If you want to accept payments on your website, app, or online store in Nigeria, you'll almost certainly choose between Paystack and Flutterwave.

Both are trusted, both are easy to set up, and both pay you the next business day. But their fees work very differently, and Flutterwave changed its Nigerian pricing, so many articles online are now out of date.

We checked both companies' official pricing pages in October 2026. Here's what you'll actually pay, with real naira examples.

Paystack fees in Nigeria (2026)

  • Local payments (cards, bank transfer, USSD and more): 1.5% + ₦100 per transaction
  • Small payments: the ₦100 is waived for transactions under ₦2,500
  • Maximum fee: capped at ₦2,000 per local transaction, no matter how big the payment
  • International cards: 3.9% + ₦100
  • American Express: 4.5%

The ₦2,000 cap is Paystack's biggest advantage. Whether a customer pays ₦200,000 or ₦5 million, the most you pay on a local transaction is ₦2,000.

Flutterwave fees in Nigeria (2026)

  • Local payments (cards, bank transfer, USSD, POS and more): 2% per transaction, made up of a 1.4% transaction fee plus a 0.6% platform fee
  • No fee cap is listed on its Nigeria pricing page
  • International cards: 4.8%
  • VAT: Flutterwave's transaction fees attract 7.5% VAT
  • Transfers out to bank accounts: ₦10 to ₦50 depending on the amount

If you've seen articles saying Flutterwave charges 1.4% in Nigeria, that's the old pricing. The 0.6% platform fee now makes it 2%.

Side-by-side: what you'd pay on real sales

Here's the fee on a single local payment, before VAT:

  • ₦2,000 sale: Paystack ₦30, Flutterwave ₦40
  • ₦10,000 sale: Paystack ₦250, Flutterwave ₦200
  • ₦50,000 sale: Paystack ₦850, Flutterwave ₦1,000
  • ₦200,000 sale: Paystack ₦2,000 (capped), Flutterwave ₦4,000
  • ₦1,000,000 sale: Paystack ₦2,000 (capped), Flutterwave ₦20,000

The turning point is about ₦20,000. Below that, Flutterwave is often slightly cheaper. Above it, Paystack wins, and the gap grows quickly on big payments.

So which one is cheaper for your business?

It depends on how much your customers usually pay at once.

Paystack is likely cheaper if you:

  • Sell high-value products like electronics, furniture, or real estate
  • Collect school fees, rent, or professional service fees
  • Run a hotel, event centre, or travel business with large bookings
  • Sell to customers who mostly pay ₦20,000 or more per order

Flutterwave is likely cheaper if you:

  • Sell mostly mid-priced items, roughly ₦2,500 to ₦20,000 per order
  • Receive many international payments in multiple currencies
  • Sell across several African countries

For very small payments under ₦2,500, Paystack's 1.5% usually beats Flutterwave's 2%.

Beyond fees: other things to compare

Price isn't everything. Also think about:

  • International payments: Flutterwave supports a wide range of currencies and countries, which helps if you sell abroad. Paystack's international card fee is lower.
  • Settlement: both pay local transactions the next business day.
  • Ease of use: both have simple dashboards, payment links, and invoices, so you can collect money even without a website.
  • Who pays the fee: both let you choose whether you or your customer covers the charge.
  • Customer support: read recent reviews and test response times before committing a large business to either.

Can I use both?

Yes, and many growing businesses do. A common setup is:

  • One main gateway for most payments, chosen based on your typical order size
  • A backup gateway in case the main one has downtime, so you never lose a sale

A well-built website or app can even send each payment through the cheaper option automatically.

What you need to get started

Both platforms let you sign up online. To unlock full features and higher limits, you'll typically need:

  • Your business registration documents (CAC)
  • A Nigerian business bank account
  • A valid ID and BVN for the business owner or directors
  • Your website or social media page showing what you sell

Tips to reduce your payment fees

  • Match your gateway to your order size using the examples above
  • Offer direct bank transfer for very large payments where it makes sense
  • Decide early who pays the fee, and price your products accordingly
  • Review your fees every few months, because pricing changes, as Flutterwave's recent increase shows

Need payments built into your website or app?

At Navoteq Technologies, we build websites, online stores, booking systems, and apps with Paystack and Flutterwave integrated properly: automatic payment confirmation, receipts, order tracking, and clean records for your accounts.

Talk to us:

Fees in this article come from Paystack and Flutterwave's official Nigeria pricing pages as of October 2026. Pricing can change, so always confirm on Paystack's pricing page and Flutterwave's pricing page before deciding.