Compare payment processors and POS systems.
This is a decision center, not a scoreboard. Each page covers who a platform is best for, what businesses like about it, what to consider, and when it may make sense to stay exactly where you are.
Compare before you commit.
We map what you run today, lay out the realistic options, then give one recommendation — including staying put.
- Your processor & pricing model
- Your POS and terminals
- Fees on your last statement
- Keep the processor, fix the fees
- Different POS, same provider
- A different provider entirely
- One recommended path
- The tradeoffs, stated plainly
- Stay put if that's the right answer
Square alternatives: should I keep Square or compare?
New or lower-volume businesses that want simple, predictable flat-rate pricing and an all-in-one hardware and software ecosystem.
Toast alternatives: should I keep Toast or compare?
Full-service and multi-location restaurants that want a purpose-built POS with kitchen display, labor, and online ordering tools bundled together.
Clover alternatives: should I keep Clover or compare?
Retail and hybrid businesses that want flexible, app-extendable hardware and are comfortable working with a reseller relationship.
Should I keep Stripe or compare alternatives?
Online-first businesses, marketplaces, and companies with engineering resources that want deep API control over payments.
Should I keep Shopify Payments or compare alternatives?
Shopify merchants who want payments built directly into their existing plan without setting up a separate processor.
Should I keep Helcim or compare alternatives?
Businesses that want transparent, published interchange-plus pricing with self-serve tools and automatic volume-based discounts.
Should I keep Stax or compare alternatives?
Higher-volume merchants who can benefit from paying a flat subscription instead of a percentage markup on processing.
Should I keep PayPal/Zettle or compare alternatives?
Very low-volume or occasional sellers who want instant brand recognition and a simple setup with no other accounts required.
Should I keep Worldpay or compare alternatives?
Larger or enterprise merchants with existing banking relationships where Worldpay is bundled into a broader financial services agreement.
Every Trailhead Review™ looks at the same five areas.
Technology helps us pull and organize the numbers, but a person reviews every recommendation before it reaches you. Staying with your current setup is treated as a legitimate outcome, not a failure to find something to sell — sometimes the smartest move is staying put.
- Costs & Fees
- Contract & Terms
- POS & Equipment
- Software & Integrations
- Support & Growth Readiness
Content reviewed and maintained by Trailhead Payments. Have questions about how we evaluate your setup? Start a free Trailhead Review™.
Don't see your processor?
Every review is a comparison — even if there isn't a page for it. Send us your statement and we'll show you what a fair alternative looks like, or confirm you should stay put.
Compare before you commit.
One review shows what you pay now, what the alternatives really cost, and whether a move is worth it at all.
Photography pending — Advisor and owner closing a review with the recommendation to stay with the current setup