NOWPayments vs CoinPayments vs Larecoin: Which Crypto POS System Actually Saves Small Businesses Money?

Let's cut straight to it.

You're bleeding money on payment processing. Every swipe, every tap, every transaction, 2.5% to 3.5% gone. Poof. Vanished into the pockets of legacy payment processors.

Crypto POS systems promise relief. But which one actually delivers for small businesses? We're breaking down three major players: NOWPayments, CoinPayments, and Larecoin.

Spoiler: The differences are bigger than you'd think.

The Real Cost of Accepting Payments in 2026

Small businesses process an average of $500,000 annually. At traditional interchange rates? That's $12,500 to $17,500 disappearing every year.

Crypto payment processors claim to slash those fees. But "crypto payments" isn't a monologue category anymore. Different platforms, different ecosystems, wildly different value propositions.

Let's dig in.

NOWPayments: The Volume Play

Processing Fees: 0.5% to 1%

NOWPayments built its reputation on volume and flexibility. They support 300+ cryptocurrencies, which sounds impressive until you realize most customers pay with maybe five.

The Good:

• Customizable network fee handling

• Merchant can absorb or pass along gas fees

• Zero payout fees

• API-first approach for developers

The Not-So-Good:

• No native stablecoin ecosystem

• Settlement volatility risk

• Limited POS hardware integration

• You're still converting to fiat through third parties

For online-only businesses with crypto-native customers? Decent option. For brick-and-mortar small businesses? The gaps start showing.

CoinPayments: The OG Option

Processing Fees: 0.5% to 1%

CoinPayments has been around since 2013. Veteran status. They've processed billions in transactions.

The Good:

• Established track record

• Shopping cart plugins galore

• Multi-currency vaults

The Not-So-Good:

• Only 40+ supported currencies (versus 300+ competitors)

• Network fees fall on the customer, no flexibility

• No QR-based POS innovation

• Custody concerns remain

Here's the thing: CoinPayments works. It's reliable. But "works" isn't "optimal" for cost-conscious small businesses watching every percentage point.

Larecoin: The Ecosystem Approach

Now we're talking different architecture entirely.

Processing Fees: Up to 50% lower than legacy systems

Larecoin isn't just a payment processor. It's an entire receivables ecosystem built on three pillars: LUSD (stablecoin), LarePAY (merchant solutions), and LareBlocks (blockchain infrastructure).

The Game-Changers:

1. Interchange Fee Destruction

Legacy payment processors charge 2.5% to 3.5%. NOWPayments and CoinPayments charge 0.5% to 1%, but you still face conversion fees, volatility risk, and settlement delays.

Larecoin's receivables token model slashes total cost of payment acceptance by up to 50% compared to traditional systems. Not 50% compared to other crypto processors. Compared to Visa and Mastercard.

That $12,500 annual bleed? Now it's closer to $6,250.

2. Self-Custody Through the Smart Wallet

Here's where philosophical differences matter.

NOWPayments and CoinPayments hold your funds. You're trusting third-party custody. We've all seen how that plays out in crypto winters.

The Larecoin Smart Wallet enables true self-custody. Your keys. Your crypto. Your business funds never sitting on someone else's servers.

3. QR-Generated POS Magic

No expensive hardware. No proprietary terminals. No monthly device rental fees.

Larecoin's QR-generated POS turns any smartphone or tablet into a payment terminal. Customer scans. Payment confirms. Done.

Setup time? Minutes. Cost? Basically zero.

4. NFT Receipts: Tax Season Actually Gets Easier

This is the innovation nobody else is doing.

Every Larecoin transaction generates an NFT receipt. Immutable. Timestamped. Blockchain-verified.

Come tax season? Export your entire transaction history with cryptographic proof. Your accountant will send you a thank-you card.

For small business owners drowning in receipt management and expense tracking? This alone might be worth the switch.

The Fee Comparison Table

Feature	NOWPayments	CoinPayments	Larecoin
Processing Fee	0.5-1%	0.5-1%	Up to 50% below legacy
Supported Currencies	300+	40+	Multi-chain
Network Fee Control	Customizable	Customer pays	Optimized
Self-Custody	No	No	Yes (Smart Wallet)
QR POS	Limited	No	Native
NFT Receipts	No	No	Yes
Native Stablecoin	No	No	LUSD
Payout Fees	0%	0%	0%

Why Self-Custody Actually Matters for Small Business

Let's get real for a second.

When you use NOWPayments or CoinPayments, your daily revenue sits in their custody until you withdraw. Counterparty risk isn't theoretical. FTX proved that.

The Larecoin Smart Wallet flips the script. Payments settle directly to your self-custodied wallet. No intermediary holding your funds overnight. No withdrawal queues. No "processing delays" during market volatility.

For a small business operating on tight margins? That's not just a feature. That's survival infrastructure.

The LUSD Stability Factor

Volatility kills crypto adoption for merchants. Nobody wants to accept $100 in payment and wake up to $85.

LUSD: Larecoin's native stablecoin: solves this elegantly. Accept payment in any supported crypto. Instant conversion to LUSD. No volatility exposure. No scrambling to convert during market dips.

NOWPayments and CoinPayments offer fiat conversion, sure. But through third-party exchanges. Extra fees. Extra friction. Extra points of failure.

Real Numbers for Real Businesses

Let's run the math on a coffee shop doing $300,000 annually:

Traditional Payment Processing (3% average):

• Annual fees: $9,000

NOWPayments/CoinPayments (1% + conversion):

• Processing: $3,000

• Conversion/volatility buffer: ~$1,500

• Total: ~$4,500

Larecoin Ecosystem:

• Processing: ~$4,500 (50% of legacy)

• Conversion to LUSD: Minimal (native ecosystem)

• Hardware costs: $0 (QR POS)

• Total: ~$4,500

Similar bottom line to other crypto processors. But with self-custody. With NFT receipts. With zero hardware investment.

The value proposition isn't just fee reduction. It's fee reduction plus infrastructure plus ownership.

Setting Up: Complexity Comparison

NOWPayments: API integration required for advanced features. WordPress/Shopify plugins available. Medium technical lift.

CoinPayments: E-commerce focused. Good plugins. Less flexibility for physical retail.

Larecoin: QR-generated POS means you're accepting payments in under 10 minutes. Scan the setup docs. Generate your merchant QR. Start selling.

For small business owners who aren't developers? That simplicity matters.

The Verdict: Which Crypto POS Actually Saves Money?

If you're an online-only business with crypto-native customers already comfortable with the ecosystem? NOWPayments offers decent flexibility and a massive currency selection.

If you're running a basic e-commerce operation and want established, reliable processing? CoinPayments has the track record.

But if you're a small business owner who wants:

• Maximum fee reduction versus legacy systems

• True self-custody of your funds

• Zero hardware investment with QR POS

• NFT receipts for simplified tax compliance

• Native stablecoin protection against volatility

Larecoin's ecosystem approach delivers what the others can't.

Not just a payment processor. A complete receivables infrastructure.

Ready to Stop Bleeding Fees?

Your payment processor shouldn't be your biggest expense. Visit Larecoin to explore the ecosystem. Check out the official announcements for the latest LarePAY merchant updates.

Your margins deserve better. Your business deserves ownership.

Let's make it happen.