Comparison

Qvard vs NOWPayments: what to choose for accepting crypto payments

TL;DR: The core difference is custody: NOWPayments is non-custodial and asks for minimal KYC from crypto-only merchants, while Qvard is a custodial gateway that tracks a merchant balance. NOWPayments also lists a much wider coin catalog. If you want funds to skip any intermediary balance, or need near-instant onboarding without KYC, NOWPayments fits that specifically; Qvard's narrower, curated asset list and balance/withdrawal model suit merchants who prefer an operational dashboard over raw pass-through.

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Feature by feature

Qvard vs NOWPayments

QvardNOWPayments

Processing fee~1% (0.8%/0.65% at higher volume)1% for payments without exchange, 1.5% for multi-currency/fixed-rate payments

Custodial modelCustodial: Qvard tracks a merchant balance per asset until withdrawalNon-custodial: NOWPayments states it does not store funds or hold private keys

Coins & networksUSDT (TRC20, ERC20, BEP20), BTC, LTC, ETH, BNB, TRX300+ cryptocurrencies (NOWPayments' own pages cite 300+ and 350+ in different places)

KYC for merchantsNot requiredNot required for crypto-only merchants; may be requested only if a transaction is flagged as suspicious

Hosted checkoutYes — customer picks asset/network on the payment pageYes — hosted invoice page via invoice_url

Payment linksNo — created via API, customer gets a hosted checkout linkYes — Donation Tools and Invoices, no-code setup

API & webhooksYes — create payment, get paymentUrl, receive final-status webhook with retryYes — Payment API with IPN (Instant Payment Notification) callbacks

PluginsNo ready-made plugins yet — REST API integrationPrestaShop, OpenCart, WooCommerce, Magento 2, WHMCS, Shopify

WithdrawalsManual and automatic withdrawals from the merchant balanceMass Payouts API and a separate Fiat Withdrawals API

SupportTelegram botEmail and a contact form

Custodial vs. non-custodial is the real fork

This is the single biggest structural difference. NOWPayments states plainly that it "doesn't store your funds and never has private keys to any of your wallets" — payments route through rather than sit in a NOWPayments-held balance. Qvard, by contrast, is built around a merchant balance per asset with manual and automatic withdrawal rules — closer to a traditional payment processor's dashboard model. Neither is wrong; it changes where operational risk and control sit.

KYC and onboarding speed

NOWPayments only asks crypto-only merchants for KYC/KYB in the rare case a transaction is flagged as suspicious, which can mean a faster start for a merchant that never needs fiat. Qvard doesn't require merchant KYC either, so onboarding friction on that front is low on both sides — the real difference between the two is custody model and coin breadth.

Coin breadth is NOWPayments' clearest strength

NOWPayments' own pages cite 300+ (its /api page) to 350+ (homepage/pricing) supported cryptocurrencies — a much larger catalog than Qvard's curated set of USDT across three networks plus BTC, LTC, ETH, BNB and TRX. A merchant whose customers hold many different altcoins benefits from that breadth; a merchant focused on stablecoin payments may not need it.

Fee structure

NOWPayments charges 1% for straightforward payments and 1.5% when currency exchange or a fixed rate is involved, with volume-based loyalty discounts it doesn't publish exact thresholds for. Qvard's published tiers step from ~1% down to 0.8% and 0.65% by monthly volume. At comparable volumes the two land in a similar range.

When NOWPayments is the better choice

Pick NOWPayments if you want a strictly non-custodial flow where funds never sit in a platform-held balance, need to accept a very long tail of altcoins beyond stablecoins and majors, or want to start accepting crypto-only payments with minimal KYC friction.

When Qvard is the better choice

Pick Qvard if you'd rather work from a merchant balance with manual and automatic withdrawal rules than a pure pass-through model, and your customers mostly pay in USDT across TRON, Ethereum or BNB Smart Chain.

FAQ

Is NOWPayments custodial like Qvard?

No. NOWPayments states it is non-custodial and does not hold merchant funds or private keys, while Qvard tracks a merchant balance per asset that is released on withdrawal — a custodial model.

Does NOWPayments require KYC?

Not for merchants who only handle cryptocurrency (no fiat) — NOWPayments' own help center says KYC is only requested in the rare case a transaction looks suspicious.

How many coins does NOWPayments support?

NOWPayments' own pages give two different figures — "300+" on its /api page and "350+" on its homepage and pricing page — so treat the exact count as approximate rather than a fixed published number.

Which has lower fees?

NOWPayments charges 1% (no exchange) or 1.5% (with exchange/fixed rate); Qvard starts around 1% and drops to 0.8% and 0.65% at higher monthly volume. Compare against your actual payment mix and volume.

Does Qvard support as many coins as NOWPayments?

No — Qvard's current lineup (USDT on three networks, plus BTC, LTC, ETH, BNB and TRX) is far narrower than NOWPayments' catalog of 300+ assets. If broad altcoin coverage is the priority, NOWPayments has the edge here.

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Qvard vs CoinPayments

Data on NOWPayments verified 2026-09-17 from official sources. Fees, features and policies can change after this check — confirm current details directly with the provider before deciding.

Sources checked: https://nowpayments.io/pricing · https://nowpayments.io/help/about-nowpayments/about · https://nowpayments.io/help/security/kyc-aml · https://nowpayments.io/help/payments/invoices · https://nowpayments.io/donation-tools · https://nowpayments.io/help/what-is/what-is-ipn · https://nowpayments.io/api · https://nowpayments.io/help/about-nowpayments/about/what-cms-does-nowpayments-support · https://nowpayments.io/contact-us