What is Barion, and why do many Hungarian webshops shortlist it?

Barion is one of the best-known Hungarian online payment providers for webshops, digital businesses, and smaller merchants that need card acceptance. Its main appeal is usually a mix of no classic monthly base fee, local-language support, and a pricing structure that remains relatively transparent in 2026 compared to many less public enterprise offers.

That said, Barion is not automatically the best choice for every merchant. If a large share of your volume comes from foreign or corporate cards, if your average basket is low, or if your checkout strategy is strongly international, you should compare it with options such as SimplePay, Stripe, or larger PSPs.

Our short verdict

Barion is a strong option for Hungarian webshops that want a local provider, straightforward onboarding, and publicly visible pricing. It is especially relevant for WooCommerce, PrestaShop, and small-to-mid-sized merchants selling primarily in Hungary.

It is less ideal when your card mix is heavily international, when your average basket value is low, or when your business priorities are centered on international expansion and the broadest possible payment-method stack.

How it works for merchants

To use Barion, you first open a Barion wallet and create a merchant acceptance site, then integrate the payment method into your webshop through a plug-in or the API. The platform supports not only card acceptance, but also Barion balance payments and, in some scenarios, transfer-based purchases.

In practice, this means your checkout displays Barion as a payment option and customers complete the transaction in Barion's payment flow. From a merchant perspective, the decision should not be based on the card fee alone. You also need to consider payout cost, settlement mechanics, eligibility conditions, and what your real net cost looks like.

Barion pricing in 2026

According to Barion's official pricing table effective from January 17, 2026, merchants can choose between two main models: Fixed and IC++. Each model has Starter and Advanced plans, and pricing changes by average monthly volume.

1. Barion Smart Gateway Fixed

This is the easier-to-plan package with known percentage pricing.

Below HUF 5 million average monthly volume: Starter Fix 1.49%, Advanced Fix 1.19%
Between HUF 5 million and HUF 16 million: Starter Fix 1.29%, Advanced Fix 0.99%
Above HUF 16 million: Starter Fix 1.09%, Advanced Fix 0.69%

2. Barion Smart Gateway IC++

In IC++, Barion's markup is charged on top of interchange and scheme fees, so the final transaction cost varies.

Below HUF 5 million average monthly volume: Starter IC++ 1.09%, Advanced IC++ 0.79% + interchange and scheme fee
Between HUF 5 million and HUF 16 million: Starter IC++ 0.89%, Advanced IC++ 0.59% + interchange and scheme fee
Above HUF 16 million: Starter IC++ 0.69%, Advanced IC++ 0.29% + interchange and scheme fee

It provides customized pricing, premium support, and flexible terms for merchants and businesses with high turnover (over 25 million HUF per month).

3. Additional fees

Recurring payments: +0.2%
Preauthorization: +0.2%
Barion Bridge: +0.5%

4. Payout cost

For HUF payouts to a Hungarian bank account, the official fee is 0.10%, minimum HUF 70. This matters because many merchants compare only the transaction percentage, while the real merchant cost also depends on cashing out the wallet balance.

5. Important detail for new merchants

For a newly approved merchant site, Barion initially applies the below HUF 5 million volume tier, then reviews the actual volume after the first two full calendar months. Your initial and longer-term pricing may therefore differ.

Why many merchants like Barion

Strong local fit: Hungarian-language support, local market focus, and a product that makes sense for domestic merchants.
No classic monthly base fee: attractive for smaller merchants and early-stage webshops.
Public pricing table: easier to evaluate than providers that hide everything behind custom quotes.
Good WooCommerce and API fit: works well both for relatively fast launches and for more flexible developer-led integrations.
Useful advanced features: token payments, recurring charging, preauthorization, and Barion Pixel-based fraud support.

Where the trade-offs are

Fixed pricing is conditional. Under Barion's official terms, the Fixed package is available only if the average monthly basket value is at least HUF 10,000 and the combined share of corporate plus foreign consumer cards does not exceed 2% of monthly volume.
Payout is not free. The transaction percentage alone is not your full cost.
Barion is not equally familiar to every shopper. In Hungary it is well known, but the checkout trust dynamic is not identical to OTP SimplePay or PayPal.
Merchant approval requires compliance work. Barion explicitly requires proper terms and conditions, data-protection documentation, and clear mention of the Barion payment method in the merchant's legal pages.

Integration and developer experience

Barion provides a REST API and supports advanced scenarios such as token payments and recurring billing. That makes it more than a simple plug-in payment button and gives merchants room to build a more tailored checkout flow when needed.

If you run on common webshop stacks, Barion is often a practical fit. If your business is highly international and you want the broadest all-in-one payment ecosystem, Stripe or larger PSPs may still be stronger.

What to check before signing up

Look beyond the transaction fee. Include payout cost, refund and chargeback handling, and any feature surcharges.
Check your basket value. If your average basket is consistently below HUF 10,000, long-term Fixed pricing may not be realistic.
Check your card mix. If you accept a lot of foreign or corporate cards, IC++ economics matter more.
Prepare your legal pages. Barion's help center clearly states that the payment method and merchant details must be visible in your terms and privacy documentation.

Who should choose Barion?

Yes, if: you mainly sell in Hungary, want local support, use WooCommerce or another mainstream webshop platform, and want low fixed entry cost.

Also a good fit if: you need token payments or recurring charging without moving immediately to enterprise-level pricing.

Who may be better off elsewhere?

Compare other providers if: your business is strongly international, you accept many foreign cards, your stack is Shopify-centered, or you want the broadest global payment-method portfolio in one platform. In that case, our payment gateway comparison for Hungary is a better starting point.

How to get started with Barion

Open a Barion wallet and create your merchant acceptance site.
Prepare your terms, privacy notice, and merchant details for approval.
Choose between plug-in-based and API-based integration.
Estimate your full cost using your own volume and basket value.
Test the checkout from a real merchant perspective: trust, mobile UX, successful payment, refund flow.

To compare Barion with other providers, use the POSnavigator comparison and cost calculator.

FAQ

Does Barion charge a monthly fee?

Under the public 2026 terms, wallet setup and wallet monthly fee are listed as free, while the core merchant cost comes mainly from transaction pricing and payout cost.

What is the lowest published Barion fee in 2026?

In the public pricing table, the lowest Fixed fee is 0.69% (Advanced Fix above HUF 16 million average monthly volume), while the lowest IC++ markup is 0.29% (Advanced IC++ in the same volume band), with interchange and scheme fees added on top.

How much does payout cost?

For HUF payouts to a Hungarian bank account, the official fee is 0.10%, minimum HUF 70.

Can I use Barion with WooCommerce?

Yes. Barion is often a strong fit for WooCommerce-based merchants, and it also works well through API integration for custom builds.

Can sole traders use it?

Yes, if the business model and merchant approval requirements are met.

Summary

Barion remains a competitive Hungarian payment gateway in 2026, especially for merchants who value local support, public pricing, and practical webshop integration. Its strength is its local-market fit. Its weak point is that your true cost depends on more than the headline transaction fee: payout cost, card mix, and Fixed-plan eligibility all matter.

If you want to compare it with the broader market, read our Hungarian payment gateway comparison or calculate your expected cost on POSnavigator.