Choose PayPal when offering PayPal checkout is central to the sale. Shortlist Helcim when an eligible US or Canadian business wants card-first collection and can evaluate interchange-plus costs against its actual card mix. Both offer ways to request payment by link; the useful comparison is the checkout your buyers need and the full cost of your sales.
This guide is for a seller choosing a collection route, not someone finding a personal PayPal.Me address. The worked example uses US dollars and US online pricing. Dutch readers should keep that geography distinction when comparing their own accounts.
Which payment workflow are you buying?
PayPal's merchant payment links are real hosted checkout links for products or services. You do not need to describe PayPal as merely a personal money-transfer link to explain the alternatives.
Helcim Payment Requests can be shared by text, email or a copied link. Its business restrictions describe support for businesses across Canada and the US, subject to approval. Do that eligibility check before spending time comparing fees.
| Your sale | Decision to make | Evidence to collect before choosing |
|---|---|---|
| Repeatable offer shared in a message | Which hosted checkout and buyer methods fit? | Open the offer on a phone; check price, currency and available methods |
| A named client's balance | Is a request enough, or do you need an invoice record? | Match the payment to the client and outstanding amount |
| A recurring service | Do you need an authorized recurring collection? | Confirm permission, renewal schedule and cancellation handling |
| A paid download | Who delivers the file after successful payment? | Confirm the buyer receives access, not just a receipt |
A processor comparison does not settle every row. Keep an invoicing or fulfillment requirement in the shortlist even if one processor's price looks attractive.
A forty-order worksheet: separate markup from card cost
Assume a fictional US seller receives 40 domestic online orders of $125, totaling $5,000. No refunds, disputes, international transactions or currency conversion occur. This is arithmetic, not an observed merchant statement or live checkout test.
The PayPal US fee schedule lists PayPal Checkout at 3.49% plus $0.49 USD. Standard Credit and Debit Card Payments are a separate category at 2.99% plus $0.49. Identify the actual product; do not apply the wallet rate to every PayPal payment.
Helcim's published pricing lists the first keyed/online volume band at interchange plus 0.50% and $0.25. The 0.50% is a markup, not the entire fee. In this example that known markup is $5,000 × 0.005 + 40 × $0.25 = $35.
For the sensitivity table, assume the remaining underlying card/network cost is equivalent to one of the percentages below. Those percentages are hypothetical inputs, not quoted Helcim interchange rates; replace them with the applicable pass-through charges for your card mix.
| Assumed underlying cost on $5,000 | Underlying dollars | Plus $35 markup | Modeled Helcim total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.60% | $80 | $35 | $115 |
| 2.20% | $110 | $35 | $145 |
| 3.00% | $150 | $35 | $185 |
For the same forty orders, modeled PayPal Checkout costs $5,000 × 0.0349 + 40 × $0.49 = $194.10. The separate standard-card category would cost $169.10. At the 3.00% underlying-cost assumption, Helcim's $185 is below the wallet calculation but above that standard-card calculation. The label on the transaction changes the conclusion.
With these exact order values, the underlying-cost boundary against PayPal Checkout is ($194.10 − $35) ÷ $5,000 = 3.182%. Against the standard-card category it is 2.682%. These are calculation boundaries, not forecasts of your effective rate.
Use an actual statement or written proposal to replace underlying percentage, fixed network charges, average order and volume band. Then add relevant refund, dispute, international, conversion and software costs separately. A lower modeled fee does not establish better approval, settlement or sales conversion.
Choose the route before switching records
A business selling to PayPal-preferring buyers may retain PayPal alongside a card route rather than make an all-or-nothing switch. Conversely, if the requirement is card collection for eligible local clients, a card-first option may be a sensible shortlist even without a PayPal button.
Retain the old transaction history and a route for handling refunds. Map outstanding requests and recurring agreements before moving collection; copying a customer record does not transfer payment authorization. If you sell files, decide how existing buyers retain their access before replacing the checkout.
When PayRequest fits the PayPal route
Consider PayRequest payment links if you choose PayPal and want to manage shareable seller offers. The current PayRequest PayPal documentation requires an eligible PayPal Business account and limits that connection to payment links; invoices, subscriptions and customer billing use Mollie. PayRequest is not a Helcim integration.
PayRequest pricing is €0/month with a 2% standard platform fee on Free, €5/month for Premium and €20/month for Business. An active paid plan removes the standard platform fee; provider fees and commission-payment exceptions remain separate. Add the applicable software cost to your comparison rather than treating it as the processor fee.
If that route matches your sale, create an account, complete setup, connect the eligible PayPal account and prepare one priced offer through the article CTA. Check the buyer-facing offer before sharing it. An invoice or subscription requirement should instead be evaluated against the supported billing route.
Editorial method: prepared with AI assistance; official sources reviewed on 7 November 2026. The cover is illustrative. Card-cost inputs are explicitly hypothetical; no live provider test or customer saving is claimed.
