Shopify Payments Alternatives in South Africa (2026)
So you've built your Shopify store in Cape Town, priced your products in Rands, and you're ready to take your first order. Then you hit the wall that surprises almost every new South African merchant: Shopify Payments — Shopify's own built-in card processor — does not exist in South Africa. There is no checkbox to tick and no card fees to compare. Every single one of the 22,000+ active South African Shopify stores (May 2026, growing about 28% year-on-year) has to connect an external payment gateway.
That is both an annoyance and an opportunity. Annoying because Shopify quietly adds a "third-party payment provider" fee on top of every gateway charge. An opportunity because you get to choose a South African gateway that is actually cheaper and more locally savvy than Shopify Payments would have been — from Instant EFT that avoids card fees entirely to Pay-by-Bank methods your customers already trust.
This guide walks through every serious option in 2026 — PayFast, Paystack, Yoco, Peach Payments, Stitch, Ozow and PayGate — with verified mid-2026 fees, settlement times, payment methods, and honest pros and cons for each. You'll finish knowing exactly which gateway to install on your Shopify store today.
Quick answer: Shopify Payments is not available in South Africa, so SA merchants must use a third-party gateway — and Shopify charges an extra fee on every sale for the privilege: 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced. The best alternatives in 2026 are PayFast (best all-rounder for new stores, 3.2% + R2 cards, wide local methods, no monthly fee), Yoco (cheapest card-only option at 2.95%, no per-transaction fee), Peach Payments (best for higher volume at ~2.95% local with near-real-time payouts), Paystack (best for tech-savvy teams at 2.9% + R1), and Ozow (best Pay-by-Bank at 1.5%). Budget roughly 6–8% of revenue for total platform + payment costs on a Basic Shopify plan.
Need a hand setting up your store and payments? Get expert help from the CrazyClicks e-commerce team → contact us.
Why Shopify Payments doesn't work in South Africa
Shopify Payments is Shopify's own payment processor, powered by partners such as Stripe in many markets. It bundles card processing directly into your Shopify dashboard — one sign-up, no separate merchant account, and crucially no third-party provider fee. In markets where Shopify Payments is live, merchants pay a single blended rate and skip the extra transaction fee entirely.
South Africa is not one of those markets. As of mid-2026 Shopify Payments remains unavailable to stores registered in South Africa, so Shopify treats every SA merchant as using an "external" payment provider. The result is the stacked fee: your gateway fee plus Shopify's third-party payment provider fee on each sale.
| Shopify plan | Approx ZAR/month (monthly billing) | Third-party provider fee per sale |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | ~R450 | 2.0% |
| Grow (was "Shopify") | ~R1,170 | 1.0% |
| Advanced | ~R7,200 | 0.6% |
| Plus | from ~R41,000 | 0.2% |
Key fact: Shopify bills South African merchants in US dollars, converted at roughly R16.50–R18.00 per USD in mid-2026, so always treat ZAR plan prices as approximate. The 3-day free trial and the $1/month-for-3-months offer apply to eligible Basic and Grow plans where the offer is active. See our full Shopify pricing breakdown for the detail.
The stacked-fee reality every SA merchant must budget for
Here is how the maths actually works on a R1,000 sale, Basic plan, PayFast card:
- Shopify third-party fee (2%): R20
- PayFast card fee (3.2% + R2): R34
- Total: R54, or 5.4% of the order
Now do the same order on Grow with Peach Payments:
- Shopify third-party fee (1%): R10
- Peach local card fee (~2.95% + R1.50): R31
- Total: R41, or 4.1% of the order
The plan you pick changes your payment costs by more than a percentage point, which on a store doing R100,000 a month is an R1,000–R2,000 difference every single month. This is why the "cheapest plan" is rarely the cheapest overall. Our detailed comparison of the platform costs is in Shopify fees in South Africa explained, and the total-cost picture for Basic is laid out in how much Shopify really costs in South Africa.
Your Shopify payment gateway options in SA
Seven gateways genuinely matter for Shopify stores in South Africa in 2026. Each has a native or near-native Shopify integration, and each has a different sweet spot:
| Gateway | Sweet spot |
|---|---|
| PayFast | New stores; widest local payment coverage; no monthly fee |
| Paystack | Tech-savvy startups; developers who want a modern API |
| Yoco | Card-only stores wanting the lowest cost and an integrated card machine |
| Peach Payments | Growing volume; fast payouts; recurring billing |
| Stitch | "Built for Shopify" badge; Express Checkout; Pay-by-Bank |
| Ozow | B2B and high-ticket stores pushing Pay-by-Bank |
| PayGate (DPO) | Enterprise merchants with an existing internet merchant account |
Before diving in, get the whole landscape from our pillar guide on the best payment gateway in South Africa, which compares these gateways beyond just Shopify.
PayFast (Payfast by Network)
Now branded Payfast by Network following Network International's acquisition, PayFast is the most widely used payment gateway for small South African online stores — and it has the most mature native Shopify app of the bunch.
Fees (mid-2026, ex-VAT):
| Method | Fee |
|---|---|
| Card payments | 3.2% + R2 (reduced from 3.5% on 1 June 2026) |
| Instant EFT / Capitec Pay | 2.0% + min R2 |
| SnapScan, Zapper, Mobicred | Supported via PayFast's standard fee structure |
| Monthly fee | None |
Settlement: Standard payout in 2 business days, or an immediate payout option for a 0.8% fee.
Payment methods: Credit and debit cards, Instant EFT (major SA banks), SnapScan, Zapper, Mobicred, Capitec Pay, Masterpass and more — the widest local coverage on this list.
Shopify integration: Native app in the Shopify App Store; install, paste your API keys, done. Recurring billing and subscriptions supported.
Pros:
- No monthly fee — ideal for new stores with low volume
- Widest set of local payment methods in one integration
- Native Shopify app with one-click setup
- Well-known brand; builds buyer trust
Cons:
- Card rate is not the cheapest available (3.2% + R2)
- Per-transaction fee (R2) hurts stores with many small orders
- Standard settlement is 2 business days unless you pay for immediate payout
- Buyer auto-redirects to PayFast's checkout page rather than a fully custom one
Best for: New and small stores that want maximum payment coverage with zero monthly commitment.
Paystack
Paystack started in Nigeria, was acquired by Stripe, and launched in South Africa in 2023. It's the developer's favourite — a clean REST API, rich documentation, and a checkout that feels modern.
Fees (SA, mid-2026, ex-VAT):
| Method | Fee |
|---|---|
| Local cards | 2.9% + R1 |
| International cards | 3.1% + R1 |
| EFT / bank transfer | 2.0% |
Settlement: Local card payments typically settle the next business day.
Payment methods: Local and international cards, bank redirect/EFT, Capitec Pay, Ozow EFT, Apple Pay.
Shopify integration: Native Shopify app with straightforward setup. This is the full Shopify + Paystack setup guide if you go this route.
Pros:
- Very competitive 2.9% + R1 local card rate
- Modern developer API, webhooks and SDKs
- Handles international cards well — useful if you export
- Apple Pay support
Cons:
- Less local "household name" recognition than PayFast for older SA buyers
- No physical card-machine ecosystem (unlike Yoco)
- Some advanced features are developer-oriented rather than click-and-go
Best for: Startups and teams with technical skills who want low fees and a modern checkout, especially if selling internationally.
Yoco
Yoco is famous for its white card machines, but its online payment gateway is quietly the cheapest card-only option for Shopify stores — with no per-transaction fee.
Fees (mid-2026, ex-VAT):
| Method | Fee |
|---|---|
| Local cards (standard online plan) | 2.95% |
| International cards | 3.40% |
| Per-transaction fee | None |
| Plus / Pro online plans | R249 / R499 per month with rates as low as 2.55% |
Settlement: Next business day standard.
Payment methods: Card payments only (no Pay-by-Bank on the online gateway).
Shopify integration: Native Shopify app; straightforward setup. Full detail in our Shopify with Yoco guide.
Pros:
- Lowest card-only cost, and no per-transaction fee at all
- Integrated physical + online ecosystem if you also sell in person
- Instant, no monthly fee on the standard online plan
- Fast to approve for new businesses
Cons:
- No Pay-by-Bank / Instant EFT option
- Paying R249–R499 a month for Plus/Pro only makes sense at higher volume
Best for: Card-first consumer stores, and businesses that want one provider for both card machines and online payments.
Peach Payments
Peach Payments is the workhorse gateway for growing South African online businesses, known for reliability at higher volumes and, from early 2026, real-time payouts in about 90 seconds.
Fees (mid-2026, ex-VAT):
| Method | Fee |
|---|---|
| Local cards | ~2.95% |
| International cards | ~3.50% |
| Per-transaction | R1.50 |
| Capitec Pay | Supported |
Settlement: Real-time payouts (~90 seconds) from early 2026; otherwise daily.
Payment methods: Cards, Capitec Pay, and it supports recurring billing for subscriptions.
Shopify integration: Native Shopify app.
Pros:
- Near-instant payouts — a real cash-flow win
- Strong recurring/subscription billing support
- Reliable at higher transaction volumes
- Decent local + international card coverage
Cons:
- Not the cheapest at the low-volume end
- R1.50 per transaction adds up on many small orders
- Less brand recognition among everyday SA shoppers than PayFast
Best for: Growing stores doing meaningful monthly volume that want fast payouts and subscriptions.
Stitch
Stitch is a fintech darling and, since 2025, the only South African gateway with the official "Built for Shopify" badge — meaning Shopify has verified its integration quality. It added BNPL (buy now, pay later) from May 2026 and offers Express Checkout.
Fees (mid-2026, ex-VAT):
| Method | Fee |
|---|---|
| Local cards | 2.95% |
| Capitec Pay (Pay-by-Bank) | 2.0% |
| Per-transaction (cards) | None |
Settlement: Next business day typically.
Payment methods: Cards, Capitec Pay, Pay-by-Bank, BNPL (from May 2026), Express Checkout.
Shopify integration: Official "Built for Shopify" app.
Pros:
- Official Shopify badge — integration quality verified
- Modern checkout features: Express Checkout, BNPL
- No per-transaction fee on cards
- Fast-growing, tech-forward brand
Cons:
- Newer to the SA market; fewer years of track record than PayFast/PayGate
- Pay-by-Bank focused on Capitec rather than full multi-bank (Ozow covers more banks)
- Merchant onboarding can be stricter than PayFast's
Best for: Modern stores that value Shopify-native quality, Express Checkout, and want to offer buy-now-pay-later.
Ozow
Ozow is the Pay-by-Bank specialist. Its magic is that customers never type card details — they approve a payment inside their own banking app. For higher-value baskets, Pay-by-Bank dramatically cuts fees and fraud.
Fees (mid-2026, ex-VAT):
| Method | Fee |
|---|---|
| Cards | 2.85% (tiered down with volume) |
| Pay-by-Bank / Capitec / Absa / Nedbank / PayShap | 1.5% |
| Per-transaction | Per-method |
Settlement: Next business day typically.
Payment methods: Pay-by-Bank across the big banks, PayShap, and cards.
Shopify integration: Native Shopify app.
Pros:
- 1.5% Pay-by-Bank is the cheapest mainstream option on this list
- Strong multi-bank coverage including PayShap
- Lower fraud risk than cards on high-ticket items
- Popular and trusted by SA consumers
Cons:
- Card option only 2.85% — fine but not market-leading
- Pay-by-Bank conversion depends on customers being comfortable approving payments in their banking app
- Per-method fee structure is slightly less transparent than a single blended rate
Best for: B2B, high-ticket and cashflow-sensitive stores that actively encourage Pay-by-Bank.
PayGate (DPO)
PayGate (part of DPO Group) is the enterprise player. It requires you to already have an internet merchant account with a South African acquiring bank, and pricing is negotiated rather than published.
Fees (mid-2026):
| Method | Fee |
|---|---|
| Card payments | Negotiated (own merchant account) |
| SiD Secure EFT | Negotiated |
| Per-transaction | Negotiated |
Settlement: Depends on your merchant account terms.
Shopify integration: Available via app/integration; typically needs more setup effort than the app-store gateways.
Pros:
- Enterprise-grade reliability and support
- Your own acquiring bank relationship
- Negotiated rates that get very competitive at scale
Cons:
- Need an existing internet merchant account — not beginner friendly
- No transparent public pricing
- More setup and paperwork
Best for: Established companies already running a merchant account with a bank, processing serious monthly volume. If that's you, a negotiated rate combined with Shopify Advanced's 0.6% can get your total cost to roughly 3.0% or lower.
Key fact: iKhokha does not integrate with Shopify (it supports Wix and WooCommerce only), so it's not a realistic option for Shopify stores.
Side-by-side comparison table
| Gateway | Local card fee | Pay-by-Bank / EFT | Per-txn | No monthly fee? | Native Shopify app? | Settlement | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PayFast | 3.2% + R2 | 2.0% + min R2 (Instant EFT) | R2 | Yes | Yes | 2 business days (immediate option) | New stores, widest methods |
| Paystack | 2.9% + R1 | 2.0% EFT | R1 | Yes | Yes | Next business day | Tech startups, international |
| Yoco | 2.95% | Not offered | None | Yes (standard) | Yes | Next business day | Card-only stores |
| Peach | ~2.95% | Capitec Pay supported | R1.50 | Yes | Yes | ~90 sec (real-time) | Growing volume, recurring |
| Stitch | 2.95% | 2.0% Capitec Pay | None (cards) | Yes | Yes (Built for Shopify) | Next business day | Shopify-native, BNPL |
| Ozow | 2.85% | 1.5% Pay-by-Bank | Per-method | Yes | Yes | Next business day | B2B, high-ticket, Pay-by-Bank |
| PayGate | Negotiated | SiD Secure EFT | Negotiated | — | Yes | Per merchant account | Enterprise |
Combined cost per sale on Shopify (gateway + Shopify third-party fee):
| Setup | Combined cost |
|---|---|
| Basic + PayFast card | ~5.2–5.5% |
| Grow + Peach | ~3.95% |
| Advanced + negotiated gateway | ~3.0% or lower |
| Basic + Ozow Pay-by-Bank | ~3.5% |
Decision tree
Use this nested decision tree to shortlist your gateway:
- Do you want to keep it simple and cover every local payment method on day one?
- Yes → PayFast (no monthly fee, widest coverage)
- Is your team technical and do you sell internationally?
- Yes → Paystack (2.9% + R1, international cards handled well)
- Do you only take cards, and want the lowest possible card cost?
- Yes → Yoco (2.95%, no per-transaction fee)
- Are you doing R50,000+ per month and want fast cash flow?
- Yes → Peach Payments (real-time payouts, ~2.95%)
- Do you want the official Shopify badge, Express Checkout or BNPL?
- Yes → Stitch
- Are your products high-ticket or sold B2B, where customers pay by EFT anyway?
- Yes → Ozow (1.5% Pay-by-Bank)
- Are you an enterprise with your own acquiring bank?
- Yes → PayGate
Recommendations by store type
- New store, testing the market: PayFast or Yoco. Both are free to set up, have native apps, and let you start taking cards within a day. Choose PayFast if you want Instant EFT and SnapScan too; Yoco if cards-only and you also plan to sell in person with a Yoco machine.
- Established store, R50,000–R500,000/month: Peach Payments for fast payouts and reliability, or Paystack if you have developer capacity and export. The Grow plan (1% Shopify fee) becomes the sweet spot here.
- Pay-by-Bank heavy or B2B: Ozow first, Stitch second. A R5,000 B2B order via Pay-by-Bank on Basic costs ~R175 combined versus ~R270+ via PayFast cards — that saving funds your marketing.
- Subscriptions and recurring billing: Peach Payments is the strongest of the app-store gateways for recurring billing.
- Enterprise: PayGate with your own merchant account and Shopify Advanced/Plus to push the combined cost below 3%.
Whichever you pick, the economics of your whole platform matter — see our Shopify vs WooCommerce showdown to sanity-check the platform choice itself.
How to choose a Shopify payment gateway (step by step)
- List the payment methods your customers actually use. If your audience is older and card-first, don't build around Pay-by-Bank. If you're B2B, EFT is the norm.
- Calculate the combined per-sale cost. Add the gateway rate to Shopify's third-party fee for your plan. Use a R1,000 order as your baseline and compare totals, not just headline rates.
- Check settlement speed against your cash flow. Real-time payouts (Peach), same/next-day settlement (Paystack, Yoco, Stitch, Ozow) and 2-business-day payouts (PayFast standard) matter if you buy stock weekly.
- Confirm the Shopify integration is native. Native apps (PayFast, Paystack, Yoco, Peach, Stitch, Ozow) mean a Shopify-verified flow. Avoid anything needing custom code at the start.
- Factor in future volume. The Basic → Grow upgrade changes your Shopify fee from 2% to 1%, which can justify the higher subscription quickly.
- Read the termination and settlement terms. You want your payout account changeable and no lock-in.
- Test with a small real order before launch: pay on a phone, on desktop, and via your chosen alternate method to catch integration hiccups.
Beginner Mistakes to Avoid
- Choosing the cheapest card rate while ignoring the per-transaction fee. A R2 fee on R150 orders is 1.3% extra — suddenly PayFast is dearer than you thought.
- Staying on Basic "to save money." At ~R100,000/month the 1% you save by moving to Grow covers the subscription many times over.
- Not stacking the Shopify third-party fee. Forgetting Shopify's 2% on Basic means your true cost is ~1.4× what the gateway page quoted.
- Offering only cards. Adding Instant EFT or Pay-by-Bank can cut payment costs by a third and capture buyers without cards.
- Picking a gateway with no native Shopify app. You end up paying a developer monthly for something an app does free.
- Ignoring settlement timing. If you restock weekly, a 2-business-day payout with an expensive immediate option can choke your cash flow.
- Not testing the full checkout flow across phones, banks and methods before launch day.
Expert Tips
- Run your gateway selection maths on your actual average order value, not a round R1,000 — per-transaction fees scale with your order count.
- Negotiate after volume. Ozow tiers card rates down with volume; PayGate is fully negotiable. Re-negotiate at 6 months.
- Use Pay-by-Bank for big orders and cards for small ones by nudging the checkout UI toward the cheaper method at higher values.
- Set up a separate bank account for payouts so reconciliation against your Shopify orders is trivial for your accountant.
- Claim input VAT on gateway and Shopify fees if you're VAT-registered — these fees are typically excluded from VAT, and input VAT recovery matters at 15%.
- Enable 3-D Secure for card payments to reduce chargebacks — all major SA gateways support it.
- Watch your gateway's fraud tools and velocity rules before you scale ad spend; chargebacks hit your merchant risk profile hard.
The Quick-Start Checklist
- Confirmed Shopify Payments is unavailable in SA and budgeted for the third-party fee
- Calculated combined per-sale cost (gateway + Shopify fee) on a real AOV
- Shortlisted 2–3 gateways using the decision tree
- Checked settlement speed fits my cash-flow cycle
- Verified a native Shopify app exists for my choice
- Listed the payment methods my customers expect (card, EFT, Pay-by-Bank, SnapScan)
- Signed up and completed POPIA-compliant onboarding (privacy policy, secure data handling)
- Ran a test order on desktop and mobile
- Connected payout bank account and verified reconciliation
- Decided when I'll upgrade from Basic to Grow based on volume
South African Case Study
Illustrative example — real-world pattern, not a named client.
The setup: A Johannesburg-based homeware brand sells on Shopify Basic, averaging R120,000/month across ~320 orders with an average order value of R375.
The problem: They started on PayFast, saw the 3.2% + R2 card fee, and assumed they were being ripped off. They nearly switched gateways without checking the per-transaction math.
The fix: CrazyClicks ran the numbers. At R375 AOV, PayFast's R2 transaction fee was 0.53% — making the effective card cost ~3.73%, versus Yoco's flat 2.95% (no per-txn fee) = ~1.9% cheaper per card sale. BUT the store also had ~40% of buyers defaulting to Instant EFT, which PayFast handles at 2% + min R2. The real move was different: move to the Grow plan (Shopify fee drops from 2% to 1%), keep PayFast for Instant EFT and SnapScan, and turn on Pay-by-Bank prompts for orders over R600 via Ozow alongside it.
The result: Combined payment costs fell from ~7.1% of revenue to ~5.3%, saving roughly R2,160 a month — R25,900 a year — before any extra sales. Settlement stayed predictable, and they renegotiated card pricing with their gateway at the 6-month mark.
People Also Ask
Q: Why is Shopify Payments not available in South Africa?
Shopify rolls out its built-in payments country by country, and South Africa is not yet on the supported list as of mid-2026. SA merchants must connect a third-party gateway, which triggers Shopify's extra third-party provider fee (2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced).
Q: Which payment gateway works best with Shopify in South Africa?
For most new stores it's PayFast (widest methods, no monthly fee). For lowest card cost it's Yoco (2.95%, no per-transaction fee); for growing stores Peach Payments (~2.95% with real-time payouts); for Pay-by-Bank, Ozow (1.5%). There's no single winner — it depends on your order value and customer mix.
Q: Does PayFast integrate with Shopify?
Yes. PayFast has a native Shopify app in the Shopify App Store. You install it, connect your PayFast account, and cards, Instant EFT, SnapScan and Zapper appear in your checkout.
Q: What fees does Shopify charge on top of gateway fees?
Shopify charges a third-party payment provider fee on every sale routed through any gateway other than Shopify Payments: 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced and 0.2% on Plus. This stacks on top of your gateway's rate.
Q: Can I use Yoco for my Shopify store?
Yes. Yoco has a native Shopify integration. It covers card payments at 2.95% with no per-transaction fee, but does not offer Pay-by-Bank.
Q: Is Stitch a good Shopify gateway?
Stitch is the only SA gateway with the official "Built for Shopify" badge (2025) and added BNPL from May 2026. It's excellent if you want a Shopify-verified integration, Express Checkout and Pay-by-Bank via Capitec — but it's newer than PayFast and covers fewer banks than Ozow.
Q: How much does Shopify cost in South Africa in 2026?
Shopify bills in USD: Starter ~R90/month, Basic ~R450, Grow ~R1,170, Advanced ~R7,200 (monthly billing, approx at R16.50–R18.00/USD). Annual billing gives roughly a 25% discount on Basic, Grow and Advanced, and there's a 3-day free trial and $1/month for 3 months where active.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is Shopify Payments available in South Africa? A: No. As of mid-2026 Shopify Payments is not available in South Africa, so every SA merchant uses a third-party gateway and pays Shopify's third-party provider fee.
Q: What is the best Shopify payment gateway in South Africa? A: PayFast for all-round ease and method coverage, Yoco for cheapest cards, Peach for volume and fast payouts, Paystack for technical teams, Ozow for Pay-by-Bank. Match it to your store, don't copy your friend's.
Q: How much does Shopify charge for third-party gateways? A: 2% per sale on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced, 0.2% on Plus — on top of your gateway fee.
Q: Do I have to use a South African gateway? A: Practically, yes. SA-registered stores need a gateway that supports Rand settlements and local acquiring. The gateways above all do.
Q: Can I use more than one gateway on Shopify? A: Yes. Many stores run PayFast for cards/EFT and Ozow for Pay-by-Bank, or Paystack for international cards. The checkout can present both.
Q: Which gateway has the fastest payouts? A: Peach Payments, with near-real-time payouts (~90 seconds) from early 2026. Paystack, Yoco, Stitch and Ozow typically settle next business day; PayFast standard is 2 business days with an immediate option.
Q: Are there gateways that don't work with Shopify? A: Yes — iKhokha does not integrate with Shopify (Wix/WooCommerce only), and a few niche EFT-only providers lack native apps.
Q: How do I switch gateways without losing sales? A: Activate the new gateway in Shopify Payments settings, run both briefly, verify payouts, then disable the old one. Keep your payout bank details current in both.
Q: Is Paystack owned by Stripe? A: Yes, Stripe acquired Paystack in 2020, and Paystack operates in South Africa with its own SA pricing (2.9% + R1 local cards).
Summary
Shopify Payments doesn't exist in South Africa, which means SA merchants pay both a gateway fee and Shopify's third-party provider fee. The good news is you get to choose a gateway built for local conditions: PayFast for breadth, Yoco for cheap cards, Peach for speed, Paystack for developers, Stitch for Shopify-native features, Ozow for Pay-by-Bank, and PayGate for enterprise. Pick based on your average order value, customer payment preferences and monthly volume — and always compare combined costs, not headline rates.
Key Takeaways
- Shopify Payments is unavailable in SA; expect a 2%/1%/0.6% third-party fee stacked on your gateway's rate.
- PayFast (3.2% + R2) is the best all-rounder for new stores; no monthly fee and the widest local methods.
- Yoco (2.95%, no per-txn fee) is the cheapest card-only option.
- Pay-by-Bank via Ozow (1.5%) or Stitch (2% Capitec) can cut high-ticket payment costs dramatically.
- Budget 6–8% of revenue for total platform + payment costs on a Basic plan, and consider Grow once you pass ~R50,000–R100,000/month.
Get South African digital marketing insights in your inbox. Subscribe to the CrazyClicks newsletter → subscribe here.
Need help building your store? CrazyClicks is a full-service digital agency in Cape Town specialising in Shopify development, payment gateway setup and conversion optimisation. Start a project or compare pricing.
Ready to launch your Shopify store?
Once your gateway is chosen, the next step is getting the store itself built and optimised. If you're starting fresh, Shopify's 3-day free trial (and the $1/month for 3 months offer where active) is the cheapest way to test the platform with your chosen gateway before committing.
Start your Shopify store today →
Sticky sidebar: CrazyClicks services card (link to /services) — "Need a payment-ready Shopify store? We build, integrate and optimise."
