There’s no single “best” payment gateway — the right choice depends on your business size, sales channels, volume, and priorities (cost vs features vs local support). Below are the top options for Australian businesses in common scenarios, with the main pros/cons and current fee references so you can compare.

Top picks by use-case

• Best for developer-friendly, global scale, subscriptions & marketplaces: Stripe — excellent APIs, strong subscription & Connect tooling, broad global payment-method support. Typical Aussie rates shown: 1.7% + A$0.30 (domestic) / 3.5% + A$0.30 (international). (stripe.com)
• Best for buyer-trust and quick setup: PayPal (and Braintree for card processing) — very familiar to customers, easy checkout options. PayPal commercial seller rates and Braintree merchant pricing are published by PayPal. (paypal.com)
• Best for simple POS + online for small retailers / cafes: Square — flat, transparent pricing and integrated hardware/point-of-sale. Online rate ~2.2%; in-person ~1.6% (varies by sign-up date). (squareup.com)
• Best Australian-focused gateway with local support & simple pricing: eWAY — competitive flat pricing (e.g. ~1.5% + $0.25 per tx advertised) and Australian-based support. Good for AU-only merchants who want local onboarding. (eway.com.au)
• Best for low-volume AU merchants who want a straightforward local gateway: Pin Payments — simple fee tiers for AU/NZ merchants (example: domestic 1.6% + $0.30; international 3.4% + $0.30). (pinpayments.com)
• Best for large enterprises / marketplaces needing global coverage & reconciliation: Adyen — enterprise-grade, Interchange++ style pricing, strong global acquiring and marketplace/platform features. Good for high-volume merchants who want tailored contracts. (adyen.com)

Key factors to choose a gateway (compare these for any provider)

• Pricing model: flat-rate vs interchange++ (enterprise). Watch card rates, international/FX fees, per-authorisation fees, monthly / settlement / chargeback fees. (Examples above link to provider pricing pages.) (stripe.com)
• Features: subscriptions, hosted checkout, saved cards (vault), marketplace payouts/Connect, invoicing, recurring billing, fraud tools (3DS, ML). Stripe, Adyen and Braintree are strong on APIs/features; Square and eWAY focus on quick setup and POS. (stripe.com)
• Integration & platforms: Shopify/WooCommerce/BigCommerce plugins, SDKs, developer resources and libraries. Check that your stack is supported. (adyen.com)
• Settlement time & local bank accounts: faster payouts and local AUD settlement are important for cashflow. Local gateways often give simpler settlement. (pinpayments.com)
• Support & disputes: chargeback handling, local support hours, documentation — matters more as you scale. Local providers (e.g., eWAY, Pin Payments) often emphasise AU support. (eway.com.au)
• Additional services: hardware (card readers), BNPL integrations (Afterpay/Zip), reporting, reconciliation and accounting exports.

Quick recommendation summary (if you want one-line picks)

• If you plan to scale internationally and want the most flexible platform: Stripe. (stripe.com)
• If you want instant customer trust and easy checkout buttons: PayPal/Braintree. (paypal.com)
• If you run a small bricks‑and‑mortar business that wants simple POS + online: Square (or Tyro for EFTPOS-heavy retail). (squareup.com)
• If you want a local AU gateway with simple flat fees and local support: eWAY or Pin Payments. (eway.com.au)
• If you’re enterprise / marketplace-level with global needs and customised pricing: Adyen. (adyen.com)

How to pick now (three quick steps)

1. Estimate monthly volume, average transaction size and what percent will be international. That affects whether flat-rate or interchange++ is cheaper.
2. List must-have features (subscriptions, marketplace payouts, POS hardware, BNPL, plugins). Match to providers above.
3. Compare true landed cost for your mix (card types, refunds, chargebacks, FX) using each provider’s pricing page and request custom quotes if volume is high. See the provider pages linked above for current published rates. (stripe.com)

If you want, I can produce a short cost comparison example (monthly volume x transaction mix) showing which gateway would be cheapest for a specific scenario — tell me your monthly volume, average order value, and percent international. (No charge — I’ll run the numbers for you.)