# NOWPayments alternative: blockwallets vs NOWPayments

> blockwallets offers a NOWPayments-compatible API (change the base URL and keys) with a public rate of 1% per payment dropping automatically to 0.5%; NOWPayments charges 1% without exchange and 1.5% for multi-currency or fixed-rate payments, and supports 300+ coins, far more than blockwallets’ 17.

Data checked 2026-11-03 · HTML: https://blockwallets.io/vs/nowpayments?lang=en · 中文: https://blockwallets.io/vs/nowpayments.md

## blockwallets and NOWPayments, point by point.

| Item | blockwallets | NOWPayments |
|---|---|---|
| Fee per payment | 1% per payment, lowered automatically by last month’s volume down to 0.5% (a public tier table, nothing to negotiate); no monthly or setup fee, free withdrawals | 1% for payments without exchange; 1.5% for multi-currency, fixed-rate and “fee paid by user” payments; plus blockchain network fees |
| Coins and networks | 17 coins (USDT, USDC, USD1, FDUSD, DAI, BTC, LTC, DOGE, BCH, TRX, BNB, ETH, POL, AVAX, OKB, SOL and TON) on 15 networks; USDT, USDC and other stablecoins are credited 1:1 in US dollars | 300+ cryptocurrencies |
| Where the money sits | Payments are credited in US dollars to your blockwallets balance; you request withdrawals to your own wallet whenever you like, or set them to be requested automatically (minimum $10.00; each is reviewed by a person, and a new payout address waits 24 hours before its first payout). Online servers hold only a read-only public key (xpub); the keys that move funds are used only in a signing environment isolated from the online services. Sweeps only go to fixed cold-wallet addresses; payouts to merchants are approved by a person and only go to the merchant’s registered withdrawal address | Two options: non-custodial (forwarded to your wallet after the service fee, with an extra network fee) or a custody balance |
| Switching cost | Point the base URL at `https://blockwallets.io/nowpayments/v1` and use the new API key and IPN secret; payments, invoices, status and list endpoints work as before | — |
| Testing | Separate test credentials on public testnets; the payment page has a “simulate payment” button, so the whole flow costs nothing | — |
| Webhooks | The same `x-nowpayments-sig` (HMAC-SHA512) signature, so your existing verification code works; final states and `partially_paid` are sent, delivered up to 8 times in all (7 retries over about two and a half days) | IPN header `x-nowpayments-sig`: HMAC-SHA512 with the IPN secret over the alphabetically sorted parameters |

Their figures come from their own website and official docs, linked at the bottom of the page. Prices change; their site is authoritative.

## Who each one suits.

### Pick blockwallets if

- You want a public tiered rate: 1%, dropping automatically to 0.5%
- You use NOWPayments’ payment or invoice API and want a compatible route without rewriting code
- You mostly take USDT and USDC and want dollar accounting with free withdrawals
- You want a test environment that runs the whole flow on testnets

### NOWPayments suits you better if

- You need a long tail of coins: NOWPayments lists 300+, we support 17
- You rely on payouts, conversion, subscriptions or sub-partner custody: our compatible layer doesn’t have them and returns 404
- You price bills in a fiat currency other than USD: we accept USD only (USDT and USDC at 1:1)
- You need to go live today: we are in private beta

## Switch over in five steps.

1. [Request access](https://blockwallets.io/#join), then add your domains under “Website domains” on “Developers › Integration & keys”: `ipn_callback_url` and redirect URLs only accept these
2. Generate NOWPayments-compatible credentials (API key + IPN secret, one set each for test and live) under “Developers › Integration & keys”
3. Replace `https://api.nowpayments.io/v1` with `https://blockwallets.io/nowpayments/v1` and use the new keys
4. Run it once on testnets with the test credentials and check that the IPN signature verifies
5. Switch to the live credentials

Differences: `price_currency` must be `usd`; a payment is valid for up to 12 hours (7 days at NOWPayments); no IPN for `waiting` or `confirming`. Full details in the [migration guide](https://blockwallets.io/docs/nowpayments?lang=en).

blockwallets has compatible APIs for [Cryptomus](https://blockwallets.io/docs/cryptomus?lang=en), [NOWPayments](https://blockwallets.io/docs/nowpayments?lang=en) and [Coinbase Commerce](https://blockwallets.io/docs/coinbase-commerce?lang=en), plus a native REST API and no-code payment links: [every way to integrate](https://blockwallets.io/docs?lang=en).

## Questions

### Can blockwallets replace NOWPayments?

For receiving payments, yes: our NOWPayments-compatible API covers creating payments and invoices, status lookups, lists and IPN callbacks. Change the base URL and keys. Payouts, conversion and subscriptions are not available.

### Do I need to change my IPN verification code?

No. Our `x-nowpayments-sig` is the same HMAC-SHA512 of the sorted JSON with your IPN secret, exactly as in NOWPayments’ docs.

### How do the fees compare?

blockwallets charges 1% per payment, lowered by last month’s volume to 0.9% from $50,000, 0.8% from $100,000, 0.7% from $250,000, 0.6% from $500,000 and 0.5% from $1,000,000. NOWPayments lists 1% without exchange and 1.5% for multi-currency and fixed-rate payments (checked 2026-11-03).

### Why fewer coins than NOWPayments?

We only list coins we scan ourselves and confirm with two independent data sources: currently USDT, USDC, USD1, FDUSD, DAI, BTC, LTC, DOGE, BCH, TRX, BNB, ETH, POL, AVAX, OKB, SOL and TON, on 15 networks. If you need a long tail of coins, NOWPayments is the better fit.

### Can I try it before deciding?

Yes. Compatible credentials come in test and live sets; test runs on public testnets and costs nothing.

## Where the NOWPayments figures come from

- [NOWPayments help: fees](https://nowpayments.io/help/about-nowpayments/about/what-are-your-fees)
- [NOWPayments supported coins](https://nowpayments.io/supported-coins)
- [NOWPayments API docs, sandbox edition (incl. IPN signing)](https://documenter.getpostman.com/view/7907941/T1LSCRHC)

Checked on 2026-11-03 against their website and official docs. Our figures are the defaults in blockwallets’ code (the published fee tiers and network list).