Here are the best digital payment platforms for U.S. small businesses in 2025, with why each is a strong choice, pricing highlights, and the use-cases they fit best.

Top picks

1. Stripe — Best for developers, online stores, marketplaces, and scale-ups

• Why: Extremely flexible API and products for online checkout, subscriptions, invoicing, and unified in‑person + online commerce. Strong global / multi‑currency support and developer tools. (Stripe.com)
• Pricing (typical U.S. rates): ~2.9% + $0.30 per card transaction; lower in-person/card-present rates and volume/custom pricing available. (Stripe.com)
• Good for: businesses that need custom checkout flows, subscriptions, marketplaces, or plan to scale internationally.
• Considerations: Requires dev resources for custom integrations (though prebuilt options exist).

2. Square (Block) — Best for brick-and-mortar, retail, restaurants, and service businesses wanting an easy all‑in‑one POS

• Why: Easy setup, built-in free POS, integrated hardware, invoicing, appointments, payroll and loans — strong for in-person sellers and omnichannel. (squareup.com)
• Pricing: In-person ~2.6% + $0.15; online ~2.9% + $0.30 (plans and hardware vary). (squareup.com)
• Good for: small retailers, cafes, food trucks, salons — business owners who want minimal setup and an integrated ecosystem.
• Considerations: Add‑on services (payroll, advanced POS) increase cost.

3. PayPal (including PayPal Checkout / Venmo for Business / Zettle) — Best for broad consumer acceptance and quick online checkout

• Why: Very familiar to consumers, fast onboarding, Venmo/PayPal checkout options that can lift conversion for mobile shoppers; PayPal is investing in profitably growing these services. (reuters.com)
• Pricing: Typical online card rates around 2.9% + $0.30 (varies by product and volume).
• Good for: ecommerce shops that want an instantly recognizable checkout option and buyers who prefer PayPal/Venmo.
• Considerations: Fee structure and account holds can be a pain point for some merchants.

4. Shopify Payments — Best if your business runs on Shopify ecommerce

• Why: Native integration with Shopify (orders, payouts, fraud tools). Using Shopify Payments avoids third‑party gateway fees and simplifies reconciliation. (nerdwallet.com)
• Pricing: Flat rates tied to Shopify plan (e.g., ~2.9% + $0.30 on basic plans; lower with higher-tier plans). (nerdwallet.com)
• Good for: merchants using Shopify for their online store who want seamless payments and consolidated billing.
• Considerations: You must use Shopify’s platform to get the best rates; third‑party gateways incur extra Shopify fees.

5. QuickBooks Payments — Best if you already use QuickBooks for accounting

• Why: Tight integration with QuickBooks Online/Desktop makes invoicing, reconciliation, and bookkeeping very simple. Good ACH/invoice options. (nerdwallet.com)
• Pricing: Typical in‑person ~2.4–2.5% and online/invoice ~2.9–2.99% (plans vary by product). ACH options often cheaper (around 1%). (nerdwallet.com)
• Good for: service businesses and freelancers who want automated bookkeeping and easy invoice-to-payment flow.
• Considerations: Best value if you already pay for or rely on QuickBooks.

Other solid options (honorable mentions)

• Clover — good in-person POS with multiple hardware options (best for businesses that prioritize countertop/restaurant hardware). (nerdwallet.com)
• Toast — restaurant-focused POS + payments if you run a full-service or quick-service restaurant (not covered above but worth checking if you’re restaurant-first).
• Payment Depot / Helcim / other interchange-plus providers — can be cheaper for higher-volume sellers who want wholesale interchange pricing.

How to choose (short checklist)

• Primary sales channel: in-person? online? subscriptions? marketplaces? Pick Square/Clover/Toast for in-person, Stripe for complex online flows/marketplaces, Shopify for Shopify stores, QuickBooks if you want seamless accounting. (squareup.com)
• Monthly volume: high volume often benefits from interchange-plus or custom pricing (ask providers about volume discounts). (Stripe.com)
• Need for hardware: compare hardware cost (Square, Clover, Toast have proprietary devices). (squareup.com)
• Developer resources: if you can hire/maintain devs, Stripe unlocks powerful customization; otherwise, use simpler hosted solutions (Square, PayPal, Shopify). (Stripe.com)

If you’d like, I can:

• Recommend the best 1–2 choices for your exact business type (retail, restaurant, SaaS, services) and monthly volume; or
• Produce a side‑by‑side fee + feature comparison (transactions, hardware, monthly fees, invoicing, supported payment methods) for 3 providers you’re considering.

Sources: official Stripe, Square, Shopify pages and recent industry reviews/coverage. (Stripe.com)