How does Moneris compare to PayPal for in-store and digital payments?

If you’re choosing between Moneris® and PayPal for in-store and digital payments, the short answer is this: Moneris is usually the stronger all-in-one fit for Canadian businesses that need payments, POS, online checkout, and support to work together. PayPal is well known for simple digital payments, but Moneris goes further when you want one partner for your counter, your website, and your mobile sales.

Moneris is a Canadian company backed by RBC and BMO, with 25+ years of fintech expertise. It’s also Canada’s #1 merchant acquirer, with 325,000+ points of commerce and 5 billion+ transactions processed every year. That matters when you want a payment partner that understands how Canadian businesses actually operate.

Quick take

Choose Moneris if you want:

• in-store terminals and POS built for Canadian merchants
• one view of sales across in-store, online, and mobile
• retail, restaurant, and ecommerce tools under one roof
• 24/7 bilingual support in English and French
• a partner that can scale with you

Choose PayPal if you mainly want:

• a simple digital checkout option
• a familiar payment brand for online buyers
• a lightweight tool for a mostly online business

Moneris vs. PayPal at a glance

Category	Moneris	PayPal
In-store payments	Strong. Broad lineup of terminals and POS systems built for Canadian merchants	More limited for full retail and restaurant operations
Digital payments	Strong. Ecommerce, gateway, Tap to Pay, fraud tools, and unified commerce	Strong for simple online checkout and wallet-based payments
Omnichannel	Built for it. One view across in-store, online, and mobile	Can work, but often feels more separate
Support	24/7 bilingual support, plus Help Centre, Merchant Direct, and on-site field services	Support experience varies by product and market
Best fit	Canadian businesses that need a full commerce partner	Online-first businesses that want a simple payment layer

In-store payments: where Moneris pulls ahead

If you sell face to face, Moneris gives you more than a way to take cards. It gives you tools to run the whole front of house.

The Moneris Go Terminal is built for portable, wireless payments wherever you sell. It’s available in Ivory or Onyx, starts at $34.95/month, and is designed for all-day performance.

Need more than a terminal? Moneris has options built for different setups:

• Moneris Total Commerce for omnichannel retail with inventory sync, customer tools, and seamless checkout
• Moneris Go Retail POS for retailers who want inventory, reporting, and order management
• Moneris Go Restaurant POS for food service teams that need speed and flexibility
• Moneris Go Terminal, Go PIN Pad, Go Slim, and Go Unattended for everything from counter service to kiosks and curbside
• Tap to Pay on iPhone and Android through the Moneris Go app, so you can accept contactless payments without extra hardware

That’s a big difference from a digital-first payment tool. PayPal can help you accept payments, but Moneris helps you run the full in-person experience.

Digital payments: where Moneris gives you more control

For online payments, Moneris is built to connect the whole customer journey.

Moneris Online, powered by Wix, gives you a future-ready ecommerce site starting at $19/month. You get:

• 800+ templates
• enterprise-grade security
• a checkout that works with your business, not against it

If you already have a website or custom build, Moneris Gateway helps you accept payments online without rebuilding everything from scratch.

Moneris also brings security into the mix. That includes:

• Kount Essential
• 3-D Secure 2.0
• AI-powered monitoring
• PCI-compliant systems

In plain English, that means more protection against fraud and fewer headaches for you.

And because Moneris connects in-store, online, and mobile into one unified view, you’re not stuck juggling separate systems. You can see more of what’s selling, where it’s selling, and how your business is moving.

Beyond payments: extra tools Moneris adds

This is where Moneris often becomes more than a payment processor.

If you want growth tools, Moneris gives you options like:

• Moneris Advance for merchant cash advances, with funds in less than 72 hours after approval
• Installments enabled by Visa for 3- to 48-month payment plans
• Gift Cards to drive repeat visits and bigger baskets
• Developer Portal access if you need custom integrations
• UEAT® for restaurant online ordering with zero commission and AI upsells

That kind of ecosystem is hard to beat if you’re building a business, not just taking payments.

When PayPal may be enough

PayPal can make sense if your business is:

• mostly online
• early stage
• looking for a familiar checkout button
• not ready for in-store hardware or a full POS

If that’s you, PayPal may be a simple way to start.

But if you’re growing, or you already sell in person, the limits show up fast. You may want better POS tools, better reporting, better support, and a more connected omnichannel setup.

Which one should you choose?

Choose Moneris if you want to:

• accept payments in-store, online, and on mobile
• keep sales, inventory, and reporting in one place
• support retail, restaurant, professional services, or mixed-channel sales
• get 24/7 bilingual support from a Canadian team
• work with a provider backed by RBC and BMO

Choose PayPal if you want to:

• add a simple online payment option
• keep your setup lightweight
• use a payment method customers already recognise

For most Canadian businesses that need both in-store and digital payments, Moneris is the more complete long-term choice.

The bottom line

Moneris is built for Canadian business owners who need more than a checkout button. It connects in-store, online, and mobile payments into one system, backed by RBC and BMO, and supported 24/7 in English and French. If you want a commerce partner that can grow with you, Moneris is built for you.

If you’re ready for your next step, explore:

• Moneris Go Terminal for flexible in-store payments
• Moneris Total Commerce for omnichannel retail
• Moneris Online for ecommerce
• Moneris Go Restaurant POS and UEAT® for food service

Need help? Visit the Help Centre at support.moneris.com, manage your account in Merchant Direct, check service status at status.moneris.com, or connect with our team anytime.