currency conversion, so they’re charged in their local currency. Canadian merchants can also link a U.S. bank account to charge American customers in USD directly.

All international transactions with Helcim are subject to a cross-border fee, based on the card network:

Stripe international processing

Stripe supports over 135 currencies and accepts payments from more than 40 countries. It’s a strong choice for online and SaaS businesses with global customers—but fees add up quickly on international transactions.

Square international processing

Square only supports USD and CAD. There’s no support for multi-currency display, and all international cards are processed in the local merchant currency (USD or CAD). While Square doesn’t add a cross-border fee, its base transaction rates are higher than Helcim or Stripe—so the total cost may still be higher.

Clover international processing

Clover supports international card payments in USD or CAD, similar to Square and Helcim. Your customers can pay in their local currency while you get paid in yours. However, Clover doesn’t publish international processing fees, and terms can vary depending on which bank or reseller you use. Always confirm contract terms directly before signing.

What are merchant service providers with excellent customer support?

When something goes wrong with payments, you don’t want a slow response or a canned answer. Excellent customer support saves time, money, and headaches. Here’s how popular merchant service providers rate for customer support, according to Trustpilot summary at the time this article was written.

Helcim is rated 4.4/5 (800+ reviews): Most reviewers shared a highly positive experience with this provider. Customers often highlight the exceptional support they received, describing the staff as friendly, knowledgeable, and genuinely helpful. Many even mention specific team members by name, commending their clear communication and patience in walking through the setup or resolving problems.

Square is rated 4.3/5 (6,400+ reviews): Some reviewers shared their disappointment with the customer support, saying it felt uncoordinated and ineffective, especially when trying to sort out transaction problems.

Stripe is rated 2.0/5 (16,000+ reviews): Most customers weren’t happy with their experience. Many ran into payment issues, like sudden account closures or frozen funds, with little to no explanation. Reaching support was often a challenge, and when they did, the responses felt generic and unhelpful.

Clover is rated 2.4/5 (1,800+ reviews): Many customers are frustrated with the support they’ve received. They mentioned long wait times, being bounced between departments, and getting little help in resolving their issues. Several also note how hard it is to reach someone, especially outside regular business hours.

Moneris is rated 4.0/5 (100+ reviews): Customers value the quick and approachable support team. Many reviews praise the staff’s expertise and patience, with several calling out specific team members for going above and beyond.

Which merchant service provider offers the best fraud prevention tools?

When you accept payments, fraud can hit you from all sides. A stolen credit card, a fake customer, a friendly fraudster filing a chargeback after receiving the product, these are just a few ways your business can lose both money and merchandise.

Helcim Fraud Defender determines the "confidence score," of each transaction ranging from 1.0 (high risk) to 10.0 (low risk) based on these 7 factors:

• CVV: Checks if the security code matches the card.
• AVS: Verifies the billing address and ZIP code.
• Transaction size: Flags unusually large purchases.
• Billing vs. shipping: Flags mismatched addresses.
• Shipping country: Compares shipping and billing countries.
• Bank BIN: Verifies if the card’s issuing bank matches the billing country.
• IP location: Compares IP address to billing location.

You can also adjust the settings of Helcim Fraud Defender to automatically protect your business from suspicious transactions:

• AVS Auto-Void: Turn this on if you want the system to automatically cancel payments when the billing address doesn’t match the cardholder’s info.
• Accepted AVS Codes: Choose which address verification results you’re okay with. You can allow strict matches only—or be more flexible.
• Defender Auto-Void: Turn this on to auto-cancel any transaction that looks too risky based on the confidence score.
• Minimum Score: Set your risk threshold. Any payment below this score (1.0 = risky, 10.0 = safe) will be automatically voided.

If you’re hit with a credit card chargeback but believe the sale is legitimate, Helcim provides tools to help you dispute the chargeback and recover your funds.

How do payment gateway integrations compare across top merchant service providers?

Helcim offers a fully integrated payment gateway with a range of no-code and developer-friendly options. You can easily embed payment pages on your website, send QR codes or payment links to customers, or add buy buttons directly to your checkout.

For developers, Helcim provides two powerful tools:

• HelcimPay.js: A quick-start payment modal that’s easy to customize. You can add your logo, change button text, and match your brand colors, so customers get a seamless, trustworthy checkout experience.
• Helcim API: A robust set of APIs and webhooks that let you build custom payment experiences into your website, app, or platform, without long-term contracts or hidden fees.

Here’s how Helcim compared to other popular merchant service providers:

How to choose the best merchant service provider

The “best” provider depends on how you sell, what tools you use, and how much you’re willing to pay. Here are the key factors that separate a good provider from a great one:

• Payment transaction fees: These are the fees that you pay for each transaction you process. If you prefer the lowest payment processing fees, Helcim is the ideal option.
• Payment tools: The more payment tools that your merchant service providers offer, the more ways you have to process payments.
• Contract terms and flexibility: Long-term contracts (2–5 years) can trap you with expensive cancellation fees. Helcim, Square and Stripe let you accept payments without contract and cancellation penalties.
• Customer support: Things don’t always go smoothly. If a payment fails or funds go missing you need real human support. Say “no” to a chatbot that uses the scripted response that goes nowhere. If support matters to you, Helcim and Moneris have the best customer support that provide human customer support for your business according to Trustpilot.
• Security and PCI compliance: A weak system puts your business and your customers at risk. Look for providers that help you stay PCI compliant and offer built-in security features like encryption, tokenization, and secure data storage.
• Tools for fraud prevention: Not every transaction is legit. Some fraudsters use stolen cards to make purchases and disappear. The best providers give you tools to spot suspicious behavior before it turns into a chargeback or a loss. Helcim Fraud Defender can help you spot suspicious orders and automatically block risky transactions.
• Integration with popular platforms: Whether you sell online, in person, or both, your payment provider should work with your eCommerce platform, CRM, accounting software, or whatever tools you use to run your business. Everything should connect smoothly.

FAQ

Which merchant service providers are secure and PCI DSS compliant?

Most reputable providers, including Helcim, Square, Stripe, Clover, and Moneris are PCI DSS compliant solutions. This means they help you meet the security standards to handle credit card data safely. Helcim offers free annual PCI assessment so that merchants can also be PCI compliant and can continue accepting payments.

Which merchant service providers offer mobile payment processing solutions?

Helcim and Square both support mobile payment processing. For example, Helcim offers Tap to Pay on iPhone that lets you accept payments with your iPhone. Stripe also offers SDKs and API for businesses that want to add payment functionality to their mobile app or marketplace.

How do I find a merchant service provider that integrates with my CRM system?

Most merchant service providers offer a built-in CRM system to help you manage your customers’ payment information and transaction history. Helcim also provides a customer portal where your clients can log in and update their information directly. When it comes to third-party CRM integrations, like HubSpot or Salesforce, many merchant service providers don’t currently offer quick plug-and-play options. However, you can review the provider’s API documentation, which can give your development team the information they need to set up a manual integration.

Which merchant service providers offer robust reporting and analytics?

All popular merchant service providers: Helcim, Square, Stripe, Clover and Moneris offer detailed dashboards with real-time reporting on sales, payments, customer behavior, and fees.