Airwallex Payments vs Paystack
Airwallex Payments
airwallex.comPaystack
paystack.comSide by side
| Figure | Airwallex Payments | Paystack |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $12/mo | 1 NGN/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 8 | 10 |
| Spec score · Payment Processing Software | 9.4 (#2) | 8.8 (#11) |
| Spec score · Cross-Border Payment Platforms | 9.3 (#1) | 8.8 (#5) |
| Documentation depth | The documentation site includes product guides, API reference, SDK documentation, webhooks, sandbox instructions, security guidance and troubleshooting references. | Developer documentation provides interactive walkthroughs, code snippets, searchable guides, sample projects and API references. |
| Headquarters | Singapore and San Francisco | Lagos, Nigeria |
| Integrations | Airwallex-maintained payment plugins are available for Shopify, SHOPLINE, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Magento, PrestaShop, and Salesforce Commerce Cloud. | Paystack advertises more than 50 integrations spanning ecommerce, accounting, invoicing and CRM platforms. |
| Payment methods | Airwallex says Payments supports Visa and Mastercard plus more than 160 local methods such as Alipay, iDEAL and GrabPay. | Supported payment channels listed include cards, bank accounts, bank transfers, USSD, POS, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Visa QR, and mobile money. |
| Rating on G2 | 4.1 out of 5 from 55 reviews. | 4.1 out of 5 from 9 reviews |
| Rating on Google Play | 3.9 out of 5 from 1.26K reviews. | 3.6 out of 5 from 883 reviews |
| Rating on Trustpilot | 2.8 out of 5 from 2,584 reviews. | 1.5 out of 5 from 249 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. | Paystack states it is PCI DSS Level 1 certified and ISO 27001:2022 certified. |
| Settlement | Like-for-like settlement lets merchants receive payments into their Airwallex Wallet in the currency charged, avoiding unnecessary conversion to their home currency. | The pricing page says automatic settlement is free and generally reaches the merchant's bank account the next working day (T+1). |
| 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. | Paystack says its Customer Success team is available around the clock. |
| What it does | Airwallex Payments lets businesses collect shopper payments globally and connect acceptance with multi-currency settlement, conversion and financial management. | Paystack is a payment service provider for African businesses supporting online and in-person payments. |
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
Paystack
- AccountFree
- Paystack transaction pricing (Nigeria)Free
- Dedicated virtual accounts1 NGN a month
- Nigeria local transactions1.51 NGN a month
- Nigeria international transactions3.91 NGN a month
- Nigeria transfers up to NGN 5,00010 NGN a month
- Nigeria transfers NGN 5,001–50,00025 NGN a month
- Nigeria transfers above NGN 50,00050 NGN a month
- Test SmartPeak P1000 terminal85,000 NGN, paid once
- Live SmartPeak P1000 terminal100,000 NGN, 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.
Paystack
Paystack helps businesses in Africa accept online and in-person payments from customers around the world. Listed channels include cards, bank accounts and transfers, USSD, POS, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Visa QR, and mobile money. Its APIs support one-time and recurring payments through an app or website, instant transfers, and customer identity verification. The dashboard provides reporting, alerts, exports, transaction reports, customer search, and purchase insights. Listed integrations include WooCommerce, Shopify, Chargebee, Zapier, Wix, and Xero; developer materials include an API and SDKs for Android, iOS, and Flutter. Paystack says its automated and manual fraud systems help protect against fraudulent transactions and related chargeback claims. It states that it is PCI DSS Level 1, ISO 27001:2022, and ISO 27701 certified. The pricing page lists no subscription, integration, or maintenance fee, but transaction fees apply. In Nigeria, local transactions cost 1.5% plus NGN 100; that NGN 100 is waived under NGN 2,500, with local fees capped at NGN 2,000. Automatic settlement is free and generally reaches the merchant's bank account the next working day.