Clay Pay vs PayPal

PayPal is everywhere consumers want to pay, which makes it valuable as a checkout method. As your primary processor, the economics get expensive fast and the account-hold reputation is earned. Most operators do not have to choose; they keep PayPal as one checkout option and run primary processing somewhere else.

Pick Clay Pay if

• PayPal is a meaningful share of your processing volume and the cost is hurting margin
• You have had funds held during a refund dispute or chargeback review
• You want a real merchant account with an underwriter you can call
• You need vertical-specific support (high-risk, restaurant POS, multi-location, ISV)
• You want interchange-plus on the cards that are not paying through PayPal

Pick PayPal if

• PayPal is a small share of checkout (under 10%) and the convenience is worth the cost
• You sell into international markets where PayPal trust is the differentiator
• You are pre-revenue and want zero-friction onboarding before you have a real processor