Choosing a payment processor is a huge decision for any merchant that understands the major impact processing fees have on profitability. Two of the most popular merchant services provider are Paysafe and PayPal. While PayPal’s standard platform isn’t well suited to serious merchants, their Payments Pro platform competes directly with Paysafe and targets small, medium, and large businesses looking for electronic payment processing. Both are feature-rich, and both have a long history in the industry, but the two processors are not necessarily equal, and there are certain factors both merchants and independent sales organizations looking for a partner should consider when choosing.
Paysafe
Paysafe is an international online payments company offering a suite of electronic payment solutions for online businesses, SaaS platforms, and brick and mortar merchants. They offer electronic payments processing covering all major credit card brands, as well as a host of other merchant solutions. In addition to their more traditional merchant products, they also offer digital wallets through their Skrill and Neteller brands. Paysafe offers secure payment processing for all major credit cards both online and instore through their secured online checkout platform and their in-store point-of-sale hardware solutions. They also offer merchant cash advances of up to $500,000 depending on daily sales, with approval in as little as 48 hours. Paysafe partners with both independent sales organizations (ISOs) and individual sales agents, enabling their services to be resold to merchants looking for flexible electronic payments solutions.
Paypal Payments Pro
PayPal Payments Pro is PayPal’s foray into services geared towards larger, more traditional merchants that require more flexible, more robust solutions than what PayPal’s traditional processing can offer. Payments Pro features include fully customizable APIs and checkouts, advanced fraud protection, and PayPal’s Virtual Terminal, which enables phone, fax, and mail orders to be processed electronically from any internet-enabled device. As with Paysafe, PayPal Payments Pro enables businesses to accept all major credit cards, but Payments Pro also enables direct account-to-account PayPal payments. Payments can be accepted in 25 currencies, making Payments Pro a great option for international sales.
The Head to Head Winner
While PayPal Payments Pro and Paysafe offer similar services, there are some areas in which they differ greatly. The first is pricing. PayPal Payments Pro charges a flat fee of 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction, in line with PayPal’s standard fee structure. Paysafe pricing is set on a case-by-case basis based on a merchant’s sales volume and needs, enabling the company to build a rate schedule that provides the most value to the merchant. Additionally, PayPal Payments Pro charges a monthly fee of $30, whereas Paysafe has no set monthly fee. $30 may not seem like a lot, but that fee is on top of PayPal’s already high per-transaction costs. For two companies that offer such similar services, those high fees put PayPal at a disadvantage in comparison with the flexibility and customization that Paysafe’s fee model offers.
ISOs and agents partnering with Paysafe can benefit from the full suite of industry-leading sales and productivity tools offered by IRIS CRM. IRIS CRM integrates seamlessly with Paysafe, providing easy boarding, account management, and reporting, and providing the tools necessary for ISOs and agents to successfully resell Paysafe’s merchant services as profitably as possible. It truly is the ultimate Paysafe CRM software. For more information on how IRIS CRM can help with your Paysafe partnership, visit IRISCRM.com to book a demo or contact our expert support staff today!