What Makes a Good E-commerce Payment Gateway?
For online stores, payment processing requirements differ from in-person retail:
- Smooth checkout: A clunky checkout kills conversions. One-click, Apple Pay, Google Pay support is essential.
- Fraud protection: Card-not-present fraud is higher online. Built-in fraud tools matter.
- Platform integration: Your gateway must integrate seamlessly with Shopify, WooCommerce, or your custom platform.
- Interac Online: Canadian shoppers expect to pay with Interac online. Missing this loses sales.
- Competitive rates: Online rates tend to be higher than in-person (CNP risk). Shop carefully.
Best E-commerce Payment Gateways for Canada
#1 — Shopify Payments (Best for Shopify Stores)
If you run a Shopify store, Shopify Payments is the obvious choice. Using a third-party payment processor with Shopify incurs an additional transaction fee of 0.5–2% on top of processing fees. Using Shopify Payments eliminates this fee entirely.
Shopify Payments is powered by Stripe in Canada, so you get enterprise-grade fraud detection, support for Apple Pay/Google Pay, and seamless Shopify integration — all without extra setup. Available payment methods include Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover, Interac Online, Apple Pay, and Google Pay.
Read our Shopify Payments review →#2 — Helcim (Best for WooCommerce and Custom Stores)
For stores on WooCommerce, Magento, or custom-built platforms, Helcim offers the best combination of price and Canadian features. Their WooCommerce plugin is officially supported, and their API is well-documented for custom integrations.
Online rates of IC + 0.50% + $0.25 beat Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 for most merchants processing over $10,000/month. Helcim also offers Interac Online, hosted payment pages, and free recurring billing.
Read our Helcim review →#3 — Stripe (Best for Custom-Built Stores)
If you have developers or are building a custom checkout experience, Stripe's API is unmatched. Stripe Elements lets you build a fully branded payment form while handling all PCI compliance. Stripe Checkout is a pre-built, optimized payment page that converts well out of the box.
The trade-off: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction is more expensive than Helcim at volume. But Stripe's features — subscriptions, marketplace payments, installment options, 135+ currencies — justify the premium for many businesses.
Read our Stripe Canada review →Canadian E-commerce Specifics
Interac Online
Interac Online allows Canadian shoppers to pay directly from their bank account without entering a credit card. It's supported by all major Canadian banks and is trusted by Canadian consumers who may be reluctant to enter credit card details online. Processors that support Interac Online: Helcim, Shopify Payments, Moneris, PaySafe.
Checkout Conversion Optimization
For Canadian e-commerce, checkout conversion is affected by:
- Apple Pay / Google Pay (one-tap checkout — huge for mobile)
- Saved cards via Link (Stripe) or Helcim's customer profiles
- Clear display of accepted payment methods (including Interac)
- Trust badges and SSL indicators
- French language checkout for Quebec customers
Fee Comparison for E-commerce
| Gateway | Online Rate | Shopify Fee | Interac Online | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify Payments | 2.9% + $0.30 | None | ✅ | Shopify stores |
| Helcim | IC + 0.50% + $0.25 | 0.5–2%* | ✅ | WooCommerce, custom |
| Stripe | 2.9% + $0.30 | 0.5–2%* | Limited | Custom builds, SaaS |
| Moneris Gateway | ~2.5% | 0.5–2%* | ✅ | Enterprise Shopify |
*Shopify charges an extra transaction fee (0.5–2%) if you use a third-party gateway instead of Shopify Payments.
🏆 Recommendation by Platform
- Shopify: Shopify Payments — always
- WooCommerce: Helcim (cheapest) or Stripe (most features)
- Custom store: Stripe API
- BigCommerce: Stripe or Helcim
- Squarespace: Stripe (built-in)