Paystack vs PayFast: which gateway suits your business?

In the Paystack vs PayFast choice, Paystack tends to suit developer-led businesses that value a clean API and may expand into other African markets, and its published local card rate is lower. Payfast tends to suit businesses that want the widest range of South African payment methods, a large plugin library and built-in subscription tools, with card machines available too.

Both are reputable, widely used providers. The facts below come from each company's own website and support pages as of September 2026. Fees and features change, so always confirm on Paystack's pricing page and Payfast's fees page before deciding.

The short version

Paystack vs PayFast on fees

Paystack's published South African rate is 2.9% plus R1.00 (excluding VAT) for local cards, with EFT at 2%. Payfast lists 3.2% plus R2.00 for credit and cheque cards and 2.0% (minimum R2.00) for instant EFT.

An illustration using those headline card rates, before VAT:

Also factor in payouts. Paystack's support pages say automated payouts are processed without extra charge. Payfast charges R8.70 (excl. VAT) per payout withdrawal, with an immediate payout option at 0.8% (minimum R14.00). Payfast offers custom rates for merchants processing over R50,000 a month on average, so larger merchants should ask for a quote. For more providers side by side, see payment gateway fees in South Africa.

Payment methods

Payfast has the broader list. Its fees page covers cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, store cards, Instant EFT, Capitec Pay, SnapScan, Scan to Pay, Zapper, MukuruPay, Mobicred, Scode, and buy now, pay later through Payflex and MoreTyme. If a noticeable share of your customers avoid cards or like to pay in instalments, this is a strong point in Payfast's favour.

Paystack covers the core South African methods: Visa and Mastercard (with American Express available for South African businesses), Apple Pay, Ozow EFT, Capitec Pay, SnapScan and Scan to Pay. For most online stores that's enough; it's narrower on buy now, pay later and some local wallets.

Subscriptions and recurring payments

Both support recurring billing on cards.

• Paystack lets you create plans (what you sell, the price and the interval) and subscribe customers to them, via the dashboard or API, with intervals from hourly to annually. Payment Pages can also start a subscription from a shareable link. Paystack notes that its EFT and Capitec Pay methods in South Africa support once-off payments only, so recurring billing runs on cards.
• Payfast offers subscriptions for payments at regular intervals and tokenization for repeat charges without the customer authorising each one.

If your recurring model needs debit orders rather than cards, you would typically pair your gateway with a debit order specialist such as Netcash. See recurring card payments in South Africa for the card side.

Developer experience

Paystack is API-first, with public developer documentation for payments, plans, subscriptions and webhooks, and a broadly consistent platform across the markets it serves, which helps if your product will expand beyond South Africa. Payfast also provides developer documentation and an onsite payments option, and its large plugin library means many merchants never need to write code. Test both sandboxes with your own stack before committing.

Beyond online payments

Payfast by Network offers card machines for in-person payments, a digital model and a printer model, as well as tools like split payments, multi-currency pricing and, through partners, business funding. Paystack's strengths are its API-first platform, payment pages and its presence in several African markets, which matters if you sell to customers in Nigeria, Ghana or Kenya as well as South Africa.

Which should you choose?

Choose Paystack if:

• You're building a product with your own developers and want an API-first gateway
• You expect to sell in other African markets Paystack supports
• Your customers mostly pay by card, Apple Pay or instant EFT
• You want a lower published card rate and free automated payouts

Choose Payfast if:

• You want the widest range of South African payment methods, including BNPL and QR wallets
• You're on a platform covered by Payfast's 70+ plugins and want minimal setup
• You also want card machines from the same provider
• You want gateway-managed subscriptions and tokenised repeat billing

Use both if different customer groups need different methods. Our guide to multiple payment gateways covers the trade-offs.

How CentraPoint works with both

CentraPoint connects to Paystack and PayFast as separate gateway modules, alongside Ozow, Yoco, Peach Payments, Netcash and others. Invoices, payment links, hosted checkout pages and subscriptions sit in one place, whichever gateway collects the money, and inbound gateway webhooks are signature-checked and re-verified server-side before a payment is marked paid. You keep your own contract with each provider.

Frequently asked questions

Is Paystack cheaper than PayFast?

On published local card rates as of September 2026, yes: Paystack lists 2.9% plus R1.00 excluding VAT against Payfast's 3.2% plus R2.00. EFT rates are similar, and volume discounts can change the picture, so check both pricing pages.

Does Paystack work in South Africa?

Yes. Paystack, which Stripe acquired in 2020, has operated in South Africa since 2021 and supports cards, Apple Pay, Ozow EFT, Capitec Pay and QR payments for South African businesses.

Which has more payment methods, Paystack or PayFast?

Payfast lists more than 18 payment methods, including buy now, pay later options and several QR wallets. Paystack covers cards, Apple Pay, instant EFT, Capitec Pay, SnapScan and Scan to Pay.

Can I switch from PayFast to Paystack later?

Yes, but saved-card tokens can't be transferred automatically, so subscribers usually need to re-enter their card details on the new gateway.