Affirm vs PayPal: Cost and Fees Calculator
Enter your volumes to compare estimated monthly costs and fees for Affirm and PayPal across the selling types both offer, using published US pricing.
Selling online (eCommerce)
Estimates combine processing fees and monthly subscriptions on the plans noted above. One-time hardware, setup, and add-ons are excluded. Rates are published or typical US pricing as of mid-2026 and may have changed.
How the Affirm vs PayPal calculator works, and how the two compare
Affirm is a US buy-now-pay-later provider focused on transparent installment loans at checkout. Affirm's merchant fees are agreement-based, commonly around 6% + $0.30 per transaction, with no monthly fee; merchants are paid upfront and Affirm carries the consumer credit risk. PayPal is the best-known online payments brand, which also covers in-person sales through PayPal Zettle card readers. PayPal charges 3.49% + $0.49 for standard online PayPal checkout and 2.29% + $0.09 in person via Zettle (reader $79, or $29 for your first), with no monthly fee.
How they are similar: Where they overlap: both Affirm and PayPal cover selling online, which is what this calculator compares. Neither requires a monthly subscription on the plans compared here, so your cost scales purely with sales. In both cases the bill is driven by a percentage of each sale plus any fixed per-transaction fee, which is why your average transaction size changes the effective rate as much as the headline percentage does.
How they differ: Only PayPal offers in-person card readers, so that side of the business is not part of this comparison. Affirm operates as a buy-now-pay-later service that merchants add at checkout for an agreement-based fee, while PayPal operates as flat-rate card processing with published per-transaction fees. Affirm specializes in larger tickets and longer terms with no consumer late fees, making it a conversion tool for considered purchases rather than a replacement for card processing. PayPal brings the trust of its consumer brand and one of the lowest in-person rates via Zettle, but its 3.49% + $0.49 online checkout is among the most expensive standard online rates.
Assumptions used in this calculator
- Affirm is modeled on: BNPL: commonly around 6% + $0.30 per transaction, agreement dependent.
- PayPal is modeled on: 3.49% + $0.49 for standard PayPal online checkout.
- Rates are published or typical US pricing as of mid-2026 and change often; quote-based providers are modeled at representative rates. Always confirm current pricing with the provider.
- One-time hardware, setup, add-on apps, keyed-in transactions, international cards, and chargeback fees are excluded from the monthly figures.