PayMongo vs Xendit: 2025 fees and features for PH SMEs

If you sell online in the Philippines, your online checkout process can make or break your growth. With e-wallets dominating and credit cards still crucial, choosing the right online payment gateway for your Philippine business matters more than ever. Two very popular options—Paymongo and Xendit—offer powerful features, local integrations, and reliable service. But which one is best for your business? Let’s break down their pros, cons, and key differences to help you decide.

What's included in this review and comparison?

We’ll look at:

• Pricing and transaction fees and MDR (domestic vs international)
• Settlement and payout schedule
• Supported payment methods and conversion tools
• Developer integrations and merchant experience
• Security, reliability, and support
• Which provider fits different business models

We’ll also identify where to verify current numbers, since pricing can change.

Who this guide is for (startups, SMEs, marketplaces, SaaS)

• Startups and social sellers (IG, FB, TikTok)
• Growing SMEs with online store + retail + marketplaces
• Marketplaces and platforms needing mass payouts
• SaaS businesses needing subscriptions and international cards

Product/Service Overviews

PayMongo at a glance

• PH-first gateway with quick setup, payment links, hosted checkout, and plugins.
• Strong coverage of local e-wallets; straightforward dashboard and reconciliation.
• Suitable for small teams that need a fast go-live and clear pricing.
• Offers API, webhooks, tokenization, and recurring options via saved cards.

Xendit at a glance

• Regional platform (SEA) known for robust APIs, disbursements, and advanced tooling.
• Broad payment method coverage plus mass payouts and marketplace tools.
• Good fit for scaling SMEs, marketplaces, and SaaS with more complex needs.
• Offers developer-friendly features, analytics, and enterprise support options.

Supported payment methods in the Philippines

Cards (Visa, Mastercard), debit, JCB, AmEx coverage

• Both support Visa and Mastercard for domestic cards; international cards typically allowed with additional checks.
• JCB and AmEx support may require separate enablement or approval; availability can vary by merchant risk profile.

E-wallets: GCash, Maya, GrabPay, ShopeePay

• GCash and Maya: broadly supported by both.
• GrabPay and ShopeePay: support can be subject to provider partnerships and merchant category; confirm during onboarding.

Over-the-counter and bank transfers (PESONet/Instapay)

• Bank transfers (PESONet/Instapay) and OTC channels are generally available via each provider’s partners.
• Dynamic QR/Pay by bank options may exist; capabilities vary by provider and bank connections.

Developer tools and integrations overview

• Both: REST APIs, webhooks, SDKs, test sandbox, and hosted checkout.
• PayMongo: straightforward docs and quick start for common use cases.
• Xendit: broader product catalog (e.g., disbursements, virtual accounts), granular APIs, and good sandbox fidelity for complex flows.

Business accounts, onboarding, and KYC basics

• Expect to provide DTI/SEC registration, valid IDs, bank account proof, and business details.
• Risk-sensitive categories (crypto, supplements, high refunds) face extra checks.
• Typical approval: a few business days if documents are complete; faster for low-risk categories.

Criteria for Comparison (features, price, usability, etc.)

Pricing and fees structure for PH SMEs in 2025

Note: Use this as a framework, then verify on the PayMongo fees Philippines 2025 and Xendit fees Philippines 2025 pricing pages.

Transaction fees (domestic vs international)

• Domestic cards: Market MDR commonly falls in the ~2.7%–3.4% range + small fixed PHP fee.
• E-wallets: Often slightly lower or comparable to domestic cards; promos can affect rates.
• International cards: Typically higher MDR vs domestic, plus FX conversion costs if settled in PHP.

Payout fees, settlement timelines, and minimums

• Settlement speed: Many e-wallet/card transactions settle T+2 to T+5 business days; some methods faster.
• Payout fees: Per-payout or per-transfer fees may apply if you trigger manual disbursements or use mass payouts.
• Minimums: Some providers set minimum payout amounts; confirm your settlement and payout schedule during onboarding.

Refunds, chargebacks, and dispute costs

• Refunds: Standard processing time 5–15 business days for cards; e-wallets can be faster.
• Chargebacks: Expect chargeback fees on international card disputes; representment rules apply.
• Disputes: Both provide portals or processes; prevention via 3DS, AVS (if supported), and fraud tools is key.

Usability and merchant experience

Dashboard, reporting, and reconciliation

• PayMongo: Clean dashboard, exportable reports, clear status tags, and easy payment links.
• Xendit: Advanced views, filters, payout and disbursement tracking, and more nuanced reconciliation tools.

Onboarding speed and approval requirements

• PayMongo: Often quicker for standard retail/e-commerce.
• Xendit: Fast for common categories; additional verification if enabling disbursements, international, or high-risk methods.

Developer experience and integration effort

APIs, SDKs, and documentation quality

• PayMongo: Simple endpoints, fast to prototype, good for small teams.
• Xendit: Comprehensive APIs across payments, disbursements, and virtual accounts; detailed guides and examples.

Plugins: Shopify, WooCommerce, custom stacks

• Both offer Shopify and WooCommerce plugins and sample code for custom stacks.
• Evaluate plugin maturity, update cadence, and compatibility with your theme or headless setup.

Payment methods and conversion optimization

One-time vs recurring payments and subscriptions

• PayMongo: Tokenization + subscriptions options; basic dunning via webhooks and custom logic.
• Xendit: Built-in recurring billing features with better dunning/resubmission controls.

Checkout UX, links, QR, and invoicing

• Both: Hosted checkout, payment links, QR, and invoice generation.
• Xendit: More invoice customization options and API-driven invoice states for complex flows.

Security, compliance, and reliability

PCI-DSS, tokenization, 3DS, and risk tools

• Both: PCI-DSS compliant processing, tokenization, and 3DS for card transactions.
• Risk tools: Velocity checks, blocklists, and device signals vary; Xendit offers more configurable controls for higher volumes.

Uptime SLAs and incident history

• Both target high availability (often 99.9%+). Check their status pages and SLA terms.
• Ask for incident postmortems and failover plans if payments are mission-critical.

Support and account management

Channels, responsiveness, and local support hours

• Both: Email/ticket support; live chat and phone availability vary.
• Local PH support hours generally provided; verify for weekends and holidays.

Dedicated account managers and enterprise support

• Available based on volume and plan; Xendit often assigns AMs earlier for multi-product setups (e.g., payouts + payments).

Side-by-Side Comparison (pros, cons, tables if possible)

PayMongo vs Xendit: 2025 fees breakdown for PH SMEs

Use the snapshot below to frame questions for each sales team. For precise PayMongo vs Xendit fees 2025 Philippines, check live pages.

Domestic card and e-wallet fees compared

• PayMongo: Typically competitive for domestic cards and leading e-wallets; promos may bundle lower e-wallet MDR.
• Xendit: Competitive, sometimes offering tiered pricing for volume or multi-product use.

International cards and FX handling

• PayMongo: International cards supported; FX markup and MDR likely higher than domestic.
• Xendit: Good international coverage; clear FX settlement disclosures in docs/pricing.

Settlements: speed, cut-off, banking partners

• PayMongo: Straightforward settlement timelines to PH banks; confirm cut-off times and holidays.
• Xendit: Flexible disbursement tools and multiple bank partners; strong for multi-payout needs.

Feature-by-feature: subscriptions, invoicing, BNPL, payouts

Recurring billing and dunning tools

• PayMongo: Works well with tokenization + your own retry logic; simple built-in options.
• Xendit: Mature recurring + dunning with better controls for SaaS churn management.

Disbursements and mass payouts for marketplaces

• PayMongo: Basic payouts; marketplace splitting may require custom build.
• Xendit: Robust disbursements, batch payouts, and virtual accounts—ideal for marketplaces.

BNPL and installment options in PH

• PayMongo: May enable BNPL via e-wallet credit products where supported; confirm availability.
• Xendit: Integrations or partner routes for BNPL/installments; availability varies by vertical.

Integration depth and developer tooling head-to-head

Webhooks, idempotency, sandbox fidelity

• PayMongo: Reliable webhooks and sandbox for core flows; simpler idempotency usage.
• Xendit: Rich event coverage, idempotency keys across endpoints, and high-fidelity sandbox for complex orchestration.

Fraud prevention and risk controls

• PayMongo: Essential fraud tools and 3DS.
• Xendit: More controls for rule tuning, velocity limits, and ops dashboards for risk teams.

Merchant experience: dashboard, analytics, reconciliation

Statement exports, GL mapping, and tax reporting

• PayMongo: CSV exports, reference IDs, and tags to simplify reconciliation.
• Xendit: Additional report types, payout summaries, and options that help with GL mapping and tax prep.

Multi-user roles and permissions

• PayMongo: Common roles (admin, finance) for basic segregation.
• Xendit: More granular roles and permissions for larger teams.

Pros and cons: PayMongo

Pros:

• Fast onboarding and easy payment links
• Strong local e-wallet coverage
• Simple dashboard and reports
• Great for quick launch and validation

Cons:

• Marketplace payouts and complex splits may need custom work
• Recurring/dunning less feature-rich out of the box
• Fewer advanced ops tools vs regional competitors

Pros and cons: Xendit

Pros:

• Powerful APIs across payments and disbursements
• Strong for marketplaces, platforms, and SaaS
• Deeper reporting and role-based access
• Better dunning and recurring controls

Cons:

• Can feel heavier for very small teams
• More settings to configure during integration
• Some features may require higher volumes to unlock best pricing

Hidden fees and gotchas to watch for

• Per-refund or chargeback fees (especially for international cards)
• FX conversion spreads when settling non-PHP payments
• Payout or disbursement fees for frequent transfers
• Minimum monthly fees or inactivity fees (rare, but ask)
• 3DS exemptions or additional authentication costs by card schemes

Comparison table snapshot (fees, features, support)

Snapshot (bulleted for quick scanning):

• Domestic MDR: Both within typical PH ranges; ask for your vertical’s quote.
• E-wallet fees: Both competitive; confirm GCash/Maya promos.
• International cards: Xendit often clearer on FX/settlement disclosures; verify both.
• Recurring: Xendit stronger out of the box; PayMongo viable with custom logic.
• Marketplaces/payouts: Xendit leads (disbursements, virtual accounts).
• Onboarding: PayMongo slightly faster for simple stores.
• Dashboard: PayMongo simpler; Xendit deeper analytics/roles.
• Support: Both offer local hours; AMs typically assigned by volume.

Verdict/Recommendation (who should choose what)

Best for new PH startups and social sellers

Choose PayMongo if you want the fastest path to accepting GCash, Maya, and cards via links and a hosted checkout. Minimal engineering needed, fast setup, and clean reporting.

Best for scaling SMEs with multi-channel payments

Pick Xendit if you’re managing e-commerce, retail, and marketplace channels and need stronger reporting, roles, and automation. It’s a better fit if you plan to expand regionally.

Best for marketplaces and platforms needing payouts

Xendit stands out for disbursements, mass payouts, and virtual accounts. If you split seller earnings or pay service partners daily, you’ll benefit from its tooling.

Best for SaaS with subscriptions and international cards

Xendit’s recurring billing and dunning help reduce involuntary churn. PayMongo works if you can implement renewals and retries via your app and webhooks.

Budget, risk profile, and time-to-integration guidance

• Budget: Request volume-based quotes. Check if e-wallet promos lower MDR.
• Risk: Enable 3DS, set velocity limits, and review dispute processes.
• Time-to-integration: Start with hosted checkout or plugins; add APIs later.
• Governance: If you need multi-role access and audit trails, Xendit has an edge.

Another Option - Online Store with Built-in Payments

Top 3 reasons Philippine SMEs love Prosperna

• All-in-one: Launch an online store with built-in payments and local logistics in days—no heavy dev work.
• Conversion-ready: Optimized checkout, payment links, and integrated e-wallets to reduce drop-offs.
• Cost clarity: Simple plans for SMEs, plus local support. Ideal if you want store + payments without stitching tools. [link to Prosperna overview]

Conclusion (wrap up)

Key takeaways on PayMongo vs Xendit in 2025

• Fees: Both are competitive; verify your vertical’s MDR, FX, and payout fees on the latest pages.
• Features: If you need payouts/marketplace tools and richer recurring, Xendit leads.
• Simplicity: For fast PH launch with strong e-wallet coverage, PayMongo shines.
• Fit: The best payment gateway for PH SMEs depends on your channels, team, and roadmap.

How to decide quickly with a short checklist

• Do you need mass payouts or virtual accounts? Choose Xendit.
• Want the fastest go-live with links and hosted checkout? Choose PayMongo.
• Running SaaS with recurring? Lean Xendit; or use PayMongo + custom dunning.
• Mostly PH e-wallets, low dev capacity? PayMongo likely simpler.
• Still unsure? Pilot both in sandbox and compare real flows.

CTA (purchase, trial, explore further)

Try a sandbox account and test checkout flows

• Create sandbox accounts for both.
• Run 10–20 test payments per method (cards, GCash, Maya).
• Validate webhooks, receipts, refunds, and reconciliation exports. [link to sandbox setup guide]

Compare live pricing pages and talk to sales

• Review PayMongo fees Philippines 2025 and Xendit fees Philippines 2025 pages.
• Ask for written quotes including MDR, fixed fees, FX, payout fees, and dispute costs.
• Confirm your settlement and payout schedule and cut-off times.
• Request sample reports and SLAs. [link to related guide]

Or, create a FREE-forever Prosperna online store with built-in payments

• Launch your store today, accept local payments, and start selling. Ideal if you prefer an all-in-one path over stitching plugins. [link to Prosperna signup]

Next steps: implementation plan and go-live timeline

• Week 1: Decide gateway(s), open accounts, complete KYC.
• Week 2: Integrate hosted checkout or plugin; configure webhooks and 3DS.
• Week 3: Pilot with select customers; test refunds and exports.
• Week 4: Full go-live, monitor conversion, and optimize payment methods.

Have questions about PayMongo vs Xendit 2025 or want help to compare PayMongo and Xendit features?

Drop them in the comments, or share your experience so other PH SMEs can decide faster.