What the provider actually is
An ISO, a payment facilitator, a gateway, a software vendor reselling processing, or an advisory firm. This determines who underwrites you, who holds the merchant agreement, and who can move you if an account closes.
Comparison framework
Comparing cannabis payment providers
Most provider comparisons in this industry are marketing pages. This one is deliberately narrow: we publish a head-to-head page only when every claim about the other provider comes from that provider's own public material, with the URL and the date we read it. Where we have not finished that research, the page says so instead of filling the gap with adjectives.
We make no "best", "cheapest", approval-rate or network-acceptance claims about anyone, including ourselves.
Six things to compare before you sign
Use these on any provider, including us. Each one is answerable from a written agreement or documentation — if a provider will not answer in writing, that is itself an answer.
Which payment methods are documented, not implied
Ask for the specific method name — ACH debit, PIN debit, closed-loop wallet, invoicing — and the written description of how funds settle. Vague phrasing such as 'card acceptance' should be clarified in writing before signing.
Settlement, funding time and reserve terms
Get the funding schedule, any rolling or capped reserve percentage, and the conditions under which the reserve changes, in the agreement rather than in a sales conversation.
Termination and portability
What notice you receive, what happens to held funds, how long access to reporting continues, and whether your POS integration and stored customer records transfer.
Integration reality
Which POS and compliance systems are supported today with a documented integration, versus 'compatible' claims that require manual reconciliation.
Pricing structure and total cost
Per-transaction, per-item, monthly, gateway, PCI, chargeback and reserve costs together — not a headline rate. Model the mix you actually run.
Buyer guides
Category guides for operators comparing several providers or several acceptance methods at once. Each one publishes the criteria first, then a sourced table of what each provider states publicly.
How to compare cannabis payment processors
You are shortlisting cannabis payment providers and want a factual basis for the shortlist rather than a ranked list.
Read the guideHow to compare dispensary payment processors
You run a dispensary and need in-store acceptance that works with your POS and your queue.
Read the guideCannabis ACH and pay-by-bank providers: how to compare
You are evaluating ACH or pay-by-bank acceptance for a cannabis or hemp business.
Read the guideCannabis debit payment alternatives: the options compared
You want alternatives to debit acceptance, or a replacement for a debit method that has stopped working.
Read the guide
Provider comparisons
Comparisons in research are not indexed and carry no claims. They go live once each attribute is sourced.
- Sourced comparison
Cannabis Pay Hub vs Paybotic
One of the most searched names in cannabis payments, so operators shortlisting a dispensary payment provider almost always see it alongside other options.
View framework - Sourced comparison
Cannabis Pay Hub vs Aeropay
Searched by operators looking specifically at bank-linked (pay-by-bank) payments rather than card or terminal-based acceptance.
View framework - Sourced comparison
Cannabis Pay Hub vs POSaBIT
Sells cannabis point of sale and payments together, so comparisons usually turn on whether you want your POS vendor and your payment provider to be the same company.
View framework - Sourced comparison
Cannabis Pay Hub vs Dama Financial by LeafLink
Searched alongside payment providers even though its published products are banking, cards and funding — operators often need both a deposit account and an acceptance method.
View framework - Research in progress
Cannabis Pay Hub vs Hypur
A long-standing name in cannabis banking and payments that still appears in shortlists and search results.
View framework - Research in progress
Cannabis Pay Hub vs Cannabis payment solution providers (category)
Operators comparing several cannabis payment vendors at once before shortlisting.
View framework
Looking at alternatives?
These pages set out the other providers that publicly document a comparable product, and what to confirm in writing before switching. They contain no criticism of anyone.
- Paybotic alternatives
- Aeropay alternatives
- POSaBIT alternatives
- Dama Financial by LeafLink alternatives
Prefer to compare methods rather than vendors? The cannabis payment method comparison sets out how each acceptance method behaves, and the cannabis payment processing guide explains the underwriting and settlement context behind those differences.
Where you are today
Four ways operators start with us on choosing a provider
New or pre-revenue business
Not processing yet. We map which payment methods your license type and products can realistically support, what each costs, and what your application file needs before you open.
Plan your payment setupOperating and looking to switch
Already processing but paying too much, funding too slowly, or working around a system that does not fit. Send statements and we return a line-by-line read plus alternatives.
Review my current setupRecently shut down or restricted
Account terminated, frozen, capped or moved to reserve. We help you interpret the notice, pursue held funds, and rebuild with fewer single points of failure.
Get help with a complex accountDeclined during underwriting
Turned down on application. We read the decline reason, identify what was missing or mismatched in the file — licence, ownership, product mix, banking — and rebuild the submission before it goes back out.
Review a declined application