6 Best Payment Link Tools for Creators in India: Fees Compared

An Instagram follower asks to join your workshop. A YouTube viewer wants a one-hour consultation. A brand agrees to pay ₹25,000 for a content package.

The demand is there. Collecting the money is the messy part: sharing bank details in DMs, checking UPI screenshots and matching payments to names in a spreadsheet late at night.

A payment link removes most of that friction. You create a hosted checkout page in a payment provider’s dashboard, share the link on WhatsApp, Instagram, email or SMS, and the buyer pays by UPI, card, net banking or wallet. The provider confirms the payment, records who paid and settles the money to your bank account, so you can start selling without building a website or an online store.

This guide compares the six payment link tools for creators that come up most often in India in 2026: Cashfree, Razorpay, PhonePe, PayU, Paytm and Instamojo. You will see their published fees, current new-merchant offers and link behaviour, what the new UPI MDR starting on 15 October 2026 means for you, and a workflow you can copy to collect payments for workshops, services and digital products.

The short answer:

• Largest current fee waiver: Cashfree, with a 0% platform fee on the first ₹20 lakh of sales for new merchants until 31 March 2027 (GST on the fee still applies).
• Most complete toolkit: Razorpay, with partial payments, bulk links, webhooks and international currencies in one account.
• Simplest one-to-one requests: PhonePe, where each link accepts one successful payment.
• Deposits and staged service fees: PayU, with partial payments and your own invoice number on each link.
• Many clients or a full cohort: Paytm, with bulk links, reminders and reconciliation.
• A branded pay button without a website: Instamojo, at a higher cost per transaction.

Payment Link Tools for Creators in India Compared

The table summarises published pricing and link behaviour. Fees are platform fees before 18% GST and apply to most domestic payment methods. Premium cards, EMI and international payments usually cost more.

Tool	Standard fee	Current offer for new merchants	How links work	Best fit
Cashfree	1.95%	0% platform fee on the first ₹20 lakh of GMV, until 31 March 2027	Reusable or single-customer links, partial payments, reminders, bulk upload, API	Multi-channel collection with room to automate
Razorpay	2%	0% platform fee for 90 days or ₹5 lakh of GMV, whichever comes first	Partial payments, bulk links from CSV or XLSX, webhooks, about 100 currencies	Links, sales pages, buttons and subscriptions in one account
PhonePe	Advertised as free for a limited period	Limited-period zero fee	One successful payment per link, bulk creation by CSV, one-month default expiry	One-to-one requests from UPI-first buyers
PayU	2% (3% for Amex, Diners, EMI and international)	None advertised	Single or bulk links, partial payments, expiry dates, invoice numbers	Service fees collected in stages
Paytm	Standard plan with no setup fee or AMC; confirm your rate	Ask during onboarding	Bulk links, automatic reminders, partial payments, up to one year of validity	Many clients or workshop participants
Instamojo	2% + ₹3	None; Smart Links cost ₹4,999 a year	Free Quick links; Smart Links add expiry, discount codes and buyer fields	Branded links and embedded pay buttons

How this comparison was made: fees, offers and features come from each provider’s own pricing pages, offer terms, product pages and developer documentation, checked on 14 October 2026 and listed at the end of this guide. Growwwth has no commercial relationship with any of the providers in this comparison. Offers change often and eligibility depends on your account, so confirm the live terms before you sign up.

What Is a Payment Link, and Why Not Just Share Your UPI ID?

A payment link is a URL tied to a verified merchant account. When a buyer opens it, they see the amount, a description and a secure checkout with UPI, cards, net banking and wallets. On a phone, a UPI payment link can open the buyer’s UPI app directly. Once they pay, the provider marks the link as paid, sends a receipt and adds the transaction to your dashboard and settlement report.

Many creators start by sharing a personal UPI ID or QR code. It costs nothing for person-to-person transfers, but it was built for paying friends, not for running a business. You get no buyer details, no automatic receipt, no expiry, no partial payments and no easy way to match a ₹999 credit to the right workshop seat. It also invites the fake payment screenshot problem, because you are trusting an image instead of a confirmed status.

Feature	Personal UPI ID or QR	Payment link	Payment page or creator storefront
What it does	Moves money between two accounts	Collects a fixed or open amount through a hosted checkout	Collects payment and often delivers the product or booking
Buyer details	Name on the transfer only	Name, phone, email and custom fields, depending on the provider	Full order details
Payment confirmation	Bank SMS or a screenshot	Dashboard status, receipt and webhook	Automatic order confirmation
Product delivery	Manual	Manual or through an integration	Often built in
Typical cost	Free for person-to-person transfers	About 2% plus GST, or a promotional rate	Plan or platform fee, plus payment fees

Where you place the link matters as much as which tool you pick. If buyers find you on Instagram or YouTube, turn your link in bio into a mini landing page so the payment link sits one tap away from the offer it belongs to.

How to Create a Payment Link in Five Steps

If you are wondering how to create a payment link, the process is similar with every provider:

1. Sign up with a provider using your mobile number and email address.
2. Complete KYC with your PAN, bank account and business details. Several providers onboard individuals and unregistered businesses, so you do not always need a registered company.
3. Wait for activation. Depending on the provider and your documents, this can take anything from a few minutes to a few days.
4. Create the link. Enter the amount or let the buyer choose it, add a clear description, fill in the buyer’s details for a one-to-one request and set an expiry date.
5. Share it and track it. Send the link on WhatsApp, Instagram, email or SMS, and confirm the sale only when the dashboard shows it as paid.

How Buyers Can Tell a Payment Link Is Genuine

Fake payment links and fake payment screenshots are a common scam, and your buyers know it. A genuine link opens on the payment provider’s own website or official short link, and the checkout shows your verified business name. Buyers enter a UPI PIN only to pay money, never to receive it, and no genuine seller needs an OTP from a buyer. Tell buyers which provider you use, keep your business name on the merchant account consistent with your social profiles, and they will hesitate less at checkout.

UPI Charges From 15 October 2026: What Creators Need to Know

UPI merchant payments have carried a zero merchant discount rate (MDR) since January 2020. That changes on 15 October 2026. Under the Ministry of Finance UPI MDR framework, a 0.4% MDR applies to person-to-merchant UPI payments above ₹2,000, capped at ₹300 per transaction for payments of ₹75,000 and above.

• Person-to-person UPI transfers stay free at any amount.
• Merchant payments of ₹2,000 or less stay at zero MDR.
• Small merchants classified as P2PM and receiving up to ₹1 lakh a month through UPI QR codes keep zero MDR on all payments. That classification depends on how your bank sets up your QR account, so do not assume it covers payments collected through a payment gateway link.
• Other merchant payments above ₹2,000 attract 0.4%, so a ₹4,999 consultation paid by UPI carries ₹20 in MDR and a ₹25,000 brand package carries ₹100.
• Banks have been advised to make sure merchants do not pass the MDR on to customers, so you cannot add a separate UPI charge at checkout.

For most creators the impact is small. A ₹999 workshop seat or a ₹499 ebook sits below the threshold and is unaffected, and the payment provider’s own platform fee still costs more than the MDR. What deserves attention is how your provider handles the new charge on higher-value UPI payments. A 0% platform fee offer waives the provider’s own fee; it does not automatically waive a network charge. Ask your provider in writing whether the UPI MDR will be absorbed, included in the platform fee or shown as a separate deduction in your settlement reports.

What Creators Should Check Before Choosing a Payment Link Tool

Match the Link Type to the Sale

A consultation deposit needs a link tied to one customer. A workshop can run on individual requests or on one reusable link that records each participant. Providers handle this differently. Cashfree documents both reusable and single-customer links, while PhonePe links accept one successful payment each, so a public register-here link will not work there.

Check reuse rules, expiry settings, whether you can add custom fields such as a batch name or Instagram handle, and whether partial payments are supported.

Separate Payment Collection From Product Delivery

A payment link collects money. On its own, it does not email a PDF, create a course login, book a calendar slot or add someone to a WhatsApp community. If you sell digital products, confirm whether delivery is built in, offered as a paid add-on or needs a separate tool connected through webhooks or Zapier. Your buyer should know exactly when and how access will arrive.

Check the Cost After the Offer Ends

A free signup is not the same as free processing. Three offers stand out in 2026: Cashfree’s 0% fee on the first ₹20 lakh, Razorpay’s 0% fee for 90 days or ₹5 lakh, and PhonePe’s limited-period zero fee. Each comes with conditions. Cashfree still charges 18% GST on the notional 1.95% fee during its offer, excludes Amex, Diners, corporate cards, EMI, pay later and international payments, and does not extend the offer to some school and correspondence-course merchant categories, which matters if you sell courses. Razorpay can withdraw its offer and apply standard charges retrospectively if credit cards make up more than 90% of your volume, and Cashfree can withdraw its offer once credit cards reach 60%.

Set your prices using the standard rate, not the promotional one, and treat any waiver as a bonus.

Know When the Money Reaches Your Bank

A successful payment and a settlement are separate events. Cashfree gives merchants on its current offer next-day settlement, Instamojo’s standard payouts arrive three days after the transaction, and other providers set timelines by account and risk profile. Check settlement timing, how refunds are handled and whether reports show the fee, GST and refunds for each transaction.

Confirm the Provider Is RBI-Authorised

Online payment aggregators in India need authorisation from the Reserve Bank of India. Razorpay, Cashfree, PayU, PhonePe and Paytm Payments Services hold it, and Paytm’s final authorisation came on 26 November 2025. The RBI returned Instamojo’s own application in September 2023, and Instamojo now processes payments through partner aggregators that hold licences. That does not make it unusable, but it is worth knowing which company holds your money between payment and settlement.

The 6 Best Payment Link Tools for Creators in India

The tools below are ordered by the creator use case each one fits best, starting with the largest fee waiver currently open to new merchants. There is no single best payment link app in India for every creator. The right choice depends on what you sell, how many buyers you handle at once and whether your audience is only in India.

1. Cashfree Payment Links

Cashfree is the strongest option to evaluate right now if you are a new merchant and expect steady sales over the next few months. A Cashfree payment link can be created from the dashboard, by uploading a CSV or Excel file or through the API, and Cashfree includes payment links free with its payment gateway account, so you pay only the gateway fee. Published features include automated reminders, expiry dates, partial payments, custom fields, and both reusable and single-customer links. On WhatsApp, links show up as a branded card rather than a raw URL, which looks more trustworthy to a first-time buyer.

Fees and offer: the standard platform fee is 1.95% on most domestic methods. New merchants who signed up from 21 July 2026 pay a 0% platform fee on their first ₹20 lakh of eligible domestic GMV until 31 March 2027, with next-day settlement during the offer. GST is still charged on the notional fee, and premium cards, EMI, pay later and international payments are excluded.

Useful for creators:

• Share links through WhatsApp, SMS, email, social channels or QR codes
• Mix one-off consultation links with a reusable workshop link
• Collect deposits with partial payments
• Move from manual links to bulk upload or the API as volume grows

Watch out: if you sell courses, check the merchant category assigned to your account, because some education categories are excluded from the offer. On reusable links, confirm how buyer details are captured for each payment.

2. Razorpay Payment Links

Razorpay is the payment gateway many Indian creators and freelancers already recognise, and its payment links are among the most complete. A Razorpay payment link supports partial payments, bulk creation from a CSV or XLSX file, webhook notifications for every transaction and payment in about 100 currencies once international payments are enabled. The same account also offers Payment Pages, Payment Buttons and subscriptions, which helps if you later want a simple sales page or monthly memberships.

Fees and offer: standard pricing is 2% per successful domestic transaction, with no setup fee or annual maintenance charge. New merchants get a 0% platform fee for 90 days or until ₹5 lakh of domestic GMV, whichever comes first, limited to one offer per PAN or bank account.

Useful for creators:

• Collect advances and balances with partial payments
• Send links to a whole batch from one spreadsheet
• Trigger delivery automatically through webhooks
• Accept payments from followers outside India

Watch out: the welcome offer is smaller than Cashfree’s in rupee terms and ends after 90 days. Read the fair usage terms if most of your buyers pay by credit card.

3. PhonePe Payment Links

PhonePe Payment Links suit creators whose buyers mostly pay by UPI and who send one request per customer. You can create links from the PhonePe Business dashboard or app, and the dashboard can send them to the buyer by SMS or email. The documentation is clear about the main constraint: each link is meant for one customer and accepts only one successful payment, although a buyer can retry on the same link after a failed attempt. Links expire after one month by default, and you can create them in bulk by uploading a CSV with a reference ID, amount, customer details and expiry for each buyer.

Fees and offer: PhonePe currently advertises zero transaction fees for a limited period, with no setup or annual maintenance fee. Ask what rate applies once the offer ends. Creating links through the API needs approval from PhonePe’s business team.

Useful for creators:

• UPI, cards and net banking on a checkout buyers already know
• One link per buyer keeps reconciliation simple
• Bulk CSV creation with your own reference IDs
• Clear statuses for active, completed, expired and failed links

Watch out: single-use links do not suit an open anyone-can-register campaign. For a workshop, plan to issue one link per participant.

4. PayU Payment Links

PayU is worth shortlisting when clients pay a service fee in stages. You can create single or bulk payment links from the PayU dashboard, and its payment link API lets you allow partial payments, set an expiry date and attach your own invoice number to each link. Links show as active, deactivated or expired, and you can export the link history for your records. A creator selling a video production package, a consulting retainer or a training programme can tie every request to an invoice and match payments without guesswork.

Fees: PayU’s published rate is 2% for domestic Visa and Mastercard cards, net banking, wallets and pay later, and 3% for Amex, Diners, EMI and international transactions, plus GST. It does not currently advertise a fee waiver for new merchants.

Useful for creators:

• UPI, cards, net banking and other payment options
• Partial payments for deposits and instalments
• Single or bulk link creation from the dashboard
• Your own invoice number on each link, plus exportable history

Watch out: partial payments are not a subscription, and PayU’s documentation says less than its rivals’ about reminders. If a balance stays unpaid, plan to follow up or send a new request yourself.

5. Paytm Payment Links

Paytm Payment Links suit creators who send payment requests to many clients or a full workshop cohort and need to see who has paid. Paytm lists bulk link creation, automatic payment reminders, partial payments, dashboard reconciliation and one-click refunds, and links can be shared by SMS, email or WhatsApp without a website or app. A link stays valid for up to one year if you do not set an earlier expiry date.

Fees and status: Paytm’s payments arm, Paytm Payments Services, received its final RBI authorisation as an online payment aggregator on 26 November 2025, which cleared the way to onboard new merchants again. Paytm advertises no setup or maintenance charges but does not publish its transaction rate on the payment links page, so confirm the rate for your payment mix during onboarding. Your monthly collection limit depends on your plan, and you can raise it by submitting business documents in the dashboard.

Useful for creators:

• Bulk payment link creation for a whole client list
• Automatic payment reminders
• Partial payment options
• Reconciliation and refunds from the same dashboard

Watch out: ask which reporting fields you can export so each payment matches the right client, service or cohort.

6. Instamojo Payment Links

Instamojo is built for small sellers who want a branded link or a pay button on a blog or landing page without writing code. Its free Quick links plan includes unlimited payment links, an embeddable pay button, analytics and a Zapier integration. The paid Smart Links plan, at ₹4,999 a year, adds custom images and colours, expiry dates, discount codes, buyer information fields, post-payment redirects, thank-you notes and webhooks.

Fees: Instamojo payment link charges are 2% + ₹3 per successful transaction, plus GST on the fee. Standard payouts arrive three days after the transaction, and faster payouts cost extra. If you sell downloads through an Instamojo online store rather than a link, check the store plan first: its pricing page lists 10% + ₹3 for digital products on the free Lite plan.

Useful for creators:

• Unlimited free payment links
• Embeddable pay button for blogs and landing pages
• Smart Links for expiry, discount codes and custom buyer fields
• Zapier connection for simple automations

Watch out: the fixed ₹3 makes small tickets relatively expensive. On a ₹99 template, the ₹3 alone is about 3% of the price before the percentage fee is added.

What Payment Link Fees Really Cost: A Worked Example

Headline percentages look similar, so here is what they mean for a real launch. Take a ₹999 live workshop with 40 seats, each paid separately through a payment link. Gross sales are ₹39,960. Because every payment is below ₹2,000, the new UPI MDR does not apply.

Pricing used	Fee per seat incl. 18% GST	Fees for 40 seats	You receive
2% (Razorpay or PayU standard)	₹23.58	₹943	₹39,017
1.95% (Cashfree standard)	₹22.99	₹919	₹39,041
2% + ₹3 (Instamojo)	₹27.12	₹1,085	₹38,875
Cashfree new-merchant offer (GST on the notional 1.95% only)	₹3.51	₹140	₹39,820

The gap between standard plans is a few hundred rupees per launch. Payment success rate, refunds and how quickly you can confirm seats matter more. An offer that saves ₹800 is worth less than a checkout that quietly loses three buyers.

Higher-value sales change the picture. A ₹4,999 consultation paid by UPI on a 2% plan costs ₹117.98 in platform fee and GST, and the new UPI MDR adds ₹20 if your provider passes it through separately. Ask how it will appear before you take your first payment above ₹2,000.

The GST in this table is GST on the provider’s fee. It is separate from any GST you may need to charge buyers on your own services, which generally becomes mandatory once your aggregate turnover crosses ₹20 lakh, or ₹10 lakh in special category states. A chartered accountant can confirm what applies to you.

Payment Link, Creator Platform or Your Own Website?

A payment link is the fastest way to start, but it is not always the right long-term setup.

• Use a payment link when each sale starts with a conversation: consultations, custom packages, deposits and small workshops where you send a request after someone says yes.
• Use an invoice for brand deals. Most brands pay creators by bank transfer against a proper invoice, and many deduct TDS before paying, so a consumer-style payment link is rarely what their finance team expects. Several gateways, including Razorpay, also offer invoices with a payment option built in.
• Use a payment page or storefront when buyers should be able to purchase without talking to you, such as an ebook, template pack or recorded course. Razorpay Payment Pages, Cashfree Payment Forms and Instamojo Smart Pages add a sales page and checkout without code, which makes it easier to sell digital products around the clock.
• Use your own website when search traffic, email capture and your own brand matter more than speed. A WordPress site with a payment gateway plugin gives you full control over pages, upsells and customer data.

Creator Platforms: Topmate and SuperProfile

Creator platforms bundle a profile page, bookings or product delivery and checkout into one product, and they price differently from payment gateways. Topmate’s pricing page lists a 10% commission on sales made through your own profile or link, rising to 20% when a new buyer finds you through its marketplace, with transaction fees on top. SuperProfile advertises a 0% commission and charges a monthly plan instead.

Option	How you pay	Cost on one ₹999 seat
Payment link at 2% + GST	Per successful payment	₹23.58
Topmate, sale through your own link	10% commission plus transaction fees	₹99.90 in commission alone
SuperProfile	Monthly plan, 0% commission	Plan cost spread across your sales

The higher cost buys booking, delivery and, on Topmate, marketplace discovery. That can be worth it if those features replace work you would otherwise do by hand. If you only need to collect money, a payment link is the cheaper tool.

Direct sales are also only one income stream. If you are planning a wider creator business, our roundup of creator monetization platforms beyond AdSense covers the ad, affiliate and membership options that can sit alongside your own products.

Build the Workflow Before Sharing the Link

Consider a creator launching a ₹999 live workshop with 40 places. The payment tool handles collection, but the creator still has to run enrolment. This workflow holds up whichever provider you choose.

1. Explain the purchase. State the date, time, duration, what is included, whether a recording is provided, the refund policy and how participants will receive the joining link. A short sales page built on the elements of a high-converting landing page answers most questions before they reach your DMs.
2. Choose the link type. Use individual requests if your provider issues single-use links, or a reusable link if it supports one and records each buyer. Add custom fields for anything you need, such as a WhatsApp number or batch name.
3. Connect payment to registration. Use one shared reference, such as an order ID, across the participant list and the payment request.
4. Verify payment status, never screenshots. Confirm enrolment only after the dashboard or a webhook shows the payment as successful.
5. Send access details. Tell buyers whether confirmation is instant or sent within a set time, and automate the message once volumes grow.
6. Close sales when places fill. Link expiry does not manage seat inventory, so deactivate the link at 40 seats. Before that point, a pre-launch email sequence with honest deadlines and reminders does more for sign-ups than a single post.
7. Record refunds and settlements. Log each refund against the original payment so participant and payment records stay aligned.

Start manually if you have a handful of buyers. Automate the steps that repeatedly cause delays or mistakes once the process is clear.

Measure Collected Revenue, Not Just Link Clicks

A popular post can generate attention without producing many paid customers. Track each stage separately.

Measure	What it tells you
Paid registrations ÷ qualified enquiries	Whether interested prospects become buyers
Successful payments ÷ payment attempts	Whether attempted payments complete
Successful payments ÷ unique checkout visitors	Checkout completion, where this data is available
Time from request to payment	How quickly customers pay
Refund count and value	How often revenue is reversed
Time from successful payment to delivery	Whether customers receive what they bought promptly

For example, 40 successful payments from 50 payment attempts gives an 80% payment success rate. It does not tell you how many people saw the offer, opened the link or left before trying to pay. Where your provider supports it, use separate links or reference IDs for each channel, such as Instagram, YouTube and email, so you can see which one actually brings paying buyers.

Which Payment Link Tool Should You Choose?

• You are new and expect steady sales before March 2027: start with Cashfree, whose ₹20 lakh fee waiver is the largest currently available.
• You want links, sales pages, subscriptions and international buyers in one account: Razorpay.
• Your buyers mostly pay by UPI and you send one request per person: PhonePe.
• You collect service fees in instalments: PayU, or the partial payment options in Razorpay and Cashfree.
• You chase payments from many clients or a whole cohort: Paytm, or bulk links in Razorpay, Cashfree or PhonePe.
• You want a branded pay button on a blog with minimal setup: Instamojo, accepting the higher fixed fee.

Whichever you choose, run a small live test before your next launch: create a link, pay it yourself, confirm the status in the dashboard, trigger delivery, issue a refund and check the settlement report.

The goal is simple: a buyer who pays successfully, receives what they bought on time and never has to message you to ask what happens next.

Sources Checked for This Comparison

Every fee, offer and feature in this guide was checked against the provider’s own documentation on 14 October 2026. UPI MDR details come from the Ministry of Finance press release linked above.

• Cashfree: pricing and festive offer terms
• Razorpay: welcome offer terms
• PhonePe: payment links documentation
• PayU: payment links documentation
• Paytm: payment links product page
• Instamojo: pricing page
• Topmate: pricing page
• SuperProfile: pricing page
• Reserve Bank of India: status of payment aggregator applications

Payment Links in India: Fees, UPI Charges, Deposits and Delivery