For years, Coinbase Commerce was a common answer to "how do I accept crypto on my store?" It was free to sign up for, worked worldwide without business verification, and sent payments to a wallet you controlled. That changed in 2025-2026. If you still have a Coinbase Commerce plugin installed, this page explains what happened, what Coinbase offers now, and how it compares with Payfim.
What happened to Coinbase Commerce?
Coinbase consolidated Commerce into Coinbase Business. According to Coinbase's own transition guide, after March 31, 2026 the Commerce portal became permanently inaccessible: you can no longer create charges or open the Commerce dashboard. Coinbase explains the move by saying Commerce was built for an earlier phase of crypto, and that businesses now want custody, off-ramps, accounting tools and compliance in one place.
The practical changes for merchants, as described by Coinbase:
- Custody: Commerce was self-custodial; Coinbase Business is custodial - Coinbase holds the funds in your business account.
- Eligibility: Commerce was open globally without business verification; Coinbase Business is available in the US and Singapore, with expansion planned.
- Assets: Commerce accepted payments on Ethereum, Polygon and Base; Coinbase Business settles in USDC, with USDT accepted on Ethereum in the US and select jurisdictions.
- Fees: Commerce charged 1%; Coinbase says migrating merchants pay 1% on Coinbase Business. Other accounts see their fee inside the dashboard.
The official Coinbase Commerce plugin on WordPress.org also shows a warning that it has not been tested with the last three major WordPress releases, so if you depended on it, now is a good time to review your options.
Coinbase Business vs Payfim at a glance
| Coinbase Business (payments) | Payfim | |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Custodial business account with checkout and payment links | Self-hosted gateway + store module, non-custodial |
| Fee | 1% for migrating Commerce merchants; Payment Links launched at 1%; otherwise shown in your account | No per-payment fee; one-time license |
| Who can sign up | Businesses in the US and Singapore (as of September 2026), with verification | Anyone; no onboarding |
| What customers can pay with | USDC on Ethereum, Base, Polygon, Optimism, Avalanche and Arbitrum; USDT on Ethereum in the US and select jurisdictions | BTC, ETH, USDT (TRC20/ERC20), USDC, XRP, BNB, SOL, TRX, DOGE, BCH, ADA, HYPE, LTC, LINK, XMR |
| Settlement | USDC in your Coinbase Business account; convert to USD and withdraw to a bank | The coin the customer sent, in your own wallet |
| Bitcoin | Not listed as a payment asset for checkout | Yes, on-chain |
| Extras | Bank off-ramp, USDC rewards, accounting integrations, invoicing | Branded checkout on your domain, 6 languages, 19 platform modules |
Why Coinbase Business may be the better choice
- You are a US or Singapore business that wants stablecoin payments with a regulated, well-known company.
- You want dollars in the bank without managing wallets or using an exchange yourself. Coinbase Business lets you convert USDC to USD and withdraw.
- You want accounting and treasury tools such as invoicing and accounting-software integrations in one place.
- You prefer custody to handling your own keys, and are comfortable with the platform's terms.
- Your customers pay mostly in USDC on Base or other EVM networks, where settlement is fast and fees are low.
Why Payfim may be the better choice
- You are outside the US and Singapore. Coinbase Business is not currently open to you; Payfim works wherever you can host a PHP site.
- You liked Commerce because it was self-custodial. Payfim keeps that model: payments go straight to your own wallet, and Payfim never holds funds or keys.
- Your customers want to pay with Bitcoin or USDT on TRON. Those are among the most requested ways to pay, and both are built into Payfim.
- You want no percentage fee. A one-time license replaces 1% on every order - see pricing.
- You need a maintained plugin for your platform, such as the WooCommerce plugin with Checkout block and HPOS support, or modules for WHMCS, PrestaShop, Magento 2 and more.
Choosing a stablecoin network
Coinbase Business is built around USDC on EVM networks such as Base, Ethereum, Polygon, Optimism, Avalanche and Arbitrum. Payfim takes a different set: USDT on TRON (TRC20), USDT on Ethereum (ERC20) and USDC on Ethereum (ERC20). Which is better depends on your customers. Many buyers, especially outside the US, already hold USDT on TRON and are used to sending it; others hold USDC on Base through Coinbase. Ethereum mainnet fees can be noticeably higher than TRON's for small payments.
If your customers mostly hold USDC on Base, Coinbase Business matches them well - provided you are eligible. If they hold USDT on TRON, Payfim does. See accepting USDT on TRON and USDT vs USDC for more.
Questions to ask before replacing Coinbase Commerce
- Where is my business based? This alone rules Coinbase Business in or out for now.
- Do I want to hold crypto or cash? If cash, a custodial service with a bank off-ramp is simpler.
- Which coins do my customers actually ask for? Check past Commerce payments if you still have the records.
- Can my hosting run a PHP app? Payfim needs PHP 7.4-8.4, MySQL or MariaDB and HTTPS - most shared hosting qualifies.
What you give up with self-custody
It is worth being clear about the trade-off. With Payfim you are responsible for your own wallets and backups, and for any conversion to fiat - Payfim does not exchange money or pay out to a bank. You also need hosting that can run PHP 7.4-8.4 with MySQL or MariaDB, though ordinary shared hosting is enough. If you would rather never touch a wallet, a custodial account like Coinbase Business is simpler. If you want to stay in control, our guide to accepting Bitcoin without a payment processor covers the basics.
The bottom line
If you are a US or Singapore business and want stablecoin payments to end up as dollars in your bank account, Coinbase Business is a natural successor to Commerce and keeps you with a provider you already know. You trade self-custody for convenience, and you pay a percentage on each payment.
If what you valued about Commerce was that it paid your own wallet, worked in any country and needed no business verification, Payfim is closer to that original model - with Bitcoin, USDT on TRON and more coins added, and no per-payment fee.
Migrating from Coinbase Commerce to Payfim
- Check the wallet Commerce paid into. Because Commerce was self-custodial, past payments are already in the wallet you set up. Make sure you still have its recovery phrase.
- Install the Payfim gateway on your hosting using the installation guide.
- Add receiving addresses for the coins you want. You can reuse the same Ethereum-compatible wallet for ETH, USDC and USDT-ERC20; add a free Etherscan API key for those coins.
- Remove the Coinbase Commerce plugin from your store - it can no longer create charges - and install the Payfim module for your platform.
- Place a test order and confirm the order status updates automatically.
Sources
Third-party facts were checked on the date shown above. Prices and features of other services change - always confirm on their official pages.