Payments in Brazil

AbacatePay vs Asaas vs Mercado Pago

AbacatePay, Asaas, Mercado Pago side by side: price, free tier, what matters in Brazil, who each one fits and when to skip it.

Item	AbacatePay	Asaas	Mercado Pago
What it does	Developer-first Brazilian gateway for Pix, boleto and card, with flat fees, SDKs and an llms.txt you can hand to an AI to build the integration.	Brazilian billing platform that takes Pix, boleto and card, runs subscriptions and issues service invoices from the same account.	Mercado Livre's payments arm: checkout, payment links and subscriptions with Pix, boleto, card and Mercado Pago balance.
Best for	A small SaaS with a CNPJ that bills mostly by Pix and wants a flat R$0.80 per charge, money available right away and an integration an AI can write.	A Brazilian SaaS that bills monthly by Pix, boleto or card and wants the nota fiscal issued automatically when each charge is paid.	A SaaS selling to consumers who already pay with a Mercado Pago account, where a familiar checkout and paying with balance or Pix lifts conversion.
Skip it if	You sell as an individual (CPF only), need split payments for a marketplace or want the nota fiscal issued by the gateway.	Most of your revenue is on card and you need the money fast, since card sales land in 32 days unless you pay to advance them.	You want card money fast at a low rate, since getting it right away costs 4.98% and the 3.98% rate means waiting 30 days.
Setup	Needs a developer. A Pix checkout in Dev mode in an afternoon; up to 3 business days for production approval.	Needs a developer. Up to 2 business days for the account review; a basic subscription flow in a day or two.	A little code. A payment link in minutes from the app; a checkout plugged into your product in a day or two.
Price	Pay per transaction: R$0.80 per Pix, R$2.50 per paid boleto, card 3.5% + R$0.60	Pay per transaction: R$1.99 per Pix or boleto, card from 2.99% + R$0.49	Pay per transaction: 0.99% per Pix, R$3.49 per boleto, card 3.98% to 4.98% by payout time
What it costs in practice	A SaaS with 200 subscribers at R$49 paying by Pix: 200 × R$0.80 = R$160 a month, about 1.6% of revenue, plus R$0.80 per withdrawal (estimate). On card it would be 200 × (3.5% of R$49 + R$0.60) ≈ R$463.	A SaaS with 200 subscribers at R$49 paying by Pix, after the first 3 months: 200 × R$1.99 ≈ R$398, plus R$0.49 × 200 ≈ R$98 if you issue the nota fiscal. About R$496 a month, roughly 5% of revenue (estimate). On card it would be 200 × (2.99% of R$49 + R$0.49) ≈ R$391.	A SaaS with 200 subscribers at R$49 (R$9,800 a month): by Pix, 0.99% ≈ R$97; by card waiting 30 days, 3.98% ≈ R$390; by card paid right away, 4.98% ≈ R$488 (estimate).
Free plan	No plan or monthly fee; you pay per transaction.	No monthly or setup fee; you pay only when a charge is paid.	No monthly fee; you pay per transaction.
Card fee	3.5% + R$0.60 (one-time payment)	2.99% + R$0.49 (one-time payment)	3.98% (paid in 30 days) to 4.98% (right away)
Pix fee	R$0.80 per Pix	R$1.99 per Pix (R$0.99 for the first 3 months)	0.99%
Boleto fee	R$2.50 per paid boleto	R$1.99 per paid boleto (R$0.99 for the first 3 months)	R$3.49 per boleto
When you get paid	Pix right away; boleto up to 3 business days; card in 30 days	Card in 32 days; advance in up to 2 business days	Pix right away; boleto up to 3 days; card you choose
Subscriptions	Yes, by Pix or card, weekly to yearly	Yes, by card or boleto	Yes, by card, Pix, boleto or balance
Takes Pix	Yes: yes	Yes: yes	Yes: yes
Takes boleto	Yes: yes	Yes: yes	Yes: yes
Issues nota fiscal	Not stated: not stated	Yes: yes	Not stated: not stated
Support in Portuguese	Yes: yes	Yes: yes	Yes: yes
Before you build	Only companies are accepted (MEI and ME count). With just a CPF you can build in Dev mode but can't take real payments. New accounts start with limits of R$5,000 during the day and R$1,000 at night for withdrawals and payments. Raising them isn't automatic and can take up to 7 business days. Card payments are only switched on after the team reviews your account, and card money lands in 30 days by default. Withdrawals only go to a Pix key under the same CNPJ. The first 20 a month cost R$0.80 each; from the 21st on, R$2.50. Subscriptions default to card. If you use Pix Automático, coupons are refused because the Pix mandate locks the amount.	The R$0.99 Pix and boleto fee only lasts for the first 3 months of the account; after that it doubles to R$1.99. Do your math on R$1.99. Email and SMS reminders cost R$0.99 per paid charge, on top of the Pix, boleto or card fee. Card money arrives in 32 days. Getting it sooner costs 1.25% a month and depends on a credit review, so it isn't guaranteed. Company accounts get 30 free transfers a month; each one after that costs R$2.00, and a TED costs R$5.00. Each nota fiscal costs R$0.49 to issue, so automatic invoicing isn't free.	The card fee depends on when you get the money: 4.98% right away, 4.49% in 14 days or 3.98% in 30 days. The low rate on the ads means waiting a month. Pix through the API only works if your account has a Pix key registered. Without it, Pix doesn't show up for the customer. When a customer opens a complaint or dispute, the money for that sale is held until the mediation is resolved. In card subscriptions, Mercado Pago runs a small test charge to validate the card, and after 3 declined installments the subscription is cancelled automatically.
Price checked	Checked on Oct 28, 2026 · official pricing	Checked on Oct 28, 2026 · official pricing	Checked on Oct 28, 2026 · official pricing

Prices are read from each official pricing page on the date shown and can change. Always confirm before signing up.

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