Aurpay vs NOWPayments: Non-Custodial Crypto Gateway Comparison (2026)

If you are comparing crypto payment gateways, Aurpay and NOWPayments will end up on the same shortlist. Both market themselves as non-custodial. Both support major cryptocurrencies. Both integrate with Shopify and WooCommerce. On the surface, they look like near-identical alternatives to custodial processors like BitPay or Coinbase Business.

But “non-custodial” is not a binary label. These two gateways implement it differently, price it differently, and make different trade-offs on coin support, platform coverage, and compliance requirements. This comparison goes beneath the marketing to help you decide which one actually fits your business. For the wider market, see how the main crypto payment processors stack up.

What “Non-Custodial” Actually Means at Each Gateway

Aurpay operates a purely non-custodial architecture. When a customer pays, the crypto moves directly from the buyer’s wallet to your merchant wallet address. Aurpay facilitates the transaction — generating the payment interface, monitoring the blockchain for confirmations, notifying your e-commerce platform — but at no point does it hold, pool, or route your funds through an intermediary wallet. There is no optional custody layer, no internal balance, and no withdrawal process. Funds are yours the moment the blockchain confirms the transaction.

NOWPayments defaults to non-custodial as well. In its standard configuration, payments flow directly to your designated wallet. However, NOWPayments also offers an optional custody solution that merchants can enable within their account. When custody is active, incoming payments are pooled into NOWPayments-controlled cold storage wallets. Merchants can then withdraw in batches, swap between currencies inside the custodial balance, or use mass payout features.

This hybrid model is not inherently bad. Custody reduces the number of on-chain transactions you manage, and batching withdrawals can save on network fees. But it introduces exactly the counterparty risk that non-custodial architecture is designed to eliminate. When your funds sit in a third party’s cold storage — even briefly — you depend on that party’s operational security, solvency, and compliance decisions. The crypto custodian failures of 2022-2023 showed what happens when that trust is misplaced.

For merchants who specifically chose non-custodial to avoid intermediary risk, Aurpay’s approach is simpler: there is no custodial option to accidentally enable, no internal balance to monitor, and no withdrawal step between receiving payment and controlling your funds.

Fee Structure: The 1% vs 0.8% Question

NOWPayments now publishes a base fee of 1% per transaction for payments without exchange — higher than Aurpay’s 0.8%. Many comparison pages still quote an older 0.5% figure, so check which number a review is using. The real cost also depends on how you use the platform.

The rate rises to 1.5% for multi-currency, fixed-rate and fee-paid-by-user payments. If a customer pays in BTC but you want to receive USDT, the platform converts the currency and the 1.5% rate applies. For merchants who accept a single cryptocurrency and never convert, the 1% base rate holds. But most merchants accepting multiple coins will trigger the higher rate on a significant portion of their transactions.

Aurpay charges a flat 0.8% on every transaction regardless of the payment coin or settlement coin. There is no conversion fee because Aurpay does not perform conversion — you receive exactly the cryptocurrency your customer sends, minus the 0.8% processing fee. If you want to convert to a different asset, you do that on your own exchange account, where you control the timing and the rate.

Real Cost Comparison by Monthly Volume

Monthly Volume	NOWPayments (no conversion)	NOWPayments (with auto-conversion)	Aurpay (flat fee)
$5,000	$50 (1%)	$75 (1.5%)	$40 (0.8%)
$10,000	$100 (1%)	$150 (1.5%)	$80 (0.8%)
$25,000	$250 (1%)	$375 (1.5%)	$200 (0.8%)
$50,000	$500 (1%)	$750 (1.5%)	$400 (0.8%)

NOWPayments has offered volume discounts above 50 BTC and 100 BTC of monthly turnover. These thresholds correspond to roughly $3M+ and $6M+ monthly volume at current prices — relevant only for enterprise-scale merchants, who should confirm the current discounted rates with NOWPayments.

The takeaway: at NOWPayments’ current published rates, Aurpay’s 0.8% flat fee is 20% less than its 1% base rate, and about 47% less than the 1.5% rate on multi-currency and fixed-rate payments — common for merchants who want to standardize on USDT or USDC. Conversion behavior still matters, but it now decides how much you save rather than which gateway is cheaper.

Coin and Chain Support

NOWPayments supports over 350 cryptocurrencies and tokens. This is one of the widest selections among crypto payment gateways, behind only CoinPayments (2,290+). If your business needs to accept niche altcoins — meme tokens, low-cap DeFi tokens, or chain-specific community coins — NOWPayments is one of the few gateways that can accommodate that.

Aurpay supports a focused merchant payment set: BTC, Bitcoin Lightning, ETH, USDT and USDC on ERC-20/TRC-20, DAI on ERC-20, and BNB. Stablecoin network choice is a specific strength: USDT and USDC are available on Ethereum (ERC-20) and Tron (TRC-20), giving merchants two widely used stablecoin rails without advertising unsupported chains. Platform matters here — see the crypto gateways that work with Shopify. We walk through the configuration in Accept Ethereum Payments on Your.

The practical question is whether 350+ coins translates to business value. Of the 350+ assets NOWPayments supports, the majority have daily trading volumes under $100,000 — meaning real customer demand for paying with these tokens is negligible. Merchants typically find that 90%+ of their crypto payments come from the same 10-15 assets: BTC, ETH, major stablecoins, and a handful of popular altcoins. Both gateways cover these.

Where Aurpay’s focused approach has an edge is in multi-chain stablecoin routing. If your customer base is cost-sensitive, offering USDT on both TRC-20 and ERC-20 lets customers choose the cheaper rail, which is not always the one they expect — we measured on 31 August 2026 about $0.02 on ERC-20 against $2.11–$4.36 on TRC-20. Aurpay supports this natively. NOWPayments also supports multiple chains, but the stablecoin-specific routing is less prominently featured in their checkout flow. For a deeper look at stablecoin payment optimization, see our USDT payment gateway page.

Platform Integrations

This is where NOWPayments has the broader catalogue, though the gap is narrower than it is often presented.

NOWPayments provides dedicated plugins for WooCommerce, Shopify, PrestaShop, Magento 2, OpenCart, Zen Cart, WHMCS, and Ecwid. Beyond CMS plugins, it offers a full API, embeddable payment widgets, invoicing tools, and donation buttons. If your store runs on a less common platform, NOWPayments likely has an integration path.

Aurpay’s two main platforms are Shopify (via a Custom App integration) and WooCommerce (via a WordPress plugin), and it also integrates natively with Ecwid, BigCommerce, PrestaShop, OpenCart, Paid Memberships Pro and Easy Digital Downloads. Magento, Zen Cart and WHMCS are not supported, so stores on those platforms will need NOWPayments or another gateway.

The honest assessment: if you are a Shopify or WooCommerce merchant, both gateways serve you well, and Aurpay’s Shopify Custom App integration offers a slightly tighter checkout experience. If you are on Magento, Zen Cart, WHMCS or another platform outside Aurpay’s eight integrations, NOWPayments wins by default. The background is covered in Shopify Crypto.

KYC and Onboarding

Aurpay requires no contract paperwork or bank-account setup. You connect your wallet address, set up the Shopify integration or WooCommerce plugin, and start accepting payments. Because funds settle directly to your wallet instead of a platform balance, onboarding is lighter than a bank-style processor account. Merchants should still follow their own local compliance and tax obligations.

NOWPayments takes a tiered, risk-based approach. For standard crypto-only accounts, KYC is generally not required. You can sign up, integrate, and begin accepting crypto payments without identity verification. However, KYC/KYB (Know Your Business) verification is triggered in several scenarios: when a transaction is flagged by their AML monitoring system, when you want to access fiat settlement features, or when your account exceeds certain volume thresholds.

In practice, most small-to-mid-size crypto-only merchants on NOWPayments will never encounter a KYC requirement. But the possibility exists. If your AML flags trigger — which can happen for legitimate reasons like receiving payments from privacy-focused wallets or operating in certain jurisdictions — NOWPayments may place a hold on transactions until you complete verification. This includes providing photo ID, proof of fund source, and a selfie with your ID.

For merchants who chose crypto payments specifically to avoid the onboarding friction of traditional processors, Aurpay’s wallet-based onboarding model is simpler and more predictable. There is no custodial balance or fiat settlement account to underwrite. For a full analysis of low-friction crypto payment options, see our guide on accepting crypto payments without KYC.

Fiat Settlement

NOWPayments offers fiat settlement through third-party partners such as Guardarian and Banxa. Merchants can convert received crypto to fiat in 25+ currencies. The process typically takes 2-5 business days, involves additional fees in the 1.5%-2.3% range, and requires KYC/KYB verification. It is not a native feature — it is a brokered service layered on top of the crypto gateway.

Aurpay does not offer fiat settlement. Full stop. If you need to convert crypto to USD, EUR, or any other fiat currency, you transfer your received crypto to an exchange account and sell it yourself. This gives you full control over timing and exchange rates, but it also means more manual work.

This is a genuine gap for merchants whose accounting, payroll, or supplier payments require fiat. If same-platform fiat conversion is a requirement for your business, NOWPayments offers a path (albeit through intermediaries with additional fees and KYC). Aurpay does not.

Settlement Speed and Withdrawal

In non-custodial mode, both gateways offer instant settlement. Once the blockchain confirms the transaction, the funds are in your wallet. For Tron (TRC-20) transactions, this means seconds. For Ethereum and Bitcoin, confirmation times range from minutes to an hour depending on network conditions.

The difference emerges if you use NOWPayments’ custodial features. When custody is enabled, funds are not instantly available in your personal wallet. They sit in NOWPayments’ cold storage until you initiate a withdrawal. Batch withdrawals reduce network fees but introduce a delay between receiving payment and accessing funds — precisely the kind of settlement lag that non-custodial architecture is supposed to eliminate.

With Aurpay, there is no withdrawal step. Funds arrive in your wallet at the moment of blockchain confirmation. You can spend, hold, or transfer them immediately without interacting with the gateway’s dashboard at all.

When NOWPayments Is the Better Choice

Honest comparisons require honest conclusions. There are specific merchant profiles where NOWPayments is the stronger option.

You Need 100+ Coin Support

If your business caters to crypto-native customers who want to pay with niche altcoins, gaming tokens, or DeFi assets, NOWPayments’ 350+ coin roster is a real advantage. Aurpay’s 10+ supported assets cover the mainstream, but they will not satisfy a customer who wants to pay with SHIB, DOGE, or a low-cap token.

You Run Magento, WHMCS, or Another Unsupported Platform

If your store runs on Magento 2, Zen Cart or WHMCS, Aurpay has no native integration (its REST API is the only route). NOWPayments supports 8+ e-commerce platforms, including those three, and offers an API for custom integrations.

You Need Fiat Settlement

If converting crypto to fiat within your payment gateway workflow is a business requirement, NOWPayments offers it through partners. Aurpay does not offer fiat settlement at all. The additional fees and KYC requirements may be acceptable if the alternative is manually managing exchange accounts.

You Want Auto-Conversion Between Coins

If you want to accept any of 350+ coins but receive everything as BTC or USDT, NOWPayments’ auto-conversion handles this automatically (at its 1.5% multi-currency rate). Aurpay delivers exactly the coin the customer pays with — no automatic swaps.

When Aurpay Is the Better Choice

You Want Pure Non-Custodial — No Exceptions

If you specifically chose a non-custodial gateway to eliminate counterparty risk, Aurpay’s architecture is cleaner. There is no optional custody layer to enable, no internal balance to manage, and no scenario where your funds sit in a third party’s wallet. The simplicity is the feature.

You Are on Shopify or WooCommerce

Aurpay’s Shopify integration is a maintained platform integration — not a third-party plugin that routes through an external checkout. For WooCommerce, the plugin integrates directly with the WordPress dashboard. If your store is on one of these platforms, Aurpay’s integration is polished and well-maintained; BigCommerce, Ecwid, PrestaShop and OpenCart stores also get native Aurpay plugins. For WordPress stores specifically, see the crypto gateways that support WooCommerce.

You Want Predictable, Flat Pricing

Aurpay charges 0.8% on every transaction. No conversion fees, no exchange fees, no tiered pricing that changes based on how you configure your account. For merchants who value cost predictability — especially when budgeting payment processing expenses — a single flat rate eliminates the need to calculate effective fees based on conversion ratios.

You Want Low-friction Onboarding

Aurpay’s wallet-based onboarding model is built for speed. There is no platform balance, withdrawal account, or fiat settlement feature to underwrite before your first crypto payment. If onboarding friction is a priority — whether for speed-to-market or operating in regions where banking setup is difficult — Aurpay is the more predictable choice.

You Prioritize Multi-Chain Stablecoin Payments

If your payment volume is primarily stablecoins — USDT, USDC, DAI — Aurpay’s multi-chain support lets customers choose the cheapest network. Offering USDT on both ERC-20 and TRC-20 lets each customer pay on the rail their wallet is already funded on, and on current fees the cheaper rail is often ERC-20, as the measurement above shows. This directly improves checkout completion rates for price-sensitive buyers.

Side-by-Side Summary

Feature	Aurpay	NOWPayments
Custody model	Purely non-custodial	Non-custodial (default) + optional custody
Base fee	0.8% flat	1% (1.5% multi-currency / fixed-rate)
Effective fee (with conversion)	0.8%	1.5%
Coins supported	10+	350+
Chains supported	Ethereum, Tron, Bitcoin, Lightning	Multiple chains
Shopify	Custom App	Plugin integration
WooCommerce	WordPress plugin	WordPress plugin
Other platforms	Ecwid, BigCommerce, PrestaShop, OpenCart, Paid Memberships Pro, Easy Digital Downloads	PrestaShop, Magento 2, OpenCart, Zen Cart, WHMCS, Ecwid
KYC	No contracts or banking details required	Risk-based (crypto-only usually free, fiat/flagged needs KYC)
Fiat settlement	No	Yes (via third-party partners, additional fees + KYC)
Auto-conversion	No	Yes (1.5% rate applies)
Settlement speed	Instant (on-chain confirmation)	Instant in non-custodial mode; delayed in custody mode
Volume discounts	No	Enterprise-scale only (50+ BTC/month; confirm current rates)

Making the Decision

This is not a case where one gateway is universally better. NOWPayments offers broader coin support, integrations for Magento, Zen Cart and WHMCS, and fiat settlement options that Aurpay does not match. For merchants who need those features, NOWPayments is the right choice.

Aurpay’s value proposition is different: architectural simplicity, predictable pricing, and zero-compromise non-custodial design. If you are a Shopify or WooCommerce merchant processing payments in major cryptocurrencies and stablecoins, and you want the cleanest possible non-custodial experience with no hidden fees, conditional KYC triggers, or optional custodial layers — Aurpay is built for exactly that use case.

The best way to evaluate is to match your actual requirements against the comparison table above. Start with the three questions that matter most: which platform does your store run on, do you need fiat settlement, and how many of the 350+ coins would your customers realistically use? Your answers will point you to the right gateway.

If Aurpay fits your profile, you can explore the stablecoin payment gateway and be accepting crypto payments within 15 minutes — no intermediary custody risk, no conversion fees. For a broader look at how to evaluate gateways systematically, see our merchant decision framework.