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Payment ProcessorOverview

Payment Processor Overview

Payment processors are the backbone of your monetization infrastructure, handling the complex interactions between your application, payment systems, and financial institutions.

What is a Payment Processor?

A Payment Processor is a secure intermediary service that:

  • Connects your application to payment systems (Stripe, Paddle)
  • Processes customer transactions and subscription payments
  • Manages payment flows, including checkout, billing, and refunds
  • Handles webhook notifications and payment status updates
  • Ensures PCI compliance and security standards

Think of a payment processor as a translator between your application and the complex world of financial transactions. It abstracts away the complexity while maintaining security and reliability.

How It Works

How Payment Processors Work

Step 1: Customer Initiates Payment

When a customer decides to purchase your product or subscribe to your service, they trigger a payment flow through your paywall.

Step 2: Processor Routes Payment

The payment processor receives the payment request and routes it to the appropriate payment system (Stripe or Paddle) based on your configuration.

Step 3: Payment System Handles Transaction

The payment system (Stripe/Paddle) processes the actual financial transaction with banks and card networks.

Step 4: Webhook Notifications

Upon completion, the payment system sends webhook notifications back through the processor to update your application with the payment status.

Step 5: Access Granted

Your application receives the payment confirmation and grants access to the customer.

Example Use Cases

Multi-Product Company:

Stripe Processor → Product A Paywall
                 → Product B Paywall
                 → Product C Paywall

Risk-Conscious Business:

Main Paywall → Stripe Processor (50% traffic)
             → Paddle Processor (50% traffic)

Risk Diversification with Multiple Processors

For businesses with multiple companies or those concerned about payment processor blocking, you can configure multiple payment processors for a single paywall.

Why diversify? Payment processors can sometimes freeze accounts due to policy changes, compliance issues, or false fraud flags. Having multiple processors ensures business continuity.

How Traffic Distribution Works

When multiple processors are connected to a paywall traffic is automatically split equally between all active processors

2 Processors Configuration

  • Each processor handles 50% of payment traffic
  • If one goes down, the other handles 100%
  • Ideal for most businesses seeking basic redundancy
Paywall Traffic → 50% → Stripe Processor
                → 50% → Paddle Processor

Best Practices for Multi-Processor Setup

  1. Start Simple: Begin with 2 processors (e.g., Stripe + Paddle)
  2. Monitor Performance: Track conversion rates and success ratios for each processor
  3. Different Providers: Use processors from different companies for true redundancy
  4. Regional Considerations: Consider processors that work well in your target markets
  5. Compliance Alignment: Ensure all processors meet your compliance requirements

Pro Tip: Many successful SaaS companies use 2-3 payment processors to balance reliability with management complexity. More isn’t always better - focus on quality and reliability of your chosen processors.

Testing Without Your Own Account

You don’t need a Stripe, Paddle, or any other payment account to start. Every account gets two sandbox payment processors provided by us, ready to connect to any paywall in test mode — no credentials, no setup.

They simulate payments end to end, so you can debug the whole flow — checkout, subscriptions, renewals, charges, webhooks and access granting — before deciding on a payment provider. Opening your own account is only required when you’re ready to charge real customers.

Test with our sandbox processors

Supported Payment Systems

Our platform currently supports integration with the following payment systems:

Best for: SaaS, e-commerce, international businesses Features: - Global payment method support - Advanced fraud protection - Detailed analytics and reporting - Strong developer tools - Subscription management Supported modes: Test and Live Webhook support: ✅ Automatic Currencies: 135+ supported

Getting Started

Ready to set up your payment processors? Here’s your roadmap:

Create Payment ProcessorConnect to PaywallConfigure Webhooks

FAQ

Do I have to create my own Stripe account to test my paywall?

No. Every account gets two sandbox processors from us, available in the Test tab of the Payment Processor Manager. They cover the entire test flow — checkout, subscriptions, webhooks and access granting. You only need your own processor account once you want to accept real payments.

Can I use the same payment processor for multiple paywalls?

Yes! One processor can serve multiple paywalls, making management easier and more cost-effective.

What happens if one of my processors goes down?

You need manually unlink payment processor in payment processor manager.

How do I know which processor to choose?

Consider your target market, business model, and compliance requirements. Stripe is great for global reach, while Paddle excels at tax compliance for digital products.

Is there a limit to how many processors I can connect?

While technically unlimited, we recommend 2-3 processors for optimal balance of redundancy and management simplicity.

Which payment processors can I choose?

Currently available are Stripe and Paddle, but we are working to add more options.

OverviewTest with our sandbox processors