Payments · Online payments

Payment Link vs Payment Gateway: Which Should You Use?

Payment link vs payment gateway for Singapore businesses: how each works, set-up and coding needs, fees, PCI DSS duties, and which fits how you sell.

By 1 POS Pay · 10 November 2026

General information for Singapore businesses, not financial or legal advice. Fees and terms are set by each payment provider and can change. Check the provider's current terms and its licence status on the MAS Financial Institutions Directory.

What is the difference between a payment link and a payment gateway?

A payment link is a ready-made checkout page that your payment provider hosts and you send to the customer as a URL. A payment gateway is a checkout built into your own website or app, connected to the provider through a plugin or code. The difference is where the checkout lives and how much set-up it needs.

Stripe, for example, describes its Payment Links as a way to "accept payments online without writing code" and to accept payments "without a website" (Stripe Payment Links, Stripe online payments). Its website integrations, by contrast, use code to add a prebuilt or custom checkout to your own site (Stripe).

In Singapore, whichever you use, the provider processing the payment should be licensed by MAS. MAS describes a merchant acquisition service as accepting and processing payment transactions for a merchant under a contract, and notes that it usually includes a point-of-sale terminal or an online payment gateway (MAS). Our payment links guide covers the basics; this article goes deeper into how the two differ in set-up, cost, security and fit.

How does a payment link work, step by step?

A payment link works in three steps: you create a link for an amount or item in the provider's dashboard, send it to the customer, and the customer pays on the provider's hosted page. You need a merchant account with the provider, but no website or developer.

Create: Stripe's documentation rates Payment Links at the lowest integration complexity and lets one link be reused by many customers or limited to a set number of purchases (Stripe). Fiuu's merchant dashboard generates a default link that you can send for card payments (Fiuu).

Send: providers list chat, email, SMS and social media as sharing channels. Fiuu names chat, email, social media and SMS (Fiuu); HitPay names WhatsApp, Instagram, email and SMS, and offers a QR version of the link (HitPay). Stripe also offers a QR code and a buy button for an existing website (Stripe).

Pay: the customer opens the provider's page and chooses an enabled method. Payment methods depend on the provider: HitPay says its links accept PayNow, GrabPay and cards on one hosted page, with PayNow enabled after Singapore business verification (HitPay); Fiuu lists cards, online banking, e-wallets and Buy Now Pay Later (Fiuu).

How does a payment gateway checkout work?

A payment gateway connects the checkout of your website, online store or app to the provider, so customers pay as the last step of placing an order. It needs a one-time integration through a platform plugin, a hosted checkout redirect, or the provider's API, and in return it handles a product catalogue, cart and order records automatically.

There are three common integration styles. A redirect sends the customer from your site to the provider's payment page and back. An embedded form or popup keeps the customer on your site: Fiuu's seamless integration, for example, is meant to "stop redirecting buyers to Fiuu payment page" using a JavaScript snippet (Fiuu). A fully custom form, such as one built with Stripe Elements, gives the most design control and needs the most code (Stripe).

If you sell on an e-commerce platform, a plugin is usually the shortest route. HitPay, for instance, lists e-commerce plugins such as Shopify and WooCommerce alongside its payment APIs (HitPay). Our online payment gateway guide compares gateway options for Singapore businesses.

How do payment links and payment gateways compare side by side?

A payment link wins on speed and simplicity; a gateway wins on automation and checkout control. The table below compares them on the points that usually decide the choice. Check each item against the provider you are considering, because features differ between providers.

Payment link vs payment gateway (summary based on Stripe, Fiuu and HitPay documentation, checked 10 November 2026)
Factor	Payment link	Payment gateway
Website needed	No	Yes: a website, online store or app
Set-up	Create a link in the dashboard; no code	Plugin, redirect or API integration, sometimes a developer
How the order starts	You send the link after agreeing the sale (chat, email, invoice)	The customer self-serves on your site
Checkout design	Provider's page, limited branding	From provider's page (redirect) to fully custom (API)
Catalogue, cart and stock	Usually one amount or item per link	Handled by your store or app
Matching payments to orders	Manual or semi-manual; one link per order helps	Automatic: each payment is tied to an order
Card data on your systems	None: the customer pays on the provider's page	None on a redirect or hosted page; more scope with embedded or custom forms
Best for	Chat orders, invoices, deposits, low to medium volume	Online shops with many orders and a product range

Do payment links cost more than a payment gateway?

Not necessarily, but it depends on the provider. Stripe, for example, includes Payment Links at no additional charge under its standard payments pricing (Stripe). Ask any other provider whether it charges extra for links, and compare its price list for the exact product you will use.

HitPay says it charges no set-up, monthly or API subscription fee for its payment APIs (HitPay). Neither statement tells you your total cost, which also depends on the card mix, local vs international cards and any refund or chargeback fees.

The bigger cost difference is often the set-up and running cost around the checkout: a gateway may need a website, a store subscription or developer time, while links cost staff time to create, send and match each payment. Our guide to credit card processing fees in Singapore explains the merchant discount rate and the other fees to check in a quote.

Which is more secure, a payment link or a gateway?

Both can be secure, because in both cases a licensed provider can handle the card details. What changes is your share of the security work. A payment link or a full redirect keeps card data on the provider's page; an embedded form or a custom checkout on your own site gives you more to protect.

The PCI Security Standards Council says that e-commerce merchants who redirect customers to a third-party payment page or use its embedded iframe still have responsibility for the PCI DSS requirements in SAQ A, including external vulnerability scans for their own site (PCI SSC FAQ 1604). It also explains that the SAQ A criterion on script attacks does not apply to merchants whose web page redirects customers, giving the example of an email with a link to the provider's website to pay (PCI SSC FAQ 1588). Your provider or acquirer will tell you which assessment applies to you.

Payment links have their own risk: customers can be tricked by fake links. Send links only from your usual business number or email, and make sure the checkout page shows your provider's domain. Before signing with any provider, check its licence in the MAS Financial Institutions Directory; MAS warns that scammers may impersonate regulated institutions (MAS). Our step-by-step guide shows how to check if a payment provider is MAS licensed.

Which should a Singapore business choose?

Choose payment links if you sell through chat, invoices or bookings and do not run an online store; choose a payment gateway if customers buy from your website or app; and use both if you have an online store plus orders that come in by phone, chat or quotation. The table below maps common Singapore set-ups to a starting point.

Starting point by how you sell (general guidance, not a recommendation of any provider)
How you sell	Start with	Why
Orders on WhatsApp, Instagram or Facebook	Payment link	One link per order, no website needed
B2B invoices and quotations	Payment link on the invoice	The amount is known before the customer pays
Deposits for bookings, renovation or events	Payment link	Collect a fixed amount before the job or date
Online store with a product range	Payment gateway	Cart, stock and order matching are automatic
Online store plus phone or chat orders	Both, from one provider	Gateway for the site, links for the rest
Counter sales with the customer present	A payment terminal	Links and gateways are for remote payments

Can you use payment links and a payment gateway together?

Yes. You can run a gateway on your website and send payment links for chat, phone or invoice orders. Stripe, Fiuu and HitPay each offer both products, so ask your provider whether links and the gateway run on one merchant account and one contract (Stripe, Fiuu, HitPay).

Using one provider for both can keep settlement, refunds and reporting in one place. If you also take payments face to face, ask whether the same provider supplies a card terminal. 1 POS Pay compares MAS-licensed providers for Singapore businesses; see the Fiuu online payment gateway application or contact 1 POS Pay for quotes that cover links, gateway and terminals.

Common questions

Is a payment link the same as a payment gateway?

No. A payment link is one product a payment provider offers: a hosted checkout page you send as a URL. A payment gateway connects your own website or app checkout to the provider. Many providers offer both; ask whether they share one merchant account.

Do I need a website to accept payment links?

No. Providers such as HitPay and Stripe say payment links work without a website. You need a merchant account with the provider, and you send the link by chat, email, SMS or QR code.

Can customers pay a payment link with PayNow?

It depends on the provider. HitPay, for example, says its payment links accept PayNow, GrabPay and cards, with PayNow enabled after Singapore business verification (HitPay). Ask each provider which methods its links support.

Can one payment link be used by many customers?

With some providers, yes. Stripe says a payment link can be reused by multiple customers or limited to a number of purchases (Stripe). For one-off orders, a separate link per customer makes it easier to match payments.