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Payment Processing Comparison

AGMS vs Stripe

Stripe is built for developers. AGMS is built for businesses. Compare fees, support, and total cost.

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Stripe dominates online payment processing — but its flat 2.9% + 30¢ pricing and developer-first approach aren’t ideal for every business. If you’re not a tech company with engineers on staff, Stripe’s complexity and cost may be working against you.

AGMS offers a merchant-focused alternative with lower rates, hands-on setup, and dedicated support — no coding required.

Fee Comparison

  • Stripe: 2.9% + 30¢ online, 2.7% + 5¢ in-person, 3.4% + 30¢ manual entry, 4.4% + 30¢ international
  • AGMS: Interchange-plus custom rates — typically 1.5%-2.2% effective (30-40% lower than Stripe)

On $20,000/month in online sales:

  • Stripe: ~$610/month ($7,320/year)
  • AGMS: ~$400/month ($4,800/year)
  • Savings: $2,520/year

Setup & Integration

Stripe

  • Developer-focused — requires coding for custom integrations
  • Excellent API documentation
  • Self-service everything — no human help unless you’re on Enterprise
  • Pre-built plugins for Shopify, WooCommerce, etc.

AGMS

  • No coding needed — our team handles setup. But if you want API access, NMI’s full developer portal is available
  • Pre-built plugins: WooCommerce (AGMS Pay), Shopify, custom carts
  • NMI and Authorize.net gateways with proven integrations
  • Dedicated setup team configures everything for you
  • Free integration support

Developer-Friendly API — Just Like Stripe

One of the biggest reasons developers choose Stripe is its API and documentation. But here’s what most people don’t realize: AGMS is powered by NMI, which offers an equally comprehensive developer platform — with full API documentation, SDKs, and integration tools.

NMI processes over $502 billion annually for 1.2 million+ merchants. Their developer tools are battle-tested at scale — and your clients get full access through AGMS.

NMI Payment API (Direct Post)

The NMI Payment API supports every transaction type Stripe does:

  • Sale, authorize, capture, void, refund — full transaction lifecycle
  • Recurring billing — create and manage subscriptions programmatically
  • Customer Vault — securely store card data for repeat customers (like Stripe’s Customers API)
  • Invoicing — generate and send invoices via API
  • Tokenization — PCI-compliant card storage without touching raw card data
  • Level II/III processing — lower interchange rates for B2B (Stripe doesn’t offer this)

Code examples available in PHP, Python, Ruby, Java, Node.js, C#, ColdFusion, and ASP.

Collect.js — NMI's Stripe Elements Equivalent

Stripe has Stripe.js + Elements for client-side tokenization. NMI has Collect.js — and it does the same thing:

  • Client-side tokenization — card data never touches your server (PCI SAQ-A eligible)
  • Hosted payment fields — customizable, branded card input fields embedded in your site
  • Inline and lightbox integration — simple, advanced, or expert implementation levels
  • Apple Pay + Google Pay — built-in digital wallet support
  • 3D Secure (3DS2) — built-in via Gateway.js for SCA compliance
  • React demo available — GitHub: gateway-services/collectjs-react-demo

If your developers can integrate Stripe.js, they can integrate Collect.js. The patterns are nearly identical — but your processing rates are 30-40% lower.

Three-Step Redirect API

For businesses that want hosted checkout (like Stripe Checkout), NMI offers a Three-Step Redirect API:

  1. Your server sends transaction details to NMI
  2. Customer is redirected to a secure NMI-hosted payment page
  3. NMI sends the result back to your server

No PCI scope on your server — NMI handles all card data. Perfect for businesses that want Stripe Checkout-style simplicity with lower rates.

Gateway.js — 3D Secure & Fraud Prevention

  • 3D Secure 2.0 (3DS2) — built-in SCA/PSD2 compliance for international transactions
  • Kount integration — AI-powered fraud detection (included at the gateway level)
  • AVS + CVV verification — standard fraud checks on every transaction
  • Velocity filters — automatically block rapid-fire fraud attempts

Pre-Built Integrations

Don’t want to build from scratch? NMI (through AGMS) has pre-built plugins for:

  • WooCommerce — AGMS Pay plugin (free, Collect.js powered)
  • Shopify — gateway integration
  • Magento / Adobe Commerce
  • BigCommerce
  • QuickBooks
  • Custom carts — via Payment API or Collect.js

When to Choose Stripe vs AGMS

Choose Stripe if:

  • You have developers who can build custom payment flows
  • You need Stripe Connect for marketplace/platform payments
  • You’re a SaaS company with complex billing logic

Choose AGMS if:

  • You want lower processing fees without coding
  • You need in-person + online payment processing in one account
  • You want a dedicated account manager
  • You run a WooCommerce store (free AGMS Pay plugin)
  • You process $5K+/month and flat-rate pricing is eating your margins
  • You need Clover, PAX, or SwipeSimple hardware for in-person sales

Get a free rate comparison →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a good Stripe alternative?

AGMS is the best Stripe alternative for businesses that want lower fees without coding. AGMS offers interchange-plus pricing (30-40% lower than Stripe), a free WooCommerce plugin, and dedicated support.

Is Stripe expensive?

At 2.9% + 30¢ per online transaction, Stripe is one of the more expensive processors for established businesses. The 30¢ per-transaction fee hits especially hard on small transactions. AGMS interchange-plus pricing is typically much lower.

Can I use AGMS instead of Stripe on WooCommerce?

Yes. Install the free AGMS Pay for WooCommerce plugin. It provides on-site checkout, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and 3D Secure — powered by NMI instead of Stripe.