Gateway
Authorize.net
Reliable gateway with broad integrations, but dated interface and stacking fees make it expensive.
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Transaction fee
$0.10/transaction + 2.9% + $0.30 (if using their processing)
Monthly fee
$25/mo
Rating breakdown
Pros
- Works with almost any merchant account provider
- Extremely wide integration support (shopping carts, invoicing, CRMs)
- Fraud detection suite (Advanced Fraud Detection Suite)
- Recurring billing and subscription support
Cons
- Monthly gateway fee ($25/mo) on top of processing costs
- Per-transaction fee ($0.10) stacks with processor fees
- Interface feels dated compared to Stripe or PayPal
- Setup can be complex for non-technical users
Who Authorize.net is for
Authorize.net is the gateway of choice when you already have a merchant account with a processor and just need the gateway infrastructure to accept online payments. It integrates with virtually every shopping cart, invoicing tool, and CRM on the market. If your ecommerce platform or business software supports only one gateway, it’s usually Authorize.net.
Where it falls short
The fee structure stacks: you pay the $25/month gateway fee, plus $0.10 per transaction, plus whatever your processor charges. For a business running 500 online transactions per month, that’s $75/month in gateway fees alone before processing costs. Stripe and PayPal bundle gateway and processing into one fee, which is simpler (though not always cheaper).
The admin interface also shows its age. It works, but it’s not enjoyable to use compared to modern alternatives.
Bottom line
Authorize.net is a solid, reliable gateway for businesses that need broad integration support or already have a separate merchant account. If you’re starting fresh and don’t have a specific reason to use Authorize.net, Stripe is usually a better choice for online payments. But if your processor or business software requires Authorize.net, it does the job well.
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