PayAnywhere vs Stripe Terminal

PayAnywhere9.2Visit Stripe Terminal8.5Visit

Higher score PayAnywhere #2 in Mobile Payment Processing Software 9.2/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 4 features Visit PayAnywhere

vs

Stripe Terminal #8 in Mobile Payment Processing Software 8.5/10 Paid ✓ 3 of 4 features Try Stripe Terminal

• PayAnywhere fits best

  Small businesses needing broad payment support

• Stripe Terminal fits best

  Developers building custom mobile payment flows

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Side by side

Feature	PayAnywhere 9.2/10 Visit ↗	Stripe Terminal 8.5/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.2	8.5
Ranking	#2 in Mobile Payment Processing Software	#8 in Mobile Payment Processing Software
Best for	Small businesses needing broad payment support	Developers building custom mobile payment flows
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Paid
Starting price	Free plan	Not checked yet
Free plan	✓ (best)	—
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Mobile	Cloud, Mobile
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android	Web, iOS, Android
Support	Email, Phone, Live chat, Docs	Docs
Integrations	1 integrations	6 integrations
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features PayAnywhere 3/4 · Stripe Terminal 3/4
Reader required	—	—
Tap to Pay	✓	✓
Offline payments	✓	✓
Recurring payments	✓	✓
Specs
Payout timing	Next_day	Instant
Payment methods	EMV chip cards, magstripe cards, contactless cards, debit cards, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and other digital wallets	credit cards, debit cards, contactless cards, digital wallets
Our review
Pros	Accepts chip, magstripe, contactless, debit, and digital wallets Tap to Pay on iPhone works without an extra card reader Includes invoices, inventory, employee controls, and offline capture	Tap to Pay works on compatible iPhone and Android devices Offline collection, reader management, and encryption support custom deployments APIs and SDKs unify online and in-person payment data
Cons	Currently available only in the United States Tap to Pay on iPhone has separate per-item and per-device fees The listed integration is limited to Homebase	No free plan; transaction fees and hardware costs apply Implementation is technical and requires API or SDK integration Tap to Pay and offline payments have eligibility and device limitations
Our verdict	PayAnywhere is a mobile payment processing and point-of-sale platform for small businesses that take payments in stores, on job sites, online, or while moving between locations. It supports smartphones and tablets across web, iOS, and… Read the review →	Stripe Terminal provides in-person payment infrastructure for businesses and platforms building custom point-of-sale experiences. It supports certified mobile and smart card readers, Tap to Pay on compatible iPhone and Android devices,… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• PayAnywhere — where it wins

  • Accepts chip, magstripe, contactless, debit, and digital wallets
  • Tap to Pay on iPhone works without an extra card reader
  • Includes invoices, inventory, employee controls, and offline capture

  Where it doesn't

  • Currently available only in the United States
  • Tap to Pay on iPhone has separate per-item and per-device fees
  • The listed integration is limited to Homebase

• Stripe Terminal — where it wins

  • Tap to Pay works on compatible iPhone and Android devices
  • Offline collection, reader management, and encryption support custom deployments
  • APIs and SDKs unify online and in-person payment data

  Where it doesn't

  • No free plan; transaction fees and hardware costs apply
  • Implementation is technical and requires API or SDK integration
  • Tap to Pay and offline payments have eligibility and device limitations

• PayAnywhere9.2/10 · Free plan

  A flexible mobile POS for small businesses accepting cards, wallets, invoices, and offline payments.

  Visit PayAnywhereFull verdict →
• Stripe Terminal8.5/10 · Paid

  A powerful, paid toolkit for developers building custom mobile payment flows.

  Try Stripe TerminalFull verdict →