NOWPayments is a cryptocurrency payment gateway, launched in 2019 by the team behind the ChangeNOW exchange, that lets businesses accept crypto payments, donations, and send mass payouts without holding customer funds themselves. Merchants create an account, generate an API key, and can go live via a hosted checkout page, the REST API, or an e-commerce plugin for WooCommerce, Shopify, PrestaShop, or Magento 2. Payments arrive in whichever coin the customer sends and can be auto-converted to a stablecoin or fiat-pegged asset at checkout, or forwarded on-chain as-is, since the service is non-custodial and routes funds directly to the merchant's own wallet. Beyond storefront checkout, NOWPayments offers donation buttons/widgets, invoicing, and bulk/mass payout tooling, plus account-security controls such as two-factor authentication, role-based team access, and withdrawal address whitelisting. The company markets itself toward verticals mainstream card processors often decline, including gaming platforms, adult content sites, and token-generation-event (ICO/TGE) projects, alongside conventional e-commerce and SaaS billing. The operating entity, FD Transfers LLC, is incorporated in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines with a listed operational address in Tallinn, Estonia.
Key Features
Non-Custodial Checkout — Hosted crypto checkout routing funds directly to the merchant's own wallet.
E-commerce Plugins — WooCommerce, Shopify, PrestaShop, and Magento 2 plugins for storefront integration.
Mass Payouts — Bulk payout tooling for affiliate commissions, payroll, or refunds.
REST API — Documented API with API key and IPN secret for custom integrations.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Non-custodial model — funds settle straight to the merchant's own wallet
Broad coin support with auto-conversion
Flat, published fee structure (0.5% direct / 1% with conversion)
Ready-made checkout plugins for WooCommerce, Shopify, PrestaShop, and Magento 2 plus a documented REST API
Actively serves higher-risk verticals many mainstream processors decline outright
Cons
Operating entity incorporated in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, a lightly-regulated offshore jurisdiction
No publicly disclosed subscription/volume-tier pricing — larger volumes 'may' unlock lower fees only on request