London & Zurich Direct Debit vs Powens
London & Zurich Direct Debit
londonandzurich.co.uk
Powens
powens.comSide by side
| Figure | London & Zurich Direct Debit | Powens |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | — |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 3 | 1 |
| Spec score · Direct Debit Processing Software | 6.9 (#19) | 8.2 (#4) |
| Headquarters | Wallingford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom | Paris, France |
| Integrations | The vendor offers a RESTful API, accounting integrations, a test environment, developer documentation, and integration specialist support. | For business account aggregation, Powens says it connects to PSP wallets such as PayPal, Stripe and GoCardless. |
| Regulation | London & Zurich states that it is FCA-authorised and regulated and operates as a Bacs Approved Bureau. | Powens SAS is described as a French payment institution regulated by the ACPR, and Unnax Regulatory Services EDE, S.L.U. as a Spanish electronic money institution regulated by the Bank of Spain. |
| Security | The vendor states that its platform uses AWS infrastructure, multi-factor authentication, 24/7 security monitoring, and UK-based servers, and that it holds Cyber Essentials Plus certification. | Powens says it is ISO 27001 certified and that its security and compliance frameworks are independently tested and audited each year. |
| Support | The company describes phone support from real people, dedicated account contacts, and customer service help through the portal’s support ticket and Knowledge Hub. | Enterprise plans include a dedicated account manager and priority assistance from integration and technical support teams. |
Plans
London & Zurich Direct Debit
- BusinessPriced on request
- Enterprise / ResellerPriced on request
- FoundationPriced on request
In their own words
London & Zurich Direct Debit
London & Zurich Direct Debit provides collection services and administration software for businesses. It supports regular, recurring, and one-off payments after customers authorise Direct Debit collection. The DDMS portal handles mandate creation, Bacs submission, compliance, reporting, failed payments, reconciliation, accounting, and scheduling. Businesses can use their own Service User Number or operate under London & Zurich’s; the company says it can obtain one through its sponsor bank for organisations without a SUN. Integration options include a RESTful API, accounting connections, a test environment, developer documentation, and specialist integration support. API access is included within a solution, with costs depending on integration needs and setup. The service can be white labelled so bank statements show the customer business’s name. London & Zurich describes AWS hosting, UK-based servers, multi-factor authentication, 24/7 monitoring, Cyber Essentials Plus, FCA authorisation, and Bacs Approved Bureau status. Pricing is on request, with Business, Foundation, and Enterprise/Reseller options.
Powens
Powens is an Open Finance and embedded payments platform that connects financial data and payment workflows through APIs. Its aggregation service syncs accounts, transactions, savings, loans, and investments from more than 1,800 banks across 12 EU countries. Accounts refresh daily, while available transaction history varies by bank from 3 to 24 months; live connections can be maintained for six months with daily refreshes. Payment services include IBAN accounts, Direct Debit, Pay by Bank, and instant SEPA transfers through one API and dashboard. Powens says beneficiaries receive funds from its instant SEPA transfers within 10 seconds. It also offers real-time bank identity checks and Spanish IBAN ownership verification. Developers can access API documentation, integration guides, SDKs, connection widgets, an admin console, and a free self-service sandbox. Pricing is on request. Enterprise plans include dedicated hosting and can include an account manager and priority technical and integration support. Powens lists Android, iOS, web, and API access, and says it was founded as Budget Insight in 2012 before adopting the Powens name in 2022.