Head to head
Compared side by side on published facts and the same six criteria every review is graded on — generated from the live directory, not a sales page.
Payment Depot
Payment Processor · 2.8/5 mean
Payment Depot, now operating as "Payment Depot by Stax," is a California-based merchant services provider founded in 2013 that pioneered the subscription/interchange-plus pricing model for small businesses, but has experienced significant customer service and transparency issues since its 2021 acquisition by Stax.
Read the full review →Stax
Payment Processor · 4.0/5 mean
Stax is a payments technology company founded in 2014 that partners with SaaS companies, ISOs, and SMBs to enable flexible, multi-channel payment processing and invoicing solutions, claiming a distinctive subscription-based pricing model with 0% interchange markup.
Read the full review →Stax holds the higher standing — by grade, then mean category score. The row-by-row picture below is what should actually decide it for your business.
Both graded against the same six criteria. How we grade · Last fact-checked August 19, 2026 and September 2, 2026.
| Criterion | Payment Depot | Stax |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing transparency | 3.0 | 4.0wins this criterion |
| Feature set | 2.0 | 5.0wins this criterion |
| Ease of use | 3.0 |
Straight from each provider's published documentation. Where a number isn't published, we say so rather than estimate.
| Metric | Payment Depot | Stax |
|---|---|---|
| Online rate | 0.2% – 1.95% above interchange | $0.15 per transaction (flat, no % markup) |
| Monthly fee | None | $99–$199+/month (depending on subscription tier) |
| Payout | Next-day funding | Next business day |
| Contract | None | month-to-month subscription |
| In-person rate | 0.2% – 1.95% above interchange | $0.08 per transaction (flat, no % markup) |
| Keyed rate | 0.2% – 1.95% above interchange | $0.15 per transaction |
| International rate |
From the Payment Depot review
Stax charges a fixed monthly subscription with 0% markup on interchange, versus Payment Depot's 0.2%–1.95% markup range that is only set at quoting time. Payment Depot holds up for merchants who want interchange-plus economics without committing to Stax's $99+ monthly fees.
Pick Stax if you process enough volume that a flat subscription with 0% interchange markup pays off
Ideal for
Not recommended for
Ideal for
Not recommended for
The full reviews carry the pricing narratives, contract analysis and everything else behind these numbers — or let the matching funnel score the whole directory against your business.
| 4.0wins this criterion |
| Customer support | 2.0 | 3.0wins this criterion |
|---|
| Contract terms | 4.0 | 4.0 |
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| Industry reputation | 3.0 | 4.0wins this criterion |
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| Not disclosed |
| Not publicly specified |
| PCI fee | $10/month PCI compliance fee. $19.99/month PCI non-compliance penalty | Not on Stax's published rate card; $10/month is third-party reporting |
|---|
| Chargeback fee | $15 per chargeback | Not on Stax's published rate card; chargeback protection is offered as an add-on at an unpublished price |
|---|
| Early termination | None | None (month-to-month; 30 days written notice required to cancel) |
|---|
| Last fact-checked | August 19, 2026 | September 2, 2026 |
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