Picking the wrong payment processor as an Indian founder costs you 3-5% in invisible fees and 2 weeks of refused-card horror stories. Here's the real comparison after onboarding all three for Nexora Aero.
What each actually does
Stripe India — supports Indian businesses receiving INR from Indian customers. International cards: heavily restricted (RBI rules). Settlement T+3 to Indian bank.
Razorpay — RBI-licensed payment aggregator. Best India coverage (UPI, cards, netbanking, wallets, EMI). International cards: enabled but requires extra approval, higher fees.
PayPal — global by default. Receives USD/EUR/GBP from anywhere. Settlement to your Indian bank with 4.4% + ₹fees forex.
Fee comparison (₹1000 transaction)
| Gateway | Domestic | International | |---|---|---| | Razorpay | 2.0% = ₹20 | 3.0% = ₹30 | | Stripe India | 2.5% (cards) / 0.4% (UPI) | n/a easily | | PayPal | n/a | 4.4% + ₹3 + FX loss |
Settlement times
- Razorpay: T+2 (instant for premium)
- Stripe India: T+3
- PayPal: 1-2 weeks to bank (T+0 to PayPal wallet)
The international card trap
Every Indian founder hits this: "international cards are not supported" error from Razorpay or Stripe India. To unlock:
- Razorpay — fill out International Payments form, RBI doc submission, 1-4 week review
- Stripe India — basically impossible for most under-$500K-ARR businesses
- Solution most use: form a US LLC (Stripe Atlas, ~$500), get a US Stripe account, accept international cards natively
Recommendation
- Indian customers only → Razorpay (best UPI rates)
- Indian + international, you're <$5K MRR → Razorpay + PayPal fallback
- Indian + international, you're >$5K MRR → Razorpay (India) + Stripe Atlas (international)
Nexora Aero uses Razorpay for Indian buyers, Stripe for international cards, PayPal as a fallback. All three integrated, all routed by buyer geography.
Hire a Stripe/Razorpay integration expert →
Need this built for you?
Hire a vetted Nexora expert. Escrow-protected. Fixed price. From $65.
Browse automation services →