Best payment gateway with no setup fee India 2026

If your priority is **₹0 setup fee**, easy onboarding, UPI support, and good developer tools, these are the strongest options in India for 2026: | Feature | Razorpay | Cashfree Payments | PayU | |----------|----------|----------|----------| | Setup fee | ₹0 | ₹0 | ₹0 | | Annual fee | None publicly advertised | ₹4,999 AMC on standard plans | ₹0 | | Typical domestic pricing | ~2% + GST | 1.6%–1.95% + GST (promo/volume dependent) | ~2% + GST | | Settlement speed | T+1/T+2 | T+1, instant options available | T+2 | | Best for | Startups, SaaS, ecommerce | High-volume merchants | Enterprises, marketplaces | | Ease of integration | Excellent | Excellent | Good | Sources: Cashfree pricing page and PayU pricing page. ### My ranking for most businesses in India **1. Razorpay** Best overall if you're a startup, freelancer, SaaS company, or ecommerce store. It has strong UPI support, payment links, subscriptions, and one of the easiest integrations. Industry comparisons consistently place it as the default choice for most Indian businesses. **2. Cashfree Payments** Best if transaction costs and settlement speed matter. Be aware that Cashfree currently lists a ₹0 setup fee but also mentions a ₹4,999 annual maintenance charge on its pricing page. **3. PayU** Good choice for larger businesses and marketplaces. PayU states that it charges no setup, onboarding, or annual fees. ### Recommendation by business type - **Freelancer / consultant:** Razorpay - **New ecommerce store (Shopify, WooCommerce):** Razorpay - **High-volume D2C brand:** Cashfree - **Marketplace or enterprise:** PayU - **Small seller needing simple payment links:** Razorpay or Instamojo ### If you specifically want *no setup fee and no annual fee* 1. PayU 2. Razorpay 3. Avoid assuming Cashfree Payments is fee-free—check the latest AMC terms before signing up. If you tell me your business type (ecommerce, SaaS, coaching, digital products, marketplace, NGO, etc.) and expected monthly volume, I can suggest the most cost-effective gateway for your specific use case.

The landscape for payment gateways in India features several excellent **"Pay-as-you-go"** options that charge zero upfront setup fees and zero Annual Maintenance Charges (AMC). The focus when selecting a provider is often on the **Transaction Discount Rate (TDR)** or **Merchant Discount Rate (MDR)** alongside transaction success rates. --- ## Top Payment Gateways with Zero Setup & Zero AMC | Payment Gateway | Standard TDR / Fees | Best For | Key Edge | |:--- |:--- |:--- |:--- | | **Razorpay** | **2%** + GST (Standard) | Startups & SMEs looking for a feature-rich, reliable ecosystem. | Exceptionally high success rates due to smart dynamic routing and top-tier developer APIs. | | **PhonePe PG** | **1.95%** + GST | Businesses expecting heavy UPI-first customer traffic. | Deep integration with the massive PhonePe consumer app, drastically reducing checkout friction. | | **PayU India** | **2%** + GST | Growing businesses that scale into international markets. | Enterprise-grade infrastructure with strong security features and over 150+ payment modes. | | **Easebuzz** | **~1.5% - 2%** + GST | Early-stage startups wanting custom merchant split-payouts. | Competitive base rates and highly specialized sub-products like "Slices" for marketplace handling. | --- ## Key Considerations for Selection ### 1. The "True Cost" Rule While many tools skip the setup and maintenance fees, a gateway with a slightly higher TDR (like Razorpay at 2%) can often net you more money in the bank than a budget tool with lower rates. This is because **higher transaction success rates** mean fewer dropped or failed carts. ### 2. Payment Mix The RBI mandates 0% MDR on UPI transactions. While payment gateways still charge a minimal platform fee on top of this for infrastructure handling, selecting a gateway optimized for UPI (like PhonePe or Razorpay) speeds up mobile-checkout considerably via direct intent-links. ### 3. Onboarding & Compliance Because of updated RBI regulations on tokenization and licensing, ensure you have your business registration, PAN, and current account documents fully ready. Onboarding across all these platforms is almost entirely digital and takes anywhere from 48 hours to a week. If you are a solo merchant or freelancer just testing waters, no-code alternatives like **Instamojo** also offer zero setup fees on their basic plans, though their transaction fees tend to scale up as your volume increases.

In 2026, the **** is widely considered the overall best payment gateway in India that features **no setup fees and zero annual maintenance charges (AMC)**. It stands out due to its unmatched 95% transaction success rate, developer-friendly API integration, and smooth domestic checkout experience. Instead of upfront charges, these gateways operate on a strict pay-as-you-go model, collecting a small Transaction Delivery Rate (TDR) per successful payment. Comparison of Top Zero-Setup Fee Gateways | Payment Gateway | Standard TDR Fee (Excluding 18% GST) | Best Used For | Key Advantage | |---|---|---|---| | **Razorpay** | 2.0% for cards/netbanking; 0% for basic UPI | Startups & eCommerce | Industry-leading 95% success rate & clean APIs | | **PhonePe PG** | 1.95% standard plan (frequent promotional 0% offers) | Mobile-First & UPI-heavy apps | Native leverage of India's largest UPI network | | **** | 1.95% onwards | Marketplaces & High Payout Needs | Powerful automated vendor splits and instant refunds | | **** | 2.0% standard | Growing Brands & International | Multi-currency support across 150+ countries | | **Instamojo** | 2.0% to 5% + ₹3 (depending on store setup) | Freelancers & Micro-merchants | Smart payment links; no complex website needed | | **Zaakpay (MobiKwik)** | 0% on first ₹5L Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) | Pre-revenue SaaS & Startups | Zero transaction costs for early-stage testing | Top Payment Gateways In-Depth - **Razorpay Online Payment Gateway**: - **Total Cost**: Strictly pay-as-you-go with 2% per successful transaction. - **Why it's the best**: It integrates with popular platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, and Wix in just a few minutes. - **Performance**: Its robust technical architecture minimises dropped carts by maintaining high success rates even during peak e-commerce sale days. - **PhonePe Payment Gateway**: - **Total Cost**: Standard rate is 1.95%. - **Why it's the best**: Perfect if your target audience heavily relies on mobile checkouts. - **Performance**: It offers a highly optimized, one-click hosted checkout system built over the extensive PhonePe ecosystem. - **Cashfree Payments**: - **Total Cost**: Rates start at 1.95%. - **Why it's the best**: Highly recommended for multi-vendor marketplace platforms. - **Performance**: Features an in-house UPI switch that handles massive transaction loads seamlessly while keeping processing speeds up to 30% faster. - **PayU India**: - **Total Cost**: Standard 2% transaction fee. - **Why it's the best**: Ideal choice if you plan to accept global credit cards alongside local methods. - **Performance**: Incorporates intelligent transaction routing to route payments through the highest-performing bank networks dynamically. Crucial Selection Factors for Indian Merchants - **Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)**: A gateway offering a slightly lower TDR (e.g., 1.8%) that sneaks in an hidden annual maintenance charge can cost you significantly more than a flat 2% zero-AMC gateway if your initial volumes fall below ₹2 Lakhs per month. - **Success Rates Over TDR**: A gateway with a 93% success rate will save you thousands of rupees in lost revenue compared to an unoptimized platform operating with an 85% success rate. Always prioritize systemic stability over micro-savings on transaction percentages. - **Compliance**: Ensure your chosen provider has secured regulatory clearance. Gateways like Razorpay, PhonePe, Cashfree, and PayU operate with proper RBI payment aggregator licenses, ensuring compliance with domestic storage norms. If you would like to pinpoint the absolute best match for your setup, let me know: - What **platform** is your business built on? (e.g., Shopify, Custom Code, WooCommerce) - Will you be accepting **international payments** or strictly domestic Indian transactions? - What is your expected **monthly transaction volume**?