For an ecommerce brand, the alternatives to PayPal are other processors, such as Stripe, Adyen or Braintree (which PayPal owns), and checkouts that sit on top of your processor. Bolt is both. Bolt Payments processes cards at 2.5% + 30¢. PayPal Checkout is 3.49% + 49¢, and PayPal's Advanced card payments are 2.89% + 29¢. Or Bolt runs its one-click checkout on the processor you already use, and PayPal can stay as a payment method inside Bolt Checkout [B5].
Why ecommerce teams look past PayPal
- Rate. PayPal Checkout and Venmo are 3.49% + 49¢, and Pay Later is 4.99% + 49¢. Standard card payments through PayPal are 2.99% plus a fixed fee, and Advanced Credit and Debit Card Payments are 2.89% + 29¢. International commercial transactions add 1.5% [P1].
- Dispute costs. PayPal charges a $20 chargeback fee on card transactions, and a $15 dispute fee ($30 for high-volume sellers) on PayPal checkout transactions [P1].
- Limits of Seller Protection. Seller Protection covers unauthorized-transaction and item-not-received claims on eligible transactions. It excludes "Significantly Not as Described" claims, and item-not-received claims filed directly with the card issuer [P2].
- Fraud tools cost extra and don't stack. On Advanced card payments, the Chargeback Protection Tool is 0.40% per transaction (0.60% for the Effortless version), and Fraud Protection Advanced is 7¢ per transaction. You must turn off Chargeback Protection to use the Fraud Protection tools [P1][P3].
- Fastlane ties you to PayPal processing. PayPal's guest checkout, Fastlane, requires card processing with PayPal or Braintree [P6][P7].
The alternatives
Bolt
Bolt is one-click checkout, payments and fraud protection for US ecommerce:
- Keep your processor. Bolt connects to 11 documented processors as a gateway, including Stripe, Adyen, Braintree, Authorize.net, CyberSource and Checkout.com [B4].
- Or use Bolt Payments. 2.5% + 30¢ per card transaction and $5 per chargeback [B1]. A Bolt Network fee applies only when a shopper signs in with an existing Bolt account; there's no network fee on guest orders [B1].
- One-click checkout. 80M+ US shoppers are in the Bolt one-click network [B2], and Bolt says Bolt account holders convert 50% better [B1].
- Fraud cover. Bolt Fraud checks every order against 200+ real-time data signals. The Total Fraud Protection plan indemnifies qualifying approved transactions that charge back as fraud, under your Bolt agreement [B3].
PayPal has 440 million active accounts [P4], so many shoppers expect to see it. Bolt Checkout supports PayPal as a payment method on Adobe Commerce, BigCommerce, Salesforce Commerce Cloud and WooCommerce, so you don't have to remove it [B5].
Stripe
Stripe's standard US price is 2.9% + 30¢ for domestic cards, with a $15 dispute fee, and custom pricing for large-volume businesses [S1]. See our Stripe alternatives guide.
Braintree
If you want to stay with PayPal the company but move card processing to its enterprise platform, Braintree is 2.89% + 29¢ on cards and wallets, with a $15 chargeback fee, and custom and interchange-plus pricing for established businesses [P5].
Adyen
An enterprise processor with custom pricing, suited to high-volume brands selling in many countries or across store and online. [Before publishing: add one sourced line from adyen.com read on the publish date, or cut this subsection.]
PayPal vs Bolt at a glance
| PayPal | Bolt | |
|---|---|---|
| Card processing (US) | Advanced card payments 2.89% + 29¢; standard card payments 2.99% + fixed fee [P1] | Bolt Payments 2.5% + 30¢; or keep your processor [B1][B4] |
| Wallet checkout | PayPal Checkout and Venmo 3.49% + 49¢ [P1] | Bolt one-click checkout, with PayPal available as a payment method [B5] |
| Chargeback fee | $20 card chargeback; $15 or $30 dispute fee [P1] | $5 per chargeback on Bolt Payments [B1] |
| Fraud chargeback cover | Chargeback Protection Tool 0.40% or 0.60% per transaction; can't run with Fraud Protection tools [P1][P3] | Indemnifies qualifying approved transactions that charge back as fraud, under your Bolt agreement [B3] |
| Guest one-click | Fastlane, requires PayPal or Braintree card processing [P6][P7] | 80M+ US shoppers in the Bolt one-click network, on your processor or Bolt Payments [B2][B4] |
| Custom pricing | Interchange-plus-plus on Advanced card payments; custom rates on Braintree [P1][P5] | Talk to sales about your rates [B1] |
When PayPal is still the right call
Keep PayPal if a large share of your orders already come through PayPal or Venmo, or if you sell mainly outside the US. Bolt serves US merchants. You can also keep PayPal as a payment method inside Bolt Checkout and move card checkout to Bolt.
FAQ
What is the best PayPal alternative for an ecommerce business?
For card processing, compare Bolt Payments (2.5% + 30¢), Stripe (2.9% + 30¢ standard) and Braintree (2.89% + 29¢ standard). For guest checkout without PayPal processing, Bolt's one-click checkout runs on your existing processor.
Can I keep PayPal and use Bolt?
Yes. Bolt Checkout supports PayPal as a payment method on Adobe Commerce, BigCommerce, Salesforce Commerce Cloud and WooCommerce, so shoppers who prefer PayPal still see it.
Is Bolt cheaper than PayPal?
On standard pricing, Bolt Payments is 2.5% + 30¢ per card transaction and $5 per chargeback. PayPal Checkout is 3.49% + 49¢, Advanced card payments are 2.89% + 29¢, and PayPal's card chargeback fee is $20. A Bolt Network fee applies only when a shopper signs in with an existing Bolt account.
What doesn't PayPal Seller Protection cover?
PayPal's Seller Protection page excludes "Significantly Not as Described" claims and item-not-received claims filed directly with the card issuer, among other exclusions.
Is PayPal Fastlane an alternative to Bolt?
Fastlane is PayPal's guest checkout. It recognizes shoppers by email and requires card processing with PayPal or Braintree. Bolt's one-click checkout runs on your existing processor or Bolt Payments. Bolt vs PayPal Fastlane compares them in detail.
Do I need PayPal processing to use Fastlane?
Yes. PayPal's developer docs say card payments must be processed with PayPal or Braintree to use Fastlane.
Going deeper? Bolt vs PayPal Fastlane, Fastlane alternatives for enterprise and Stripe alternatives.
Talk to Bolt
If PayPal's fees or limits are costing you, we can price Bolt against your current statement and show how PayPal runs inside Bolt Checkout. Contact sales.
Sources:
- [P1] PayPal merchant fees, last updated October 1, 2026 (read 2026-11-01)
- [P2] PayPal Seller Protection, last updated January 26, 2026 (read 2026-11-01)
- [P3] PayPal docs: Chargeback Protection (read 2026-11-01)
- [P4] PayPal Q3 2026 earnings release, October 27, 2026 (read 2026-11-01)
- [P5] Braintree fees, last updated May 7, 2026 (read 2026-11-01)
- [P6] Braintree docs: Fastlane (read 2026-11-01)
- [P7] PayPal docs: integrate Fastlane (read 2026-11-01)
- [S1] Stripe pricing (read 2026-11-01)
- [B1] Bolt pricing
- [B2] The Bolt Network
- [B3] Bolt Fraud
- [B4] Bolt Help: payment processors
- [B5] Bolt Help: Enable PayPal for Shoppers
PayPal, Braintree, Venmo and Fastlane are trademarks of PayPal, Inc. Stripe is a trademark of Stripe, Inc. Adyen is a trademark of its owner. Bolt is not affiliated with or endorsed by these companies.