send21 as a NOWPayments alternative
NOWPayments is a hosted crypto gateway with a very long coin list, plugins and conversion. send21 does less on purpose: a short list of major coins, payments straight to your wallet, and tools for developers and AI agents.
What is different
| NOWPayments | send21 | |
|---|---|---|
| Coins | 350+ currencies, according to its pricing page | BTC (on-chain and Lightning), USDC, USDT, EURC, SOL, ETH |
| Fee | A 1% service fee on its pricing page; network fees extra | 0.49% down to 0.01%, capped at $100, never deducted from the payment |
| Where the payment lands | Depends on the mode you choose with NOWPayments | Always your own wallet, directly |
| Conversion | Coin swaps available | Not offered; send21 never touches money |
| AI agents | See NOWPayments | MCP server, scoped keys that cannot spend, approved addresses only |
Choose NOWPayments if
- You need many coins beyond the major ones.
- You want automatic conversion between coins, or ready-made plugins for many shop platforms.
Choose send21 if
- You want payments to reach your own wallet with no provider address in between.
- You want a lower fee on most payment sizes, capped at $100.
- You build on an API or with AI agents.
Checked
Compared on 22 October 2026 against the NOWPayments pricing page. Check nowpayments.io for current terms; tell us at info@send21.io if something here is out of date.
Related
Get paid to your own wallet
Create a free account and send your first pay link, or try a test payment first. No subscription.
This page is also available as Markdown: /compare/nowpayments.md. Questions: integration@send21.io.