AccessPay vs Front2Bax

AccessPay connects business finance and back-office systems to banks for payments, collections, and bank statement retrieval. It supports Bacs, Faster Payments, CHAPS, SWIFT, SEPA, and Direct Debit collections, and says it connects finance applications with more than 11,000 banks worldwide. ERP, payroll, and other back-office systems can connect through SWIFT, Host-to-Host, EBICS, sFTP, or API. Its file transformation engine handles formats including CSV, Standard18, and PAIN, as well as less common formats. Fraud and error controls include payment screening, beneficiary checking, sanctions screening, and Confirmation of Payee capabilities. Security measures listed include masked and encrypted transaction data, MFA or SSO login, user access controls, segregation of duties, and audit trails. The platform does not cap transaction count or value, though payment schemes may set their own value limits. Pricing is on request and depends on estimated annual transaction volumes, users, and required configurations and workflows. Initial setup carries a one-time professional services fee of 25%; bank fees are separate.

Front2Bax is self-hosted Windows software for organisations transmitting electronic transactions to Bacs. It supports Bacs Direct Debit collections and Direct Credit payments, including employee salaries and supplier payments. The software can process AUDDIS Direct Debit Instructions and generate them automatically when needed. Input can come from ASCII accounting files, Excel or simple text files, with tailored schemas for payroll systems or Excel. Installed directly on customer systems, it keeps payment data within the customer’s IT environment according to its maker. Supported systems include Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit recommended, or equivalent Windows Server versions. Microsoft SQL Server 2014 or later is required, with SQL Server 2019 Express recommended, and broadband is needed for Bacs transmissions. Users must hold their own Service User Number. The maker states there is no limit on copies, clients, transactions or users. Email and telephone support is included throughout the year. Standard Bacs User costs £650 a year; Bacs Bureau User costs £1,200 a year, both with no transaction fees.