Guide to the Best Payment Gateways in Brazil for 2026

By 2026, Pix has become the undisputed king, but credit card instalments (parcelamento) remain essential. Here are the best payment platforms to scale your business in Brazil.

Alok Vats

Product

14 min read

Jul 17, 2026

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Brazil has one of the world’s most distinct payment markets.

Pix has become an essential payment method for both online and in-person transactions. At the same time, credit card instalments, known locally as parcelamento, remain important for higher-value purchases. Boleto Bancário also continues to serve customers who prefer not to use cards or digital wallets.

Choosing a payment provider in Brazil is therefore not only about comparing transaction fees. Businesses must also consider Pix, instalments, settlement speed, fraud protection, local card approval rates, recurring payments, and international selling.

AI, SaaS, and digital product companies face additional challenges. They may need to manage subscriptions, credits, API usage, tokens, customer access, global taxes, invoices, and refunds alongside payment processing.

This guide compares the leading Brazilian payment gateways and Merchant of Record platforms based on their pricing, strengths, limitations, and ideal use cases.

The fees below are indicative. Actual rates may vary by payment method, settlement schedule, instalment plan, business type, transaction volume, and negotiated agreement.

1. Mercado Pago #

Mercado Pago is one of Brazil’s most widely recognised payment platforms.

As part of the Mercado Libre ecosystem, it supports online checkout, payment links, Pix, Boleto, card payments, subscriptions, QR codes, point-of-sale devices, and marketplace payments.

It is a strong general-purpose option for Brazilian businesses that want broad local payment support and a familiar consumer brand.

Best for: Brazilian e-commerce companies, marketplaces, retailers, and businesses selling across Latin America.

Indicative fees:

• Credit cards: Varies based on settlement speed and instalment plan
• Online Pix: Often around 0% to 0.99%, depending on the product and offer
• Boleto: Fixed fee per paid transaction
• Settlement: Immediate settlement and longer, lower-cost schedules may be available

Pros:

• Strong Pix support: Accept Pix through QR codes, payment links, and online checkout.
• Local payment coverage: Supports cards, Boleto, Pix, account balances, and other regional methods.
• Instalments: Allows Brazilian customers to split card purchases into monthly payments.
• Subscriptions: Supports recurring payment plans.
• Marketplace tools: Suitable for platforms that need to collect and distribute payments.
• Consumer trust: Many Brazilian customers already have Mercado Pago accounts.

Cons:

• Faster settlement options may come with higher transaction fees.
• Pricing can become difficult to compare because it varies by payment method and settlement schedule.
• Customer support may feel automated for smaller merchants.

2. Kelviq #

Kelviq is a Merchant of Record built for Brazilian AI startups, SaaS companies, APIs, developer tools, and digital product businesses selling globally.

Unlike a standard payment gateway, Kelviq becomes the legal seller for each customer transaction. It handles payments, applicable sales taxes, VAT, GST, invoices, refunds, and payment compliance, then sends the business a clean payout.

Kelviq is also designed for AI products and agents, where customers may be charged based on tokens, API calls, agent runs, workflows, credits, seats, or other forms of usage.

This makes it particularly useful for Brazilian software companies selling to customers in the US, Europe, and other international markets.

Best for: Brazilian AI startups, AI agents, SaaS companies, APIs, developer tools, and digital product sellers expanding globally.

Indicative fees: Flat 3.9% + $0.40 per transaction.

There are no monthly platform fees or separate ingestion fees for reporting API calls and product usage.

Availability, onboarding, and payout eligibility may depend on the company’s legal entity and payout country.

Pros:

• Global tax handling: Kelviq calculates, collects, and remits applicable sales tax, VAT, and GST where required.
• Built for AI and agents: Supports tokens, API calls, agent runs, workflows, credits, top-ups, seats, subscriptions, and pay-as-you-go pricing.
• Usage-based billing: Charge customers based on actual usage, fixed subscriptions, prepaid credits, or hybrid pricing.
• Credits and wallets: Create credit bundles, prepaid balances, automatic top-ups, and rollover rules.
• Real-time access control: Check a customer’s plan, balance, credits, entitlements, or usage limit before an AI agent or workflow runs.
• Entitlements: Control which features, limits, and products each customer can access.
• Complete revenue system: Payments, subscriptions, usage metering, invoices, refunds, tax, and customer access are managed together.
• Reduced webhook work: Kelviq’s SDKs help teams manage usage reporting, feature access, and entitlements inside their products. Webhooks are also supported.
• International selling: Brazilian software companies can serve global customers without building separate billing and tax systems for each market.

Kelviq’s Merchant of Record service handles taxes connected to customer transactions. Businesses remain responsible for their own corporate, income, payroll, and other local tax obligations.

Cons:

• Not built for e-commerce or physical products.

3. Stripe #

Stripe provides developer-focused payment infrastructure for Brazilian SaaS companies, technology startups, marketplaces, and online businesses.

It supports domestic and international cards, Boleto, Pix for eligible businesses, subscriptions, invoicing, marketplace payments, and fraud prevention.

Best for: SaaS businesses, technology startups, marketplaces, and companies that want to build their own payment infrastructure.

Indicative fees:

• Domestic cards: 3.99% + R$0.39
• International cards: Domestic pricing plus an additional international-card fee
• Pix: 1.19% for eligible and invited accounts
• Boleto: R$3.45 per paid Boleto
• Custom pricing may be available for larger businesses

Pros:

• Strong developer experience: Provides detailed APIs, SDKs, documentation, and testing tools.
• Subscription billing: Supports recurring payments, invoices, trials, upgrades, and payment retries.
• Pix and Boleto: Offers important Brazilian payment methods alongside cards.
• Marketplace tools: Stripe Connect supports platforms that need to collect and distribute payments.
• Fraud protection: Stripe Radar helps identify suspicious transactions.
• International infrastructure: Suitable for businesses operating in several markets.

Cons:

• Pix may not be available automatically to every account.
• Domestic card processing is priced at a premium compared with some local providers.
• Businesses remain responsible for their own tax registrations, filings, and remittance.
• Advanced credits, usage billing, and customer access may require additional development.

4. PagBank #

PagBank, previously known as PagSeguro, combines payment processing, digital banking, card readers, Pix, payment links, and online checkout.

It is particularly popular among small businesses and individual entrepreneurs that want to accept payments both online and in person.

Best for: Small and medium-sized businesses, individual entrepreneurs, physical retailers, and omnichannel sellers.

Indicative fees:

• Credit cards: Varies based on card brand, instalments, promotion, and settlement speed
• Pix: Pricing varies by account type, campaign, and transaction channel
• Boleto: Fixed fee per successful payment
• Instalments: Additional charges apply based on the number of instalments

Pros:

• Easy onboarding: Accessible to individual entrepreneurs and smaller Brazilian businesses.
• Pix support: Accept payments through Pix, QR codes, links, and other tools.
• Instalment payments: Customers can divide card payments into as many as 12 instalments on supported products.
• Online and offline payments: Combines checkout, links, QR payments, and physical card readers.
• Digital account: Payments can settle into the connected PagBank account.
• Broad local methods: Supports cards, Pix, Boleto, wallets, and contactless payments.

Cons:

• Pricing can be difficult to compare because it changes by product, promotion, card brand, and settlement period.
• Developer tools may feel less flexible than Stripe or Pagar.me.
• Not designed for complex international SaaS billing.

5. Pagar.me #

Pagar.me, part of Stone, is a flexible Brazilian payment platform designed for online businesses, marketplaces, subscription companies, and high-volume merchants.

It offers a customisable checkout, Pix, cards, Boleto, wallets, subscriptions, fraud protection, instalments, and split payments.

Best for: High-volume e-commerce, marketplaces, subscription businesses, and companies building custom payment flows.

Indicative fees: Pricing varies based on transaction volume, payment methods, instalment rules, fraud tools, and settlement terms.

Pros:

• Brazilian payment methods: Supports cards, Pix, Boleto, and digital wallets.
• Instalments: Allows card payments in up to 12 instalments.
• Flexible interest rules: Businesses can decide whether they or the customer pay instalment charges.
• Split payments: Automatically divide transaction revenue among multiple recipients.
• Subscriptions: Supports recurring card and Boleto payments, payment retries, and custom plans.
• Custom checkout: Businesses can control the design and payment experience.
• Pix reconciliation: Generates a dynamic QR code for each transaction.

Cons:

• Requires more technical work than simpler hosted checkout products.
• Pricing is not always available without speaking to the sales team.
• The number of available settings may feel complex for small businesses.

6. EBANX #

EBANX specialises in helping international companies accept local payments from customers in Brazil and other Latin American markets.

It allows global merchants to offer Brazilian payment methods and display prices in Brazilian reais without building a full local payment operation.

Best for: International e-commerce businesses, software companies, gaming platforms, travel brands, and global companies entering Brazil.

Indicative fees: Custom pricing based on transaction volume, payment method, market, business model, and settlement structure.

Pros:

• Local Brazilian payments: Supports regional payment methods for international merchants.
• Cross-border infrastructure: Helps foreign companies sell to Brazilian customers.
• Latin American coverage: Offers payment support across several countries in the region.
• Local currency checkout: Customers can pay in Brazilian reais using familiar methods.
• Regulatory support: Helps international merchants manage local payment requirements.

Cons:

• Typically more expensive than using a domestic gateway for a local Brazilian business.
• Pricing is not publicly transparent.
• Primarily designed for established international merchants rather than small local businesses.
• Does not replace a full AI billing and entitlement system.

7. Cielo #

Cielo is one of Brazil’s largest and most established payment companies.

It offers card terminals, online checkout, payment links, Pix, QR codes, recurring payments, risk tools, and payment splitting.

Best for: Large retailers, established businesses, enterprise merchants, and organizations that need broad in-person and online payment coverage.

Indicative fees: Custom or plan-based pricing depending on transaction volume, business type, card brand, payment method, and settlement period.

Pros:

• Broad card coverage: Accepts a large number of card, voucher, and benefit-card brands.
• Pix support: Available through online checkout, links, APIs, and other Cielo products.
• Online and offline payments: Combines e-commerce products with card terminals and mobile acceptance.
• Split payments: Supports automated division of payments among partners.
• Established infrastructure: Built to support large transaction volumes.
• Human support: Offers local customer-service channels.

Cons:

• Contracts and pricing can be more complex than self-service platforms.
• Onboarding may take longer for businesses with custom requirements.
• Developer tools may feel less modern than Stripe or Pagar.me.

8. Hotmart #

Hotmart is a sales platform focused on creators, educators, communities, courses, subscriptions, and other digital businesses.

It provides checkout, product hosting, affiliate management, international payments, customer delivery, and marketing tools.

Best for: Course creators, educators, coaches, affiliate-driven businesses, communities, and digital content sellers.

Indicative fees:

• Standard fee for certain revenue levels: 9.9% + R$1 per approved sale
• Fees may change based on revenue, product price, currency, and additional services
• Withdrawal timing varies by payment method and currency

Pros:

• Complete creator platform: Combines checkout, hosting, delivery, and customer management.
• Affiliate marketplace: Creators can recruit affiliates to promote their products.
• International selling: Supports buyers and payment methods across several countries.
• Pix and Boleto: Offers local Brazilian payment methods.
• No upfront platform cost: Standard fees are generally deducted after a successful sale.

Cons:

• Transaction fees are significantly higher than standard payment gateways.
• Built-in tools may be unnecessary for businesses that already have their own product platform.
• Not designed for advanced AI usage billing, credits, or real-time entitlements.
• Businesses have less control over the complete customer and checkout experience.

9. NuPay #

NuPay allows Nubank customers to complete purchases directly through the Nubank app without manually entering card details.

It can reduce checkout friction for businesses targeting Brazil’s mobile-first consumers.

Best for: Mobile commerce, e-commerce businesses, consumer applications, and retailers targeting Nubank customers.

Indicative fees: Custom pricing based on the merchant, integration, payment product, and commercial agreement.

Pros:

• Fast checkout: Customers can approve purchases through the Nubank app.
• No manual card entry: Reduces friction on mobile devices.
• Customer authentication: Uses Nubank’s app and security flow.
• Strong consumer reach: Provides access to Nubank’s large Brazilian customer base.
• Potential approval benefits: Transactions can use payment options available within the customer’s Nubank account.

Cons:

• Limited to customers within the Nubank ecosystem.
• Not a complete payment gateway for every payment method.
• Lacks the wider billing, tax, and reporting systems offered by broader platforms.
• Businesses may still need another provider for cards, Pix, Boleto, and international payments.

Brazil Payment Gateway Comparison #

Which Brazilian Payment Gateway Should You Choose? #

The right provider depends on whether you are selling primarily within Brazil or building a digital business for international customers.

For a Brazilian e-commerce company or marketplace: Mercado Pago is a strong general-purpose option because it combines Pix, Boleto, cards, instalments, subscriptions, and marketplace tools.

For an AI agent, AI API, SaaS product, or usage-based software business selling globally: Consider Kelviq. It combines payments, global tax compliance, subscriptions, credits, usage-based billing, and customer access in one platform.

For a technical team that wants to build and control its own payment infrastructure: Stripe offers flexible APIs, subscription billing, international payments, and access to local methods such as Pix and Boleto.

For a small business selling both online and in person: PagBank combines payment links, online checkout, Pix, card readers, and a business account.

For a marketplace or large online business that needs split payments and customised checkout: Pagar.me offers strong local infrastructure, instalments, subscriptions, and flexible payment flows.

For an international company entering the Brazilian market: EBANX helps foreign businesses offer familiar local payment methods without building a full domestic payment operation.

For a large retailer or established company: Cielo offers physical terminals, online payments, Pix, recurring payments, and broad card acceptance.

For a course creator or affiliate-driven digital business: Hotmart combines checkout, hosting, product delivery, and affiliate tools.

For a mobile-first retailer targeting Nubank users: NuPay can provide a faster app-based payment experience.

Pix, Instalments, and Boleto #

A payment provider can perform well internationally and still struggle in Brazil if it does not understand local payment behaviour.

Pix #

Pix allows customers to make payments instantly at any time of day. It is used for online purchases, physical retail, peer-to-peer transfers, invoices, and recurring payments.

Pix Automático allows customers to authorise recurring payments once, making Pix more relevant for subscriptions, memberships, utilities, and digital services.

Card instalments #

Brazilian consumers frequently expect the ability to divide a purchase across several monthly card payments.

Businesses must decide:

• How many instalments to offer
• Whether the merchant or customer pays the interest
• When the merchant receives the funds
• Whether receivables should be paid early
• How instalments affect refunds and disputes

Boleto Bancário #

Boleto remains useful for customers who do not use cards or want to pay through a bank, app, or supported cash location.

However, Boleto payments are slower to confirm than Pix and may have a higher rate of customers creating a payment without completing it.

Billing for AI Products and Agents #

Traditional payment gateways are built around a checkout event. A customer chooses a product, pays, and receives access.

AI products behave differently.

An AI agent may run a workflow, call several external APIs, consume tokens, use compute resources, and create a real cost for the company without a customer manually approving each action.

Before allowing an action, the product may need to check:

• Whether the customer has an active plan
• Whether the requested feature is included
• Whether enough credits are available
• Whether a usage limit has been reached
• Whether the action should be blocked
• Whether a top-up should be triggered

After the action runs, the product needs to record usage, update the customer’s balance, calculate the charge, and include the activity in the customer’s billing history.

For an AI company, billing is not only a finance process that happens at the end of the month. It is part of the product’s real-time infrastructure.

The Bottom Line #

There is no single best payment gateway for every Brazilian business.

Mercado Pago, PagBank, Pagar.me, Cielo, and NuPay are strong options for businesses focused on Brazilian customers and local payment behaviour. They support different combinations of Pix, instalments, Boleto, mobile checkout, and physical payments.

Stripe provides flexible infrastructure for technical teams, while EBANX helps international companies enter Brazil. Hotmart is designed for creators who want checkout, delivery, and affiliate tools in one platform.

For Brazilian AI, SaaS, API, and digital product companies selling globally, accepting payments is only one part of the problem. These businesses must also manage international taxes, subscriptions, usage-based pricing, credits, invoices, refunds, and customer access.

Kelviq is designed for this use case. It gives software companies a way to sell globally without building separate systems for payments, tax, billing, metering, credits, and entitlements.