Best API Hosted Payment Gateway Platforms for India

The best API hosted payment gateway platforms for India, for a company based outside India that wants to collect from Indian customers, are 1. Xflow, 2. Razorpay, 3. Cashfree, 4. PayU, 5. PayGlocal, 6. EximPe and 7. Stripe.

An API hosted payment gateway means your customer can pay on your site or app, often without a redirect. Your server creates each payment through an API, while the provider's hosted page or secure fields take the card details.

That usually keeps you on PCI SAQ A, the shortest card-security questionnaire, whereas capturing the card on your own page moves you to SAQ A-EP.

Some Indian providers use "API" for the opposite, a direct or non-hosted integration.

Many Indian buyers would rather pay by UPI or netbanking than by card, so you also need UPI and other local payment methods through a provider authorised by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), with no Indian company required.

We ranked these for overseas companies collecting from India, judged on RBI licence, Indian payment method coverage and onboarding without an Indian entity.

1. Xflow - Best for overseas SaaS, AI, edtech and marketplace companies that want a white-label hosted checkout for UPI, cards, netbanking and recurring, settled abroad with no Indian entity.
2. Razorpay - Best for teams that want EMI and an OTP-led checkout built around Indian buyers, backed by a large Indian developer ecosystem.
3. Cashfree - Best for finance teams that want per-payment verification and settlement reconciliation APIs for every Indian payment.
4. PayU - Best for sellers who want over 100 settlement currency options and documented cross-border subscriptions on cards, UPI and netbanking.
5. PayGlocal - Best for sellers who want wallets alongside UPI, cards and netbanking, through PayGlocal's INReach product for global businesses.
6. EximPe - Best for Middle East and Asia-Pacific sellers, with settlement in AED, SGD, HKD and CNH as well as USD, EUR and GBP.
7. Stripe - Best if you already run Stripe globally and mostly bill international cards, adding UPI from your dashboard.

Domestic gateways such as CCAvenue and Easebuzz are built for merchants with an Indian entity, so we have not ranked them.

PayPal is left out because its India leg for foreign merchants is card-only, with no UPI or netbanking, and its RBI cross-border approval is in-principle and covers export payments into India, not collection from Indian buyers.

Your integration type sets your PCI questionnaire, so picking a PCI compliance payment gateway starts here. Across the types of payment gateway that host card entry, every flow runs through the same four steps:

• Checkout initiation - your server sends an API request with the amount, currency and order ID, and gets back a session or payment link
• Tokenisation - the provider's hosted page or embedded hosted fields collect the card or UPI details and swap them for a token
• Authorisation - the provider sends the payment to the card network, bank or UPI app and gets an approval or decline
• Webhook - the provider calls your server with the final status, so you unlock the product after a confirmed payment

The hosted vs API vs self hosted question comes down to where card data lands.

Some providers use "API hosted" for a hosted payment page or embedded fields, the first two rows, while others call a direct or non-hosted integration an API payment gateway, so ask which one a sales team means.

An API-hosted payment gateway does not automatically mean SAQ D, since PCI DSS (the card industry's security standard) sets scope by data flow. For the wider card and data rules you face, see our guide to payment compliance.

PA-CB (Payment Aggregator - Cross Border) is the RBI licence that lets a provider collect from Indian buyers for a seller abroad, and each status below is from RBI's authorised list, checked on 28 Sep 2026.

Final PA-CB means the fully approved stage, past in-principle. Xflow, Razorpay, Cashfree, PayU and EximPe each onboard a company abroad without an Indian entity, and Stripe's UPI option runs from an account outside India.

We checked each provider's licence on RBI's register on 28 Sep 2026 before comparing its payment gateway API setup for a company based abroad. Two of the seven hold final PA-CB authorisation dated February 2026, one from December 2025, and Stripe holds a domestic licence.

RBI caps every PA-CB payment at ₹25,00,000, whichever provider you choose.(Callout)

1. Xflow

Best for: overseas SaaS, AI, edtech and marketplace companies collecting from Indian customers without an Indian entity.

How you integrate: a REST API with test and live keys, a hosted checkout that one browser script opens as a modal on your page, payment links and webhooks, set up with help from Xflow's team.

Xflow gives companies abroad that sell to India an embedded checkout, with no Indian entity needed.

Indian customers pay in rupees by UPI, card, netbanking or bank transfer on a page carrying the seller's brand, and recurring plans run on UPI AutoPay.

Xflow collects the money in India and settles it abroad in USD, GBP, EUR, CAD or AUD, under the final PA-CB authorisation Xflow Payments India Pvt. Ltd. has held from the RBI since Feb 2026.

Key features

• Goods and software, billed in rupees - every collection is raised against an INR invoice, and goods sellers upload an airway bill within 10 business days while software sellers upload nothing
• UPI and cards - Indian customers pay through GPay, PhonePe, Paytm, CRED or WhatsApp Pay, or with Visa and Mastercard cards, inside the same hosted checkout on your site
• Netbanking and bank transfers - buyers who prefer paying from their own bank account can use netbanking, or send a bank transfer by NEFT, RTGS or IMPS
• UPI AutoPay subscriptions - the Subscription API bills Indian customers through UPI AutoPay on daily, weekly, monthly or yearly cycles, with each status change sent to your webhooks

Pros

• No Indian entity - you sell to Indian customers from your existing company, with no subsidiary to register or run and no six-month setup before you go live
• Retries inside one session - each checkout stays valid for 30 minutes and allows several payment attempts, so a buyer whose first UPI try fails can pay again without a new link
• Payer screening handled - we screen each Indian payer at activation, usually within moments, and ask for a PAN only when screening needs one, so your team builds no screening step
• Settlement in your currency - funds settle abroad through an AD-1 bank, the category of Indian bank licensed for foreign exchange, in USD, GBP, EUR, CAD or AUD, T+2 as standard

Cons

• Recurring on UPI only - subscriptions renew through UPI AutoPay, so Indian customers who pay by card or netbanking complete each renewal payment themselves at checkout

2. Razorpay

Best for: teams that want EMI and an OTP-led checkout built around Indian buyers, backed by a large Indian developer ecosystem.

How you integrate: Standard or Custom Checkout, payment links, pages, invoices and subscriptions, with server libraries in seven languages, Android, iOS, React Native and Flutter SDKs, Shopify, WooCommerce and Magento plugins, test mode and webhooks.

Razorpay is an Indian payment gateway that holds final PA-CB authorisation for inward and outward payments, granted on 2 Dec 2025. Its cross-border product, the Import Flow, lets a foreign company accept UPI, cards, netbanking and EMI from Indian customers without a local entity, with Razorpay as the licensed aggregator.

Razorpay's US offering runs on the same product, so a US business uses one Razorpay account. Curlec, its Malaysian business, is a separate company.

Key features

• Indian methods on one account - once the Import Flow is active, you take UPI, UPI AutoPay, netbanking and RuPay, Visa, Mastercard or Diners cards through one Razorpay account
• Purpose codes in the dashboard - you choose an international payment purpose code under Account and Settings in the Razorpay dashboard, matching what you sell to Indian customers
• Refunds and chargebacks - refunds are supported on Import payments, and chargebacks are handled through the card networks and the customer's issuing bank as they arise
• Named settlement currencies - funds reach your overseas account in a currency you choose, including USD, EUR, CAD, GBP, JPY, SGD, AUD, PLN, CHF, KRW, AED and KWD

Pros

• Full recurring set - Razorpay documents UPI AutoPay, card recurring and e-mandate for foreign merchants, so subscription businesses bill Indian customers on repeat without a second India integration
• No second product - the Import Flow works on the Razorpay integration you already run, so existing teams switch on India collection without rebuilding it
• Settlement for non-dollar sellers - Asian, Gulf and Central European currencies sit on the settlement list, so sellers outside the US and Europe can settle at home
• EMI for higher-priced plans - Indian buyers can split a purchase into EMI instalments at Razorpay's checkout, which spreads the cost of annual plans and courses

Cons

• Customer PAN required - Razorpay asks for each Indian customer's PAN on Import payments for security approval, adding a data step your checkout has to collect
• Goods paperwork - goods sellers supply an HS code or Importer Exporter Code, invoices when asked and an airway bill, and Razorpay lists six eligible business types

3. Cashfree

Best for: finance teams that want per-payment verification and settlement reconciliation APIs for every Indian payment.

How you integrate: Create Order and Order Pay APIs with webhooks, no-code payment links or pages, server and mobile SDKs, and a sandbox that can emulate settlements.

Cashfree is an Indian payments company that has held PA-CB authorisation for inward and outward payments since July 2024. Its Collect from India APIs serve overseas merchants, aggregators and marketplaces in 40 countries, taking UPI, cards and netbanking from Indian customers.

Each payment is verified against your sale details before it settles to your overseas bank, in USD, EUR, GBP or one of 100+ other currencies.

Key features

• Payment verification states - each payment moves through action-required, in-review, verified or expired states, and only a verified payment settles to your overseas bank account
• Broad Indian methods - customers pay by UPI, RuPay, Visa, Mastercard, Amex or Diners cards, or netbanking across 90+ banks, with UPI AutoPay, card standing instructions and eMandates for recurring
• Wide settlement list - funds reach your overseas bank in USD, EUR, GBP, SGD, AUD, CAD, HKD or another of the 100+ currencies Cashfree supports
• Conversion at settlement - Cashfree converts each verified payment at its partner bank's rate on the settlement date, with settlement and recon details available by API

Pros

• Live in 40 countries - Collect from India is open to merchants based in 40 countries, so check that your country of incorporation is on Cashfree's list
• Licence since 2024 - Cashfree has held PA-CB authorisation for inward and outward payments since July 2024, under RBI Certificate of Authorisation No. 266/2025
• Start no-code, then build - you can launch with payment links or pages, then move to the API and webhooks for a custom flow, or run both side by side

Cons

• Verification on every payment - each payment needs at least the importer name and a goods description, and many goods need an invoice file or HS code
• Late paperwork reverses the sale - Cashfree says a payment left unverified in time is reversed and refunded to the customer automatically, so the sale is lost

4. PayU

Best for: sellers who want over 100 settlement currency options and documented cross-border subscriptions on cards, UPI and netbanking.

How you integrate: the PayU Hosted page or a server-to-server integration for cards, netbanking and UPI Intent, two Shopify apps for cross-border stores, and a test key with an integration lab.

PayU is an Indian payment gateway with a Cross-Border Payments (Import) product for merchants outside India that have no local establishment.

PayU acts as the licensed aggregator under its PA-CB authorisation for inward and outward payments, taking cards, netbanking, UPI and bank transfers from Indian customers.

Funds settle to your offshore account through AD banks, in a currency picked from over 100 options.

Key features

• Cards, netbanking, UPI and transfers - Indian customers pay by debit or credit card including RuPay, netbanking, UPI or an NEFT or RTGS transfer on each order
• Offshore settlement - funds settle to your offshore account through AD banks in your own currency, chosen from over 100 currency options PayU offers
• Paperwork APIs - an Invoice Upload API and a UDF Update API attach invoice IDs, invoice files and airway bills to each payment, with settlement report APIs for reconciliation
• Documented cross-border subscriptions - mandates run on cards, UPI and netbanking, covering registration consent, pre-debit notification and each recurring debit for overseas sellers

Pros

• Choose your PCI scope - a hosted page and a full server-to-server option both exist for cross-border collection, so you trade minimal PCI scope against a custom checkout
• Limits stated upfront - the ₹25,00,000 per-transaction limit and the paperwork rules sit on one introduction page, so high-ticket and goods sellers can plan without asking sales

Cons

• More data per payment - each transaction needs the buyer's first and last name, an Indian billing zip code and an invoice ID, and physical goods need an airway bill
• Same-day invoice rule - the invoice ID must reach the bank the same day for settlement to start, and the invoice file is due within 10 days

5. PayGlocal

Best for: sellers who want wallets alongside UPI, cards and netbanking, through PayGlocal's INReach product for global businesses.

How you integrate: INReach enquiries go through PayGlocal's sales team; its general developer platform offers a hosted checkout, a CodeDrop pop-up, payment links, SDKs in Node, Python and Java, Shopify, WooCommerce and Magento plugins, and a UAT sandbox.

PayGlocal is an Indian cross-border payments company that appears on RBI's list with PA-CB authorisation for inward and outward payments.

Its INReach product serves global businesses selling to Indian customers, such as SaaS, D2C, marketplace and travel sellers, with no Indian entity needed.

Buyers pay by UPI, cards, netbanking or wallets, and settlement currency and payout days are set in your agreement with PayGlocal.

Key features

• INReach for global sellers - INReach collects INR from Indian customers for businesses abroad, with no Indian entity, and settles to you in the currency you choose
• Wallets and UPI QR - Indian customers pay with UPI apps, UPI IDs or QR codes, RuPay and other cards, netbanking or wallets, with UPI AutoPay and standing instructions for recurring
• Sector focus - INReach is aimed at SaaS and subscription businesses, e-commerce and D2C brands, marketplaces, and travel, ticketing and digital services sellers abroad

Pros

• Wallets in the mix - wallets sit alongside UPI, cards and netbanking on the INReach page, widening the Indian payment methods you can offer at checkout
• Low-scope checkout - the hosted checkout keeps card entry on PayGlocal's page, and a separate direct option exists for PCI DSS certified merchants with their own form
• Hold funds before fulfilment - a two-step flow authorises a payment first and captures it later, so subscription and travel sellers confirm an order before the money is taken

6. EximPe

Best for: sellers based in the Middle East or Asia-Pacific who want to settle in their home currency.

How you integrate: a hosted checkout opened by one JavaScript SDK, server-to-server UPI Intent, payment links, webhooks and a sandbox that simulates transfers, settlement and refunds.

EximPe, run by Les Amis Pvt Ltd, is a cross-border collections provider that received final PA-CB authorisation in Feb 2026, after a July 2025 in-principle grant.

It writes its docs for overseas merchants and payment companies, taking cards, UPI, netbanking and bank transfers from Indian buyers. Funds settle in USD, EUR, GBP, SGD, AED, HKD or CNH, which suits sellers across the Gulf and Asia-Pacific.

Key features

• Card, UPI, netbanking and QR - Indian buyers pay by card including RuPay, UPI, netbanking or QR on EximPe's hosted page, which keeps each session open for 15 minutes
• Bank transfers into virtual accounts - each buyer gets an Indian account number and IFSC code and pays by NEFT, RTGS or IMPS, which suits invoice-based B2B sellers
• B2B payments with no identity step - B2B services payments skip buyer identity checks, while education and travel payments under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme verify the buyer's PAN first
• Seven settlement currencies - EximPe settles in USD, EUR, GBP, SGD, AED, HKD and CNH, which covers sellers based across the Gulf and Asia-Pacific

Pros

• T+2 settlement - EximPe states that settlement reaches your overseas account in two business days, which keeps your India revenue on a short payout cycle
• Fast stated onboarding - EximPe states that overseas merchants can go live without a local entity in under 48 hours after its checks
• Sub-merchant onboarding - PSPs onboard sub-merchants through EximPe's API and receive the collections made on their behalf, with a webhook event when each sub-merchant is approved
• Documented mandates - subscriptions run on UPI intent or card mandate through API calls, with a lifecycle that covers modify, status and cancel

Cons

• Purpose-code allow-list - your account is enabled for a set list of purpose codes, so selling something outside it means asking EximPe to review and extend the account
• Payments wait for details - each payment sits in an action-required state until you send buyer, product and invoice details, so settlement waits on your paperwork

7. Stripe

Best for: companies already on Stripe globally that mostly bill international cards and want UPI as a toggle.

How you integrate: switch UPI on in the Dashboard for Checkout, Elements, Payment Links, Invoicing and Subscriptions, with seven server libraries and iOS, Android and React Native SDKs.

Stripe is a global payments platform that holds a Payment Aggregator - Online licence in India rather than PA-CB, and its Indian accounts need an Indian entity and GST number.

For companies abroad, its UPI option runs from accounts in about 35 countries, switched on from the Dashboard, while netbanking, RuPay and Indian wallets stay out of reach. Our roundup of Stripe alternatives covers providers with wider Indian methods.

Key features

• UPI for 35 business locations - Stripe accounts in about 35 listed countries, including the US, UK, Canada, Australia and Singapore, can take UPI from customers in India
• UPI AutoPay e-mandates - recurring UPI runs on an e-mandate the buyer approves in their UPI app, up to ₹15,000 per charge under RBI's e-mandate rules
• Refunds for 60 days - full and partial refunds run for 60 days after payment, can take up to seven working days to complete, and report status through refund webhooks
• Rupee presentment - UPI payments show to the buyer in rupees, between ₹1 and ₹1,00,000 each, and pay out to you on Stripe's standard payout schedule

Pros

• No second vendor - teams already on Stripe add UPI with a Dashboard toggle, and their current libraries, webhooks and reports carry over with no new contract
• Testable end to end - the UPI test mode opens a hosted page where you authorise or expire a payment, so your team checks both outcomes before launch

Cons

• Per-payment ceiling - one-off tickets above ₹1,00,000, such as annual enterprise plans, cannot run on UPI and need a card or another method instead
• UPI disputes are final - if the buyer's bank or UPI app rules for the buyer, Stripe takes the money back from your account straight away and you cannot appeal
• UPI is the one Indian method - foreign Stripe accounts get no netbanking, RuPay or Indian wallets, so buyers who prefer those have no local route at checkout

Check the RBI register yourself before your engineers start any integration work. Work through these five checks in order:

1. Find the entity on RBI's list - look up the provider's Indian company on the Certificates of Authorisation list, where I means inward and O means outward, and collecting from Indian customers for a seller abroad is an outward (O) transaction
2. Separate final from in-principle - in-principle is a provisional approval, and final is the full licence
3. Watch for card-only offers - card acceptance can run under a card-network carve-out, so a card-only product is no proof of a PA-CB licence
4. Check the ₹25 lakh cap - PA-CB payments are capped at ₹25,00,000 per transaction, so test it against your largest invoices
5. Ask what is live for you - ask which Indian payment methods a non-Indian merchant can switch on today

Card payments need one more check. From 1 Oct 2026, RBI's Authentication Mechanisms Directions require card issuers to run a risk-based validation on cross-border card-not-present payments, so ask your provider how its checkout handles that step.

Many Indian buyers reach for UPI, netbanking or a bank transfer before an international card, so a cards-only checkout loses sales your product has already won. Xflow's hosted checkout puts those local payment methods in front of your Indian customers.

• Larger B2B invoices at checkout - a business buyer settling a large invoice can pay by bank transfer from the same checkout, instead of arranging a separate wire outside your payment flow
• India's rules handled for you - Liberalised Remittance Scheme checks and other India-side compliance run inside the payment flow, so your engineers never have to code them into your checkout
• Dedicated support - a dedicated account manager and a technical support team work with you from set-up onward, so your team has named contacts for India collection
• Trust stack - ISO 27001 and SOC 2 certification, and backing from General Catalyst, Lightspeed, Square Peg, Stripe, PayPal Ventures and Moore Capital

Our page on how to accept international payments from India shows the methods and settlement options you get.

For an overseas SaaS, AI or edtech company selling to India, start with Xflow's embedded checkout. Your Indian customers pay by UPI, card, netbanking or bank transfer in your brand, and you need no Indian entity.

Platforms and payment companies adding India under their own brand get the same white-label checkout. Our guide to white label payment gateway options covers the wider market.

If you settle in a less common currency, PayU's list of over 100 settlement currencies may suit you. Gulf and Singapore sellers may prefer EximPe, and teams already on Stripe can switch on its UPI toggle.