How much does a payment gateway cost for a startup?

A startup-level MVP payment gateway typically costs $30,000-$80,000. This covers basic card processing, a simple merchant dashboard, PCI SAQ D compliance (self-assessment), and integration with one acquiring bank. The timeline is typically 3-5 months with a team of 4-6 engineers.

What is the custom payment gateway development cost for an enterprise?

Enterprise-grade gateways with multi-currency support, AI fraud detection, multi-acquirer routing, and full PCI DSS Level 1 certification cost $50,000-$100,000+. If you're also building, acquiring infrastructure, or supporting regulated money movement, costs can exceed $120,000.

How long does it take to build a payment gateway?

A basic gateway MVP takes 3-5 months. A mid-tier gateway with fraud detection and multi-currency support takes 6-10 months. An enterprise gateway with full compliance certification can take 12-18 months. PCI DSS certification alone typically takes 3-6 months to complete.

Can I integrate an existing payment gateway instead of building one?

Absolutely. For businesses below $2M/month in GMV, third-party gateway integration ($5,000-$30,000) is almost always the smarter choice. The cost to integrate a payment gateway is dramatically lower than building one. Our software development company can handle both integration and custom builds, depending on your scale and needs.

What is PCI DSS, and why does it matter for payment gateway cost?

PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) is the mandatory security standard for any system handling card data. Level 1 certification (for high-volume gateways) costs $50,000-$100,000 and requires annual recertification. Non-compliance can result in fines of $5,000-$100,000/month from card networks and loss of the ability to process cards entirely.

What ongoing costs should I budget for after building a payment gateway?

Plan for 20-25% of your initial development cost annually in ongoing costs. For a $100,000 gateway, that's $20,000-$30,000/year covering cloud infrastructure, PCI re-certification, security testing, feature updates, and fraud tool subscriptions before any team headcount.