Offering Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) or installment payments is one of the fastest ways to increase WooCommerce conversions. But when store owners search for solutions, they usually face one big question:
Should I use Affirm, Afterpay, or a native WooCommerce payment plans plugin like Payment Plans?
In this comparison, we break down Payment Plans vs Affirm vs Afterpay so you can choose the best option for your WooCommerce store.
Quick Comparison of Payment Plans vs Affirm vs Afterpay
| Feature | Payment Plans | Affirm | Afterpay |
| Works Natively in WooCommerce | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ❌ No |
| Transaction Fees | ❌ No | ✅ Yes (6–10%) | ✅ Yes (4–6%) |
| Customer Ownership | ✅ Full | ❌ Limited | ❌ Limited |
| Custom Payment Schedules | ✅ Yes | ❌ Limited | ❌ Limited |
| Works With Existing Gateways | ✅ 30+ | ❌ Separate | ❌ Separate |
| Supports Subscriptions & Services | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ❌ No |
| Checkout Control | ✅ Full | ❌ External | ❌ External |
What Is Payment Plans?
Payment Plans is a native WooCommerce plugin that allows store owners to offer installment payments directly inside WooCommerce.
With Payment Plans, customers can:
- Pay in weekly, monthly, or custom installments
- Choose flexible payment options at checkout
- Complete purchases without leaving your site
Store owners benefit from:
- Full control over pricing and payments
- Automatic recurring billing
- No third-party transaction fees
What Are Affirm & Afterpay?
Affirm and Afterpay are third-party BNPL apps that act as external lenders.
They:
- Approve customers separately
- Take a percentage of every transaction
- Control repayment terms
- Redirect customers through their own systems
While popular, they come with higher costs and less control for WooCommerce store owners.
Payment Plans vs Affirm
1. Cost Comparison
Affirm charges high per-transaction fees, often ranging between 6% and 10% of every sale.
With Payment Plans, you pay a flat plugin cost — not a percentage of your revenue.
Over time, this difference can save thousands of dollars.
2. Checkout Experience
- Affirm redirects customers or overlays third-party flows
- Payment Plans keep customers fully inside your WooCommerce checkout
A smoother checkout = higher conversion rates.
3. Payment Flexibility
Affirm controls:
- Installment terms
- Eligibility
- Approval logic
Payment Plans allow you to define:
- Number of installments
- Payment intervals
- Eligible products
This flexibility is critical for WooCommerce businesses selling services, subscriptions, or digital products.
Payment Plans vs Afterpay
1. Revenue Control
Afterpay takes a cut of every sale, which directly reduces profit margins.
Payment Plans:
- Keeps 100% of your revenue
- Eliminates BNPL commission fees
For high-volume stores, this is a massive advantage.
2. Product Limitations
Afterpay often:
- Limits eligible product types
- Excludes subscriptions or services
- Requires strict compliance rules
Payment Plans works with:
- Physical products
- Digital downloads
- Services
- Subscriptions
- High-ticket items
3. Customer Relationship
With Afterpay:
- Customers feel like Afterpay’s customers
- Communication and trust shift to a third party
With Payment Plans:
- You own the customer relationship
- You control messaging, branding, and retention
Why Payment Plans is Better for WooCommerce Growth
No Per-Transaction BNPL Fees
Unlike Affirm and Afterpay, Payment Plans doesn’t penalize you for scaling. The more you sell, the more you keep.
Works With Stripe, PayPal & 30+ Gateways
Payment Plans integrates seamlessly with your existing WooCommerce payment gateways. No additional accounts or contracts required.
Perfect for High-Ticket Products
If you sell:
- Courses
- Coaching
- Memberships
- Premium subscriptions
Payment Plans gives you total control over installment pricing, something third-party BNPL platforms don’t offer.
When Should You Choose Affirm or Afterpay?
Affirm or Afterpay may make sense if:
- You want instant brand recognition
- You don’t mind high transaction fees
- You sell simple physical products only
But for long-term WooCommerce growth, these platforms become expensive and restrictive.
When Payment Plans is the Best Choice
Choose Payment Plans if you want:
- Native WooCommerce payment plans
- Full pricing and schedule control
- Higher profit margins
- Better checkout conversion
- No reliance on external lenders
Final Verdict: Payment Plans vs Affirm vs Afterpay
If you want quick access to BNPL branding, Affirm or Afterpay can work. However, they work at a high cost.
If you want:
- Better margins
- More flexibility
- Full WooCommerce control
- Long-term scalability
Payment Plans is the smarter choice.
Start Offering WooCommerce Payment Plans Today
Stop losing sales to price hesitation and stop giving away revenue to BNPL platforms.
Enable WooCommerce flexible plans with Payment Plans and grow your store profitably.
