# send21 as a BitPay alternative

BitPay receives crypto payments and settles them to you, in your local currency to a bank account or in crypto. send21 never receives the payment: it goes from the payer's wallet straight to yours.

## What is different

|  | BitPay | send21 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Fee | 2% + 25 cents under $500,000 a month, 1.5% + 25 cents up to $1M, 1% + 25 cents above (higher for high-risk industries) | 0.49% down to 0.01%, capped at $100 |
| Settlement | Local currency to your bank (AUD, CAD, EUR, GBP, MXN, NZD, USD) or crypto | No settlement step: the payment is already in your wallet |
| Where the payment lands | BitPay first, then settled to you | Your own wallet, directly |
| Lightning | See BitPay | Yes, with automatic confirmation where the wallet provider supports it |
| AI agents | See BitPay | MCP server, scoped keys that cannot spend, approved addresses only |

## Choose BitPay if

- You need crypto payments converted and paid out to a bank account.
- You want an established processor with retail and point-of-sale tools.

## Choose send21 if

- You want to keep the crypto, in your own wallet, from the first second.
- You want a much lower fee: 0.49% at most, and never more than $100 per payment.
- You build on an API or with AI agents.

## Checked

Compared on 22 October 2026 against the BitPay pricing page. Check bitpay.com for current terms; tell us at info@send21.io if something here is out of date.

---
Source: https://send21.io/compare/bitpay