Best Crypto Payment Gateways for Freelancers in 2024

If you've invoiced a client in Singapore while sitting in Buenos Aires, you already know the pain: three-day wire transfers, 4% currency conversion, and a bank that looks at "crypto" like it's a typo. The promise of crypto payments for freelancers has always been instant settlement, near-zero fees, and a global reach that doesn't care about borders. The reality? It depends entirely on which gateway you pick.

We evaluated the leading crypto payment gateways on the three things that matter most to freelancers: fees, settlement flexibility (can you take USDC, BTC, or fiat?), and ease of setup. Here are the tools actually worth using.

The Best Crypto Payment Gateways for Freelancers

1. Coinbase Commerce — Best for Stablecoin Settlements

Coinbase Commerce is the gateway that makes the most sense for freelancers who want crypto's speed without crypto's volatility. It lets you invoice clients in USDC — a stablecoin pegged 1:1 to the US dollar — meaning what you invoice is what you get, no matter what Bitcoin did that morning.1

The setup is dead simple: connect your Coinbase account, generate a payment link or embed a button on your invoice, and clients can pay with any major cryptocurrency. Coinbase Commerce automatically converts incoming payments to USDC, so you're never holding bags you didn't ask for. Settlement to your bank is available if you need fiat, but the real win is holding USDC and spending it directly via the Coinbase card.

The trade-off: You're trusting Coinbase as a custodian. If self-custody is non-negotiable, this isn't your pick. But for freelancers who want a set-it-and-forget-it pipeline from client payment to spendable dollars, it's the most polished option available.

2. Cake Wallet — Best for Multi-Coin Self-Custody

Not every freelancer needs a formal gateway. If your clients are already crypto-native — developers, DAOs, other freelancers — a direct wallet-to-wallet transfer cuts out every middleman fee and gives you full control of your funds.

Cake Wallet supports Bitcoin, Monero, Litecoin, and a handful of other assets in a single interface, with built-in exchange features so you can swap what you're paid into whatever you want to hold.1 It's mobile-first, which matters when you're invoicing from a co-working space or a café.

The trade-off: No fiat off-ramp built in. You'll need a separate exchange account to convert to dollars. And there's no chargeback protection — which, depending on your perspective, is either the whole point or a dealbreaker.

3. Electrum — Best for Bitcoin-Only Security

Electrum is the gold standard for Bitcoin-only freelancers who prioritize security above all else. It's been audited, battle-tested, and lightweight enough to run on a decade-old laptop. Electrum supports hardware wallet integration, multi-signature wallets, and offline signing — the kind of features that matter when you're invoicing five figures and want to sleep at night.

The trade-off: Bitcoin-only, no built-in exchange or fiat off-ramp. Pair it with a separate exchange for conversions.

Comparison Table

Why These Tools Fit Freelancers

Chargeback immunity. Traditional payment processors let clients reverse transactions months later — a nightmare for a freelancer who already delivered the work. Crypto payments, whether through Coinbase Commerce or a direct wallet transfer, are final. Once the transaction confirms, the money is yours.1

Global reach, local settlement. A freelancer in Nigeria can invoice a client in Norway and receive USDC within minutes, bypassing the SWIFT system entirely. Coinbase Commerce's auto-conversion to USDC means neither party needs to think about exchange rates at the moment of payment.

Lower fees. Typical freelance payment platforms take 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction, plus currency conversion spreads. Coinbase Commerce charges 1% — no hidden spreads. Direct wallet transfers via Cake Wallet or Electrum cost only the network fee (often pennies on low-congestion chains).

The Bottom Line

For most freelancers, Coinbase Commerce is the right starting point: it offers the stability of USDC, a simple invoicing flow, and a fiat off-ramp when you need it. As your practice grows and you work with crypto-native clients, adding Cake Wallet (for multi-coin flexibility) or Electrum (for Bitcoin-only security) gives you the self-custody option without the complexity of running your own payment server.

Disclosure: Recomate earns affiliate commissions when you sign up through the links above. We only recommend tools we've tested and verified for the freelance use case.

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