When it comes to online financial services platforms, there are many different options available. First of all, there are local options that limit users to a specific geographical location. While they may limit users, they also come with specialization for the users.
On the other hand, some global options facilitate users in their transactions around the globe. The biggest name in the worldwide platforms list is PayPal.
Two other platforms that are competitors of PayPal, and each other, in the global financial services market are Payoneer and Stripe. Both of these companies offer similar services. That is why some users can’t decide which platform is the best for their needs.
So, given below are the ten differences between the platforms. Through these differences, users can better understand what each platform offers and decide which one’s best for them.
1) Focus on users
Payoneer focuses on businesses and professional users and facilitates their payments. These include all types of businesses and, for the most part, freelancers from different platforms.
Its user base also consists of users of various online marketplaces. For Stripe, while the platform does support some of these users, the focus is more on online developers. It also provides them with customizable development tools, which Payoneer lacks.
2) Technicality
Payoneer is easy to use and used by all levels of users. It does not require users to have technical skills or knowledge to understand how to use the platform or take advantage of its features. On the other hand, Stripe is more technical.
While the platform is easy to use, users need technical skills to use its more advanced features, just like any other online payment platform. However, it may not be a problem, given it focuses on developers.
3) Availability
When it comes to availability, Payoneer is much more widespread as compared to Stripe. Payoneer provides services to users in over 200 countries and territories.
Its availability around the globe has allowed it to attract over 4 million users. On the other hand, Stripe is only available in 42 countries.
However, it is still trying to expand into new markets and countries. Therefore, for most users, Stripe may not be a selectable choice at all.
4) Customization
Payoneer offers its users limited tools to make transactions through the platform. These include receiving funds, making payments, using a MasterCard debit card, and withdrawing to a bank account.
Stripe, on the other hand, is much more advanced and allows users more customizability. They have a suite of complex tools and advanced features that help users customize simple payments to more advanced POS systems, depending on the users’ needs.
5) Integrations
Both companies have different integrations with other marketplaces and platforms. Both platforms offer users unique features they can’t get through other alternatives through integrations.
Payoneer’s partners include Airbnb, Google, Amazon, Fiverr, Rakuten, JungleScout, Freelancer, Wish.com, etc. On the other hand, Stripe’s partners include BigCommerce, Squarespace, ClickFunnels, Shopify, DocuSign, MailChimp, etc.
The integrations for both platforms are very different and define their user base.
6) Fees
Both platforms have different users and different integrations. Therefore, the prices and fees these platforms charge are also different.
Payoneer has various fees, including transferring funds, conversions, and withdrawals.
However, its main fees relate to its Payoneer card, which charges users $3 per transaction and $1 for ATM balance inquiries. Stripe, on the other hand, charges users 2.9% and a fixed 30 cents for every successful card charge.
7) Customer support
Payoneer and Stripe serve millions of users as online financial services platforms. Both platforms have dedicated customer support teams to solve the problems of their users.
For most inquiries, both their teams are professional and qualified. However, some Payoneer users complain about slow response times from customer service representatives.
Stripe, although smaller in size, has better customer support than Payoneer, according to users of both platforms.
8) Currency conversion
Both platforms have to deal with users across the globe. Therefore, both of them have to support multiple currencies.
While all online transactions mainly require USD accounts, users may still need other currencies for some other transactions. Sometimes, users may also need to convert between these currencies.
Payoneer allows users to convert between their currencies, albeit for a fee. Contrastingly, Stripe doesn’t offer currency conversions to its users.
9) Accounting software integration
As mentioned above, Payoneer focuses more on businesses and professional users, while Stripe focuses on developers. While their users are different, they may still need accounting software integrations.
Payoneer does not have any integrations with accounting software. Its users must manually upload their account statements and log into their accounting software.
Stripe, on the other hand, allows users to integrate their accounts with cloud-based accounting software, making the process simpler.
Conclusion
Many online platforms provide users with financial services solutions. Among these two are Payoneer and Stripe. While both provide similar services, there are still some differences between them.
These are different in the users they focus on, the technicality level required, availability, customization, and integrations.
Similarly, there are differences in the platforms’ fees, customer support, currency conversion feature, and accounting software integration features.