Fire Payments API vs Volt
Fire Payments API
fire.com
Volt
volt.ioSide by side
| Figure | Fire Payments API | Volt |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | — |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Open Banking Payment Platforms | 7.7 (#5) | 7.1 (#17) |
| Founded | 2010 | 2019 |
| Headquarters | Dublin, Ireland | London, United Kingdom |
| Regulation | Fire-EU is regulated as a Payment Institution by the Central Bank of Ireland and Fire-UK is authorised as an Electronic Money Institution by the FCA. | Volt lists FCA authorisations in the UK, KNF authorisation in Poland, and ASIC and AUSTRAC registrations in Australia. |
| Safeguarding | Fire says customer funds are safeguarded in accounts separate from its operational funds, and this safeguarding is different from bank deposit guarantee schemes. | Volt safeguards customer funds through segregation under UK electronic-money and Polish payment-institution licensing, and states that safeguarding is not deposit protection. |
| Support | Fire directs prospective customers to [email protected] and existing customers to [email protected]. | Volt provides technical support at [email protected] and states customer support operates from 9am to 5pm CET. |
Plans
In their own words
Fire Payments API
Fire Payments API connects Fire’s digital payment services to applications and back-office systems, letting fintechs and corporate clients automate payment processes. It can initiate batches of internal transfers and local or cross-border payouts, issue cards, and manage card blocks and limits. Businesses can create bank-transfer payment requests with added information for reconciliation, retrieve transaction, payee, user and balance data, and move funds between Fire accounts in real time. Developers can use Fire’s OpenAPI specification to build backend integrations in their preferred programming language. Customers need to contact sales to open a Fire account before configuring an API application and its permissions. Fire says payment batches are authorised and authenticated through the Fire for Business mobile app, within a framework designed to meet PSD2 technical standards. Fire-EU is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland, while Fire-UK is authorised by the FCA. Customer funds are held separately from operational funds; this is not a bank deposit guarantee. Pricing is paid, from €10/mo, with corporate pricing available on request.
Volt
Volt provides businesses with real-time account-to-account payments, connecting domestic instant-payment systems into one service. Its offerings include instant payments, refunds, payouts, Volt Accounts, virtual IBANs, Circuit Breaker, Transformer and Verify. Merchants can send payment links or QR codes through email, SMS, chatbots and invoices. Integration options include hosted checkout, API-only access and mobile SDKs; listed e-commerce integrations include Shopify, Prestashop, Shopware, Adobe Commerce and WooCommerce. Plugins are available for Shopify, Shopware and Adobe Commerce, with other platform support available through its support team. Volt lists 1,900 connected banks, 10 payment rails and 12 currencies, and its homepage states coverage of 2,500 banks, 31 territories and 618 million accounts. Payouts are available in the EU, UK and Australia, but are disabled by default and may have business-specific limits. Funds are safeguarded through segregation under UK and Polish licensing; Volt says this is not deposit protection. Pricing is on request. Apps and access are listed for Android, iOS, web and API.