What is BTCPay Server used for?

BTCPay Server is a free, self-hosted, open-source payment processor that lets merchants accept Bitcoin directly without a third-party intermediary. It is a good fit for accepting Bitcoin in an online store and running a point-of-sale system for Bitcoin.

Is BTCPay Server open source?

Yes. BTCPay Server is open source under the MIT licence. Its source code is on GitHub at btcpayserver/btcpayserver and is written mainly in C#.

Is BTCPay Server free?

Yes. BTCPay Server is open source, so the software itself is free to use.

Can I self-host BTCPay Server?

Yes. BTCPay Server can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.

What is BTCPay Server an alternative to?

BTCPay Server is an open-source alternative to Stripe, PayPal, Square and Clover. Other open-source alternatives to Stripe include Hyperswitch, Lago and Kill Bill.

Is BTCPay Server actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to BTCPay Server was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is v2.4.4, published on 7 September 2026. The project has 7.8k stars on GitHub.

BTCPay Server: open-source alternative to Stripe, PayPal

About BTCPay Server

BTCPay Server is a free and open-source Bitcoin payment processor that you host yourself. It lets merchants accept Bitcoin directly from customers without relying on a third-party intermediary or paying processor fees, and the project positions it as a payment gateway for online stores and other businesses.

The README points users, operators, developers and maintainers to separate documentation tracks, and the project provides a Greenfield API for integrations and a plugin system for extensions. Repository topics mention the Lightning Network, point-of-sale and crowdfunding use cases alongside the payment gateway itself. A public demo, a community chat and a discussions forum support new users.

BTCPay Server is written in C# and released under the MIT licence. Security vulnerabilities must be reported through the private process described in the security policy instead of public issues. As with any self-hosted payment system, the operator is responsible for running and securing the server.

Key features

Self-hosted Bitcoin payment processing
Direct payments with no intermediary
Lightning Network support
Point-of-sale and crowdfunding use cases
Greenfield API for integrations
Plugin system for extensions

Good fit for

→Accepting Bitcoin in an online store
→Running a point-of-sale system for Bitcoin

Built with: C#
Tags: bitcoin; payments; lightning-network; payment-gateway; point-of-sale; self-hosted; csharp; crypto

BTCPay Server: questions and answers

What is BTCPay Server used for?: BTCPay Server is a free, self-hosted, open-source payment processor that lets merchants accept Bitcoin directly without a third-party intermediary. It is a good fit for accepting Bitcoin in an online store and running a point-of-sale system for Bitcoin.
Is BTCPay Server open source?: Yes. BTCPay Server is open source under the MIT licence. Its source code is on GitHub at btcpayserver/btcpayserver and is written mainly in C#.
Is BTCPay Server free?: Yes. BTCPay Server is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
Can I self-host BTCPay Server?: Yes. BTCPay Server can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What is BTCPay Server an alternative to?: BTCPay Server is an open-source alternative to Stripe, PayPal, Square and Clover. Other open-source alternatives to Stripe include Hyperswitch, Lago and Kill Bill.
Is BTCPay Server actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to BTCPay Server was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is v2.4.4, published on 7 September 2026. The project has 7.8k stars on GitHub.