Cost Comparison
Credit Card Fees vs Bitcoin Lightning in 2026
A side-by-side look at what processors really cost — and how Lightning changes the math for every merchant.
Read article
Free tier, forever. Verify only when you scale.
The payment rail that can't freeze you out.
The payment rail that can't freeze you out.
Settle in seconds. Keep 100%.
Banks deny. Processors freeze. SatsRail can't do either — it's non-custodial Bitcoin Lightning, paid straight to your wallet. We verify you're a real business; we don't reject you for your industry. After that, no middleman can hold, reverse, or freeze your money.
Verified businesses, never buyers
Non-custodial
$0 per transaction
Instant settlement
No chargebacks
satsrail · accept payment
# Create an invoice — paid directly to your wallet
$ curl -X POST api.satsrail.com/v1/invoices \
-H "Authorization: Bearer sk_live_..." \
-d '{ "amount_sats": 21000 }'
# →
"bolt11": "lnbc210u1p3...",
"status": "awaiting_payment",
"settles_to": "your_wallet"
✓ Settled in 1.4s · 0 fee · final
~1.4s
Median settlement
No testimonials yet. Just a rail you can test with real money in the next 60 seconds.
Don't trust us. Pay us a cent.
Every demo is a live store on the production rail. Real invoices. Real settlement. One cent.
How It Works
Start accepting Bitcoin payments in three steps
1
Create a Product
Name, price, image. All-in pricing — set your price to include everything. Done in 30 seconds.
2
Share or Embed
Get a payment link to share anywhere — or paste one script tag on your website. No coding required.
No credit card. Free under $500/mo — verify only when you scale.
Powered by Bitcoin Lightning
The Technology Behind Instant Payments
The Lightning Network is a faster layer built on top of Bitcoin. Payments travel through a network of connected wallets in seconds, for near-zero fees. You don't need to understand how it works — just like you don't need to understand TCP/IP to use the internet.
Learn how Lightning works for merchantsHow Your Money Moves
Traditional Processing
Customer
Processor
Bank
You
2–7 business days • 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction • Chargebacks possible
Bitcoin Lightning
Customer
Lightning
Your Wallet
Seconds • Near-zero fees • Final settlement
Three Ways to Accept Payments
In-person, no code, or full code. Your choice.
Payment Links
No code requiredEvery product gets a shareable link. Send it via email, WhatsApp, social media, or print it as a QR code. Works anywhere a URL works.
satsrail.com/pay/your-product
- Share anywhere — email, social, messaging, print
- Works on any device, no app install
- QR code ready for in-person sales
- Zero setup — just copy and share
Embed Button
One line of codePaste a single script tag on your website. Renders a payment button that handles the entire checkout — works on WordPress, Shopify, or any HTML page.
<script src="satsrail.com/js/pay.js"
data-product="your-product"
data-key="pk_live_..."></script>
- One script tag — the complete integration
- Works on any website
- Live preview in your dashboard
- Fully customizable checkout flow
Point of Sale
In-person paymentsTurn any phone, tablet, or laptop into a Bitcoin POS terminal. Tap products, show a QR code, get paid in seconds. No hardware to buy.
Scan & pay
- Works on any device with a browser
- Built-in tipping and tax calculation
- Product catalog synced from dashboard
- No hardware — $0 setup
Bitcoin Payments for Every Industry
Whatever you sell, SatsRail moves your money in seconds — without banks, processors, or middlemen.
AES-256 Encrypted
premium-content.encrypted
Lightning payment
Content decrypted in browser
Featured Product
Built First for Content Creators
PrivaPaid™ is an encrypted paywall powered by SatsRail. Lock any content behind AES-256 encryption. Your buyer pays with Lightning — no account, no sign-up, no credit card. The content decrypts in their browser. The server stores only an encrypted blob.
End-to-end encrypted
No buyer accounts
Source-available (FSL-1.1-ALv2)
Keep 100% of revenue
PrivaPaid is SatsRail's first product — purpose-built for writers, musicians, educators, and anyone selling digital content.
SatsRail's payment infrastructure powers any merchant, any use case.
Your Wallet. Your Sats.
SatsRail is non-custodial. We never hold your Bitcoin. Connect Alby Hub and payments go straight to you.
Connect your wallet
Install Alby Hub. About 15 minutes, ~$8 one-time channel. If you stall, a Node Steward does it with you — free.
Customers pay you directly
Sats go straight to your wallet. SatsRail generates the invoice and confirms payment.
Instant settlement, always
No holds, no pending balances, no payout schedules. Your money is yours the moment it's paid.
Non-custodial payment architecture — your keys, your funds
What SatsRail can never do:
- Access your private keys
- Hold or freeze your funds
- Reverse a payment
- Delay your settlement
Stop Overpaying for Payments
See how SatsRail compares to traditional processors
| SatsRail | Credit Card Processors | |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | Create product, copy link | API keys, webhooks, SDK |
| Code required | None (or 1 script tag) | Server + client integration |
| Transaction fee | $0 | 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction |
| Settlement | Seconds | 2-7 business days |
| Chargebacks | Impossible | Yes + $15-20 dispute fee |
| Custody | Your wallet | They hold your funds |
For developers
Need More?
Need More?
Full API at Your Fingertips.
Payment links and embed buttons cover most merchants. But if you need itemized taxes, shopping carts, custom checkout flows, or agent-to-agent payments — we have a full REST API, SDKs, and an MCP server for AI agents.
REST API
Full payment lifecycle
SDKs
Ruby + MCP
MCP Server
AI agent payments
Webhooks
Real-time notifications
Common Questions
Everything you need to know before getting started
No. Create a product in the dashboard, copy your payment link, and share it. That's it. If you want a button on your website, it's one line of code to paste — no programming needed. Our full API is available if you want deeper integration later.
SatsRail charges no per-transaction fee — ever. The free tier is permanent: $0/mo up to $500/mo in payment volume, no verification needed to test. Above that, flat monthly subscription brackets start at $10/mo and include business verification (KYB) — never a percentage of your sales. We verify the business, not the industry — see how compliance works. Bitcoin network fees (typically pennies for Lightning) are paid by the sender, not you. See all plans.
You'll need Alby Hub — a free desktop app that connects your Lightning wallet to SatsRail. Install it on your PC, open a liquidity channel (~$8 one-time through Alby), and you're ready to accept payments. The whole setup takes about 10 minutes. SatsRail never holds your funds.
SatsRail tracks the USD value at the moment of payment so you always know your exact revenue. Convert to fiat on your own schedule using any exchange, or hold Bitcoin — your choice.
Bitcoin payments are irreversible — no chargebacks, ever. If you need to issue a refund, you handle it on your terms — crypto, cash, or bank transfer. You stay in control of when and how refunds happen.
Signup: 2 minutes. Wallet: about 15 minutes with Alby Hub, plus a ~$8 one-time channel fee. First invoice: 30 seconds after that. If you stall on the wallet step, a Node Steward sets it up with you — free.
Latest from the SatsRail Blog
Bitcoin Lightning payments, merchant economics, and the future of money.
For the legitimate businesses banks won't serve.
We verify you're real — then get out of your way.
The rail is live. Plug in.
Free under $500/mo to test. Verify only at real volume. Your wallet, your money.
We verify businesses, not buyers — how compliance works. Questions first? Talk to a human.