UAE Payment Gateway Comparison · Paymennt vs Ziina
At the transaction level, Paymennt and Ziina are almost identical. The gap opens the moment your business needs subscriptions, event ticketing, or category-specific rates that reward your industry.
Start Free Compare PlansZiina is a capable option for businesses primarily collecting one-off payments via links, web gateway, or Shopify/WooCommerce. Their rates are competitive at 2.6% + AED 1, and their tap-to-pay and card product are notable for the right use case.
Paymennt is the stronger choice for businesses with any recurring revenue component, event-based payments, or that want a dedicated account manager. Paymennt's Premium MCC rates — from 1.85% or below for qualifying industries — are a meaningful cost advantage at volume for education, grocery, and F&B businesses.
| Plan | Paymennt | Ziina |
|---|---|---|
| Entry / free plan | ✓ Basic — AED 0/month | ✓ No monthly fee |
| Transaction rate (UAE cards) | 2.9% + AED 1 (Basic) / 2.6% + AED 1 (Standard) | 2.6% + AED 1 |
| International card surcharge | 1.5% additional | 1.5% additional |
| MCC category rates | ✓ From 1.85% or below (Premium, AED 99/mo) | ✗ Flat rate only |
| Annual billing discount | ✓ AED 831/year Premium | — |
Education, grocery, F&B, and more get MCC-specific rates from 1.85% or below.
| Feature | Paymennt | Ziina |
|---|---|---|
| Payment links (WhatsApp-ready) | ✓ All plans | ✓ Yes |
| Web gateway / checkout | ✓ Standard & Premium | ✓ Yes |
| Shopify / WooCommerce | ✓ Standard & Premium | ✓ Yes |
| Online shop (built-in) | ✓ All plans | ✗ Not offered |
| Subscriptions / recurring | ✓ Premium + AED 50/month | ✗ Not offered |
| Event ticketing | ✓ All plans | ✗ Not offered |
| Dedicated account manager | ✓ Premium | ✗ Not offered |
| UAE-based support | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| PCI DSS Level 1 | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
At the single-transaction level, both gateways are nearly identical. The same base rate, both UAE-built, both cover the standard payment channels. The difference is in what each platform does beyond collecting a payment.
Ziina is focused on streamlined payment collection and is pushing hard into tap-to-pay and their own corporate card. If those two features are central to your operation, Ziina is worth evaluating seriously.
Paymennt extends further: a built-in online shop, subscription billing for recurring revenue, event ticketing, and a dedicated account manager on Premium. If your business has any of those components — a gym, an academy, a subscription box, a recurring service — Paymennt is the fuller platform without needing a separate tool for each.
For businesses in qualifying industries — education, grocery, F&B, and others — Paymennt's Premium MCC rates start from 1.85% or below. Ziina charges the same flat 2.6% + AED 1 regardless of business type.
On AED 100,000/month in education revenue: at 1.85% vs 2.6%, the difference is AED 750/month — AED 9,000/year. The Premium plan costs AED 1,188/year. The net annual saving for a qualifying business at that volume is approximately AED 7,800.
Competitor pricing and feature information on this page is sourced from publicly available sources and was accurate at time of writing. Rates and product features change — always verify current pricing directly with each provider before making a decision. Paymennt pricing is accurate as listed on paymennt.com/pricing.
Start free on Basic. Upgrade to Premium when category rates make the maths compelling.
Start Free on Paymennt See Full Pricing