Best payment gateway with no setup fee India 2026

If you want a payment gateway in India with **₹0 setup fee** and **no mandatory monthly fee** in 2026, these are the strongest options right now: | Feature | Razorpay | Cashfree Payments | PhonePe Payment Gateway | PayU | |---|---|---|---|---| | Setup fee | ₹0 | ₹0 | ₹0 | Sometimes waived / varies | | Monthly fee | None | Usually none on startup plans | None | Can have AMC on some plans | | Standard pricing | ~2% | ~1.6–1.9% | ~2% | ~2% | | Best for | Startups, SaaS, Shopify | Low fees, fast settlement | UPI-heavy businesses | Enterprise / EMI | | Settlement | T+1 / T+2 | T+1 | T+1 | T+2 | | International payments | Yes | Yes | Limited | Strong | | Integration quality | Excellent | Very good | Good | Average | | Support reputation | Mixed | Better recently | Mixed | Enterprise-focused | Sources consistently show Razorpay, Cashfree, and PhonePe PG offering no setup fee/no monthly fee for standard onboarding. ### Best picks by use case #### For most startups & websites Use Razorpay Why: - Easiest onboarding - Best docs/plugins - Works smoothly with WooCommerce, Shopify, Laravel, React, etc. - Strong UPI experience - No setup fee or annual fee on standard plans Best if you: - Are launching fast - Need payment links - Want reliable checkout UX Official site: --- #### For lowest transaction fees Use Cashfree Payments Why: - Lower MDR than Razorpay in many cases - Faster settlements - Strong APIs and subscriptions - No setup fee on standard onboarding But: - Some founders report AMC charges appearing at scale/contracts, so read terms carefully. Best if you: - Expect higher transaction volume - Need payouts/subscriptions - Want lower processing cost Official site: --- #### For UPI-heavy businesses Use PhonePe Payment Gateway Why: - Very competitive for UPI - Zero setup fee - Simple onboarding for small businesses Best if: - 80%+ payments are UPI - You mainly sell in India Official site: --- ### My practical recommendation for 2026 - **New startup / creator / SaaS / ecommerce:** → Razorpay - **Need cheaper fees at scale:** → Cashfree - **Mostly UPI payments:** → PhonePe PG - **Enterprise or heavy EMI/international:** → PayU One important thing founders on Reddit repeatedly mention: don’t choose only by the lowest fee. A gateway with better payment success rates can make you more money even if the MDR is slightly higher.

Most leading digital payment gateways in India have discarded setup and onboarding fees to attract new businesses. Instead of paying upfront costs, you only pay a **Merchant Discount Rate (MDR)** or platform fee per successful transaction. The top payment gateways in India with **no setup fees** and **no annual maintenance charges (AMC)** feature distinct advantages depending on your business model: --- ### 1. Razorpay The most popular payment gateway for Indian startups and developers due to its top-tier documentation and plug-and-play integrations. * **Setup Fee:** ₹0 * **Annual Maintenance Charges (AMC):** ₹0 * **Transaction Fees (MDR):** Standard **2% per successful transaction** (+ 18% GST). International cards/Amex usually incur a higher rate (around 3%). * **Best For:** Overall reliability, seamless API integration, high transaction success rates (via smart routing), and built-in subscription/recurring billing management. ### 2. PhonePe Payment Gateway PhonePe leverages its massive domestic consumer UPI ecosystem to deliver highly optimized, low-friction mobile checkouts. * **Setup Fee:** ₹0 * **Annual Maintenance Charges (AMC):** ₹0 * **Transaction Fees (MDR):** Standard **1.95% per transaction** (+ 18% GST). They occasionally offer highly competitive or zero-fee trial tiers for basic UPI checkouts to new businesses. * **Best For:** UPI-first businesses, mobile commerce apps, and businesses targeting Tier 2 and Tier 3 Indian markets where the PhonePe consumer app dominance helps reduce cart abandonment. ### 3. PayU India An enterprise-grade, RBI-authorized payment aggregator that scales effortlessly from small businesses to massive transaction volumes. * **Setup Fee:** ₹0 * **Annual Maintenance Charges (AMC):** ₹0 * **Transaction Fees (MDR):** Standard **2% per transaction** (+ 18% GST) for domestic cards, Net Banking, and Wallets. * **Best For:** High-volume businesses that need robust infrastructure, custom checkout customization, and alternate payment features like Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) or Priority instant settlements. ### 4. Easebuzz An RBI-authorized aggregator that has gained significant traction among e-commerce, education, and travel sectors due to its highly flexible platform features. * **Setup Fee:** ₹0 * **Annual Maintenance Charges (AMC):** ₹0 * **Transaction Fees (MDR):** Highly competitive, averaging around **1.5% to 1.9%** depending on your specific business niche and volume. * **Best For:** Marketplaces requiring complex merchant split-payments (via their *Slices* feature) and automated B2B vendor payouts. --- ### Summary Comparison Table | Payment Gateway | Setup Fee | Annual Fee (AMC) | Standard MDR (Domestic) | Primary Strength | |:--- |:--- |:--- |:--- |:--- | | **Razorpay** | Free (₹0) | Free (₹0) | 2.0% | Best developer APIs & recurring subscriptions | | **PhonePe** | Free (₹0) | Free (₹0) | 1.95% | Best for high UPI success rates & mobile apps | | **PayU** | Free (₹0) | Free (₹0) | 2.0% | Enterprise-grade scale & payment customizations | | **Easebuzz** | Free (₹0) | Free (₹0) | 1.5% - 1.9% | Specialized split-payments for marketplaces | > **A Quick Warning on Cashfree:** While Cashfree is highly competitive on transaction rates (often floating around 1.6% to 1.75%), keep in mind that they levy an Annual Maintenance Contract (AMC) fee of around ₹4,999/year. If you strictly require **zero fixed ongoing costs**, Razorpay, PhonePe, and PayU are safer bets. --- What type of business are you setting up (e.g., a standard e-commerce store, a SaaS platform, or a multi-vendor marketplace)?

The best payment gateway in India with zero setup fees is ****, closely followed by **** and **PhonePe Payment Gateway**. Almost all leading Indian payment processors operate on a purely **pay-as-you-go model**, meaning you pay no onboarding fees, zero setup costs, and no annual maintenance charges (AMC). You are only billed a percentage-based Transaction Discount Rate (TDR) per successful transaction. Top Zero-Setup Fee Payment Gateways (2026 Summary) | Gateway | Best For | Standard Transaction Fee (TDR) | Key Advantage | |---|---|---|---| | **Razorpay** | Startups, SaaS, & Tech Products | 2.0% for domestic cards/net banking | Best developer tools & smooth onboarding | | **Cashfree Payments** | Marketplaces & High Payout Volume | 2.0% for domestic cards/net banking | Advanced automated vendor split features | | **PhonePe PG** | Mobile-First & UPI Dominant Stores | Competitive / Free tier promotions | Exceptional UPI success rates via direct tracking | | **PayU India** | High Volume & Enterprise Brands | 2.0% for domestic transactions | Multi-currency and smart routing rules | | **Instamojo** | Freelancers & Micro-Merchants | 2.0% + ₹3 flat fee | Build digital stores without a website | Detailed Breakdown of the Best Options - ****: Best overall option for new e-commerce brands and tech startups. - **Zero Setup Fees**: Entirely free to activate with no hidden AMC. - **Transaction Pricing**: Flat 2% + GST per successful transaction on domestic credit cards, debit cards, net banking, and digital wallets. - **Core Features**: Industry-leading native, payment links, and instant checkout pages. - **Cashfree Payments**: Best choice if your business involves routing funds to multiple sellers. - **Zero Setup Fees**: No upfront entry or configuration fees for standard integration. - **Transaction Pricing**: Regular 2% + GST on domestic payment instruments. - **Core Features**: High-scale UPI Switch engine handling over 12,000 transactions per second and specialized tools for split-vendor payments. - ****: Top choice for consumer-facing apps requiring elite UPI performance. - **Zero Setup Fees**: Free onboarding with zero hidden maintenance fees. - **Transaction Pricing**: Highly aggressive, competitive rates often packaged under zero-fee limited onboarding incentives for UPI. - **Core Features**: Leverages PhonePe's massive domestic app footprint to run instrument health tracking, which minimizes failed payments. - ****: Best for established businesses scaling toward international clients. - **Zero Setup Fees**: Free setup, registration, and onboarding. - **Transaction Pricing**: 2% + GST standard base rate for domestic payment channels. - **Core Features**: Supports over 150+ payment modes, native OTP generation inside the checkout flow, and intelligent global routing. - ****: Best option for creators, freelancers, and small businesses wanting immediate setups. - **Zero Setup Fees**: Entirely free onboarding with zero maintenance overhead. - **Transaction Pricing**: 2% + ₹3 per transaction. - **Core Features**: Includes a convenience fee pass-through option that allows you to shift transaction costs directly to the buyer. - **Stripe India**: Best developer-first tool explicitly meant for cross-border SaaS. - **Zero Setup Fees**: Pure pay-as-you-go scheme with no ongoing operational costs. - **Transaction Pricing**: Higher baseline fees (typically around 2.9% + flat fees) for standard global cards. - **Core Features**: Best-in-class multi-currency support covering 135+ global currencies alongside enterprise fraud prevention. If you would like to narrow down your selection, tell me **what platform your website uses** (e.g.,, WooCommerce, custom code) and **your expected monthly sales volume**. I can calculate the exact cheapest setup for you.