Colombia Ecommerce · 10 min read

Payment Gateways in Colombia 2026: Wompi vs ePayco vs PayU vs Stripe

By Cances SASApril 2026Ecommerce

Choosing the wrong payment gateway in Colombia can cost you 20-40% of your potential conversions. This is not a small decision — Colombian consumers have strong preferences for specific payment methods, and if yours aren't available, they simply won't buy.

We've integrated all four major gateways across dozens of Colombian ecommerce projects. Here's our honest, data-backed comparison.

Quick answer: For most projects, use Wompi as your primary gateway. Add ePayco if you need cash payments. Use PayU only if you're launching in multiple LATAM countries simultaneously.

Why Payment Methods Matter in Colombia

In Colombia, credit card penetration is around 35% — much lower than in Europe or North America. This means the majority of your potential customers will need to pay via:

PSE: Direct bank transfer system used by all Colombian banks
Nequi: Digital wallet with 18M+ users (Bancolombia ecosystem)
Daviplata: Digital wallet with 12M+ users (Davivienda bank)
Efecty/Baloto: Cash payments at physical stores — still used by 25%+ of online buyers
QR payments: Growing rapidly, especially post-pandemic

If your gateway only accepts credit cards, you're immediately excluding 65% of the market.

Gateway Comparison

Wompi9.5/10

Best for: Most projects

Pros

Best API documentation
Nequi + PSE + Cards
Lowest fees (2.9%)
Real-time webhooks
Built by Bancolombia

Cons

Newer brand trust
No cash payments

ePayco8.5/10

Best for: Mass market

Pros

Most trusted brand
Cash (Efecty/Baloto)
PSE + Cards + QR
Wide bank support
10+ years in market

Cons

Higher fees (3.49%)
Older API design

PayU7.5/10

Best for: Multi-country

Pros

Works across LATAM
Strong fraud detection
Multi-currency

Cons

Higher fees
Less Colombia-specific
Slower payouts

Stripe6/10

Best for: Intl cards only

Pros

Best global DX
Excellent docs
Radar fraud tools

Cons

No PSE/Nequi
Not for local buyers
Higher fees in Colombia

Fee Comparison

Gateway	Credit Cards	PSE	Nequi	Cash	Setup
Wompi	2.9% + $900	$1,200 flat	$900 flat	Not available	Free
ePayco	3.49% + $900	$1,400 flat	$1,000 flat	$1,500 flat	Free
PayU	3.49% + $900	$1,500 flat	Not available	$1,800 flat	Free
Stripe	2.9% + $0.30	Not available	Not available	Not available	Free

* Fees in COP. Rates as of April 2026. Always verify current rates with each provider.

Our Recommendation by Use Case

Launching a new Colombian ecommerce

Start with Wompi. Best developer experience, lowest fees, Nequi integration (18M users), and PSE support. You'll cover 80%+ of Colombian payment preferences.

Targeting mass market (lower-income segments)

Add ePayco alongside Wompi for cash payment support (Efecty, Baloto). Many rural and lower-income buyers still pay in cash — ePayco is the best gateway for this.

Launching across multiple LATAM countries

Use PayU as your primary gateway. It works across Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Brazil, Argentina and more — saving you the complexity of integrating multiple gateways per country.

Selling to international customers paying in USD/EUR

Use Stripe for this segment. It has the best global developer experience and fraud detection. But make sure to offer local Colombian methods for local buyers.

Integration Complexity

All four gateways offer WooCommerce plugins and REST APIs. From our experience integrating all of them:

Wompi: Best documentation, cleanest API, fastest to integrate (4-8 hours)
ePayco: Good docs, slightly older API design (8-16 hours)
PayU: More complex, extensive configuration needed (16-24 hours)
Stripe: Best overall DX globally but limited Colombia-specific features

Need help choosing and integrating a payment gateway?

We've integrated all four gateways across dozens of Colombian ecommerce projects. Book a free call.

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