Helcim vs Paycycle

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.

Paycycle connects payment workflows around Xero for South African businesses and accounting practices. It brings approved supplier bills from Xero into payment runs and reconciles completed payments back to Xero. For payroll, it imports approved employee pay runs from SimplePay for review, authorisation and payment. Its collections tools handle electronic mandates, recurring collections, failed-payment follow-up and reconciliation. Pay Now can be added to Xero invoices so customers can pay without logging in or setting up a new beneficiary.

Supplier and employee bank accounts are checked through AVS before payment. Payments use a direct route where supported, or a funded pass-through settlement route where required. Listed supplier-payment rails include PayShap, Investec Open Banking, Paycycle Payments and Netcash Payments. Paycycle describes an AI reconciliation engine that reviews bank feeds, resolves exceptions and closes month-end reconciliation in under a minute. Listed controls include encrypted and masked bank details, controlled approvals, tamper-evident records and an audit trail. The web service offers free modules and paid plans; prices range from free to 1,450 ZAR a month.