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Set your volume and average ticket to see the yearly difference between Authorize.net and Paydude.
Both sliders matter. Volume decides which Paydude tier applies; ticket size decides how much the fixed per-transaction fee costs you, which is where Authorize.net and Paydude differ most.
Ticket size matters as much as volume: the fixed per-transaction fee is what makes small payments expensive.
| Paydude | Authorize.net | |
|---|---|---|
| Card rate | 2.6% (falling to 2.5%) | 2.9% |
| Fixed fee | 25¢ (falling to 15¢) | 30¢ |
| Monthly fee | $0 | $25.00 |
| Subscriptions | No extra percentage | Priced separately |
| International cards | No surcharge | Surcharged |
| Amex and premium cards | +0.3% | Passed through |
| Chargeback fee | $12 | $15–$25 typical |
You already hold your own merchant account and only need the gateway layer, or your systems are already integrated against it.
No monthly fee. At $2,000 a month of processing, Authorize.net's $25 monthly charge alone adds 1.25% to your effective rate.
Card mix changes this comparison more than the headline rate does. The overpayment calculator models Amex, premium and international share, and reports the point at which Paydude stops being cheaper.
GOOD QUESTIONS
On published base rates for domestic cards, Paydude starts at 2.6% + 25¢ against Authorize.net's 2.9% + 30¢. Whether that is cheaper for you depends on card mix: Paydude surcharges Amex and premium cards at +0.3% but does not surcharge international cards, where most providers add 1–1.5%.
You already hold your own merchant account and only need the gateway layer, or your systems are already integrated against it.
Switching means migrating stored payment tokens, which are specific to the provider that issued them. Most major providers will run a PCI-compliant migration of the underlying card data. Confirm that path exists before committing — it is the main technical obstacle to any processor change.
Both figures are publicly published standard rates for domestic card payments as of September 2026. Neither is a negotiated or promotional rate, and Authorize.net may quote you something different from its list price.