Fees checked
Payment gateways in Ethiopia (2026): fees compared
Free to read. No login. Published fees for Chapa, ArifPay, LakiPay, FenanPay, YagoutPay, and Telebirr, next to a flat Verify Checkout plan. Where a provider does not publish a price, the table says so.
A licensed gateway
The customer pays inside the gateway checkout. You receive a payout minus a percentage.
A wallet or bank merchant account
Telebirr, M-PESA, or your bank. You open a merchant account with that provider.
Direct transfer, verified
The customer pays your own account. Checkout verifies the payment for a flat monthly plan.
Published domestic fees
Licence status is from the National Bank of Ethiopia payment instrument issuer and system operator register, read on . Pilot phase means licensed, and not yet fully commercialized.
| Provider | Domestic fee | Setup / monthly | Settlement | NBE licence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chapa | 2.5% per successful local payment. 1% international. | None / none | Advertises instant payouts. A third party reports T+1 to T+2, with a 500 ETB minimum. | Gateway operator, licensed 20 May 2022, commercialized | chapa.co/pricing |
| ArifPay | About 2.8% per domestic payment. | None / none on the QR section | 1 to 2 business days, from a third-party listing. | Gateway operator, licensed 22 Nov 2021, commercialized | arifpay.net/Pricing |
| LakiPay | 2.75% customer-to-platform. 1% for B2B card payments. | None / ETB 0 | Advertises instant settlement. | Gateway operator, licensed 12 Feb 2025, pilot phase | lakipay.co/pricing |
| FenanPay | 2.5% plus 15% VAT, so 2.875% on the calculator. | Not published | Not published | Gateway operator, licensed 9 Oct 2024, commercialized | fenanpay.com/pricing |
| YagoutPay | 1% up to 1,000 ETB, 0.85% to 10,000, and 0.75% above that. | None / none | Not published | Gateway operator, licensed 5 May 2023, commercialized | yagoutpay.com/pricing |
| Telebirr merchant (online) | In-store free. Online rate not published. An agreement copy says 0.5%. | Not published | Not published by Ethio telecom. | Mobile money, licensed 23 Apr 2021, commercialized | Ethio telecom merchant requirementsSecondary source |
| Telebirr (alt. report 0.8%) | Reported 0.8%, minimum 1 ETB, maximum 100 ETB. | Not published | T+1, from the same third-party report. | Mobile money, licensed 23 Apr 2021, commercialized | zirzir.dev Telebirr notesSecondary source |
| M-PESA merchant | Not published. The merchant terms say Safaricom sets the charge. | Not published | Bank EFT within 1 business day of a payout request. | Mobile money, licensed 10 May 2023, commercialized | M-PESA Ethiopia |
| BirrLink | Percentage-based. The rate is not published. | Not published | Standard T+1, Premium daily, Enterprise instant. | Gateway operator, licensed 3 Jun 2025, pilot phase | birrlink.et/pricing |
| SantimPay | Not published. | Not published | A directory listing says instant, with no payout fee. | Gateway operator, licensed 5 Jul 2022, commercialized | santimpay.com |
| AddisPay | Not published. The FAQ says to contact sales. | Not published | Not published | Gateway operator, licensed 21 Dec 2022, commercialized | addispay.et/faq |
| Kacha, YaYa, StarPay, PawaPay, Cashflow, KisPay | Not published. | Not published | Not published | Listed on the NBE register. | NBE register |
What a typical month costs
200,000 ETB of sales across 300 payments. 15% VAT is added where the published fee excludes tax. FenanPay's rate already includes VAT. Sorted by monthly cost.
| Option | Monthly cost |
|---|---|
| Telebirr merchant (online) | 1,150 ETB |
| Telebirr (alt. report 0.8%) | 1,840 ETB |
| YagoutPay | 2,300 ETB |
| Chapa | 5,750 ETB |
| FenanPay | 5,750 ETB |
| LakiPay | 6,325 ETB |
| ArifPay | 6,440 ETB |
| Verify Checkout Plus | 500 ETB |
At this volume Chapa is 5,750 ETB and Plus is 500 ETB, so the year of difference is 63,000 ETB. Change the volume in the calculator, or read the fee comparison.
Gateway by gateway
Chapa
2.5% on local payments, from the Ethiopia pricing tab. The merchant agreement says fees exclude tax. The same site also shows 2%, and other write-ups say 1.5% or about 3.5%. chapa.co/pricing
ArifPay
The pricing page shows about 2.8% for domestic payments, with no setup or monthly fee on the QR section. It does not say whether VAT is included. arifpay.net/Pricing
LakiPay
2.75% for customer-to-platform payments. B2B card payments are listed at 1%. The NBE licence is still in pilot phase. lakipay.co/pricing
FenanPay
FenanPay's own calculator charges 2.5% plus 15% VAT, which is 2.875% with no cap. The home page also says fees can be as low as 0% depending on setup, without conditions. fenanpay.com/pricing
YagoutPay
1% up to 1,000 ETB, 0.85% from 1,001 to 10,000, and 0.75% above that. The tier follows your average order, then applies to the whole month. yagoutpay.com/pricing
Telebirr merchant (online)
In-store facilitation is free. For online payments Ethio telecom says a fee is required and does not publish the rate. A copy of a merchant agreement says 0.5%. That figure is not confirmed by Ethio telecom. Ethio telecom merchant requirements
Telebirr (alt. report 0.8%)
A developer write-up reports 0.8% per online payment, with a 1 ETB minimum and a 100 ETB cap, settling T+1. It conflicts with the 0.5% agreement copy. zirzir.dev Telebirr notes
Where Checkout fits
Checkout does not hold the money. The customer pays your own Telebirr, CBE Birr, M-PESA, or bank account, and Checkout verifies the payment. A credit is used for every reference submitted, including ones that fail. Unused credits do not roll over. Paid credits start after admin approval. Prices below are the public catalog. The pages do not say whether VAT is included.
| Plan | Price / month | Checkouts | Screenshot and QR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | Free | 100 | Not included |
| Plus | 500 ETB | 3,000 | 500 |
| Pro | 4,000 ETB | 30,000 | 4,000 |
| Ultra | 10,000 ETB | 100,000 | 10,000 |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Custom |
See the pricing page. Keep a gateway if you need cards, one-tap wallet push, or gateway-managed refunds. Many merchants use both.
What the customer pays to send
On a direct transfer, this fee is the customer's, at an average order of 667 ETB. Receiving is free. Sources are the Telebirr tariff, the CBE tariff, and the M-PESA fee calculator, plus the EthSwitch interbank fee published by Oromia Bank. Every other bank and wallet is in the Ethiopian bank transfer fee calculator.
| Payment method | Sending fee |
|---|---|
| Telebirr wallet to wallet | 4 ETB |
| CBE to CBE, mobile, including VAT | 0.58 ETB |
| CBE to another bank, including VAT | 8.82 ETB |
| M-PESA wallet to wallet | Free |
FAQ
What is the cheapest payment gateway in Ethiopia?
Among published prices, YagoutPay is the lowest aggregator rate at 0.75% to 1%. Telebirr's online merchant rate is reported at 0.5% or 0.8%, and Ethio telecom does not publish it. Chapa, LakiPay, FenanPay, and ArifPay publish 2.5% to 2.875%. If most payments are local transfers, a flat verification plan can cost less than a percentage fee once monthly sales pass roughly 17,000 to 20,000 ETB.
How much does Chapa charge in 2026?
2.5% per successful local transaction and 1% on international payments, with no setup or monthly fee, from the Ethiopia tab of chapa.co/pricing on 8 October 2026. The merchant agreement says fees exclude tax. Other figures in circulation are 2%, 1.5%, and about 3.5%, so check the rate in your Chapa dashboard.
Can I use Stripe or PayPal in Ethiopia?
Not directly. Ethiopia is not a Stripe-supported country. PayPal's Ethiopia site offers personal send and shop services only. Some local gateways accept international cards. Chapa lists 1% for international payments, and ArifPay lists Visa, Mastercard, and PayPal.
Do I need a licence to accept online payments?
The gateway itself must be licensed by the National Bank of Ethiopia. As a merchant you need ordinary business KYC to open an account: a trade licence, TIN, memorandum of association, and ID. Telebirr also asks for a VAT certificate and a business proposal.
Is VAT charged on gateway fees?
FenanPay adds 15% VAT on its fee. Chapa's agreement says fees exclude tax. ArifPay, LakiPay, and YagoutPay do not say. Budget for 15% on top unless the contract says the price includes it.
Who pays the transfer fee when customers pay my account directly?
The customer pays their bank or wallet's normal sending fee. Receiving is free for you. At about 667 ETB, Telebirr wallet-to-wallet is 4 ETB, CBE to CBE on mobile is about 0.58 ETB including VAT, a transfer to another bank is about 8.8 ETB, and M-PESA wallet-to-wallet up to 3,000 ETB is free. A gateway percentage is paid by you, and Chapa's agreement says you may not add it as a surcharge.
How fast do gateways settle?
Chapa advertises instant payouts, and a third party reports T+1 to T+2 with a 500 ETB minimum. ArifPay is reported at 1 to 2 business days. BirrLink lists T+1, daily, and instant tiers. M-PESA merchant pays out within one business day of a payout request. A direct transfer verified by Checkout is in your account when the customer sends it.
Fees change. Verify Checkout is not a payment service provider. It verifies payments made to your own account.