The Independent Software Vendor (ISV) market is projected to reach $408.15 million by 2026. As the market continues to grow, companies are constantly looking for ways to build more powerful platforms with integrated payments for their customers.
However, there is the complexity involved in implementing a payments ecosystem from scratch. That’s why plug-and-play solutions can help ISVs quickly provide those payment functions that work best for them.
Both Stax Connect and Adyen offer robust infrastructures to help software providers facilitate payments, but which of them might be better suited for your business? In this article, we’ll review both solutions and see how they stack up against each other.
Adyen Payment Features
Adyen’s payment platform enables businesses to accept payments of all types including mobile, e-commerce, and point-of-sale (POS) transactions. Here are some of its most prominent features:
- Global acquiring: Adyen allows businesses to use advanced functionalities and global payment processing with a single platform. Users don’t have to manage local acquirers or multiple providers for different types of payments.
- Risk management: Adyen offers a comprehensive set of risk profiles that you can customize based on your business needs. These profiles classify transactions into low and high-risk based on how they align with the criteria. You can also configure rules for 3D secure authentication or manually review transactions if you suspect any foul play. Plus, Adyen offers risk management tools to manage disputes in case a customer reports fraud.
- Dashboard and reporting: Adyen’s dashboard (called the Customer Area) allows you to monitor all your payment activities and get access to round-the-clock support from the Adyen payment team. You can assign different roles to your support team members and customize the Customer Area according to your business needs.
- Revenue optimization: Adyen’s all-in-one payments optimization toolkit helps you create seamless shopping experiences for your customers. Its machine learning-powered Authentication Engine authenticates customers only when needed to reduce drop-off.
- Payment methods: Adyen payment processing enables you to accept a wide range of payment methods such as debit cards, credit cards, mobile wallets, ACH direct debits, and electronic payments. It supports more than 120 currencies and is accepted in over 30 countries around the world.
Stax Connect Features
Stax Connect aims to simplify payments for software vendors, ISVs, and private equity firms so that they can set up a complete payment ecosystem in just 30 days. The payment platform offers everything you need to start accepting payments with little to no financial investment. Here are some of its most prominent features:
- Bank sponsorship: Stax Connect allows you to leverage their relationship with one of the largest sponsor banks in the world, so you can avoid the long approval wait time and extensive expenses associated with becoming a payments facilitator.
- Risk management: Stax Connect also takes on the risk of accepting payments for you by ensuring PCI DSS security. It provides an in-house risk team who will monitor and validate every payment performed on your platform, so you can save the cost of hiring risk analysts. Further, its Dispute Manager API greatly simplifies the process of resolving chargebacks or disputes.
- Dashboard and reporting: With Stax Connect, you’ll get access to an interactive dashboard (called the Command Center) that allows you to closely monitor user activity, payment volumes, etc.
- Enrollment platform: Stax Connect offers a pre-built enrollment platform to help you manage and monitor your enrollment pipeline with in-depth underwriting statistics, user on-boarding tracking, and deposit reporting. Stax Connect offers 3 enrollment options. The first is adding the enrollment process to your software using Stax Connect’s API; the second option is sending merchants to a landing page with an enrollment form. Or, you could offer a white-glove service by filling out a form on behalf of the merchant right on the Stax Connect dashboard.
- Support enablement: The dashboard allows you to assign unique roles to your support team members and give them access to payment activity or enrollment statuses of customers. They can also escalate tickets to the Stax internal team for additional support.
- Settlements: Stax Connect takes complete ownership of the funding and settlement of transactions. The process is automated so you don’t have to worry about manual payouts or settlements. Batches will be closed and funds will be transferred according to the schedule you choose.
Stax Connect and Adyen Payment Integrations
Both Adyen and Stax Connect offer multiple ways to integrate payments into your platform. With Adyen payment processing, the easiest option is to embed their customizable payments UI in your app or website. You can also go for a “Components” approach and use building blocks from Adyen for every payment method to create a more customized UI.
The company offers plugins for Salesforce, PrestaShop, Shopware, Magento, and more. You can also use their API and develop your own UI from scratch.
Stax Connect provides a JavaScript library for you to collect payments from your website without having to handle sensitive information directly. You can use this for one-time payments or for tokenizing payment methods for recurring payments.
The Omni Mobile SDK, available for both iOS and Android, allows you to tokenize payment methods securely and ensure PCI compliance. Stax Connect lets you completely customize your payment form while ensuring PCI compliance. It also provides APIs for building your own payments ecosystem.
Adyen Payment Processing Pricing Vs. Stax
The Adyen payment processing pricing varies by country and payment method. While the $0.12 flat-rate processing fee is common in most geographies, the payment method fee varies from 3% to 12%.
Although they don’t charge any setup fees, monthly fees, closure fees, or integration fees, they do charge a minimum invoice that varies by industry/business model. Overall, its pricing structure seems quite complex and can turn out to be pretty expensive.
Stax Connect, on the other hand, provides a custom pricing model that’s tailored to suit the unique needs of every business. There are no up-charges or tiers, and they also offer a revenue-sharing model for platform owners who wish to monetize their payment processing. Reach out to the Stax Connect team for a consultation to come up with the model that works best for you.
Pros and Cons of Adyen Payment Processing
The Adyen payment processing platform offers advanced functionalities and supports various payment methods—all from a single platform. So there’s no need for you to deal with multiple local acquirers or providers.
Adyen payment processing offers powerful and intelligent fraud detection and risk management capabilities.
The drag-and-drop option provides an easy way to embed a pre-built payments UI into your website or app, and its 24/7 support is greatly beneficial for businesses.
On the flip side, Adyen’s pricing structure is quite complex and expensive. It requires a minimum invoice that varies by industry/business model which makes it unsuitable for low-volume businesses. Also, Adyen payment processing doesn’t offer its services to several high-risk businesses and industries.
Stax Connect offers fast and easy integration that allows businesses to set up an entire payments ecosystem in just 30 days. With Stax Connect, you’re automatically backed by one of the largest sponsor banks which saves both your time and money.
Its easy-to-use enrollment platform helps you save valuable resources on underwriting and gives your customers the ability to process payments in just 20 minutes of getting started. Its comprehensive risk management tools, reporting features, and top-notch customer support, and custom pricing makes it a lucrative option for businesses looking to facilitate payments easily.
However, Stax Connect is currently available only for businesses that have a presence in the US.
Adyen Payment Processing Customer Support
Adyen has a 24/7 support center in Amsterdam and you can reach them through their website or phone. They provide a detailed knowledge base as well as community support forums if you face any difficulties.
When it comes to customer support, Stax Connect fares equally well. In fact, it’s what customers love the most about the solution. From day one, their team will be guiding you every step of the way. Plus, you can reach their support team using the numbers provided on their website at any time.
You’ll also benefit from having a dedicated partner success manager who works with you to ensure that you’re getting the most out of the platform. So whenever you need support, you can always reach out to someone who looks after your specific account.
Customer Ratings and Reviews
Adyen payment processing has mixed reviews on most online forums with a rating of 3 or 4 stars. The most common complaints that users seem to be having are about its high price and complex functionality.
As Merchant Maverick puts it, “Overall, Adyen isn’t actively seeking out smaller merchants, and small business owners would need to go in with substantial technical know-how and patience.”
Adyen has a 4 star rating on Merchant Maverick and a 1.8 star rating on Trustpilot, based on 49 reviews.
Stax has a 4.3 rating on Trustpilot, based on 594 reviews, 76% of which are 5 star reviews. They also have a 5 star review from Merchant Maverick.
Stax Connect customers are advocates for their supreme experiences with Stax and their services. Take a look at one of their customers video testimonials and how Stax helped Big Time grow their business with payment processing.
Final Verdict: Stax Connect Vs. Adyen Payment Processing
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As a software vendor or ISV looking to facilitate payments, a number of factors will determine which platform best suits your needs. Adyen’s complicated interface and expensive pricing make it a suboptimal solution. Plus, it caters to all types of businesses, unlike Stax Connect, which is specially designed for SaaS businesses and ISVs.
Stax Connect partners are delighted with the ease with which it facilitates integration on their platforms. Its easy-to-use interface, integration capabilities, top-notch customer support, and tailor-made pricing make it a superb choice for software companies looking for a hassle-free way to set up a payments ecosystem.
FAQs about Adyen Payment and Stax Connect
Q: What are some common features between Adyen Payments and Stax Connect?
Both Adyen Payments and Stax Connect have features such as global payment processing, risk management, a dashboard and reporting system, and integration capabilities. However, they have unique elements within these features that set them apart.
Q: Which payment platform offers more flexible payment methods, Adyen Payments or Stax Connect?
Adyen Payments allows businesses to accept a wider range of payment methods, including but not limited to debit and credit cards, mobile wallets, ACH direct debits, and electronic payments. It also supports transactions in more than 120 currencies and is accepted in over 30 countries.
Q: How does Stax Connect simplify the payment implementation process for businesses?
With Stax Connect, businesses can set up a complete payment ecosystem in just 30 days with little to no financial investment. It offers services like bank sponsorship, risk management, an intuitive dashboard for tracking activities, an enrollment platform, support enablement, and automated settlements.
Q: Are there any costs associated with using Adyen Payments?
Yes, the Adyen payment processing pricing varies based on the country and the payment method being used. While there is a $0.12 flat-rate processing fee that applies to most regions, the payment method fee ranges from 3% to 12%. Adyen does not charge setup, monthly, closure, or integration fees, but there is a minimum invoice requirement that varies by industry/business model.
Q: Is Stax Connect available for businesses globally?
Currently, Stax Connect is available only for businesses with a presence in the United States.
Q: What is the difference between Adyen and Stax Connect in terms of customer support?
Both Adyen and Stax Connect offer excellent customer support with 24/7 availability. Adyen has a support center in Amsterdam, and they provide detailed knowledge bases and community support forums. Stax Connect provides a dedicated partner success manager who works with you to ensure maximum benefit from the platform, in addition to regular support.
Q: How does the user experience differ between Adyen Payments and Stax Connect?
Some users find Adyen’s interface complicated and the pricing structure complex and expensive. On the other hand, Stax Connect is praised for its easy-to-use interface, simple integration process, top-notch customer support, and customized pricing.
Q: Are there any industry-specific benefits of using Stax Connect over Adyen Payments?
Stax Connect is specifically designed for SaaS businesses and ISVs, offering them hassle-free integration, an intuitive interface, tailor-made pricing, and excellent customer support, while Adyen caters to businesses at large with a more complex interface and pricing structure.
Q: What are the customer reviews and ratings for Adyen Payments and Stax Connect?
Adyen has mixed reviews, with a 4-star rating on Merchant Maverick and a 1.9-star rating on Trustpilot based on 182 reviews. Stax, on the other hand, has a 4.0 rating on Trustpilot, based on 930 reviews, 74% of which are 5 star reviews. They also have a 5-star review from Merchant Maverick.
Q: How do Stax Connect and Adyen Payments handle risk management?
Both companies have tools for risk management. Adyen offers a comprehensive set of risk profiles that can be customized based on business needs and tools to manage disputes in case of reported fraud. Stax Connect takes on the risk for you by ensuring PCI DSS security, providing an in-house risk team, and utilizing its Dispute Manager API to simplify the process of resolving chargebacks or disputes.
