Best WordPress Payment Gateway Plugins

Picking the wrong payment gateway for a client’s online shop or donation platform can mean lost sales, failed transactions, and a 2 a.m. phone call asking why the checkout is broken. Not ideal.

The good news is there are a handful of plugins that consistently deliver, and setting them up securely for clients doesn’t have to be an all-nighter.

This article covers the best options, what makes each one worth using, and a proven workflow for configuring them without touching your client’s banking credentials or creating legal headaches for yourself. Sounds good? Okay, let’s go.

What Makes a WooCommerce Payment Gateway Actually Good?

Before we rank plugins, it helps to know what you’re evaluating. Not all payment gateways are built the same – and the wrong choice will hurt your client’s store in ways that don’t show up until it’s too late.

Choosing a payment gateway? Here is what matters:

Hosted Payment Fields. This is the big one. Gateways like Stripe use hosted fields or tokenized checkout elements, which means sensitive card data never touches your WordPress server directly. Raw card storage on your server dramatically expands your PCI DSS compliance scope not to mention your liability. Avoid any plugin that requires it unless there’s a very specific reason.

SCA and 3D Secure Support. If your client serves customers in the EU or UK, Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) is mandatory. Make sure the plugin you choose supports it out of the box.

Webhook Reliability. Webhooks are how your store learns that a payment went through, a refund was processed, or a subscription was renewed. If webhooks are flaky, orders fall through the cracks. Test this before you go live. Reputable payment gateways have test credit card numbers.

Regular Updates. Payment APIs change frequently. A plugin that hasn’t been updated in six months is a ticking clock with a rude alarm. You don’t want to be called by an angry customer at 2 a.m.

Official Backing. Plugins maintained by WooCommerce directly, or by the payment provider itself (like Stripe), are far less likely to introduce breaking changes or go unmaintained. That is why we like them.

The Best WooCommerce Payment Gateway Plugins

“In addition to the free, easy-to-use, out-of-the-box payment solution for your online shop, WooCommerce offers 79 other extensions, including Stripe, PayPal, Amazon Pay, and Klarna.”
Rocket.net – The Top 10 Best WooCommerce Plugins For Your WordPress Online Shop

WooCommerce Stripe Gateway

Best for: Most stores. Start here.

This is the one you’ll install on most client projects. The WooCommerce Stripe Gateway is officially maintained within the WooCommerce ecosystem, which means compatibility updates happen fast and support is reliable.

What it supports out of the box: credit and debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, SEPA, Klarna, Link by Stripe, and subscription payments — all with hosted payment fields and full SCA/3D Secure compliance.

The security story is strong. Card data is tokenized and transmitted directly to Stripe — nothing lives on your server. Webhooks are auto-generated during setup. And because Stripe is PCI-certified at the provider level, your client’s PCI compliance burden stays minimal.

Best fit for: agencies, subscription businesses, EU stores, membership sites, and anyone who wants a “set it and leave it” payment solution.

WooCommerce PayPal Payments

Best for: Stores where PayPal trust drives conversions.

PayPal is still one of the most recognized checkout brands online — especially for older shoppers and international buyers who might hesitate to enter card details on an unfamiliar site. That recognition has real conversion value.

Most WooCommerce PayPal integrations support PayPal Checkout, Venmo (where available), Pay Later, credit/debit cards, and express checkout buttons directly on product and cart pages.

The practical move for most stores is to run PayPal as a secondary gateway alongside Stripe. You cover the card-preferring shoppers with Stripe, and the PayPal-loyal shoppers with PayPal. Conversion rates tend to improve when both are available.

Best fit for: general retail, beginner-friendly stores, senior-focused audiences, and as a secondary option on almost any WooCommerce site.

WooPayments

Best for: Clients who want everything managed inside WordPress.

WooPayments is built directly into the WooCommerce dashboard and runs on Stripe’s infrastructure. If your client doesn’t want to manage a separate Stripe account or toggle between platforms, WooPayments keeps everything centralized — orders, refunds, disputes, and reporting all in one place.

This plugin also supports subscriptions and multi-currency, which is useful for stores with international reach.

Availability can vary by country and business type, so verify that before recommending it to a client in a less common market or high-risk industries. For that you may want to explore Redde Payments.

Best fit for: WooCommerce-native merchants who want simplified payment management without leaving the dashboard.

Authorize.Net for WooCommerce

Best for: Enterprise stores or higher-risk merchants.

Authorize.net is a Visa product and has been a fixture in enterprise eCommerce for years. It offers advanced fraud detection tools and flexible merchant account structures that matter more at higher transaction volumes. It’s more complex and more expensive than Stripe or PayPal, but it may be the right plugin for the right client.

Best fit for: higher-volume stores, merchants in industries with elevated fraud risk, and clients who already have an Authorize.net merchant relationship.

Which Gateway Stack Should You Recommend?

Here’s a quick reference based on store type:

Store Type | Recommended Setup
Small local business | Stripe + PayPal
Subscription business | Stripe (primary)
EU-based WooCommerce store | Stripe with SCA enabled
Senior or PayPal-loyal audience | PayPal prominently enabled
Membership/community site | Stripe + WooCommerce Subscriptions
Enterprise store | Stripe or Authorize.net
International retail | Stripe + PayPal

When in doubt, Stripe as primary and PayPal as secondary covers most use cases well.

How to Set Up Payment Gateways Securely for Clients

This is where a lot of agencies quietly create problems for themselves.

Start on Staging — Always

Never configure live payment credentials directly on a production site during initial setup. Use a staging environment to:

Test the complete checkout flow

Validate any email confirmations

Confirm all webhook deliveries

Test the refund workflows

Verify tax and shipping calculations for all destinations

Go live only after everything has been confirmed to work in test mode. This sounds obvious, but “we’ll test on production” is how you end up with real charges on test orders.

The Client-Controlled Setup Approach

This is the most important part of this guide, and it’s something a lot of developers skip.

Never ask a client for their banking credentials.

Never store their payment account passwords.

Never own their payment account on their behalf.

Beyond the obvious liability issues, this also creates trust problems. Clients who feel like their financial data is in someone else’s hands get nervous — and rightly so.

Try this workflow:

Step 1: Set expectations upfront.

Before you open staging, have your client create their own Stripe or PayPal account. You will connect it to WooCommerce using the API keys they provide. Never access client banking details or store sensitive credentials.

Step 2: Client creates the payment account.

If needed, direct them to Stripe or PayPal Business to create their account, complete identity verification, and activate payouts. Then pull their test and live API keys (both publishable and secret keys from the Stripe dashboard).

Step 3: Connect via screen-share.

Schedule a 30-minute call with the client:

Install WooCommerce and the Stripe Gateway plugin from WordPress.org.

Go to WooCommerce > Settings > Payments > Stripe.

Have the client paste their own API keys — they type it, not you.

Enable test mode.

Configure hosted fields and SCA.

Set the webhook URL (the plugin generates this automatically).

Run a test checkout together.

The client has done the connecting. You’ve done the configuring. Nobody’s credentials went through email or Slack.

Step 4: Use role-based access for ongoing work.

Have the client add you as a Developer in their Stripe dashboard — this gives you read-only access to analytics without touching payouts. On the WordPress side, use a Shop Manager role on staging only. No shared passwords. 2FA on everything.

Step 5: Go live cleanly.

Once staging is verified:

Client confirms live API keys are ready

Deploy to production

Client toggles from test mode to live mode in plugin settings

Run one real transaction to confirm end-to-end flow

Verify webhook delivery in Stripe > Developers > Webhooks

Hand off a simple one-page document covering: where the API keys live, how to rotate them annually, how to check webhook status, and who to contact for support.

Common Mistakes That Break the Checkout – and Your Client Relationship

Leaving test mode on after launch happens more often than anyone admits. Always verify live API keys and live webhook endpoints before calling a site “done.”

Sharing payment account passwords shouldn’t happen even once. Use developer roles, OAuth connections, or limited-access accounts. If a freelancer or team member needs access, they get a role — not your client’s password.

Using outdated plugins still happens. Never should. Payment gateways update their APIs constantly due to PCI requirements, SCA changes, and WooCommerce compatibility. An old plugin doesn’t just miss features – it can break checkout entirely.

Ignoring webhook failures means WooCommerce never knows that the payment went through. That’s unpaid orders, broken subscription renewals, and missing order confirmations. Check webhook logs regularly, especially after plugin updates. Not to mention, this is a customer service nightmare waiting to happen.

Skimping on hosting is never a good idea. Checkout performance is one of the highest-stakes moments in a customer’s journey. Slow page loads, unstable servers, and unreliable caching under dynamic content can tank conversion rates and kill webhook delivery. Reliable WooCommerce hosting matters more at checkout than almost anywhere else on the site.

Security Checklist Before Every Launch

“Online shopping security requires PCI DSS compliance through secure payment gateways, mandatory two-factor authentication for admin access, and systematic security auditing. Your job is to minimize threats while maintaining performance.”
Rocket.net- Advanced WooCommerce Strategies For Large eCommerce Shops

Before you hand a WooCommerce store back to a client, run through this list:

HTTPS enforced sitewide (no mixed content warnings at checkout)

MFA enabled on WordPress admin and all payment provider accounts

WooCommerce and payment plugins on the current versions

Admin access is limited to necessary users only

Unused payment gateways are disabled

Webhook delivery confirmed in the gateway dashboard

API keys confirmed as live (not test) in plugin settings

Client handed off documentation covering key rotation, mode toggles, and support contacts

Monthly update schedule agreed upon

PCI DSS compliance isn’t primarily about paperwork — it’s about not storing raw card data and keeping your server environment clean. Hosted payment fields handle most of the heavy lifting, but the checklist above keeps everything tight.

Reminder: This article provides the best operational practices for WooCommerce developers and agencies, not legal or PCI compliance advice. Businesses handling online payments should review current PCI DSS requirements with their payment provider or a qualified compliance professional.

The Bottom Line

For most WooCommerce projects, the setup is straightforward: Stripe as your primary gateway with hosted fields and SCA enabled, PayPal as a secondary option for shoppers who prefer it, and a setup workflow that keeps the client in full ownership of their payment accounts.

That combination handles security, compliance, and conversion optimization without overcomplicating things. And doing the screen-share handoff properly — where the client pastes their own keys – takes about 30 minutes and eliminates a category of liability most agencies never think about until something goes wrong.

Get the setup right, document the handoff clearly, and your client’s checkout will run quietly in the background the way it should.