Flutterwave or Paystack Which Is Better for Your Business in Nigeria

Paystack is usually cheaper for local card payments under ₦2,500 and above ₦20,000, while Flutterwave costs less for payments between those amounts. The better choice also depends on how your customers pay, whether you sell online or in person, and which tools you need. These fees come from the official pricing pages we checked on 22 October 2026, and CMA9ja will update this comparison when either company changes its rates.

Most business owners pick one provider, then discover the real cost on their first payout or refund. Running the numbers on your typical sale before you commit saves a lot of frustration.

How local card fees compare

Flutterwave charges 2 percent on local collections, which covers cards, bank accounts, USSD, bank transfers and POS. Its page lists no cap. Paystack charges 1.5 percent plus ₦100 on local cards, capped at ₦2,000, and it waives the ₦100 on payments below ₦2,500.

Here is what that means for common sale sizes.

Sale amount	Paystack fee	Flutterwave fee
₦2,000	₦30	₦40
₦10,000	₦250	₦200
₦50,000	₦850	₦1,000
₦200,000	₦2,000 (capped)	₦4,000

Paystack is cheaper for very small sales and for larger sales above ₦20,000. Flutterwave is cheaper for sales in the middle range.

Who pays the fee

Flutterwave’s page says customers bear the charges by default, but merchants can change this setting in their dashboard. Check that setting before you start, because it changes how much your customer sees at checkout and how much you actually receive.

International card payments

Flutterwave lists 4.8 percent on international cards. Paystack lists 3.9 percent plus ₦100 and settles in naira by default. Paystack is also running a public pilot for a dollar settlement option with Zenith Bank domiciliary accounts.

Settlement and payouts

Flutterwave settles local payments the next day. Paystack settles automatically on a T+1 basis, which means the next working day.

Both providers charge the same payout tiers. A transfer of up to ₦5,000 costs ₦10, transfers from ₦5,001 to ₦50,000 cost ₦25, and transfers above ₦50,000 cost ₦50. Flutterwave adds 7.5 percent VAT to its listed transfer fees.

Stamp duty you may not expect

Paystack’s support article says a flat ₦50 stamp duty applies to Nigerian electronic transfers from the Paystack balance of ₦10,000 or more. It took effect on 18 February 2026, and the merchant bears the cost. We could not confirm whether Flutterwave applies the same charge, so check its current terms before you rely on either payout figure.

Point of sale and in person sales

Paystack’s SmartPeak P1000 terminal costs ₦100,000 per live device. On the terminal, local cards cost 0.5 percent, capped at ₦1,000, and international cards cost 4.5 percent plus ₦100. Flutterwave lists POS as a payment method, but its page does not show a POS device price.

Online store plugins

Flutterwave lists plugins for Shopify, WordPress, WooCommerce, Joomla and PrestaShop. The Paystack pricing page does not mention WooCommerce or Shopify plugins, so check its developer documentation before you choose it for an online store.

Which one to choose

• Choose Paystack if most of your sales are above ₦20,000, you want automatic daily settlement, or you need a POS terminal with a lower card rate on the device.
• Choose Flutterwave if most of your sales are between ₦2,500 and ₦20,000, or you want a platform with a wide list of plugins and a simple, flat local rate.
• Consider both if you sell across many price points and want to compare settlement speed and support on a small test first.

The cheapest platform on paper can cost more once you add the customer fee setting, stamp duty and payout charges, so run the numbers on your real sales.

Test both with a few small transactions before you move your full business to one of them. If you spot an error in these figures, contact us so we can correct it quickly.