About 17; min
Indonesia has the largest e-commerce market in Southeast Asia, and the payment gateway decision shapes everything that follows. Two names dominate: Xendit, the Y Combinator–backed regional player now serving Indonesia, the Philippines, and beyond, and Midtrans, the GoTo Group–owned gateway that processes a huge share of Indonesian online payments through Gojek and Tokopedia partnerships.
This guide walks through the real differences between the two for Indonesian merchants in 2026. We compare local payment method coverage (GoPay, OVO, DANA, ShopeePay, virtual accounts, retail outlets), fee structures, settlement speed, fraud tooling, and integration depth. By the end you’ll know exactly which gateway fits your business model.
The Two Players Compared
Xendit launched in 2015 and grew aggressively across the Indonesian SMB and tech-startup segment. Its product covers card processing, virtual accounts (BCA, Mandiri, BNI, BRI), e-wallet integration, retail outlet payments (Alfamart, Indomaret), payouts, and lending. The platform now also serves the Philippines and Malaysia.
Midtrans was acquired by GoTo (Gojek + Tokopedia parent) in 2017 and benefits from deep integration with GoPay. It supports a similar range of payment methods plus exclusive access to certain GoTo-network features. Many large Indonesian e-commerce brands run on Midtrans by default.
Pricing Comparison
Here are the rates Indonesian merchants pay in 2026:
| Payment Method | Xendit | Midtrans |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic credit card | 2.7% + IDR 2,000 | 2.8% + IDR 2,000 |
| International card | 3.8% + IDR 2,000 | 3.8% + IDR 2,000 |
| Virtual account (BCA, Mandiri) | IDR 4,000 per txn | IDR 4,440 per txn |
| GoPay | 2.0% | 2.0% |
| OVO | 2.0% | 2.0% |
| ShopeePay | 2.0% | 2.0% |
| DANA | 2.0% | 2.0% |
| QRIS | 0.7% | 0.7% |
| Retail outlet (Alfamart) | IDR 5,000 per txn | IDR 6,000 per txn |
| Setup fee | Free | Free |
The headline fees are nearly identical because they’re constrained by the underlying networks. Where the two diverge is in volume-based discounts: Xendit publishes a tiered structure that drops fees as monthly transaction volume rises. Midtrans negotiates similar discounts case by case but starts the conversation with higher published rates.
Settlement Times
Xendit settles e-wallet and virtual account transactions to your business bank account on T+1 by default. Card transactions take T+2 to T+5 depending on the issuing bank. Same-day settlement is available on higher tiers.
Midtrans operates on a similar schedule: T+1 for e-wallets, T+2 for cards. The Midtrans dashboard has slightly better visibility into pending settlements and reconciliation reports.
For high-velocity merchants, neither gateway’s default cash flow is a problem. The differences appear once you reach enterprise volumes and negotiate custom settlement schedules.
API and Integration Depth
Xendit’s API is more developer-friendly and reflects its Y Combinator startup heritage. Documentation is clean, code samples cover the major languages, and the sandbox environment is reliable. Webhook handling is straightforward, and the Postman collection works out of the box.
Midtrans’s API is functional but feels older. The documentation is adequate but less polished. Some legacy endpoints exist alongside newer ones, which can confuse new integrations. Once configured, it works reliably—but the developer experience is rougher.
If your team has limited engineering capacity, Xendit’s faster onboarding usually wins. For mature engineering teams that have already integrated Midtrans, the differences narrow.
Plugin and Platform Support
Both gateways offer official plugins for Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, and OpenCart. The quality is comparable.
Midtrans has a slight edge in Tokopedia and GoTo network integrations, which matters if you sell through those marketplaces in parallel with your DTC site. Xendit has stronger ties to regional SaaS platforms like Sirclo, Mekari, and Accurate.
Fraud Detection and Disputes
Xendit Shield is a built-in fraud detection tool with rule-based and machine-learning models. Merchants can set custom rules around country of origin, transaction amount, and velocity. The default settings catch most obvious fraud patterns.
Midtrans uses 3D Secure 2.0 by default and offers risk scoring for high-value transactions. Its fraud team handles escalations directly when patterns are detected. For physical goods merchants in low-risk categories, the default protections are adequate.
For digital goods or services merchants seeing 1%+ fraud rates, both platforms can be supplemented with external tools like Sift or Riskified, but Xendit’s native Shield typically requires less third-party tuning.
Payouts and Disbursements
Xendit’s Disbursement product lets you send payouts from your Xendit balance to any Indonesian bank account, e-wallet, or even credit card. It’s popular among marketplaces, fintech apps, and gig platforms that need to pay contractors or sellers.
Midtrans offers payouts via its IRIS product but with a more limited scope. For pure payment acceptance, this rarely matters. For platform businesses, Xendit’s disbursement capabilities are noticeably stronger.
Reporting and Reconciliation
Midtrans’s dashboard provides slightly more depth on transaction reporting, with detailed settlement breakdowns and exportable CSV files that match Indonesian accounting practices. For finance teams that close books monthly, this saves real time.
Xendit’s dashboard is cleaner and more modern but has occasionally been slower to add report types. The API export options are strong, so technical teams can build their own reporting.
Customer Support
Both gateways offer Bahasa Indonesia support during local business hours. Xendit responds via email and chat, with dedicated account managers at higher volumes. Midtrans also offers WhatsApp support, which can be faster for urgent issues.
Quality varies by ticket complexity. For both platforms, having a clear technical contact at the gateway becomes important once you cross IDR 5 billion in monthly volume.
When to Pick Xendit
- You run a tech-forward DTC, SaaS, or marketplace business
- You need payouts and disbursements in addition to acceptance
- Your engineering team values a modern API and clear docs
- You expect to expand to the Philippines or Malaysia (Xendit covers both)
- Your monthly volume is growing fast and you want a flexible partner
When to Pick Midtrans
- You already sell heavily through Tokopedia, Gojek, or other GoTo properties
- You’re an established Indonesian e-commerce brand with standard payment flows
- Your finance team values detailed reporting and reconciliation tools
- You don’t need cross-border payment acceptance from Day 1
- You value WhatsApp support for fast incident response
Hybrid Setup Considerations
Some larger Indonesian merchants run both gateways for redundancy. Card transactions route through one, e-wallets through another, with failover routing if one provider has issues. This adds reconciliation work but reduces single-vendor risk.
The hybrid approach makes sense above IDR 20 billion monthly volume. Below that, the operational overhead usually outweighs the redundancy benefit.
Final Verdict
For most Indonesian SMBs and growing tech companies in 2026, Xendit offers the better overall package. The developer experience, regional expansion path, and disbursement features make it the more flexible choice for businesses that want room to grow.
Midtrans remains a strong default for established Indonesian e-commerce brands, especially those plugged into the GoTo network. Its reporting depth and existing market penetration make it a safe choice with no major weaknesses.
Test both with a small portion of volume if you can. The differences in conversion rates, real fraud rates, and operational ease show up in your actual transaction data, not in marketing pages. Pick the gateway that matches how your business actually operates today and where it’s headed in the next two years.
