Choose PayPal when its merchant checkout and eligible payment methods fit your buyers. Consider Elavon when you want an acquiring and gateway arrangement that fits your wider card-payment business. Both offer ways to collect a payment through a hosted link; the decision extends beyond which logo appears at checkout.
For a UK merchant collecting orders by email or message, compare the complete offer: account eligibility, enabled methods, contracted costs, settlement and what happens to the order after payment. This is a UK-focused decision framework, not a universal fee comparison.
Compare three possible routes
PayPal merchant payment links let sellers use hosted checkout without developing a payment flow. Elavon's UK Pay By Link similarly sends customers to a payment page and describes payment-status and settlement visibility.
| Route | Good reason to evaluate it | Question that can rule it out |
|---|---|---|
| Native PayPal merchant checkout | PayPal's seller checkout suits your customers | Is your account eligible for the methods and country you need? |
| Native Elavon Pay By Link | It fits your acquiring/gateway arrangement | Which Elavon product and contract include your required features? |
| PayRequest with an eligible connected provider | Collection needs invoices or paid-file delivery alongside it | Does the exact provider and post-payment workflow fit? |
PayRequest does not provide an Elavon connector in this comparison. A merchant who must retain an Elavon payment account should assess Elavon's own route or a verified compatible integration.
Price the same basket of orders
A global headline percentage is not a quote for a specific UK merchant, card mix or payment product. Ask each provider for the applicable processing basis, fixed charge, standing fees and any gateway or acquiring components. Identify whether a quoted component is already included before adding it again.
Use this hypothetical monthly basket: 120 orders of £80, giving £9,600 gross sales. Suppose ninety are card payments and thirty use a wallet. These are assumptions, not observed customer preferences.
For a quote that prices those methods separately, the processing subtotal is:
90 × (£80 × p_card + f_card) + 30 × (£80 × p_wallet + f_wallet).
Enter percentages as decimals. If both methods have the same contracted rate, use that rate in both terms. Add applicable fixed monthly charges, foreign-exchange, cross-border, refund and dispute costs separately. For interchange-based pricing, include the applicable interchange and other required components; a processor markup alone is not the full payment cost.
Divide the complete monthly total by 120 to compare cost per paid order. Also calculate a lower-volume month: fixed costs spread across fewer orders may change the choice. No price winner is claimed without equivalent actual quotes.
Check link behavior and automatic collection separately
Elavon's merchant-portal documentation describes both single-use and reusable links. Its gateway payment-links documentation describes a one-time route. Confirm the exact product offered to your account; do not assume every Elavon interface exposes identical controls.
A reusable link lets someone make another payment. It is not, by itself, authorization to debit that customer automatically every month. If recurring collection is required, evaluate the relevant provider subscription or stored-payment product and consent flow separately. PayPal also offers separate subscription products; absence from a directory checklist is not proof that it lacks recurring payments.
Include the order handoff in the decision
Before choosing, write down what a confirmed payment must trigger. A service seller may need a named invoice and booking confirmation. A download seller needs the correct paid file delivered to the correct buyer. A physical-goods merchant needs an order and fulfilment process.
PayPal supports selling digital items; that does not establish that every payment link hosts and delivers a file. Equally, a successful card payment is not proof that a separate order system received the reference. Ask each shortlisted supplier how your required handoff is achieved and who handles an incomplete payment or refund.
Evaluate PayRequest when the workflow is the missing part
Review PayRequest payment links for collection and digital products when protected download delivery is required. Connect an eligible provider and prepare one representative offer. Review the amount, available methods, order reference and confirmation before sharing the link with customers.
Keep PayRequest platform pricing separate from provider processing fees. Digital products require Premium or Business; a paid plan's 0% standard platform fee does not remove the provider's charges. If your native Elavon or PayPal setup already meets the whole job, retaining it may be simpler.
Editorial note: AI assisted this article. Primary sources were reviewed on 24 October 2026. The basket and quote formula are original planning examples; no checkout test, rate quote or conversion uplift is claimed.
