# Payaries vs NOWPayments: which crypto payment gateway fits

> Both are hosted gateways with an API. They differ most in how much choice you get — NOWPayments offers breadth and two ways of holding wallets; Payaries offers one model and a narrower, documented surface.

Updated 2026-10-04 · Payaries · https://www.payaries.com/blog/payaries-vs-nowpayments

## The short version

|  | Payaries | NOWPayments |
|---|---|---|
| Wallet control | Managed: a dedicated wallet per merchant per chain, never pooled | Describes both managed and self-held settlement |
| Coin coverage | A focused, growing set of chains and assets — Ethereum, BNB Smart Chain, Polygon, Arbitrum, Tron and Bitcoin (deposits) | Describes a very large catalogue of coins |
| Integration | Signed REST API, Node SDK, signed retried webhooks; no store-platform plugins yet | API plus plugins for common store platforms, buttons and invoicing tools |
| Conversion | Credited in the asset the customer paid; ask us before relying on conversion to another asset | Describes automatic conversion to a chosen settlement asset |
| Pricing | Per-merchant rules; ask for a quote | See their pricing page |

> **As of.** Comparison written October 2026 from each product's public documentation and Payaries's own integration guide. Products change — check the other provider's current docs before you decide.

## When NOWPayments is the better choice

- You need **a long tail of coins** that a focused gateway doesn't list.
- You sell through a **store platform** and want a ready-made plugin rather than writing an integration.
- You want the **option of self-held settlement** from the same provider.
- You want **automatic conversion** into a settlement asset such as a stablecoin.

## When Payaries is the better choice

- You want **a wallet that is yours alone** on each chain, with a live on-chain balance you can check on a block explorer against the dashboard.
- You are building a backend integration and want **every status, failure and retry documented** — including underpaid, late and unclaimed payments. See [handling underpaid and late payments](https://www.payaries.com/guides/handle-underpaid-and-late-crypto-payments).
- Your customers pay in **stablecoins on the major networks** and you don't need the long tail. See [the USDT gateway](https://www.payaries.com/usdt-payment-gateway).
- You want **tight withdrawal controls** — dashboard withdrawals behind two-factor authentication and API withdrawals above a threshold you set waiting for your approval.

## How to decide in an afternoon

1. Write down the three coins or networks your customers actually pay with. If both providers cover them, coverage stops being a differentiator.
2. Decide on wallet control first — [managed vs self-held](https://www.payaries.com/guides/custodial-vs-non-custodial-payment-gateway).
3. Run the three tests in [how to choose a gateway](https://www.payaries.com/blog/how-to-choose-a-crypto-payment-gateway): pay short, pay late, replay a webhook.

## Questions

**Is Payaries an alternative to NOWPayments?**
For businesses that want a hosted crypto payment API with a dedicated Payaries wallet per merchant and documented failure handling, yes. NOWPayments covers more coins and offers plugins and a self-held mode, which may matter more for some merchants.

**Does Payaries support as many coins as NOWPayments?**
No. Payaries covers a focused and growing set of chains and assets, with the stablecoins most merchants use. GET /v1/chains is the live list.

## Try it

Run a real invoice and judge it yourself: [Payaries — www.payaries.com](https://www.payaries.com/signup). Payaries is a multi-chain crypto payment gateway — https://www.payaries.com

## Keep reading

- https://www.payaries.com/blog/payaries-vs-btcpay-server — Payaries vs BTCPay Server: hosted and managed, or self-hosted?
- https://www.payaries.com/blog/how-to-choose-a-crypto-payment-gateway — How to choose a crypto payment gateway: nine criteria that matter
- https://www.payaries.com/guides/custodial-vs-non-custodial-payment-gateway — Managed vs self-held crypto payment gateways
- https://www.payaries.com/blog/top-10-best-crypto-payment-gateways — Top 10 best crypto payment gateways in 2026
- https://www.payaries.com/blog/crypto-payment-gateway-vs-wallet-address — Crypto payment gateway vs just sharing a wallet address
- https://www.payaries.com/services