What Payment Gateways Are Compatible with Shopify?

For any online store, choosing the right payment gateway is more than just a technical step—it directly affects your customers’ trust, checkout experience, and your own profit margins. If you’re using Shopify, you already have one of the most powerful e-commerce platforms available. But integrating it with the correct payment gateway for your region and audience is essential.

This guide covers all major payment gateway options compatible with Shopify, including:

• Built-in options like Shopify Payments
• Global and regional third-party gateways
• Country-specific limitations
• Special solutions for the Middle East (like PayTabs)

Whether you’re a beginner or scaling internationally, this comprehensive article will help you choose the right payment partner.

Understanding Payment Gateways in Shopify

A payment gateway is a service that authorizes credit card payments and securely transfers customer payment data to your bank. Shopify supports multiple gateways, but your options depend on your country, the type of products you sell, and whether you want to offer subscriptions, buy-now-pay-later, or digital wallets.

There are two main types of gateways in Shopify:

• Direct gateways (like Shopify Payments) — fully integrated and seamless
• External/redirect gateways (like PayPal or 2Checkout) — customers are redirected during checkout

Shopify Payments (Built-In Gateway)

Overview:

Shopify Payments is Shopify’s proprietary solution and the default gateway for merchants in supported countries. It streamlines your setup, eliminates third-party fees, and supports credit/debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Shop Pay, Shopify’s own accelerated checkout.

Benefits:

• No extra transaction fees from Shopify (you only pay card processing)
• Unified dashboard to manage payments, chargebacks, and payouts
• Fast local bank deposits
• Accepts multi-currency transactions
• Includes fraud analysis and dispute management

Supported Countries (as of 2024):

• United States
• Canada
• United Kingdom
• Australia
• New Zealand
• Ireland
• Germany
• Netherlands
• Spain
• Japan
• Singapore
• Sweden
• Denmark
• Italy
• Austria
• Belgium
• Portugal
• Finland
• Hong Kong

Not Supported In:

• Most of the Middle East (except UAE and Israel)
• Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Libya, Palestine
• Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan
• Most of Africa (except South Africa)
• Russia and some Eastern European countries
• Latin America (except Puerto Rico)

Best for: Merchants in supported countries who want low-fee, hassle-free integration.

PayPal

Overview:

PayPal is one of the most widely recognized online payment services. Shopify integrates directly with PayPal Express Checkout, enabling you to accept PayPal balances, credit/debit cards, and even financing options (PayPal Credit in certain markets).

Benefits:

• Global customer trust and brand recognition
• Integrated with Shopify by default (you just need to connect your account)
• Fast onboarding
• Multiple dispute resolution and refund tools

Not Supported In:

• Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, Sudan, North Korea, Iran
• Restricted or limited in Yemen, Lebanon, Libya, and Palestine

Best for: Sellers looking to offer a familiar and trusted checkout experience worldwide.

Stripe

Overview:

Stripe is a powerful, developer-friendly payment processor used by some of the world’s largest companies. While Shopify Payments is built on Stripe’s infrastructure, businesses in unsupported regions can integrate Stripe manually.

Benefits:

• Excellent for subscription billing, SaaS, and digital goods
• Advanced API and fraud detection tools
• Supports over 135 currencies and local payment methods
• Apple Pay, Google Pay, Alipay, and more

Not Supported In:

• Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, North Korea, Syria
• Most of Africa (except South Africa)
• Russia, Venezuela, Belarus
• Palestine, Lebanon, Libya

Best for: Global brands needing flexible payment options with developer control.

Authorize.Net

Overview:

Authorize.Net, owned by Visa, is a long-established payment gateway that provides secure payment processing primarily for U.S. and Canadian merchants. It supports credit card payments, eChecks, subscriptions, and recurring billing.

Benefits:

• Trusted by large-scale businesses in North America
• Strong anti-fraud tools
• Ideal for recurring billing and invoicing
• Supports integrations with external CRMs and ERPs

Not Supported In:

• Countries outside North America, the UK, Europe, Australia, and a few partners in Asia
• Not directly available in the Middle East, Africa, Latin America

Best for: North American businesses requiring high-volume or B2B payments.

2Checkout (Verifone)

Overview:

2Checkout, now known as Verifone, is a global gateway that helps merchants accept payments in more than 200 countries. It’s especially useful for digital product sellers, subscriptions, and software businesses.

Benefits:

• Supports PayPal, credit cards, and localized methods
• Strong global tax and compliance support
• Excellent for SaaS, digital downloads, and global reach

Not Supported In:

• North Korea, Iran, Syria, Sudan, Cuba, Crimea region
• May be limited in certain sanctioned countries or those with unstable banking infrastructure

Best for: Sellers targeting international markets, especially in regions where Shopify Payments is not available.

Amazon Pay

Overview:

Amazon Pay lets users complete checkout with their Amazon account. It’s a familiar, frictionless option for Amazon shoppers, allowing them to skip entering address and payment information.

Benefits:

• Leverages Amazon’s customer trust
• Seamless checkout flow
• Fast and secure
• Easy integration within Shopify settings

Not Supported In:

• Most countries outside U.S., U.K., Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Japan, and India
• Not available in the Middle East, Africa, Central Asia, South America

Best for: Stores targeting Amazon customers in the U.S. and Europe.

Klarna

Overview:

Klarna is a “buy now, pay later” provider that allows customers to split payments into interest-free installments. Shopify integrates Klarna via the Alternative Payment Methods setup.

Benefits:

• Increases cart size and conversion rates
• Available in 20+ countries across Europe, North America, and Australia
• Flexible checkout options for consumers

Not Supported In:

• Most Middle East, Africa, and Asia
• South America

Best for: Fashion and lifestyle brands targeting young, trend-driven shoppers.

Afterpay / Clearpay

Overview:

Afterpay, called Clearpay in the U.K., is another “pay in 4” installment solution. It integrates with Shopify directly and is especially popular in Australia, New Zealand, and the U.S.

Benefits:

• No interest charged to buyers
• High approval rates for customers
• Increases conversion and retention rates

Not Supported In:

• Africa, Middle East, Central Asia
• South America, Southeast Asia

Best for: Fashion, cosmetics, and lifestyle brands in Western markets.

WorldPay

Overview:

WorldPay is a robust global payment processor offering credit card acceptance in multiple currencies and payment types. It’s used by businesses of all sizes, especially enterprise-level sellers.

Benefits:

• Support for 120+ currencies
• Fraud prevention tools
• Popular in Europe and the U.K.
• Supports recurring billing and subscriptions

Not Supported In:

• Sanctioned countries like North Korea, Syria, Iran
• Limited direct support in parts of Africa, Middle East, and Asia (though partners exist)

Best for: Established merchants seeking a secure, international solution.

PayTabs (For Middle East & North Africa)

Overview:

PayTabs is a trusted regional payment gateway built for businesses operating in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and MENA countries. It integrates with Shopify via third-party bridge apps or custom configuration.

Benefits:

• Supports local currencies: AED, SAR, KWD, BHD, QAR, OMR
• Arabic-language checkout
• Compliant with regional regulations (SADAD, Mada, etc.)
• Fast merchant onboarding and local bank settlements

Supported Countries:

• Saudi Arabia
• United Arab Emirates
• Kuwait
• Bahrain
• Oman
• Egypt
• Jordan
• Lebanon (partial support)

Best for: Arabic-speaking merchants in the GCC and MENA region looking for local support and compliance.

Payoneer Checkout (Exclusive to Hong Kong)

Overview:

Payoneer Checkout is a relatively new payment gateway integration with Shopify, currently available only for merchants registered in Hong Kong. Developed by Payoneer, a well-known global payment platform used by freelancers and businesses for cross-border payments, this gateway is aimed at e-commerce sellers who want to manage their global income more effectively.

Unlike traditional processors, Payoneer specializes in enabling sellers to receive payouts from global marketplaces, and the Checkout feature brings that functionality directly to Shopify for product-based businesses.

Benefits:

• Easy integration with Shopify for Hong Kong merchants
• Supports major credit/debit cards globally (Visa, Mastercard)
• Competitive processing fees
• Funds are deposited into the seller’s Payoneer account, from which they can withdraw to local banks, use the Payoneer card, or send international payments
• Great for international sellers receiving in USD, EUR, GBP, and more

Not Supported In:

• All countries except Hong Kong
• Payoneer Checkout cannot be used by merchants registered outside of Hong Kong, even if they have a Payoneer account for general use

Best for: Shopify merchants based in Hong Kong who want an integrated payment solution and global payout capabilities via Payoneer.

Summary Table: Shopify Payment Gateways by Region

Choosing the right payment gateway for Shopify isn’t just a technical decision—it’s a business strategy. The best solution depends on where your customers live, what currencies you accept, your preferred payout schedule, and how much you want to spend on fees.

If you’re in a country where Shopify Payments is available, it’s often the easiest and most cost-effective choice. But if you’re in the Middle East or North Africa, local gateways like PayTabs can be a powerful, region-specific alternative that respects cultural preferences and banking regulations.

Shopify’s flexibility ensures that wherever you are, there’s a solution to help you run and grow your online business smoothly.