eSewa vs Khalti vs ConnectIPS: Which is Best for Subscription Payments?
If you're setting up subscription billing for your Nepali business, one of the first questions you'll face is: which payment gateway should your customers use? Nepal now has three major digital payment options — eSewa, Khalti, and ConnectIPS — and each has its own characteristics, user base, and fee structure.
The short answer: you should accept all three. But understanding the differences helps you know what to expect from each.
A quick overview of each gateway
eSewa
Fee: 2.26% per transactioneSewa is Nepal's most widely used digital wallet, with a large user base particularly among urban consumers and younger demographics. Most of your customers are likely to have an eSewa account. The checkout experience is fast and familiar.
The tradeoff is the higher transaction fee at 2.26% — meaning more of each payment goes to the gateway rather than to you.
Khalti
Fee: 1.13% per transactionKhalti has a smaller but growing user base compared to eSewa. Its key advantage for businesses is the lower fee — at 1.13%, roughly half of what eSewa charges. If a significant portion of your subscribers use Khalti, accepting it can meaningfully reduce your payment costs over time.
Khalti is particularly strong among younger, digitally native users in Kathmandu and other major cities.
ConnectIPS
Bank-to-bank transferConnectIPS connects directly to bank accounts rather than wallets, making it the preferred option for customers who don't use mobile wallets but do have a bank account with internet banking enabled. It tends to be popular with older or more financially traditional customers.
The fee structure varies by bank, but ConnectIPS can be a useful option for collecting larger subscription amounts where customers prefer direct bank transfers.
Which one should you prioritize?
The practical answer is: support all three and let your subscribers choose. Different customers have different preferences, and limiting your payment options creates unnecessary friction at checkout. A subscriber who only uses Khalti will hesitate if you only accept eSewa.
This is exactly the approach SUQO takes. When a subscriber opens your payment link, they can choose from eSewa, Khalti, or ConnectIPS. You don't need to set up separate merchant accounts with each provider — SUQO handles all three through a single integration. On your side, everything is tracked in one dashboard regardless of which gateway the customer used.
What about the fees?
Here's a concrete example for a NPR 2,000 monthly subscription payment:
If the customer pays via eSewa: gateway fee of NPR 22.60 (1.13% incl. VAT) = you receive NPR 1,977.40.
If the customer pays via Khalti: gateway fee of NPR 22.60 (1.13% incl. VAT) = you receive NPR 1,977.40.
SUQO charges no platform fee — the only deduction is the gateway fee charged directly by eSewa or Khalti. Since both gateways charge the same rate, your take-home is identical either way. The bigger win is that all payments actually arrive on time rather than being chased manually.
Cash and bank transfers
For subscribers who prefer paying cash or making direct bank transfers, SUQO also lets you record these payments manually in your dashboard. This keeps all your subscriber records and billing history in one place, even for offline payments.
Accept all three — no setup hassle
SUQO integrates eSewa, Khalti, and ConnectIPS for you. One platform, all payment methods, zero technical setup.
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