Payment Gateway Monthly Cost Analyzer

A payment gateway cost analyzer is a financial tool that calculates the total monthly cost of accepting payments through a payment gateway or merchant account provider. It factors in setup fees, monthly gateway fees, transaction fees (percentage of each sale), per-transaction fees (fixed amount per transaction), chargeback fees, PCI compliance costs, and annual fees. The analyzer produces a comprehensive breakdown showing your total monthly cost, cost as a percentage of revenue, cost per transaction, and a comparison against industry-standard flat-rate and interchange-plus pricing models. Our gateway cost analyzer runs entirely in your browser with no data uploaded to any server.

1. Enter Your Transaction Data: Input your monthly transaction volume (number of transactions per month) and average transaction amount (the typical dollar value per sale). Select a payment gateway from presets (Stripe, PayPal, Square, Braintree, Shopify Payments, Adyen) to auto-fill typical fee structures, or choose Custom to enter your exact rates manually.
2. Configure Fee Details: The gateway cost analyzer breaks down every fee component: setup fee (amortized over 12 months), monthly gateway fee, transaction fee percentage, per-transaction fixed fee, chargeback fee with adjustable chargeback rate, PCI compliance annual fee, and any additional annual fees. Each field updates the calculation in real time.
3. Review the Complete Analysis: The analyzer displays summary cards with total monthly cost, cost as a percentage of revenue, and cost per transaction. A detailed breakdown shows each fee component, followed by a flat-rate vs interchange-plus pricing comparison and a break-even analysis table showing which pricing model is cheapest at 8 different average ticket sizes.

• Total Monthly Cost: The sum of all fee components - setup fee (amortized), monthly gateway fee, percentage-based transaction fees, per-transaction fees, chargeback costs, PCI compliance, and annual fees divided by 12 months.
• Cost as % of Revenue: Total monthly cost divided by monthly revenue (volume × average ticket). This is the key metric for understanding how much of your revenue goes to payment processing. Industry benchmarks range from 2-5% depending on volume and ticket size.
• Cost Per Transaction: Total monthly cost divided by the number of transactions. This is useful for comparing across gateways and understanding per-sale expenses. Lower average tickets typically have higher per-transaction costs proportionally.
• Pricing Model Comparison: The analyzer compares your current cost against typical flat-rate (3.5% + $0.15) and interchange-plus (0.44% + $0.10) pricing models, showing which structure saves the most money at your specific volume and ticket profile.

The payment gateway cost analyzer is 100% free with no signup required. All calculations are performed locally in your browser - your transaction volume, ticket sizes, and fee details never leave your device. There are no file size limits or usage caps. The tool supports preset rates for 6 major payment gateways (Stripe, PayPal, Square, Braintree, Shopify Payments, Adyen) and custom configuration for any other provider. Use it as many times as you need to compare different gateways, model growth scenarios, or prepare for rate negotiations.