January 27, 2026
Vulta vs NOWPayments: Which Crypto Payment Gateway is Right for You?
Vulta vs NOWPayments compared — fees, supported coins, card payments, and which platform is better for freelancers and developers accepting crypto online.
NOWPayments is one of the most widely used crypto payment gateways on the internet. It's been around since 2019, supports hundreds of cryptocurrencies, and has integrations with WooCommerce, Shopify, and other major platforms.
But for freelancers, agencies, and SaaS developers who want to accept payments from real clients — not just crypto wallets — NOWPayments has some significant limitations. Here's how it stacks up against Vulta.
What is NOWPayments?
NOWPayments is a crypto payment processing platform that lets businesses and individuals accept cryptocurrency payments on their websites. It supports over 300 cryptocurrencies, provides payment widgets, invoicing tools, and integration plugins for popular e-commerce platforms.
It's particularly popular with crypto-native businesses that want to accept a wide variety of tokens.
What is Vulta?
Vulta is a non-custodial payment infrastructure platform focused on practical business payments. It supports the most widely used networks (Bitcoin, Ethereum, TRON, Solana, Polygon, Arbitrum, BSC, Base) and adds card payment support through licensed on-ramp partners — meaning your clients don't need to own crypto to pay you.
Vulta vs NOWPayments: Head-to-Head
| Feature | Vulta | NOWPayments |
|---|---|---|
| Card payments (Visa/Mastercard) | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Supported coins | Major networks + tokens | 300+ |
| Transaction fees (crypto) | 0% | 0.5–1% |
| Non-custodial | ✅ Yes | ❌ Custodial |
| Hosted payment links | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Embeddable checkout widget | ✅ Yes (Max/Business) | ✅ Yes |
| Recurring payments | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| API access | ✅ Business plan | ✅ Yes |
| KYC required | ❌ No | ❌ No |
| Settlement destination | Your own wallet | NOWPayments account |
| Fiat on-ramp (card to crypto) | ✅ Yes | Limited |
| Pricing | $0–$49/mo flat | Free + % fees |
The Key Differences
Card payments. The biggest gap. NOWPayments is crypto-only. Your clients must already own crypto to pay you. Vulta routes card payments through licensed on-ramp partners (Transak, MoonPay), so clients can pay with Visa, Mastercard, or Apple Pay and you receive crypto. This alone opens your potential client base to everyone — not just crypto holders.
Custody. NOWPayments holds funds in its system until you withdraw. Vulta is non-custodial — payments go directly to your wallet. NOWPayments can theoretically freeze withdrawals or restrict accounts. With Vulta, your funds are in your wallet from the moment the transaction confirms.
Coin selection. NOWPayments wins here if you need to accept obscure altcoins. It supports 300+ tokens. Vulta focuses on the coins that matter for real business payments: BTC, ETH, USDT, USDC, SOL, TRX, BNB, MATIC — the currencies your actual clients are likely to use.
Fee model. NOWPayments charges 0.5% on crypto transactions (1% for some coins). Vulta charges 0% on transactions — flat monthly subscription only. At meaningful volume, this difference is significant.
Who Should Use NOWPayments?
NOWPayments makes sense if you run a crypto-native business (exchange, wallet, DeFi product) and need to accept a wide variety of tokens from crypto-savvy users.
Who Should Use Vulta?
Vulta is the better choice if:
- You want clients to be able to pay with a credit card
- You want funds to settle directly to your wallet without a withdrawal step
- You're a freelancer, agency, or SaaS developer accepting payments from regular clients
- You want 0% transaction fees
Conclusion
NOWPayments is a solid tool for crypto-native businesses that need broad token support. For anyone who needs to bridge the gap between regular clients and crypto settlement, Vulta's card payment support and non-custodial architecture make it the more practical choice.
Accept card and crypto payments with Vulta — funds go directly to your wallet.