PostFinance vs PayPal
Swiss financial institution vs. the world's best-known payment provider
As a Swiss financial institution, PostFinance is deeply rooted in the local market and offers its own payment solution for online shops. With over 400 million users worldwide, PayPal is the most well-known payment provider. The two pursue fundamentally different strategies: PostFinance with a focus on the Swiss market, PayPal with global reach. This comparison shows where the differences lie.
Total monthly costs of PostFinance and PayPal with a turnover of CHF 20,000
Total monthly costs of PostFinance and PayPal with a turnover of EUR 100,000
What are the advantages and disadvantages of PostFinance and PayPal?
PostFinance convinces with all important Swiss payment methods including TWINT and PostFinance Pay, significantly lower fees, personal support and high brand awareness in Switzerland. Disadvantages are the one-off setup costs, lack of e-commerce tools and the low Google rating (2.2 stars).
PayPal benefits from worldwide brand awareness, no fixed costs and easy setup. Disadvantages are the highest transaction fees of all compared providers, no Swiss payment methods such as TWINT or PostFinance Pay, only email and chat support and, with 1.6 stars, the lowest Google rating.
Comparison table advantages and disadvantages PostFinance vs PayPal
PostFinance
Advantages
Numerous payment methods (including TWINT and PostFinance Pay)
Free plugins
Low transaction fees
Free trial available
Swiss company
High recognition in Switzerland
Personal support
Disadvantages
Samsung Pay not supported
No e-commerce tools
High setup costs (one-time)
Low Google rating
PayPal
Advantages
Monthly fixed costs
Free plugins
High recognition and acceptance
Ideal for international payments
Disadvantages
No support for TWINT and PostFinance Pay
No e-commerce tools
High transaction fees
Headquarters in the USA
Email or chat support only
Low Google rating
Which payment methods do PostFinance and PayPal offer?
PostFinance supports 14 payment methods, including TWINT, PostFinance Pay, WIR Pay, Reka and purchase on invoice. PayPal does not offer any of these Swiss payment methods. For Swiss online shops, this is a serious disadvantage, as TWINT and PostFinance Pay are among the most widely used payment methods in Switzerland. PostFinance has an enormous advantage in terms of local payment method coverage.
Comparison table payment methods PostFinance vs PayPal
PostFinance
PayPal
Which shop system plugins do PostFinance and PayPal offer?
PostFinance offers free plugins for WooCommerce, Shopware, JTL, Ecwid, Drupal, Magento and Prestashop. PayPal provides free plugins for Shopify, WooCommerce, Shopware and Magento. PayPal has an important advantage with Shopify, while PostFinance covers JTL, Ecwid, Drupal and Prestashop. Neither provider offers integrated e-commerce tools. Overall, the integrations are comparable.
Comparison table plugins and integrations PostFinance vs PayPal
PostFinance
PayPal
How does the support of PostFinance and PayPal differ?
PostFinance offers personal support in Switzerland with direct contact persons. PayPal only provides email and chat support. The Google ratings are low for both providers: PostFinance 2.2 stars (178 reviews), PayPal 1.6 stars (56 reviews). PostFinance has the advantage of personal support, even if customer satisfaction shows room for improvement.
For whom is PostFinance suitable and for whom PayPal?
PostFinance is clearly the better choice for Swiss online shops: over 53% cheaper, all Swiss payment methods and personal support. PayPal makes sense when an online shop has a high share of international customers who expect PayPal as a familiar payment method. Many Comerciantes therefore use PayPal as a supplement to their Swiss payment solution.
How easy is the setup with PostFinance and PayPal?
With PayPal, company information and a commercial register number are sufficient – setup is completed in a few minutes. PostFinance charges one-time setup fees of 199–249 EUR and requires a PostFinance business account. PayPal offers the faster start, whereas PostFinance provides the more comprehensive coverage of Swiss payment methods from day one.
How much does PostFinance cost compared to PayPal?
The difference in cost is significant: with a monthly turnover of 20'000 EUR, PostFinance costs 365.90 EUR, PayPal 790 EUR. PostFinance is therefore over 53% cheaper – a saving of 424.10 EUR per month. With a turnover of 100'000 EUR, the difference increases to 2'200.10 EUR monthly (PostFinance: 1'749.90 EUR vs. PayPal: 3'950 EUR). PostFinance charges one-off setup costs, which, however, already amortise in the first month.
Comparison table costs PostFinance vs PayPal
Provider
Subscription
Setup costs
Monthly costs
Transaction fees
PostFinance
Checkout All-in-One
CHF 199.00
CHF 14.90
2.50%
+
CHF 0.00
PostFinance
E-Commerce Bundle
CHF 0.00
CHF 19.90
1.55%
+
CHF 0.18
PostFinance
Checkout Flex
CHF 19.90
1.55%
+
CHF 0.18
PayPal
PayPal
CHF 0.00
CHF 0.00
3.40%
+
CHF 0.55
Additional Remarks
PostFinance
To use PostFinance Checkout, a PostFinance business account or a credit card for fee billing is required. Additionally, one-time setup costs from 199 EUR (Checkout All-in-One) to 249 EUR (Checkout Flex) apply. A free simulation mode enables merchants to test the integration in advance.
PayPal
With PayPal, no separate setup is required – a PayPal business account is sufficient. For verification, company information and a commercial register number are required. It should be noted that PayPal charges the highest transaction fees of all compared providers (3.4% + 0.55 EUR) and supports neither TWINT nor PostFinance Pay.
Conclusion: PostFinance or PayPal – which provider is better?
PostFinance offers personal support in Switzerland with direct contact persons. PayPal only provides email and chat support. The Google ratings are low for both providers: PostFinance 2.2 stars (178 reviews), PayPal 1.6 stars (56 reviews). PostFinance has the advantage of personal support, even if customer satisfaction shows room for improvement.
