Cardflo vs other processors

Side-by-side breakdowns of how Cardflo compares with the major payment platforms. Hedged, factual, and updated when the providers change their pricing.

Cardflo vs Stripe

Outgrown a single PSP? Cardflo places scaling merchants with our multi-acquirer partner network for faster boarding and MID optimisation beyond Stripe.

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Cardflo vs Adyen

Better approval rates for mid-market. Cardflo routes across our Tier 1 acquirer partners with faster boarding and multi-MID coverage than Adyen alone.

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Cardflo vs Checkout.com

Locked into a single acquirer? Cardflo layers our multi-acquirer partner network over Checkout.com so you get real MID choice, redundancy and scale.

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Cardflo vs Worldpay

Legacy acquirer holding you back? Cardflo layers modern orchestration over our 50+ acquirer partners, giving Worldpay merchants redundancy and choice.

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Cardflo vs Braintree

Beyond a standard PayPal stack? Cardflo places Braintree merchants with our acquirer partner network for diverse MIDs and flexible routing rules.

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Cardflo vs PayPal

Scaling past SMB wallets? Cardflo places merchants with our acquirer partner network to lift GMV, improve routing and boost approval rates beyond PayPal.

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Cardflo sits alongside orchestration platforms like Primer, Gr4vy, Spreedly and Payabli, and payment gateways like Adyen, Stripe, Checkout.com and Worldpay. What we do differently: we're the merchant's payments partner, not another vendor to integrate. We introduce you to licensed acquirers across the UK, EU and beyond, negotiate pricing on your side of the table, and give you a single dashboard, checkout builder, router and reconciliation layer that works across every one of them.

What to compare us against

vs orchestration platforms

Primer, Gr4vy, Spreedly, Payabli and Corefy sell software. You bring your own acquirers. Cardflo brings the acquirers, does the KYB introduction, negotiates the pricing and layers the orchestration on top. Most merchants save 20 to 40 basis points on effective rate.

vs full-stack PSPs

Adyen, Stripe, Checkout.com and Worldpay give you one relationship, one contract, one rate card. It's simple, but you have zero leverage on pricing and one point of failure. Cardflo gives you three to five acquirers in parallel with intelligent routing between them.

vs going direct

You can approach acquirers yourself. Expect six to twelve weeks per relationship, an underwriting pack per acquirer, and manual reconciliation. Cardflo compresses the introduction to two business days and unifies the tech into a single API and dashboard.

Common questions

Is Cardflo an acquirer?

No. Cardflo is a global payments partner. KYB, underwriting and settlement are handled by our licensed acquiring partners. Cardflo coordinates the relationship, negotiates the pricing and provides the technology layer that sits over the top.

Do I keep control of my acquirer contracts?

Yes. The merchant contract is directly with the acquirer. Cardflo introduces, negotiates and orchestrates, but you own the relationship and can leave at any time. There's no lock-in and no exclusivity clause.

What does Cardflo cost?

Cardflo's platform fee is a small basis-point margin on transactions routed through our stack. In almost every case the acquiring savings we negotiate cover the fee several times over. The pricing estimator gives you a full breakdown.

Can I switch off orchestration and just use one acquirer?

Yes. Some merchants start with a single acquirer we introduce and never turn on multi-acquirer routing. The dashboard, reporting and checkout builder still work; you just skip the router.

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Ready to improve your payments setup?

Tell us about your business. We'll match you with the right acquiring partners and the right route, typically inside a week.

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