Stripe alternatives in the UAE: 10 options compared

If you’re searching for an alternative to Stripe, chances are that you want to:

The good news is that there are plenty of payment platforms available, each with its own strengths, pricing structure, and setup speed. In this guide, we'll compare 10 popular Stripe alternatives in the UAE to help you find the right fit.

We’ll cover:

Ziina is an all-in-one payment platform that’s built specifically for SMEs and freelancers in the UAE. It allows you to add a payment gateway to your website, create payment links, and turn your phone into a POS machine, all from the same app.

We’ll introduce ourselves first: Ziina is an all-in-one Stripe alternative that’s licensed by the Central Bank of the UAE.

We built the Ziina app specifically to help SMEs and entrepreneurs in Dubai accept payments across multiple sales channels. Because of this, the app is well-suited to a range of businesses, from fashion and beauty e-commerce brands to F&B, brick-and-mortar stores, delivery setups, or freelancers on the go.

Here’s what you can do once you sign up with Ziina:

Similarly to Stripe, Ziina is an end-to-end solution that helps you accept payments both online and in-person. For example, with Ziina, you can…

Read more about how Tap to Pay works: How to accept payments without a card machine in the UAE

We also have a support site specifically for our API documentation, which can help you find out more about any of our payment acceptance methods.

This means that, when you want to sell through a new channel, there’s no need to juggle multiple payment solutions or go through complex onboarding with a new provider – you can just use Ziina for everything.

For example, you could launch a new payments channel in minutes, just as our customer Polonia has done.

With launch day approaching fast, David searched "tap to pay" online and discovered Ziina.

Just 10 minutes after installing the app, Polonia was ready to accept payments. Fast forward to today, and Polonia has successfully processed thousands of transactions using Ziina, with plans to start using our other payment products, too.

With Ziina, you can get onboarded quickly – one of our clients has launched in just 48 hours. Once your account is successfully verified, you can start receiving and managing payments fast.

Once you have a Ziina account, you can integrate our pre-built API plugins into your existing Shopify, WooCommerce, WordPress, or custom website in about 5 minutes, with no developer needed.

As you can see, getting started is quick – and so is accessing your money.

Cashing out money from your Ziina wallet only takes 1-2 business days for amounts under 25K AED, and it’s often completed within 24 hours (subject to bank processing times).

Ziina offers one of the lowest pricing of all the options we’ve compared in this list: 2.6% + 1 AED per transaction, with no subscriptions or surprise charges.

Customers can pay using Apple Pay, Google Pay, Visa, Mastercard and Amex. For international card payments, we add 1.5% to our normal processing fee.

You can accept payments in up to 10 currencies (including GBP, USD, SAR, and more), and have all of those funds automatically settle into your account in AED.

Our platform is homegrown in the UAE, and our local support team provides assistance in English and Arabic.

What is it: Amazon Payment Services² is a digital payments platform. It’s designed for e-commerce businesses, SMEs, and enterprises across the world.

Key features:

Fees: Payments typically cost 2.80% + 1 AED per transaction for domestic transfers. There are also add-on options: for example, you can choose to let your customers pay in installments for an extra 4 AED per transaction.^2a

Settlement speed: APS automatically sends out settlements in the UAE on a weekly basis. For the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, it takes 1-2 business days.^2b

What is it: PayPal³ is a payment gateway that helps businesses of all sizes process both domestic and international payments. It offers coverage for over 200 countries and supports 24 currencies.

You can choose between hosting checkout pages on your website or letting PayPal host the checkout on their secure servers.^3b

Key features:

Fees: PayPal’s standard rate for receiving domestic transactions in the UAE is 3.40% + a fixed fee. It costs an additional 4% when currency conversion is involved.^3a

What is it: Telr⁴ is a payment gateway that supports startups and large enterprises for processing international payments.

Key features:

Fees: Telr’s pricing depends on the plan you choose. For example, if you’re earning under 20,000 AED per month, there are no transaction fees, just a monthly fee of 349 AED. If you’re earning slightly more (between 20,001 and 50,000 AED per month), you’ll be charged 2.69% + 1 AED per transaction in addition to a 149 monthly fee.^4a

The exact onboarding times aren’t disclosed, though the process includes contacting Telr online, providing the necessary documents, and waiting until they finish the KYB process. You can speed things up by integrating Telr’s APIs while they’re reviewing your documents and website.^4c

What is it: Network International⁵ is one of the largest payments providers in the Middle East and Africa. It helps SMEs, large enterprises, banks, and governments accept online and in-person payments.

Key features:

Fees: Not publicly available – contact them to find out more specific information.

They have a digital self-onboarding flow, which allows you to get started quickly.^5a

What is it: Mamo⁶ is a UAE-based fintech platform designed primarily for freelancers and SMEs. Their mobile-first platform is tailored to the UAE market.

Key features:

Fees: Mamo charges 2.9% + 1 AED per transaction for domestic transfers on their Growth plan, and if you process non-AED currencies, they charge an extra 2%. Their Premium plan, which costs 99 AED per month, comes with transaction fees of 2.7% + 0.8 AED and 1.5% extra for non-AED currencies.^6a

Once you've submitted a full set of documents, your account will be validated within 2-3 business days. In rare cases, accounts can take up to 5 days to open.^6b

What is it: Checkout⁷ is a global payments platform that’s well-suited for businesses that process global payments.

Key features:

Fees: Checkout doesn’t publicly disclose their fees, though they mention that it’s free to use their platform if you’re a charity. There are no setup fees, surprise fees, or account maintenance fees.^7a

Cashout times vary depending on the transaction, though the settlement process typically takes one to three days.^7b

What is it: PayTabs⁸ is a MENA payment acceptance network designed for SMEs, enterprises, and online merchants looking to grow across the region.

Key features:

It takes 24 to 48 hours to withdraw funds from PayTabs. Your available balance is settled automatically every Monday if you have a minimum of $300 in your available balance.^8b

Integrating with PayTabs’ payment gateway can take anywhere between 24 to 48 hours^8a. Other onboarding times and verification speeds to be confirmed with the provider.

What is it: PayTabs⁸ is a MENA payment acceptance network designed for SMEs, enterprises, and online merchants looking to grow across the region.

Key features:

It takes 24 to 48 hours to withdraw funds from PayTabs. Your available balance is settled automatically every Monday if you have a minimum of $300 in your available balance.^8b

Integrating with PayTabs’ payment gateway can take anywhere between 24 to 48 hours^8a. Other onboarding times and verification speeds to be confirmed with the provider.

What is it: Paymob⁹ is a payments platform that’s used by SMEs across the Middle East and Africa.

Key features:

Fees: Their standard pricing is 2.9% + 1 AED per transaction on the Standard Plan (designed for startups, small and medium enterprises).^9a

Funds are settled into your bank account weekly.^9a

What is it: Tap Payments¹⁰ is a Kuwait-based payments provider designed for digital-first businesses in the Middle East, making it a strong option if you sell across the UAE and other GCC countries.

Key features:

For businesses in the UAE, finding a Stripe alternative that’s cost-effective, has simple onboarding, and has fast payout times can be a challenge.

That’s why we’ve compared the fees and features publicly available of several popular payment gateways, including Ziina, which is an all-in-one payment platform built specifically for UAE-based SMEs.

It’s simple to integrate Ziina with your existing Shopify or WordPress website, and you can get onboarded very quickly.

*Disclaimer: All information relating to third-party products and companies featured in this article has been sourced solely from their respective public websites and official publications at the time of writing. Ziina makes no representations as to the accuracy, completeness, or currency of this information. Product features, positioning, and company details may have changed since publication. Readers should refer to each provider's official website for the most up-to-date information before making any purchasing decisions.

**Disclaimer: Availability of Ziina products and features is subject to eligibility, successful verification, device compatibility, applicable transaction limits, Ziina’s terms and conditions, and regulatory requirements. Customers are responsible for ensuring they hold any trade license, permit, tax registration, or other approval required for their business activities. Fees, limits, payout timelines, and product features may vary and are subject to change. Please refer to Ziina’s latest terms and pricing for full details.

This article was published in August 2026.

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