send21 and BTCPay Server compared
BTCPay Server and send21 share the most important property: neither holds your funds. They differ in who runs the infrastructure and which payments they focus on.
At a glance
| BTCPay Server | send21 | |
|---|---|---|
| Custody | Non-custodial | Non-custodial |
| Who runs it | You, on your own server (or a third-party host) | Hosted at send21.io |
| Software fee | None; you pay for hosting | 0.49% down to 0.01% per payment, capped at $100 |
| Focus | Bitcoin and Lightning; other coins through community plugins | BTC, Lightning, USDC, USDT, EURC, SOL and ETH on six networks |
| Setup | Server, Bitcoin node (around 600 GB, or pruned), optional Lightning node | Sign up and paste your receiving addresses |
| Code | Open source | Hosted service with a public API and MCP server |
When BTCPay Server fits better
- You want zero software fees and are happy to run and update a server.
- You want to run your own Bitcoin and Lightning nodes.
- You need the open-source code itself.
When send21 fits better
- You want to accept stablecoins, SOL or ETH next to bitcoin without running nodes.
- You price in EUR, SEK or another currency and want a locked rate on every payment.
- You build with AI agents and want scoped keys, MCP and signed webhooks out of the box.
Related
This page is also available as Markdown: /compare/btcpay-server.md. Questions: [email protected].