Head to head · checked 2026-09-06
Bitcart vs BTCPay Server
Two free, self-hosted, non-custodial processors. BTCPay Server is Bitcoin and Lightning with a very long plugin list and the larger community. Bitcart is multi-chain from the start, reaching Ethereum, Tron, Monero and stablecoins, with two plugins and a smaller project behind it. Choose on the assets your customers hold and the ecosystem you want to depend on.
How do Bitcart and BTCPay Server differ?
Weights| Gateway | Score | From | Assets | Verification | Settles fiat | Discloses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bitcart | 7.1 | 0% | 50 | None stated | No | 84% |
| BTCPay Server | 7.7 | 0% | None stated | No | 74% |
Scoring Bitcart against BTCPay Server
| Criterion | Weight | Bitcart | BTCPay Server |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assets, networks and geography How many assets and chains are live for merchants, and in which markets settlement actually works. | 25 | 7 | 4 |
| All-in cost Processing percentage, conversion spread and payout cost taken together, not the headline number alone. | 25 | 10 | 10 |
| Onboarding and verification What a merchant must submit before going live, how long it takes, and which verticals are refused outright. | 20 | 8 | 10 |
| Integrations and API Maintained plugins, API surface, webhook reliability and whether a developer can reach a test transaction from public docs alone. | 18 | 5 | 9 |
| Support and operations Reachable channels, published response commitments, and documented handling of underpayment and wrong-network sends. | 12 | 3 | 5 |
| Weighted total | 7.1 | 7.7 |
Where the two diverge
Scored 0–10 · checked 2026-09-06
Bitcart BTCPay Server
On this page
Same model, different scope#
Both are open-source software you run on your own server, both charge nothing, and both pay into wallets whose keys you hold. The cards agree on cost, custody and onboarding because the model is identical. Where they differ is what the software watches: BTCPay Server watches Bitcoin and Lightning, with other chains reachable through community plugins; Bitcart watches Bitcoin, Lightning, Ethereum and its tokens, Tron, BNB Chain, Polygon, Litecoin and Monero out of the box.
For a Bitcoin-only merchant the difference is invisible. For one whose customers pay USDT on Tron, it is the whole comparison.
Plugins and platforms#
BTCPay Server names more than twenty ecommerce integrations on its own page, including WooCommerce, Shopify, PrestaShop, Magento, OpenCart, Wix and WHMCS. Bitcart publishes WooCommerce and Shopify plugins plus its own hosted store and an API with a Python SDK.
A merchant on an unusual platform is more likely to find it covered on the BTCPay side. A developer building a custom checkout finds both adequate, and the Bitcart SDK is the more conventional starting point.
Who is behind each#
BTCPay Server is maintained by a foundation with a large contributor base and years of production use; the card scores support on a community chat and issue tracker with no response commitment, and that description applies equally here. Bitcart is a smaller project with a similar support model and a shorter track record.
Neither has a company to call. The difference is the size of the crowd that will answer a question at three in the morning, and BTCPay's is larger.
Monero and the privacy segment#
Bitcart supports Monero natively, which no custodial provider in this index does and which BTCPay Server reaches only through a plugin. For a merchant whose customers value privacy, that is a distinct segment neither a hosted gateway nor the default BTCPay install serves.
It is also the reason Bitcart's card names high-risk and nonprofit among its verticals: the merchants who need that asset are often the ones custodial providers decline.
Operations#
Both require a server, a synced node or a light-client backend, and someone to keep it running. BTCPay's documentation for deployment is extensive and its one-click hosting options are mature. Bitcart offers a configurator, Docker and a command-line install, and its documentation is shorter.
The zero on the fee line is paid in hours on both sides. A merchant should budget for those hours honestly before comparing either with a hosted gateway at 1%.
What neither does#
Neither offers fiat settlement, refunds handled by a provider, a support contract or a legal entity to name in a procurement document. Both record fiat as absent rather than as not disclosed, because the projects are clear about it.
A merchant who needs euros in a bank needs a second provider alongside either, and the self-hosted shortlist covers how merchants combine them.
Where this pair lands#
BTCPay Server for a Bitcoin merchant who wants the largest ecosystem, the longest plugin list and the biggest community. Bitcart for a merchant whose customers pay in stablecoins or Monero and who wants that covered without assembling plugins.
Both are free, both are yours to run, and the assets your customers hold decide which. The fee table has nothing to add.
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Questions merchants ask
Which one accepts USDT?
Bitcart, natively, on Ethereum, Tron, BNB Chain and Polygon. BTCPay Server is Bitcoin and Lightning by default; stablecoin support depends on community plugins and is not part of the core product.
Do I need a server for both?
Yes. Both are software you host, and both need a node or light-client backend kept in sync. That is the cost behind the zero fee, and it is the same on either side.
Is Bitcart or BTCPay Server cheaper?
Neither publishes enough for a like-for-like answer. BTCPay Server states no processing rate at all, so this comparison has to happen over email.
Can you run Bitcart and BTCPay Server at once?
Yes. Nothing stops a merchant holding both, and running them together is how you learn which one handles your awkward payments rather than your typical ones. Both name WooCommerce and Shopify among their integrations, so the two can sit side by side at the same checkout without a second build.