Airwallex Payments vs Helcim
Airwallex Payments
airwallex.comHelcim
helcim.comSide by side
| Figure | Airwallex Payments | Helcim |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $12/mo | $0.40/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 8 | 6 |
| Spec score · Payment Processing Software | 9.4 (#2) | 9.2 (#3) |
| API authentication | API access uses an access token obtained with a client ID and API key from the Airwallex web app. | API endpoints require a Helcim API token and accept requests only from a secure back-end server. |
| Company legal name | Crunchbase lists the legal name as Airwallex Limited. | The Google Play listing identifies the developer as Helcim Inc. |
| Company size | Crunchbase places Airwallex in the 1,001–5,000 employee range. | Crunchbase places Helcim in the 101–250 employee range. |
| Founded | 2015 | LinkedIn lists Helcim as founded in 2006. |
| Funding news | Airwallex announced a $330 million Series G round at an $8 billion valuation on December 8, 2025, and designated San Francisco as a dual global headquarters with Singapore. | Helcim announced a $53 million Series C led by BDC Capital's Growth Venture Fund on August 21, 2026. |
| Headquarters | Singapore and San Francisco | Helcim lists its primary headquarters at 440 2 Ave SW, Suite 400, Calgary, Alberta T2P 5E9, Canada. |
| Integrations | Airwallex-maintained payment plugins are available for Shopify, SHOPLINE, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Magento, PrestaShop, and Salesforce Commerce Cloud. | Listed integrations include QuickBooks Online, Xero, WooCommerce and Foxy, with additional software connections available. |
| Payment methods | Airwallex says Payments supports Visa and Mastercard plus more than 160 local methods such as Alipay, iDEAL and GrabPay. | Its in-person tools accept major payment types, including Apple Pay and Google Pay. |
| Rating on G2 | 4.1 out of 5 from 55 reviews. | 3.9 out of 5 from 19 reviews |
| Rating on Google Play | 3.9 out of 5 from 1.26K reviews. | 3.0 out of 5 from 179 reviews |
| Rating on Trustpilot | 2.8 out of 5 from 2,584 reviews. | 4.0 out of 5 from 1,100 reviews |
| Security | Airwallex’s Trust Center lists PCI DSS, SOC 1, SOC 2, Visa Service Provider, and ISO/IEC 27001 among its compliance areas, and lists PCI DSS Level 1 certification documents. | Helcim identifies itself as a PCI Level 1 Service Provider and says it protects cardholder data with AES-256 encryption and TLS 1.2 or higher in transit. |
| Support | The pricing page lists help centre articles, FAQs, and email support across the displayed plans; Accelerate also lists a dedicated account manager and onboarding support. | Helcim offers phone support Monday through Friday 7 a.m.–5 p.m. MT and Saturdays 9 a.m.–5 p.m. MT, and says contact-form questions receive a reply within one business day. |
| What it does | Airwallex Payments lets businesses collect shopper payments globally and connect acceptance with multi-currency settlement, conversion and financial management. | Helcim is a payment-processing platform for small and medium-sized businesses accepting card, debit and ACH/EFT payments online and in person. |
Plans
Airwallex Payments
- ExploreFree
- ExploreFree
- Grow$12 a month
- AcceleratePriced on request
- Domestic card acceptancePrice not published
- International card acceptancePrice not published
- Local payment methodsPrice not published
- Subscription managementPrice not published
Helcim
- Helcim payment processingFree
- Helcim platformFree
- Recurring payments$0.40 a month
- 4G wireless data$7 a month
- Helcim Card Reader$199, paid once
- Helcim Smart Terminal$349, paid once
In their own words
Airwallex Payments
Airwallex Payments helps businesses accept international payments and settle, convert, and manage funds through its financial platform. Merchants can take cards and more than 160 local payment methods, although availability depends on the merchant entity’s location. Checkout choices include hosted pages, embedded components, payment links, eCommerce plugins, and the Payments API; dedicated iOS and Android SDKs support app checkout. Like-for-like settlement can put funds in the currency charged into an Airwallex Wallet. Payment acceptance tools include smart routing, automatic retries, message optimization, and 3D Secure logic. Real-time fraud evaluation, configurable risk rules, and dispute management are available through the web app or API. Maintained plugins are listed for Shopify, SHOPLINE, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Magento, PrestaShop, and Salesforce Commerce Cloud. Explore is free per user/month; Grow is $12 per user/month plus a team-size-based platform fee. Processing fees apply to both, including 2.8% + $0.30 for domestic cards and 4.30% + $0.30 for international cards.
Helcim
Helcim provides businesses with payment processing tools for in-person and online sales, invoices, and virtual-terminal transactions. Its tools include point of sale, online checkout, payment links, recurring payments, invoicing, a customer vault, and an inventory catalog. In-person payments support major payment types such as Apple Pay and Google Pay. Eligible merchants can also accept ACH through invoicing, recurring payments, payment requests, and the Virtual Terminal. Helcim lists integrations with QuickBooks Online, Xero, and WooCommerce, as well as its API and HelcimPay.js for custom integrations and website payments. The Card Vault tokenizes stored payment details for future or recurring payments, while Helcim says it protects cardholder data with AES-256 encryption and TLS 1.2 or higher in transit. It identifies itself as a PCI Level 1 Service Provider. The POS app is available for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android, with listed device requirements. The processing plan costs nothing, with no account monthly fees; transaction rates vary by volume and payment method.