# Alternatives to Helcim

Interchange-plus payments for small business

Helcim ranks #8 of 13 in Payment processors, with an Alt Score of 83. It is proprietary and available on Web, iOS, Android, Windows and macOS. 11 of 13 checklist rows are verified against a public source.

Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/helcim/
Category: Payment processors

## Overview

- **Who it's for**: Small to medium-sized businesses across retail, healthcare, professional services, and hospitality, particularly those processing higher card volumes.
- **What you get**: In-person and online payment acceptance including a Smart Terminal, card reader, virtual terminal, invoicing, ACH transfers, and POS/inventory tools, priced with transparent interchange-plus rates and no monthly fees.
- **How it works**: Merchants sign up online in minutes with no paperwork, then connect via 40+ pre-built integrations (e.g., WooCommerce, QuickBooks, Xero), APIs, or HelcimPay.js, with deposits available as soon as the next business day.

## Profile

- **License**: Proprietary (verified 2026-07-12)
- **Pricing model**: Usage-based (verified 2026-07-12)
- **Starts at**: Interchange + 0.4% + $0.08 (verified 2026-07-12)
- **Platforms**: Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS
- **Status**: active (verified 2026-07-12)

## Ranked alternatives

| # | App | Alt Score | Licence | Platforms |
|---|-----|-----------|---------|-----------|
| 1 | [Stripe](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/stripe.md) | 96 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android |
| 2 | [Adyen](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/adyen.md) | 93 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android |
| 3 | [Mollie](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/mollie.md) | 93 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android |
| 4 | [Square](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/square.md) | 89 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android |
| 5 | [Checkout.com](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/checkout-com.md) | 86 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android |
| 6 | [PayPal](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/paypal.md) | 86 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android, Browser extension |
| 7 | [Braintree (PayPal)](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/braintree.md) | 83 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android |
| 8 | [Razorpay](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/razorpay.md) | 79 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android |
| 9 | [Worldpay](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/worldpay.md) | 79 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android |
| 10 | [GoCardless](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/gocardless.md) | 59 | Proprietary | Web |
| 11 | [Amazon Pay](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/amazon-pay.md) | 55 | Proprietary | Web |
| 12 | [Authorize.net](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/authorize-net.md) | 55 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android |

Alt Score = Verified coverage (90%) + Visibility (10%). See https://altcatalog.com/how-alt-score-works/

## Feature comparison

Legend: Yes / No / Partial / ? (not verified).

| Payment processors checklist | Helcim | Stripe | Adyen | Mollie | Square | Checkout.com |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Usage-based | Usage-based | Usage-based | Usage-based | Usage-based | Usage-based |
| Starts at | Interchange + 0.4% + $0.08 | 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction | $0.13 + Interchange++ + 0.60% per transaction (cards) | EUR 0.32 per transaction (iDEAL) | 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction | ? |
| License | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS | Web, iOS, Android | Web, iOS, Android | Web, iOS, Android | Web, iOS, Android | Web, iOS, Android |
| Hosted checkout / payment links | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Recurring billing & subscriptions | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| In-person / POS payments | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? |
| Local payment methods (wallets, bank debit) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-currency settlement | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Marketplace / split payments | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Built-in fraud & risk tools | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Dispute / chargeback management | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sales-tax calculation add-on | ? | Yes | ? | ? | Yes | ? |
| PCI DSS Level 1 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Developer API & SDKs | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Interchange++ / cost-plus pricing | Yes | Partial | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes |
| Instant / fast payouts | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |

## Sources

Sources for Helcim. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.

- **Pricing model**: Usage-based — <https://www.helcim.com/pricing/> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “Helcim uses a transparent Interchange plus pricing model. We pass on the true wholesale cost for each transaction you process, and add our set margin on top for our services.”
- **Starts at**: Interchange + 0.4% + $0.08 — <https://www.helcim.com/pricing/> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “$0 - $50K | Interchange+ 0.40% + 8¢ | Interchange+ 0.50% + 25¢”
- **License**: Proprietary — <https://legal.helcim.com/ca/terms-of-service/> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Note: API") through which you can access the Services programmatically."
  - Quote: “Helcim also provides access to a proprietary Application Program Interface (the ”
- **Status**: active — <https://devdocs.helcim.com/changelog> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “Added a new DELETE method to manage customer payment methods by allowing the removal of a specific bank account from a customer's profile. 3 months ago by Chris Fenwick”
- **Platforms**: Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS — <https://www.helcim.com/point-of-sale/> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “Helcim POS works on laptops, tablets (iPad), and smartphones (iPhone and Android). You can download the app from the App Store, Google Play, or get the desktop version for Mac and Windows.”
- **Hosted checkout / payment links**: Yes — <https://www.helcim.com/online-checkout/> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “Effortlessly bring your store online with our free, fully hosted, mobile-first solution—no coding or extra costs needed.”
- **Recurring billing & subscriptions**: Yes — <https://learn.helcim.com/docs/what-are-helcim-recurring-payments> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “Helcim's Recurring Payments tool helps small and medium-sized businesses like yours automate billing, customize subscription plans, and ultimately, grow your revenue.”
- **In-person / POS payments**: Yes — <https://www.helcim.com/point-of-sale/> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “Helcim POS system lets you accept credit, debit, and mobile contactless payments like Apple Pay or Google Pay.”
- **Local payment methods (wallets, bank debit)**: Yes — <https://www.helcim.com/point-of-sale/> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “Helcim POS system lets you accept credit, debit, and mobile contactless payments like Apple Pay or Google Pay.”
- **Multi-currency settlement**: Partial — <https://learn.helcim.com/docs/international-payment-fees> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “Customers outside Canada or the US can pay you. However, you can currently only charge them in Canadian Dollars (CAD) or US Dollars (USD), not their local currency.”
- **Built-in fraud & risk tools**: Yes — <https://learn.helcim.com/docs/using-helcim-fraud-defender> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “Think of Helcim Fraud Defender as your smart assistant for online security. It analyzes seven key factors of every online, customer-initiated payment to give you a risk assessment.”
- **Dispute / chargeback management**: Yes — <https://learn.helcim.com/docs/view-chargebacks> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “The Helcim platform provides tools to help you manage chargebacks efficiently.”
- **PCI DSS Level 1**: Yes — <https://www.helcim.com/credit-card-data-migration/> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “Data is securely moved from your current provider to Helcim's PCI DSS Level 1 compliant vault.”
- **Developer API & SDKs**: Yes — <https://devdocs.helcim.com/docs/overview-of-helcim-api> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “You can use the Helcim API to integrate payments and other aspects of the Helcim system into your application or website.”
- **Interchange++ / cost-plus pricing**: Yes — <https://www.helcim.com/pricing/> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “Helcim uses a transparent Interchange plus pricing model. We pass on the true wholesale cost for each transaction you process, and add our set margin on top for our services.”
- **Instant / fast payouts**: Yes — <https://learn.helcim.com/docs/bank-deposit-timelines-helcim> (verified 2026-07-12)
  - Quote: “Faster Deposits is our way of speeding up your cash flow by delivering funds the very next business day—at no extra cost.”

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Ranked by verified data, never by who paid. https://altcatalog.com/trust/