PayHere Checkout

PayHere Checkout is a payment gateway for Sri Lankan businesses taking remote payments. It is a strong fit for eligible merchants who want a choice of payment links, website checkout, or app integrations, but the plan limits and fees call for careful comparison.

Overview

Customers can pay with major card networks including Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, and Diners Club, as well as local services such as HelaPay, Frimi, Genie, iPay, Q Plus, and Sampath Vishwa. Supported currencies are LKR, USD, GBP, EUR, and AUD. Merchants can send payment links without a website, or use plugins, checkout APIs, and mobile SDKs. Onsite Checkout keeps payment on the merchant’s site, with credentials captured in an iframe served by PCI DSS certified backends.

Recurring payments and subscriptions make the service relevant beyond one-off sales; PayHere says it manages subscriptions for merchants. Dashboard materials also include issuing refunds. The company states that it is Central Bank approved, ISO/IEC 27001 certified, and PCI DSS compliant through partner banks. Setup fees are absent, but foreign-currency payments add 1.0% to the active plan’s processing fee, which can materially change the cost of international sales.

Key features

• Flexible collection: Links, plugins, APIs, and mobile SDKs give businesses different ways to accept remote payments. Links are particularly useful for sellers who do not maintain a website; API and SDK options suit businesses integrating checkout into their own properties.
• Store and app integrations: Plugins cover OpenCart, WooCommerce, Magento, PrestaShop, ShopHere, Shopify, WHMCS, CS-Cart, and Moodle. Android, iOS, React Native, and Flutter SDKs support app integrations, giving established store and app setups several routes to connect.
• Onsite checkout: Customers can pay within the merchant’s website, while payment credentials are handled in an iframe served by PCI DSS certified backends. This offers a site-based checkout option without suggesting that every checkout flow is hosted identically.
• Recurring billing: Subscription support and subscription management make PayHere more useful for recurring services than a gateway limited to single payments.
• Eligibility restrictions: Applicants need a valid business and local bank account in Sri Lanka. PayHere excludes donations and businesses involving gems and jewellery, unauthorized software licenses, outbound tours, dating, astrology, dropshipping, print-on-demand, and multi-vendor platforms. These exclusions rule it out for several otherwise common online business models.

Pricing

PayHere has a free option and paid monthly plans. There are no setup fees. The main trade-off is between monthly cost, processing rate, and transaction ceilings; foreign-currency transactions incur an additional 1.0% above the active plan’s processing fee.

For ordinary merchants, LITE avoids a monthly charge but has the highest listed processing rate and the tightest caps. PLUS lowers the rate and raises both ceilings for a monthly fee. PREMIUM removes the monthly payment-count cap and allows larger individual payments, while EDU has a lower rate but is limited to education-related businesses. GOV is specifically for government payments, not a general low-fee tier.

Platforms

PayHere supports Android, iOS, web, and API integrations. The listed mobile SDKs extend to React Native and Flutter, while the plugin range covers several major store platforms.

Who it's for

PayHere is best for Sri Lankan businesses with a valid local business and bank account that need remote card or local-method payments, including merchants selling through websites, apps, or links. It is less suitable for businesses outside the eligibility rules, sellers whose volume or ticket size exceeds their chosen plan’s limits, and anyone needing donations or one of the unsupported business categories.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Payment links allow remote collection without a website, while plugins, APIs, and SDKs serve more integrated stores and apps.
• Pro: Five supported currencies, major international cards, and several local payment methods provide multiple ways for customers to pay.
• Pro: Subscription support extends the gateway to recurring charges, and refund issuing is included in dashboard materials.
• Con: LITE caps payments at LKR 50,000 each and LKR 200,000 monthly, limiting its usefulness as sales grow.
• Con: International-currency payments add 1.0% on top of the plan’s processing fee.
• Con: The Sri Lanka business and bank-account requirements, along with the unsupported categories, exclude many prospective merchants.

Alternatives

Mollie is worth considering when its pay-as-you-go structure suits your card mix: its listed domestic consumer debit and credit card rate is €1.20%, while other consumer cards are €1.80%, and it has no contract or commitment.

PayPal Invoicing is a better direction for businesses centered on sending invoices: its free plan supports creating and sending invoices without setup or subscription fees, though transaction fees apply when customers pay.

Checkout Page may suit a small team testing sales volume within its free allowance: that plan covers up to $3,000 in sales per 30 days and one team member, and a free trial is available.

Checkout.com is an alternative for registered charities, which have free payment processing in countries where it operates; it also offers tailored pricing.

HitPay Payment Links is another link-focused option with no setup or monthly fee, charging a 0.2% Payment Links fee plus the payment method’s processing fee.

Paystack may be a better fit for Nigerian transactions: its listed Nigeria pricing has no subscription, with local transactions at 1.5% plus NGN 100, waived under NGN 2,500.

Airwallex Billing is worth comparing for global invoicing or usage-based billing, including a listed $0.50 per successful transaction for usage-based billing.

Zoho Checkout is an option for organizations that want payment pages under a free plan, which allows three pages, up to 50 payments overall, and one user.

Browse more options in Hosted Checkout Software.

Verdict

PayHere Checkout is a practical choice for eligible Sri Lankan businesses that want local payment support and several ways to take remote payments, particularly through links, integrations, or subscriptions. Its main advantages are the breadth of collection options and the free entry tier; its main drawbacks are LITE’s strict caps, added foreign-currency cost, and substantial eligibility exclusions. Choose it when those fit your business; look elsewhere if they do not.