5 months building a non-custodial crypto payment gateway: the product was easier than distribution
In late 2025, I started paying closer attention to crypto payments again. Not trading. Not tokens. Just payments.
Then Coinbase Commerce began shutting down for most merchants, with migration to Coinbase Business as the only official path. For merchants outside the US and Singapore, and for anyone who wanted a non-custodial setup, that created a real problem.
It confirmed something I had been thinking for a while. Most crypto payment products still ask merchants to accept one of four compromises: someone holds your funds, someone adds platform fees, someone restricts your geography, or someone can disappear and force you to migrate.
So I built DirectCryptoPay.
What it is
A non-custodial crypto payment gateway for merchants and developers. Funds go directly from buyer wallet to merchant wallet via smart contract. No intermediary, no custody, no KYC, no geo restrictions.
- 10 blockchains: Ethereum, Polygon, Base, BNB Chain, Arbitrum, Optimism, Avalanche, Solana, Tron, TON
- USDC, USDT, ETH and native tokens
- Zero platform fees, only gas
- JS SDK v0.3.0, iframe architecture, ~5KB, zero dependencies
- WooCommerce plugin v1.5, full-screen overlay, real-time polling, auto-environment detection
- Stripe-style webhooks, HMAC-SHA256, replay protection, retry logic
- MFA, TOTP with 8 recovery codes, AES-256 encrypted
- Starter plan free (20 tx/month), Pro at $29/month unlimited
What I shipped in 5 months
- December 2025: 6 EVM chains, payment links and donation pages
- January 2026: auto-conversion via DEX, setup checklist, magic link auth
- February 2026 : full webhook system, HMAC-SHA256, retries, replay protection
- March 2026: SDK v0.3.0 rewrite, 5 tutorial guides, Discord and Telegram launched
- April 2026: Solana, Avalanche, Tron, TON, WooCommerce v1.5, MFA, affiliate program (20% recurring for 12 months)
What's actually hard
The product is in decent shape. Distribution is the real problem.
Crypto payments are a niche inside a niche. Merchants who want non-custodial specifically are an even smaller subset. Reaching them takes time and precision.
What's working: being present where the pain already exists. Reddit threads and Twitter discussions where merchants are actively looking for Coinbase Commerce alternatives. Slow, but the intent is real.
What hasn't worked: trying to get payment integrations accepted in open-source repos. Too much friction, low intent from maintainers.
Honest numbers
- MRR: close to $0 (one legacy subscriber, likely forgotten)
- Production merchants: not yet meaningful
- Developers on testnet: a handful actively testing
- Community: Discord and Telegram just started
I'm not going to pretend traction exists when it doesn't. The product is real, the problem is real, the users aren't here yet.
What I'm looking for
Merchants or developers who want to test a non-custodial crypto checkout. Testnet is free, unlimited, no KYC.
Early adopter offer: the first 20 merchants who go live in production get 3 months Pro free, unlimited transactions, priority support, early V3 access. Join via Discord to claim it.
If you run a web agency or do freelance WordPress work: there's a live affiliate program paying 20% recurring commission for 12 months on every Pro merchant you refer. Paid in USDC.
Honest feedback on positioning, integration experience, or anything broken is genuinely useful.
If you've been burned by a custodial processor before, I'd like to hear what went wrong.
directcryptopay.com
docs.directcryptopay.com
Question for other founders: if you sell online, what would stop you from accepting stablecoin payments today: regulation, low customer demand, volatility, or integration complexity?
I know a few web agencies and freelance WordPress developers who might be willing to answer your questions about affiliate partnerships for free. Happy to pass your questions along if you'd like.
Yes please, that would be really helpful. The questions I'd want to put to them are mostly about what makes affiliate programs actually work for agencies in practice. Things like:
what commission structure makes a referral worth their time vs just recommending Stripe by default
whether they'd actually integrate a non-mainstream gateway for clients, or if the unfamiliarity is a blocker regardless of incentive
what kind of co-marketing or sales material would make the pitch easier (case studies, white-label demos, etc.)
how they typically handle merchants who get banned from Stripe, since that's a chunk of where DCP fits
If any of them are open to testing the product themselves, the affiliate program is live (20% recurring for 12 months, paid in USDC). Happy to send specific questions if you have a few contacts in mind. Really appreciate the offer.
There's a community called "replyz" where you can connect with exactly the kind of people you're looking for. Just search for the type of person you want to talk to and you'll get thoughtful, detailed replies from them. The only thing is that members are expected to share their own knowledge with others too, which is what keeps the community valuable. Feel free to ask if you have any questions!