Stripe, Comgate, GoPay or PayU? An Honest 2026 Comparison of Payment Gateways for Czech E-Shops

Most Czech e-shop owners pick a payment gateway in the thirty minutes before launch. The developer asks "Stripe or Comgate?", the owner picks whichever sounds more familiar, and then lives with that decision for three years.

It's not really their fault. Comparing payment gateways in the Czech market is harder than it should be. Every provider lists only its best terms, invoices land as PDFs, and half of what you'll actually pay only shows up after the first month of trading. So here's the six that genuinely belong on a Czech e-shop's shortlist: Stripe, Comgate, GoPay, PayU, the ČSOB Payment Gateway, and KB SmartPay. Written for owners, not developers. We don't pick one winner. We give you the "use X if…" version instead.

The six gateways at a glance

Before we dig into the detail, a short profile of each gateway. Percentages and flat fees are public rates as of May 2026 or typical ranges - negotiated terms for larger merchants may differ.

Stripe is the US-headquartered payments provider available in the Czech Republic since 2020. It targets developers and global e-shops. No setup, no monthly fee, click-through KYC. Rates are 1.5% + CZK 2.50 for EEA-issued cards, 2.5% + CZK 2.50 for non-EEA. Support and UI in English only.

Comgate is a Czech gateway run by Comgate, a.s. (now part of the KB SmartPay group). It dominates among small and mid-sized Czech e-shops thanks to broad coverage of domestic bank buttons. Card rates start around ~1%, bank transfers (so-called "bank buttons") carry a flat fee, and most tariffs skip the monthly base. Contract in Czech.

GoPay is the other established Czech gateway, a long-running Comgate competitor. Similar coverage, comparable rates, in-house features like recurring payments and GoPay Express (stored cards shared across the GoPay network). Card rates around 1 - 1.4% plus a flat bank-transfer fee.

PayU is the Polish gateway with a Czech branch. A bigger player historically, today more peripheral for smaller Czech merchants - rates are higher, the method mix is narrower than Comgate or GoPay. Mostly relevant if you also sell into Poland.

ČSOB Payment Gateway is a bank-operated gateway from Československá obchodní banka. Requires a business account at ČSOB. Pricing is contract-based, typically attractive at higher volumes. T+1 payouts to your own account, tight integration with ČSOB-issued cards.

KB SmartPay is the gateway from Komerční banka (technically Worldline operating under the KB SmartPay brand). Same model as ČSOB - a KB business account, contract pricing, T+1 payouts. A solid pick for companies already banking with KB.

Real cost: what you actually pay

The headline rate on the marketing page is one of five line items that add up on the monthly bill. The full picture looks like this:

• The transaction fee, a percentage of each payment. Cards run 1 to 2%. Bank buttons usually carry a flat CZK 5 to 7.
• The monthly fee. Stripe has none. Comgate has none on most tariffs. GoPay has one on some. ČSOB and KB usually fold a base fee into the contract.
• Setup or activation. Stripe waives it. Domestic gateways charge anywhere from zero to CZK 5,000 depending on tariff.
• Chargeback fee, per disputed transaction. Stripe is around CZK 500; the others sit in a similar range.
• Currency conversion. If you sell in EUR but pay out in CZK, expect another 1 to 2% from any of them on conversion.

A worked example: an e-shop doing 200 orders per month, average value CZK 1,500, 70% pay by card and 30% by bank button. Monthly gross CZK 300,000.

• Stripe (all cards, 1.5% + CZK 2.50): ~CZK 5,000/month
• Comgate (1% card + CZK 5 bank button): ~CZK 2,400/month
• GoPay (1.2% card + CZK 7 bank button): ~CZK 3,000/month
• ČSOB / KB at a negotiated 0.8%: ~CZK 2,400/month

At this volume, the gap between most and least expensive can be ~CZK 30,000 a year. At higher volumes the absolute numbers grow, but their relative significance drops because contract terms become negotiable.

Payout speed and cashflow

For a small e-shop, cashflow often matters more than the percentage. Comgate, GoPay, ČSOB and KB pay out T+1 by default - the money lands the next business day. Stripe's Czech default is T+7, meaning the first payout arrives seven days after the first sale, and only after several months of activity can you request T+2.

For an established shop the gap is not dramatic. For a new merchant funding the early months on revenue, it can be - especially if you buy stock on 14-day invoice terms.

Supported payment methods

Czech e-shops have a habit that's rare abroad. People love bank buttons. At checkout the customer clicks their bank, gets redirected to internet banking, and confirms in a single tap. No cards, no limits, no 3D-Secure SMS dance. For Czech buyers this matters more than Apple Pay does.

Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay and Google Pay are supported across all six gateways. That's the baseline.

Domestic bank buttons (ČSOB, KB, Air Bank, Fio, Raiffeisen, MONETA, Česká spořitelna, mBank, Equa) are where the gateways really differ. Comgate and GoPay cover the full set. The ČSOB Payment Gateway and KB SmartPay cover fewer banks, usually centered on their own. PayU sits on a narrower selection. Stripe doesn't support Czech bank buttons at all.

For BNPL, both Comgate and GoPay integrate Twisto and Skip Pay. Stripe handles BNPL in the Czech market mainly through Klarna, which doesn't penetrate Czech retail the way Twisto and Skip Pay do.

Foreign cards are where Stripe shines. Comgate, GoPay and the bank gateways accept foreign cards, but not every exotic issuer. For orders from the US, UK or Asia, Stripe is essentially unrivalled.

For recurring payments and subscriptions, Stripe has the most mature stack on the market: dunning, proration, Stripe Billing. Comgate and GoPay have their own recurring solutions that work, but stay simpler. ČSOB and KB SmartPay technically support recurring payments, but the UX wasn't built for SaaS.

Contract, KYC, and time to go live

This is where the gaps are widest. With Stripe you sign up online, fill in the form (company ID, address, bank account, ID for the representative), and you're activated in hours to days. No paper contract anywhere.

Comgate and GoPay use an online application plus an electronic signature on the contract. Activation typically takes 3 to 7 business days. You'll need a trade licence or company register extract, an ID, and a bank account number.

PayU is the same idea but sometimes longer (a week or two) because of international compliance.

The ČSOB Payment Gateway and KB SmartPay require an open business account with the bank. If you already have one, gateway activation runs 5 to 14 days. If you don't, factor in account opening too; for a Czech s.r.o. that's typically another 2 to 4 weeks.

Sole traders (OSVČ) can sign up everywhere, but ČSOB and KB tend to be friendlier to larger businesses. Individuals with low turnover sometimes run into higher fixed fees or simply a declined contract.

Checkout UX and conversion

A gateway connects to your shop in one of three ways. The simplest is a redirect: the customer leaves your site and finishes payment on the gateway's pages. Easiest integration, least design control. That's the default for Comgate, GoPay, PayU, ČSOB and KB SmartPay.

One step up is an embedded iframe. Payment fields render inside your checkout but technically run on the gateway's servers. Most domestic gateways support this, usually as a paid add-on.

The most polished option is hosted fields, Stripe Elements style. Card inputs render inside your checkout with no redirect at all. Stripe is technically furthest along here; the others vary in how cleanly they support it.

As a rule, fewer redirects and fewer steps mean higher conversion. On mobile the gap is bigger; each extra redirect costs around 3 to 7% of carts. If you have heavy mobile traffic and sell impulse items (fashion, cosmetics), embedded Stripe, Comgate or GoPay setups are worth the integration effort. For higher-value orders (B2B, expensive electronics) where the customer is already committed, the difference is marginal.

Czech-language support and dispute handling

This is where Stripe stands apart, and not in its favor for many Czech owners. Stripe support is English only, via chat and email. Technically very good. But you can't pick up a phone in Czech about a chargeback dispute. For more than one Czech merchant, that has been the reason for moving to Comgate or GoPay after the first incident.

Comgate, GoPay, PayU and both bank gateways offer Czech phone and email support, a contract under Czech law, and a documented Czech-language paper trail when disputes arise. For non-technical owners that's the kind of peace of mind which never shows up in the books but matters a lot once you're in the weeds.

Integration on common platforms

Before locking in a gateway, check that a solid plug-in exists for your platform.

On Shopify, Stripe is the native integration (Shopify Payments runs on Stripe under the hood). Comgate and GoPay are available through official Shopify App Store apps. PayU is available with some limitations. ČSOB and KB usually need custom integration.

On WooCommerce, the official Stripe plugin works well in both free and paid tiers, and Comgate and GoPay both maintain their own well-supported plugins. A PayU plugin exists. ČSOB and KB are typically integrated via third-party plugins of varying quality.

Shoptet, being a Czech e-shop platform, ships native integrations for Comgate, GoPay, PayU and ČSOB. Stripe can be added via external integration but isn't the standard path. Upgates is similar: Czech gateways natively, Stripe by integration.

On custom builds (Next.js, Nuxt, Laravel, whatever), Stripe has the best API and the best docs by a clear margin. Comgate and GoPay have usable REST APIs. PayU's API works. The bank gateways are documented but built on older architecture.

Decision matrix: which gateway for which e-shop

Concrete recommendations for concrete situations.

Small CZ-only e-shop, low volume (up to CZK 100,000 a month): Comgate or GoPay. No monthly base, broad bank-button coverage, Czech support, T+1 payouts. ČSOB and KB are usually pricier here because of fixed components in the contract.

Mid-sized CZ-only e-shop with the full method mix (CZK 100,000 to 1,000,000 a month): Comgate or GoPay still hit the sweet spot. If you'd rather negotiate, opening an account with ČSOB or KB can earn you a sub-1% rate.

Cross-border or EU-wide e-shop: Stripe. No Czech gateway covers Germany, Austria and France together with anything close to convenience. Stripe supports local methods (iDEAL, Bancontact, SEPA, Klarna) from one account.

SaaS or subscription business: Stripe. Nothing on the Czech market comes close to its subscription tooling yet.

B2B with high-value orders and bank-transfer-heavy buyers: Comgate or GoPay for the buttons, or skip the gateway altogether and issue invoices. A percentage fee on a CZK 50,000 order hurts.

An e-shop that already banks with ČSOB or KB: negotiating a gateway with your house bank usually wins. But if you need every Czech bank button in one checkout, layer Comgate or GoPay on top for that section.

What we'd avoid

A few honest notes from real projects.

Stripe on a pure CZ-only e-shop with no Apple or Google Pay strategy is the most common mistake we see. You pay more, get fewer domestic methods, and live in English support. Stripe earns its keep if you're going international or running SaaS. Otherwise the local options will treat you better.

PayU as the primary gateway for a new Czech e-shop is another one. Its Czech-market product isn't getting the investment Comgate and GoPay are. It mostly makes sense if you have a sister shop in Poland.

Bank gateways without negotiated terms tend to disappoint. Default ČSOB or KB rates are often worse than Comgate. You only see the upside if you actively negotiate, and that conversation usually only opens above a certain volume.

Stripe and EU VAT is a quiet trap. Stripe is a payment processor, not a tax engine. You handle VAT yourself, or pay extra for Stripe Tax. Without a plan for tracking country-by-country thresholds, you can get caught out months in.

Subscription migration is the last one. If you have live recurring subscriptions on one gateway, moving them without a break is hard. Customers usually have to re-authorise their cards. Choose well the first time.

Frequently asked questions

Is Stripe legal in the Czech Republic?

Yes. Stripe Payments Europe is a licensed entity in Ireland, has been available in the Czech Republic since 2020, and Czech companies open accounts there without issues.

Which gateway has the lowest fees for a small e-shop?

At small volumes Comgate and GoPay are usually the cheapest, thanks to low percentage rates and no monthly fee. ČSOB and KB pay off only at negotiated contract rates for larger merchants.

Can I run more than one gateway at once?

Yes, and for bigger shops it often makes sense - for example Comgate for Czech buyers and Stripe for international. The main cost is added complexity in accounting and reconciliation.

Can I switch gateways without losing subscriptions?

For one-off payments, no problem. For recurring subscriptions, a move is possible but customers typically need to re-authorise their cards - you can't simply "hand over" stored cards between providers.

What is a "bank button" and why does it matter so much in the Czech market?

It's a one-click checkout option that takes the customer to their own internet banking to authorise the payment. Roughly a third of Czech online payments go through this method, and in some segments (apparel, groceries) more. Skipping it on a Czech e-shop means leaving 5 - 15% of orders on the table.

Stripe Tax or Stripe Billing - worth it?

Stripe Tax is useful for SaaS with international customers where manual VAT-threshold tracking doesn't scale. For a CZ-only e-shop with standard accounting software, no.

Bottom line

For most e-shops, picking a gateway isn't about which one is best. It's about matching the gateway to what you sell, who you sell to, how much you do, and where you already bank. Comgate and GoPay will be the cheapest choice for most small and mid-sized Czech e-shops. Stripe is the obvious pick if you're going international or building a subscription business. ČSOB and KB SmartPay make sense once you can negotiate a contract and you already have an account at the bank.

If the specific decision is giving you trouble, when we build an e-shop we recommend and integrate a gateway as part of the engagement. Happy to look at your specific case. No template answer.