We run Satqo, so read this with that in mind. NOWPayments figures below come from its public pricing page as checked in October 2026; the links are at the end. Negotiated rates for large merchants are not included.
The real question: how many coins do you need?
Choosing between NOWPayments and Satqo mostly comes down to one fact about your customers. NOWPayments lists more than 350 currencies. That breadth is genuinely useful if you sell to a crypto-native audience that holds a long tail of tokens and expects to pay with whatever is in their wallet.
Most freelancers, agencies and small online businesses in Latin America and Europe see something different: the large majority of payments arrive in USDT, followed by USDC. Satqo is built for that case. It accepts USDT, USDC, ETH, TRX and TON on four networks (TRON, TON, Ethereum and Arbitrum) and pays out on Base as well. It does not try to cover hundreds of coins; it tries to make the stablecoin payment, and what happens after it, as simple as possible.
A quick way to decide: open your last 20 crypto payments. If nearly all of them were USDT or USDC, the coin list is not what you are paying for.
Side by side, as of October 2026
| Satqo | NOWPayments | |
|---|---|---|
| Fee per incoming payment | 0.5% | 1% without conversion; 1.5% with auto-conversion or a fixed rate |
| Network fee of the payment | Paid by the sender | Deducted from the deposit, per the pricing page |
| Payouts to a wallet | No Satqo fee; network fee only | 0% service fee; network fee only |
| Converting between coins | 0.3% between stablecoins, 1% otherwise (in the rate) | 1% off-chain conversion |
| Currencies | USDT, USDC, ETH, TRX, TON on TRON, TON, Ethereum, Arbitrum (payouts also on Base) | 350+ currencies |
| Monthly fee | None | Not listed on the pricing page |
| Spending the balance | Virtual Mastercard with Apple Pay, loaded from the balance | Not covered by the pricing page |
A worked example: 3,000 USDT a month
Say you are a developer who invoices three clients 1,000 USDT each per month, and you keep the money in USDT. Using each provider's standard listed rate:
| Scenario | Satqo | NOWPayments |
|---|---|---|
| Keep USDT, no conversion | 15 USDT a month (0.5%) | 30 USDT a month (1%) |
| Payments auto-converted | Not needed for USDT; 0.3% if you swap USDT to USDC yourself | 45 USDT a month (1.5%) |
| Over a year, no conversion | 180 USDT | 360 USDT |
Network fees are left out because they depend on the network and on each provider's policy. Both providers advertise lower rates at higher volumes (Satqo offers custom rates above USD 10,000 a month), so for large merchants the gap can narrow. For a freelancer or a small shop, the standard rate is usually the one that applies.
What happens after the payment
A gateway's fee is only half of the cost. The other half is what you do next with the money. With most gateways, the next step for a freelancer is an exchange: withdraw, sell, wait for a bank transfer, pay another fee. Satqo keeps that step optional:
- Keep it on your balance in the currency the client paid.
- Pay a supplier or a contractor straight from the balance, on TRON, TON, Ethereum, Arbitrum or Base, with no Satqo fee on the payout.
- Spend it with a virtual Mastercard you add to Apple Pay. Loading it costs 5.5% (minimum USD 1.50), and there is no fee per purchase. The card is issued after a short identity check, and issuing it is free when the first load is USD 300 or more. See how the card works.
Who each one suits
NOWPayments is stronger if…
- your customers pay with many different coins and you do not want to turn anyone away;
- you want every incoming payment converted automatically into one currency of your choice;
- you need a coin or network that Satqo does not support, such as Bitcoin, which Satqo has not enabled yet.
Satqo is stronger if…
- most of your payments are USDT or USDC and you want the lower standard fee;
- you invoice clients by link rather than through a store, and want reusable pay buttons, a point-of-sale screen or your own logo on the payment page;
- you want to spend what you earn with a card in Apple Pay without going through an exchange first.
How to switch, or run both
You do not have to move everything at once. Many merchants run two gateways for a while.
- Open a free account at dash.satqo.com. There is no subscription to cancel later.
- Send one real invoice to a client who pays in USDT, ideally on TRON, where payments up to USD 1,000 usually reach the balance in about 10 seconds.
- If you have a store, connect the API: create an invoice per order and listen for the signed webhook. The API reference has copy-paste recipes and a test checklist.
- Route stablecoin customers to Satqo and keep NOWPayments as the option for other coins, if you need them.
- Compare one month of statements. Satqo exports a CSV you can put next to your existing reports.
Sources: nowpayments.io/pricing, satqo.com pricing. Checked 7 October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Is Satqo cheaper than NOWPayments?
At standard listed rates as of October 2026, yes for incoming payments: 0.5% on Satqo against 1% (or 1.5% with conversion) on NOWPayments. Both offer lower individual rates at high volumes, so large merchants should ask each provider for a quote.
Does Satqo support as many coins as NOWPayments?
No. NOWPayments lists more than 350 currencies. Satqo focuses on USDT, USDC, ETH, TRX and TON on TRON, TON, Ethereum and Arbitrum. Bitcoin is not enabled yet.
Do my customers need an account to pay with Satqo?
No. They open the invoice link and pay from any wallet or exchange they already use.
Can I use Satqo and NOWPayments at the same time?
Yes. Nothing stops you from offering both, for example Satqo for stablecoins and NOWPayments for other coins, and comparing costs over a month.
Can I withdraw to my bank account?
Satqo pays out to crypto wallets, not to bank accounts. You can send stablecoins to an exchange you use to sell them for local currency, or spend them directly with the virtual card where it is available.