The Short Answer
PayFast is the default for a reason: the widest spread of payment methods, integrations with everything, and no monthly fee on the standard plan. If you're unsure, start here.
Yoco is the natural choice if you already use a Yoco card machine — one dashboard, one payout stream, and payment links that are effortless for invoicing.
Ozow is the specialist: instant EFT at fees card gateways can't match. It shines as a second option next to card checkout, especially for higher-value payments.
Fees at a Glance
All three price per transaction with no meaningful setup cost. Typical published rates (excluding VAT) at time of writing:
Rates change and volume discounts exist — always confirm current pricing on each provider's site before deciding.
What Your Customers Can Pay With
PayFast: the everything option
Cards, Instant EFT, SnapScan, Zapper, store cards, and more. If your customers are a broad consumer audience, the widest net wins abandoned checkouts back.
Yoco: cards and payment links
Card payments online plus shareable payment links — send one on WhatsApp and get paid without a website checkout at all. Ideal for quotes, invoices, and deposits.
Ozow: bank-to-bank, no card needed
Customers pay straight from their banking app. That includes the large share of South Africans who have a bank account but no credit card — a real market you exclude with card-only checkout.
The strongest setup is often two
Card checkout (PayFast or Yoco) plus Ozow for EFT covers nearly every customer and lets you steer big payments toward the cheaper rail.
Match the Gateway to Your Business
Online store
PayFast for method coverage; add Ozow as the EFT option at checkout. Both integrate with Shopify, WooCommerce, and custom builds.
Service business
Yoco payment links for deposits and invoices — especially if a Yoco machine already handles your in-person payments.
High-value payments
Ozow. On a R20,000 invoice, the difference between ±1.5% and ±3.2% is real money on every single sale.
Don't Overthink It — It's Reversible
Unlike your platform or domain choice, a payment gateway is easy to switch or add to later. A properly built checkout keeps the gateway modular, so changing providers is a small job — not a rebuild. Pick the reasonable option for today's volume, watch your real fees for three months, and adjust. What actually loses money is a clumsy checkout flow, not a 0.3% fee difference.
Need Payments on Your Website?
We integrate PayFast, Yoco, and Ozow into custom websites and stores — built so you can switch gateways later without rebuilding anything.
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