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Yoco vs Ozow is the payment gateway question most South African Shopify merchants face when they move beyond their first card option — and the answer carries real weight for your margins, checkout conversion, and chargeback exposure, because these two platforms are not straight substitutes. If you are setting up or optimising a Shopify store in South Africa, your gateway choice directly shapes your fee burden, your checkout conversion, and your exposure to chargebacks.
Both Yoco and Ozow are Cape Town-built fintechs that charge no setup fees and integrate with Shopify. Their philosophies diverge sharply: Yoco is card-first, with physical POS terminals, a subscription plan structure, and a unified dashboard for in-person and online sales. Ozow started as an instant EFT specialist — charging 1.5% on bank transfers, well below any card rate — and has since added its own card processing tier.
The yoco vs ozow decision is therefore less about picking a winner and more about understanding which problem each gateway solves. For a broader look at every SA gateway in one table, see our payment gateway fees comparison for South Africa.
This guide gives you confirmed 2026 fees from both providers' official pricing pages, a side-by-side comparison, and a clear decision framework for which one — or which combination — suits your store's volume, product mix, and customer base.
Quick Answer
Yoco vs Ozow is not a clean either/or. Yoco leads for card payments and for merchants who also sell in person — the Yoco Gateway charges 2.95% ex VAT online with no monthly fee, and its POS subscription plans drop in-person rates further. Ozow leads on instant EFT, charging 1.5% (min R1) for bank-to-bank payments via Capitec Pay, Nedbank, Absa, Pay by Bank, and PayShap — the lowest EFT rate in the SA market.
Ozow also now offers card processing from 2.85% (standard tier), which means it can serve as a standalone digital gateway. Most SA ecommerce stores processing meaningful volume should run both: Yoco for card, Ozow for EFT. If you can only run one, choose based on your primary customer payment preference and whether you have a physical store.
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Review My Checkout SetupYoco Payment Gateway: Fees, Features, and Shopify Integration
Yoco is South Africa's most recognisable card acceptance brand for small and medium businesses, best known for its portable card machines. Its online gateway extends that footprint to ecommerce — Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix, Shopstar, and custom API builds are all supported. The gateway is free to activate, charges no monthly fee, and earns on a flat percentage per transaction.
Yoco Online Gateway Fees (2026)
| Payment Type | Yoco Rate (ex VAT) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Local card (online) | 2.95% | No monthly fee; custom rates from 2.55% ex VAT available for merchants above R200,000/month — contact Yoco directly |
| International cards | 3.05%–3.20% | Varies by in-person subscription plan |
| Apple Pay / Google Pay | Included in card rate | No surcharge on digital wallets |
| Instant EFT | Not published separately | Available via Yoco Links, Invoices, and Shopify; covers five major SA banks |
| Minimum transaction | R2 for card | No minimum for EFT |
Yoco does not publish a separate EFT rate on its gateway pricing page — EFT is available as a customer-facing option through Shopify and payment links, but fees are not broken out. For merchants who need a confirmed, published EFT rate for their margin calculations, Ozow's 1.5% (discussed below) is the cleaner choice.
Yoco In-Person Plans: When Subscriptions Save You Money
If your business runs both a physical store and an online shop, Yoco's subscription tiers can significantly reduce your blended cost. The plans apply to in-person card transactions and come with physical card hardware — the online gateway rate of 2.95% applies regardless of plan.
| Plan | Monthly Fee | Debit (≤R50k/mo) | Debit (R50k–R200k/mo) | Credit (all volumes) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core | R0 | 2.30% | 1.35% | 2.30% |
| Plus | R249 | 2.10% | 1.25% | 2.20% |
| Pro | R499 | 1.95% | 1.20% | 2.15% |
Card hardware is sold separately: the Yoco Counter machine is priced at R2,999 (reduced from R4,999) and the handheld POS starts from R699. These are one-off purchases — there is no ongoing rental fee.
Key Takeaway: Yoco
For merchants who want a simple card gateway with no recurring fees, Yoco's 2.95% ex VAT online rate is clean and competitive. Its real advantage is omnichannel unity: online sales, payment links (ideal for WhatsApp), and card machine transactions all roll into one dashboard and one payout schedule. The Yoco Gateway also supports Apple Pay and Google Pay at no surcharge, with settlement arriving within two business days.
Ozow: Instant EFT Rates, Card Processing, and Shopify Integration
Ozow built its reputation as South Africa's lowest-cost EFT payment processor. Every transaction is a direct bank-to-bank transfer — customers log in to their banking app, confirm payment, and funds arrive with no card details ever shared. That architecture eliminates chargebacks entirely: once an Ozow payment completes, it is irrevocable.
In 2025 Ozow expanded beyond EFT and added its own card processing tier, making it a viable standalone digital gateway for stores that do not need a physical terminal. For a detailed comparison of how Ozow stacks up against PayFast specifically, see our PayFast vs Ozow guide.
Ozow Fee Schedule (2026)
| Payment Method | Rate | Minimum |
|---|---|---|
| EFT: Capitec Pay, Nedbank Direct EFT, Absa Pay, Pay by Bank, PayShap | 1.5% | R1.00 |
| Local card (R0–R249,999/month volume) | 2.85% | R1.00 |
| Local card (R250,000–R499,999/month) | 2.75% | R1.00 |
| Local card (R500,000–R1,000,000/month) | 2.65% | R1.00 |
| International cards | 3.5% | R1.00 |
| Apple Pay / Google Pay | Included with card rate | — |
| BNPL | 4.99% + R4.00 | — |
| Refunds / Payouts | R3.00 per transaction | — |
Ozow charges no setup fee and no monthly fee on the standard plan. Enterprise pricing (custom rates, dedicated support, monthly reporting) is available for merchants processing R1.5 million or more per month. See Ozow's official pricing page for the most current schedule.
The Shopify Platform Fee — An Important Nuance
Ozow on Shopify: The 0.30% Platform Fee
When you run Ozow through its Shopify integration, Ozow charges an additional 0.30% platform fee on each transaction processed via the Shopify channel. This makes your effective EFT rate on Shopify 1.80% (1.5% + 0.30%) and your effective standard card rate 3.15% (2.85% + 0.30%).
On a R500 order, for example, Ozow EFT via Shopify costs R9 versus R14.75 for Yoco card at 2.95% — a meaningful saving at volume, but material enough to build into your margin model. The Shopify platform fee applies to the plugin integration only; merchants connecting Ozow via custom API avoid it.
Key Takeaway: Ozow
Ozow's 1.5% EFT rate (1.80% effective on Shopify) is the cheapest bank-transfer option in the SA market. The chargeback-free structure — all EFT payments are irreversible bank-to-bank transfers — removes an entire category of operational risk. Ozow now also processes card payments at 2.85% (standard tier), which comes in at 2.85% versus Yoco's 2.95% online rate — a 0.10 percentage point difference that the Shopify platform fee closes to near-parity for standard-volume merchants. Ozow does not sell or support physical card machines.
Yoco vs Ozow: The Full Side-by-Side Fee Comparison
| Feature | Yoco | Ozow | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online card rate | 2.95% ex VAT | 2.85% ex VAT (standard) | Ozow (slightly lower card rate, Shopify fee narrows the gap) |
| Instant EFT / Pay by Bank rate | Not published | 1.5% ex VAT (min R1) | Ozow (clear winner on EFT cost) |
| Shopify integration | Yes — no surcharge | Yes — +0.30% platform fee | Yoco (lower effective Shopify rate) |
| International cards | 3.05%–3.20% | 3.5% | Yoco |
| Monthly fee | R0 (gateway-only) | R0 | Tie |
| Settlement speed | Up to 2 business days | Next business day | Ozow |
| Physical POS / card machines | Yes (R699–R2,999) | No | Yoco (if you need in-person) |
| Chargebacks | Yes (card risk applies) | No (EFT is irreversible) | Ozow (for EFT transactions) |
| Apple Pay / Google Pay | Yes (no surcharge) | Yes (included with card rate) | Tie |
| Omnichannel dashboard | Yes (online + in-person) | Online only | Yoco (for omnichannel merchants) |
| Enterprise / custom pricing | R200,000+/month | R1.5M+/month | Yoco (lower threshold for negotiation) |
| BNPL support | No (via Yoco) | Yes — 4.99% + R4 | Ozow (if BNPL is a priority) |
Yoco vs Ozow: Which Payment Gateway Is Right for Your SA Store?
The honest decision framework comes down to three questions: where your customers pay, whether you also sell in person, and how much volume flows through EFT.
Choose Yoco if…
You run in-person and online sales. Yoco's POS hardware and gateway share one dashboard and one payout schedule. No reconciliation across two systems.
You sell internationally. Yoco's international card rate (from 3.05% ex VAT) is lower than Ozow's 3.5%, and Yoco's Shopify integration carries no platform surcharge.
You use Yoco payment links for social commerce. Sharing payment links via WhatsApp, Instagram DMs, or email is a native Yoco feature — useful for catalogue sellers and service-based businesses running through a Shopify online store or without a full website.
Choose Ozow if…
EFT makes up a significant share of your transactions. At 1.5% ex VAT (1.80% effective via the Shopify plugin), Ozow's EFT rate is well below any card rate. On a R100,000/month EFT volume, that difference versus Yoco's 2.95% online card rate saves approximately R1,150 per month — R13,800 per year — on that payment slice alone.
You sell high-average-order-value products. The fee saving per transaction scales with order size. On a R2,000 furniture or electronics order, Ozow EFT at 1.80% (Shopify) costs R36 versus R59 for Yoco card — R23 per transaction adds up quickly at any meaningful volume.
You want zero chargeback exposure on your EFT slice. Ozow's bank-authenticated EFT payments are irrevocable. For merchants who have experienced card fraud or dispute costs, routing EFT customers through Ozow removes that risk category entirely.
According to the Stitch Money 2025 State of Consumer Payments report, 45% of SA consumers tried Pay by Bank or instant EFT in the past year, and the method now accounts for 18% of online grocery and food purchases. That share is growing — Capitec Pay alone has been tried by 42% of respondents. Offering Ozow's EFT options at checkout captures a segment that prefers banking apps over card entry.
Want to know what your fee structure actually costs you per R100,000 in revenue?
Share your current monthly volume and payment mix and we will model your true cost across gateway options — including whether running two gateways makes sense for your margin.
Run My Fee AnalysisRunning Yoco and Ozow Together: The Case for a Dual Gateway Setup
Most serious SA ecommerce stores eventually land on a dual gateway configuration: one card-focused gateway for Visa and Mastercard, and Ozow alongside it for instant EFT. The approach is well-established — Shopify's checkout supports multiple payment options natively, and customers self-select based on their preference.
The cost logic is straightforward. If your monthly EFT transactions total R200,000, routing them through Ozow (1.80% effective via the Shopify plugin) rather than a card gateway at 2.95% saves approximately R2,300 per month — over R27,000 per year — without touching anything else in your store. Stores targeting SA's growing bank-app-first consumer cohort increasingly treat Ozow as a requirement, not an add-on.
For guidance on optimising what happens after payment is confirmed, see our Shopify checkout optimisation guide for SA stores.
For a complete view of how Yoco and Ozow compare against PayFast, Peach Payments, and Paygate, see our full Shopify payment gateways South Africa guide. For the PayFast vs Peach head-to-head specifically, see our PayFast vs Peach Payments fees comparison.
Why South African Ecommerce Stores Work with Growth Pulse Media
Choosing between Yoco and Ozow is one decision in a checkout stack that includes theme configuration, product page trust signals, cart recovery flows, and post-purchase retention sequences. Getting the gateway right reduces your fee burden; getting the surrounding stack right is what compounds revenue.
At Growth Pulse Media, Dirk built and scaled a South African ecommerce business before founding the agency — he has personally paid the gateway fees, dealt with chargeback disputes, and configured dual-gateway Shopify setups. That operator background means the advice you get is grounded in what actually happened on a live SA store, not a spec sheet.
We work with a deliberately limited number of Shopify merchants at any given time. Every client gets direct senior attention — not a junior account manager. The platforms we configure include Yoco, Ozow, PayFast, Peach Payments, Klaviyo, and Omnisend, with all integrations set up and tested before handoff. Our Shopify marketing services for South Africa cover everything from gateway setup and checkout optimisation through to email automation and paid acquisition.
What we do differently: We model your fee structure before recommending a gateway configuration — not after. If a dual setup saves you R2,000 a month, we will show you the maths. If a single gateway keeps things simpler and the saving is marginal, we will say that too.
Who This Is NOT For
Merchants who primarily sell internationally. Neither Yoco nor Ozow is optimised for cross-border card volumes. Yoco's international rate (from 3.05%) and Ozow's international rate (3.5%) are both higher than what global-first gateways like Stripe offer. If most of your orders come from outside South Africa, build your gateway stack from an international-first starting point. See our guide to selling internationally from South Africa.
Businesses that need a merchant account with a local bank. Yoco and Ozow are payment facilitators, not acquiring banks. If your business requires a traditional merchant account (for regulatory, contractual, or sector-specific reasons), you will need to engage a bank directly or work with an acquirer like Peach Payments that supports that model.
High-volume stores where custom rate negotiations are overdue. Both Yoco and Ozow offer custom pricing at elevated thresholds (R200,000+/month for Yoco, R1.5M+/month for Ozow enterprise). If your store is processing R500,000+ per month on standard card rates, you are likely over-paying. The gateway conversation at that level is about negotiating custom rates or comparing specialised acquirers — not choosing between standard retail tiers.
Merchants who want a single platform for in-person, BNPL, vouchers, and crypto. Yoco does not support BNPL natively. Ozow offers BNPL (4.99% + R4) and voucher redemption, but running the full breadth of SA payment methods — including buy now, pay later options — through one provider typically points toward PayFast, which covers the widest method range in one integration.
Building a Shopify store and want a payment stack that is set up correctly from day one?
Share your store's product category, average order value, and expected split between card and EFT — and we will recommend the right gateway configuration before you go live.
Get My Gateway RecommendationFrequently Asked Questions: Yoco vs Ozow in South Africa
Is Yoco or Ozow cheaper for South African online stores?
It depends on your payment method mix. For card payments, Yoco charges 2.95% ex VAT online (no monthly fee), while Ozow charges 2.85% ex VAT — but the gap closes to near-parity once Ozow's 0.30% Shopify platform fee is included. For instant EFT transactions, Ozow is significantly cheaper: 1.5% (1.80% effective on Shopify) versus no published EFT rate from Yoco. Stores with a meaningful EFT customer base will pay materially less per transaction through Ozow.
Can I use both Yoco and Ozow on my Shopify store?
Yes. Shopify supports multiple third-party payment gateways, and displaying both at checkout allows customers to select their preferred method — card through Yoco, EFT through Ozow. Many SA Shopify merchants run exactly this configuration. The operational overhead is a second merchant dashboard to monitor, but both platforms settle separately and the fee saving on your EFT volume typically justifies the admin once you pass a meaningful monthly transaction threshold.
Does Ozow work with Shopify in South Africa?
Yes. Ozow has a dedicated Shopify integration available from the Ozow merchant dashboard at dash.ozow.com. Setup takes a few minutes: navigate to Integrations, select Shopify, add your store URL, and the plugin handles the rest. Note that Ozow charges an additional 0.30% platform fee on transactions processed via the Shopify integration specifically — merchants using a custom API connection avoid this fee.
What is the chargeback risk difference between Yoco and Ozow?
Card payments processed through Yoco carry standard chargeback risk — customers can dispute a card transaction with their bank, and the merchant bears the cost of the dispute process. EFT payments processed through Ozow are bank-authenticated and irrevocable: once the customer confirms payment from their banking app, the transfer cannot be reversed. Routing customers who prefer EFT to Ozow therefore eliminates the bank-reversal mechanism on that payment slice — a meaningful operational advantage for stores that have experienced card dispute costs. Note: while the chargeback mechanism does not apply to EFT, merchants retain refund obligations under the Consumer Protection Act for eligible goods and services.
Does Yoco have a free plan in South Africa?
Yoco's online gateway is free to activate and has no monthly fee — you pay 2.95% ex VAT per successful card transaction. Yoco also offers subscription plans (Core at R0, Plus at R249/month, Pro at R499/month) that apply lower rates to in-person card machine transactions. The subscription plans are relevant if you also sell in person; for a pure online store, the gateway-only setup with no monthly fee is the standard starting point.
What payment methods does Ozow support beyond instant EFT?
Since expanding its offering in 2025, Ozow supports local card payments (Visa and Mastercard, tiered from 2.85%), international cards at 3.5%, Apple Pay and Google Pay (included in the card rate), BNPL at 4.99% + R4 per transaction, and voucher redemption. Its EFT methods cover Capitec Pay, Nedbank Direct EFT, Absa Pay, Pay by Bank, and PayShap Request — all at 1.5% (min R1). Crypto payments are also available at 1.5% (min R1). One ancillary cost worth noting: WhatsApp payment request notifications are charged at R0.35 per message. This breadth makes Ozow a viable standalone digital gateway for stores that do not need a physical card terminal.
Ready to Optimise Your SA Shopify Payment Stack?
Growth Pulse Media has configured Yoco, Ozow, PayFast, and Peach Payments across live South African Shopify stores. We will model your current fee structure, identify where you are overpaying, and recommend the right gateway configuration for your volume and customer mix — no obligation, and we get back to you within 24 hours.
Talk to a Shopify Specialist