The decision most Nigerian founders get wrong
Most teams pick a payment gateway the same way they pick a font — gut feel, or whatever the last developer used. That works until it doesn't. A gateway that doesn't support your users' banks kills conversions silently. One that can't handle the currencies you expand into forces a full integration rewrite. The right choice depends on three questions: where your users are, how they pay, and where you're planning to grow.
Stripe vs Paystack vs Flutterwave at a glance
The things that actually change which gateway is right for you:
| Stripe | Paystack | Flutterwave | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best market | US, Europe, global | Nigeria, Ghana | Pan-African, multi-country |
| Nigerian cards | Inconsistent | Excellent | Excellent |
| Bank transfer (NGN) | No | Yes | Yes |
| USSD payments | No | Yes | Yes |
| M-Pesa (Kenya) | No | No | Yes |
| Standard fee (Nigeria) | 3.9% + fees | 1.5% (capped ₦2,000) | 1.4% local, 3.8% intl |
| Currencies supported | 135+ | NGN, GHS, ZAR, KES, USD | 30+ African + major global |
| Subscription billing | Excellent | Good | Good |
| SDK & docs quality | Excellent | Good | Good |
Which gateway fits your situation
There is a right answer for most products — it comes down to your market:
- Nigeria-first product — Paystack is the default. Nigerian users recognize it, cards and bank transfers work reliably, and the 1.5% fee capped at ₦2,000 is the best local rate available.
- Selling across multiple African countries — Flutterwave. M-Pesa in Kenya, mobile money in Ghana, EFT in South Africa. The coverage gap between Flutterwave and Paystack only matters when you leave Nigeria, but when it does, it matters completely.
- Primary market is US or Europe — Stripe. Its webhook reliability, subscription management, and developer tooling are genuinely ahead of the others. Just don't expect it to handle Nigerian card transactions reliably.
- Serving both Nigerian and international users — run two gateways. Paystack for NGN, Stripe for international. A single routing layer based on currency or user location handles the switch. It's two extra days of engineering upfront and permanently eliminates the wrong-gateway problem.
Integration guides for each gateway
Each guide covers the full implementation — checkout setup, webhook verification, error handling, and production checklist. Stack-agnostic: plain HTTP examples that work with Node, Python, PHP, or any backend.
- How to Integrate Paystack — bank transfer, card checkout, USSD, and webhook verification. The complete implementation for Nigeria-first products. → /blog/how-to-integrate-paystack
- How to Integrate Flutterwave — multi-currency checkout, mobile money, and handling Flutterwave's webhook signature format. → /blog/how-to-integrate-flutterwave
- How to Integrate Stripe — Checkout Sessions, PaymentIntents, subscription billing, and webhook event handling. → /blog/how-to-integrate-stripe
Common questions
Need help picking or integrating a payment gateway?
We've built payment integrations across Stripe, Paystack, and Flutterwave — including multi-gateway setups for products serving both Nigerian and international users. Tell us your situation and we'll tell you exactly what to build.
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