Apex Reader vs PayAnywhere

Apex Reader is a pocket-sized Bluetooth card reader for in-person payments away from a counter. It pairs with an iPhone or Android phone and accepts NFC contactless payments, EMV chip cards, and magnetic-stripe swipes, including Apple Pay and Google Pay. Bluetooth LE connectivity requires iOS 14 or later or Android 10 or later, and no separate data plan is required. The reader provides up to 12 hours of active use and charges through micro-USB. The Apexonepayments app can start a sale or retrieve one from an invoice, process refunds and voids, and add optional tax and tips. It sends branded receipts by SMS or email, while sales synchronize to the dashboard in real time. Reader transactions share a ledger with Apex Flex and Mini. Account activation takes under two minutes, with no setup fees or monthly minimums. Pricing is on request.

PayAnywhere provides point-of-sale software, payment processing, Payments Hub back-office tools, and payment hardware for businesses. It runs on Android, iOS, and the web. Listed payment types include EMV chip, contactless, magstripe, PIN debit, and EBT. Merchants can accept browser-based payments through Virtual Terminal without hardware, including orders taken online or by phone. Payment Links support fixed, multiple, or open-ended amounts and can be shared by email or text, embedded as a button, or shown as a QR code. Inventory tools cover product catalogs, categories, price variants, modifiers, bulk uploads, discounts, stock alerts, and sales tracking. Reports cover sales, customers, employees, inventory, deposits, and chargeback activity, with exports and scheduled email delivery. The company says next-day funding is the default and same-day funding is available at no charge, subject to cutoff times. Listed rates are 2.69% for swipe, dip, or tap transactions and 3.49% + $0.19 for keyed transactions. Services are limited to the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.