Easy to Start Does Not Always Mean Best for the Long Term 

Stripe, Square, PayPal, and QuickBooks Payments have changed the payments industry. 

They made it incredibly easy for businesses to begin accepting payments. 

Create an account. 

Enter your banking information. 

Connect your website or send an invoice. 

Start taking payments. 

For a new or smaller business, that simplicity can be attractive. 

But something changes as a company grows. 

Payment processing stops being just a way to accept a credit card. 

It has become part of the company's financial infrastructure. 

Now the business needs to ask different questions. 

Can we connect payments directly to our software? 

Can our developers use APIs and webhooks? 

Can we automate accounts receivable? 

Can we accept both cards and ACH? 

Can we run subscriptions? 

Can we send recurring invoices? 

Can we integrate with our e-commerce store? 

Can our customers see our brand instead of the processor's brand? 

Can someone help our developer with an integration? 

And when something goes wrong, can we actually call someone? 

That is where the difference between a self-service payment provider and a platform like NPSONE Gateway from Nationwide Payment Systems becomes much more important. 

 

What Is NPSONE Gateway? 

NPSONE is a payment platform from Nationwide Payment Systems designed for businesses that need more than basic payment acceptance. 

The platform supports capabilities including: 

• Credit and debit card processing 

• ACH payments 

• Smart Invoicing 

• RESTful API connectivity 

• Webhooks 

• Recurring transactions 

• Subscriptions 

• Scheduled payments 

• Payment links 

• Email invoices 

• SMS payment requests 

• Partial payments 

• Deposits 

• Digital wallets 

• E-signature functionality 

• Hosted payment pages 

• QR-code payments 

• WooCommerce integration 

• Accounting integrations 

• Custom software integrations 

• B2B payment optimization 

• Level 2 and Level 3 processing 

• White-labeled payment experiences 

The goal is not simply to give a business another gateway. 

The goal is to give the business a payment infrastructure that can grow with it. 

 

NPSONE vs Stripe 

Stripe is one of the best-known developer-focused payment platforms. 

It offers extensive APIs, webhooks, recurring billing and a large developer ecosystem. 

That deserves credit. 

For many startups, SaaS companies and technology businesses, Stripe can be an easy way to get started. 

But that does not mean every business should stay on the same payment model forever. 

As payment volume grows, companies often begin thinking about things beyond developer convenience. 

They may want: 

• Customized pricing 

• Merchant-specific underwriting 

• More direct support 

• B2B interchange optimization 

• Level 2 and Level 3 processing 

• Direct assistance with integration issues 

• White-labeled billing experiences 

• More flexibility around complex merchant types 

NPSONE is designed for businesses that want the technology benefits of an API-driven gateway while also working with an actual merchant-services company. 

That combination matters. 

Stripe Is Technology First 

Stripe has built an enormous technology platform. 

NPSONE takes a somewhat different approach. 

NPSONE combines payment technology with the merchant-services experience of Nationwide Payment Systems. 

For many established businesses, that distinction can become important. 

A developer may care about the API. 

The CFO may care about processing costs. 

The accounting department may care about reconciliation. 

The owner may care about cash flow. 

The risk department may care about chargebacks. 

NPSONE is intended to address the payment operation as a whole. 

 

NPSONE vs Square 

Square has built an extremely successful ecosystem around point-of-sale payments, invoicing, software, and small-business tools. 

Square also provides APIs, invoicing, webhooks and subscription capabilities. Its developer documentation confirms support for real-time webhook notifications, invoicing APIs, and subscription APIs. (Square) 

For many small retail, restaurant and service businesses, Square can be a convenient solution. 

But an established business may eventually need something different. 

Consider a manufacturer, wholesaler or distributor processing hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars every month. 

Their questions may include: 

• How much are we actually paying? 

• Are our commercial cards qualifying correctly? 

• Should certain transactions be optimized with Level 2 or Level 3 data? 

• Should large customers pay by ACH? 

• Can we connect payments to our ERP? 

• Can invoices be branded as our business? 

• Can our developers get help? 

• Who do we call when we have a complicated payment problem? 

These are very different concerns from simply choosing a countertop POS system. 

That is the customer NPSONE is designed to serve. 

 

NPSONE vs PayPal 

PayPal remains one of the most widely recognized payment brands in the world. 

It offers online checkout, invoicing, subscriptions, REST APIs and webhooks. 

PayPal's current developer documentation, for example, shows webhook events for invoice creation, payment, refunds, and other invoice status changes. (PayPal Developer) 

That functionality can work well for many businesses. 

The fundamental difference with NPSONE is the relationship between the business, the payment technology, and the end customer. 

With PayPal, PayPal itself is a recognizable consumer-facing brand. 

With NPSONE, the emphasis is on keeping the merchant's own brand in front of the customer. 

For a business building its own software, portal, customer experience, or recurring-revenue platform, that distinction can matter. 

The customer relationship belongs to the merchant. 

The payment technology should support that relationship rather than overshadow it. 

 

NPSONE vs QuickBooks Payments 

QuickBooks Payments is appealing for an obvious reason: 

Many businesses already use QuickBooks. 

Having accounting and payment acceptance in the same environment can make invoicing convenient. 

QuickBooks Online currently supports recurring invoices and automatic card or ACH payments through its payment services. (QuickBooks) 

For businesses, whose payment workflow revolves almost entirely around QuickBooks, that can be enough. 

But accounting software and payment infrastructure are not necessarily the same thing. 

A growing company may eventually need payment capabilities beyond its accounting system. 

For example: 

• E-commerce 

• APIs 

• Webhooks 

• Customer portals 

• Custom software 

• ERP connections 

• Subscription platforms 

• White labeling 

• High-volume transaction management 

• B2B optimization 

• Specialized underwriting 

NPSONE can be used as part of a broader payment environment rather than forcing the company's payment strategy to revolve entirely around one accounting platform. 

 

The Big Difference: White Labeling 

This may be one of the most important differences for businesses and software companies. 

Many payment platforms want the customer to know exactly who the payment provider is. 

NPSONE is designed to work differently. 

The payment experience can be presented under the business's own brand. 

That is especially useful for: 

• SaaS companies 

• ISVs 

• Membership businesses 

• Subscription companies 

• B2B portals 

• Professional services firms 

• E-commerce companies 

• Custom software applications 

Your customer hired your company. 

They should feel like they are paying your company. 

The payment technology can operate behind the scenes. 

 

RESTful API: Build Payments Into Your Software 

NPSONE provides a RESTful API for businesses and developers that need to integrate payment functionality with other systems. 

This makes it possible to connect payments to: 

• SaaS applications 

• Customer portals 

• ERP systems 

• CRM systems 

• Websites 

• Mobile applications 

• Order-management systems 

• Accounting platforms 

• Industry-specific software 

• Custom internal systems 

A business should not have to redesign its workflow around a payment processor. 

The payment system should be integrated into the workflow the business already uses. 

 

Webhooks: Let the Payment System Talk Back 

APIs allow your application to communicate with the payment platform. 

Webhooks allow the payment platform to automatically communicate back when something happens. 

For example, your system might need to know when: 

• A transaction is approved 

• A payment fails 

• An invoice is paid 

• A subscription renews 

• An ACH payment updates 

• A recurring payment runs 

• A transaction status changes 

Instead of repeatedly checking for changes, a webhook can automatically notify the connected application. 

For businesses processing large transaction volumes, this type of automation can dramatically simplify operations. 

 

Free WooCommerce Plugin 

For businesses running WooCommerce, NPSONE offers a free WooCommerce plugin. 

That provides merchants with a direct way to connect their online store to NPSONE without having to build the entire integration from scratch. 

This can be especially valuable for growing WooCommerce businesses that want more control over payments than they get from an all-in-one flat-rate provider. 

As an e-commerce business grows, payment questions become more sophisticated. 

The merchant may need to consider: 

• Processing costs 

• Fraud 

• Chargebacks 

• Recurring billing 

• ACH 

• High-ticket transactions 

• B2B transactions 

• Custom checkout requirements 

• Merchant underwriting 

That is where having both payment technology and merchant-services expertise becomes useful. 

 

Subscription Billing and Recurring Payments 

Recurring revenue is everywhere now. 

It is used by: 

• SaaS companies 

• Membership organizations 

• Service businesses 

• Maintenance providers 

• Associations 

• Professional firms 

• Subscription-commerce businesses 

• Consultants 

• Training organizations 

NPSONE supports recurring transactions and subscription billing. 

The business can create a payment structure that fits its own revenue model instead of forcing the revenue model to fit the payment processor. 

That can include: 

• Monthly subscriptions 

• Annual subscriptions 

• Recurring service charges 

• Scheduled customer payments 

• Recurring invoices 

• Membership dues 

• Contract billing 

 

Smart Invoicing: Getting Paid Should Not Be Complicated 

Invoices should not simply document what somebody owes you. 

They should make it easy for that customer to pay. 

NPSONE Smart Invoicing allows businesses to send payment requests through methods including email, SMS, payment links, and QR codes. 

Customers can then pay electronically using available payment methods such as cards and ACH. 

Businesses can also support: 

• Partial payments 

• Deposits 

• Scheduled payments 

• Recurring billing 

• Automated reminders 

• Late fees 

• Digital payment methods 

• E-signatures 

That turns an invoice from a static document into an actual payment tool. 

 

Stop Financing Your Customers 

This is particularly important for B2B companies. 

A company delivers the product. 

Or completes the job. 

Or provides the service. 

Then it sends an invoice. 

And waits. 

Thirty days. 

Forty-five days. 

Sixty days. 

At that point, the company has effectively become a bank for its customer. 

Meanwhile, the business still has: 

• Payroll 

• Inventory 

• Rent 

• Taxes 

• Suppliers 

• Insurance 

• Operating expenses 

That is why payment automation matters. 

The objective is not merely to process transactions. 

It is to shorten the distance between invoicing the customer and receiving the money. 

 

ACH Matters More as Transaction Size Increases 

Flat-rate card processing can look simple. 

But simplicity does not always mean efficiency. 

For a $50 transaction, the economics may not attract much attention. 

For a $50,000 invoice, they certainly can. 

This is where businesses should evaluate payment methods instead of automatically routing every payment through the same channel. 

Some customers may prefer cards. 

Others may be ideal for ACH. 

The right payment strategy can depend on: 

• Transaction amount 

• Customer type 

• Industry 

• Card type 

• B2B vs B2C mix 

• Payment timing 

• Processing costs 

NPSONE gives businesses multiple ways to collect payments rather than assuming every transaction should be processed exactly the same way. 

 

B2B Companies Have Different Payment Needs 

Manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, and suppliers often operate very differently from retail businesses. 

They may have: 

• $10,000 invoices 

• $50,000 invoices 

• $100,000 invoices 

• Commercial cards 

• Purchasing cards 

• Corporate customers 

• Purchase orders 

• Net payment terms 

• Large accounts receivable balances 

Treating those transactions like a $30 retail purchase often makes little sense. 

This is where payment optimization becomes important. 

 

Level 2 and Level 3 Processing 

Commercial and purchasing card transactions may qualify for different interchange treatment when qualifying information accompanies the transaction. 

This is commonly referred to as Level 2 and Level 3 processing. 

Transaction data can include items such as: 

• Invoice number 

• Purchase order number 

• Tax information 

• Customer information 

• Product information 

• Line-item details 

Nationwide Payment Systems can help eligible B2B merchants evaluate these transactions and determine whether payment optimization opportunities exist. 

This is one of the reasons a high-volume B2B business should look beyond the advertised flat rate. 

The headline rate does not tell the entire story. 

 

Real Developer Assistance 

This is an area we should emphasize heavily. 

An API is useful. 

Documentation is useful. 

A developer portal is useful. 

But sometimes a developer needs to talk to somebody. 

Maybe the webhook is not firing as expected. 

Maybe the transaction flow needs to be configured differently. 

Maybe there is a question involving recurring billing. 

Maybe the business is connecting several systems. 

Nationwide Payment Systems provides developer assistance for NPSONE integrations. 

The goal is to help get the project working — not simply send the developer another documentation link. 

 

And Yes, There Is a Phone Number 

This seems like a small point until a business has a payment problem. 

When thousands — or hundreds of thousands — of dollars are moving through a payment platform, businesses should not have to wonder how to reach somebody. 

Nationwide Payment Systems provides access to real customer support. 

You can call. 

You can discuss the issue. 

You can get assistance. 

That human layer is part of the NPSONE value proposition. 

 

Payment Processing Is Not Just Software 

One of the biggest mistakes businesses make is evaluating payment processing as if they were buying another SaaS subscription. 

Payments involve: 

• Banking relationships 

• Card-network rules 

• Underwriting 

• Fraud 

• Chargebacks 

• Funding 

• Interchange 

• Compliance 

• Transaction qualification 

• Payment technology 

Software is certainly part of the solution. 

But it is only one part. 

That is why Nationwide Payment Systems combines the technology of NPSONE with merchant-services support and payment expertise. 

 

NPSONE vs Stripe, Square, PayPal, and QuickBooks: Quick Comparison 

Capability	NPSONE	Stripe	Square	PayPal	QuickBooks Payments
Card payments	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
ACH	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
RESTful API	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Limited by product/use case
Webhooks	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Varies
Smart invoicing	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Recurring payments	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Subscription support	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Primarily recurring billing
WooCommerce integration	Free NPSONE plugin	Available through integrations	Available through integrations	Available through integrations	Not core focus
White-labeled experience	Yes	Available depending on implementation	Limited/customizable	PayPal branding commonly present	QuickBooks ecosystem
Developer assistance	Yes	Primarily developer ecosystem/support	Developer support/resources	Developer support/resources	Product support
Phone support	Yes	Varies by account/support plan	Available in certain support channels	Available	Available
Dedicated merchant guidance	Yes	Varies	Varies	Varies	Primarily accounting/payment support
B2B Level 2/3 optimization	Yes, where eligible	Use-case dependent	Use-case dependent	Use-case dependent	Use-case dependent
Custom merchant pricing	Available	Depends on business	Depends on business	Depends on business	Depends on business

Important: Competitor features, pricing, and support options can change. Businesses should compare current offerings based on their actual payment requirements. 

 

Who Should Consider Moving Beyond a Flat-Rate Payment Platform? 

You should probably take a closer look at your payment infrastructure if: 

• Your processing volume has grown substantially 

• Your average transaction is increasing 

• You process large B2B invoices 

• You need ACH as well as cards 

• You need Level 2 or Level 3 processing 

• You are building custom software 

• You need APIs and webhooks 

• You operate a SaaS platform 

• You want to embed payments 

• You need recurring billing 

• You send large numbers of invoices 

• You use WooCommerce 

• You want your own brand on the payment experience 

• You need more direct support 

• You want someone to review your actual processing costs 

The question is not: 

“Is Stripe good?” 

Or: 

“Is Square good?” 

They are both successful platforms. 

The better question is: 

Is the payment platform you started with still the right platform for the business you have today? 

That is a very different question. 

 

How Nationwide Payment Systems Evaluates the Difference 

Nationwide Payment Systems does not believe businesses should switch processors simply for the sake of switching. 

First we want to understand what you are currently doing. 

That means looking at things like: 

• Total payment volume 

• Average ticket 

• Number of transactions 

• Refunds 

• Chargebacks 

• Card-present vs card-not-present transactions 

• B2B vs B2C volume 

• Industry 

• Current pricing 

• Current technology 

• Accounting systems 

• Invoicing requirements 

From there, we can estimate whether a different payment structure may make sense. 

Sometimes it will. 

Sometimes it won't. 

But businesses should make that decision using their actual payment data rather than an advertised rate. 

Easy to Start Does Not Always Mean Best for the Long Term 

Stripe, Square, PayPal, and QuickBooks Payments have changed the payments industry. 

They made it incredibly easy for businesses to begin accepting payments. 

Create an account. 

Enter your banking information. 

Connect your website or send an invoice. 

Start taking payments. 

For a new or smaller business, that simplicity can be attractive. 

But something changes as a company grows. 

Payment processing stops being just a way to accept a credit card. 

It has become part of the company's financial infrastructure. 

Now the business needs to ask different questions. 

Can we connect payments directly to our software? 

Can our developers use APIs and webhooks? 

Can we automate accounts receivable? 

Can we accept both cards and ACH? 

Can we run subscriptions? 

Can we send recurring invoices? 

Can we integrate with our e-commerce store? 

Can our customers see our brand instead of the processor's brand? 

Can someone help our developer with an integration? 

And when something goes wrong, can we actually call someone? 

That is where the difference between a self-service payment provider and a platform like NPSONE Gateway from Nationwide Payment Systems becomes much more important.