Comparison · Updated October 11, 2026
Payabli vs Rainforest for software platforms
Payabli
B
Payabli is a Miami embedded-payments company — legally Centavo, Inc., trading as Payabli — founded in 2020 by William Corbera and Joseph Elias Phillips, who run it as co-chief executives. It does not sell merchant accounts to businesses. It sells payments infrastructure to software companies, so that a property-management system, an HOA portal, a school-district platform or a field-service tool can take payments inside its own product and earn on them, without going through the cost and compliance burden of becoming a payment facilitator itself. The stack is organised as Pay In for acceptance and merchant onboarding, Pay Out for payables, and Pay Ops for the operational layer around both, with a low-code builder called Creator and an AI feature set branded Amigo layered on top. The company is a registered payment facilitator of PNC Bank and Huntington Bank and a registered ISO/MSP of Merrick Bank — an unusually clear disclosure for this part of the market. It raised a $28m Series B in June 2025 led by Fika Ventures and QED Investors, bringing total funding to about $60m, and reported 7x year-on-year revenue growth, more than 50,000 merchants on the platform and billions of dollars in live processing volume.
Rainforest
B
An Atlanta payfac-as-a-service provider that publishes its entire buy-rate card in public — 0.30% and $0.30 falling to 0.20% and $0.20 at volume, with no revenue share — for software platforms embedding payments. Not a merchant account, and only four years old.
VS
Overview
Payabli and Rainforest both sell embedded payments to US software platforms as payfac-as-a-service. Your platform does not become a payment facilitator with either one: the merchant's processing contract is with the provider and its sponsor bank, and your platform sets the price its merchants pay. The biggest difference is how each charges your platform. Rainforest publishes its buy rate: interchange plus 0.30% and $0.30 per card payment. The percentage falls to 0.25% above $5 million a month and 0.20% above $15 million, and the per-payment fee to $0.25 above 50,000 payments a month and $0.20 above 150,000. ACH costs $0.20 an item, a dispute or return costs $15, and there is no revenue share. Payabli publishes no rates. Its homepage describes a revenue share, and its terms say fees come from a schedule it gives you. Payabli covers more ground. Its Pay Out product pays your merchants' vendors by virtual card, ACH, check, RTP or wire, and it accepts paper checks through remote deposit capture. It also offers eight server SDKs and support by email, Slack and phone. Rainforest lists no payables product: its site and docs cover collecting payments and depositing them to merchants. It adds PayPal, Venmo and PayPal Pay Later, ships white-label components for onboarding, payments, reports and chargebacks, and deposits card payments on T+1 as standard (ACH on T+4 unless the platform buys Accelerated ACH). Payment Review grades both B.
Key Takeaways
- ✓It depends on what you are building. Rainforest suits a platform that wants a published buy rate and to keep all of its margin. Payabli suits one that also needs to pay its merchants' vendors (accounts payable) or wants more hands-on help.
- ✓Rainforest's published rate is interchange plus 0.30% and $0.30 per card payment at entry level, falling to 0.20% above $15 million a month and $0.20 above 150,000 payments a month, with no revenue share. Payabli publishes no rates and describes its model as a revenue share.
- ✓Payabli's Pay Out sends vendor payments by virtual card, ACH, check, RTP or wire, and virtual card payouts earn interchange. Rainforest lists no payables product. Its site and docs cover pay-ins and merchant deposits only.
- ✓With either provider, your platform does not register as a payfac. Payabli is a registered payment facilitator of PNC Bank and Huntington Bank. Rainforest signs merchants as agent of its sponsor bank. The bank list its terms point to names First Citizens Bank & Trust, and its sponsor-banks web page also lists JPMorgan Chase.
- ✓Rainforest adds PayPal, Venmo and PayPal Pay Later and offers embeddable onboarding, report and chargeback components. Payabli adds check capture (RDC), IVR payments and eight server SDKs.
Payabli
Payabli suits vertical software where your merchants both collect and pay money, such as property management, construction, field services and other bill-paying verticals. It fits platforms that want accounts payable, check capture and pay-ins from one provider, and that value support by Slack and phone more than a public price list.
Rainforest
Rainforest suits a vertical SaaS platform that wants to model its payments revenue before signing anything. It publishes its buy rate and takes no revenue share. It also suits platforms whose end users pay by PayPal or Venmo, and those that want white-label onboarding and reporting components to go live quickly.
The Verdict
It Depends on Your Needs
Why?
These two suit different platforms, and Payment Review grades both B. Rainforest is the clearer deal on price. It publishes its whole rate card, from interchange plus 0.30% and $0.30 at entry level down to 0.20% and $0.20 at volume, with $0.20 ACH, $15 disputes and no PCI fee, and takes no revenue share, so you can model your payments margin before you sign. It also adds PayPal and Venmo and ships white-label components for onboarding, reports and chargebacks. Payabli publishes no prices, but it does more. Its Pay Out product pays vendors by virtual card, ACH, check, RTP or wire, it captures paper checks, it offers eight server SDKs, and it supports platforms by Slack and phone. Choose Rainforest if your merchants only collect money and you want transparent economics. Choose Payabli if your merchants also pay bills or receive checks, and get its revenue-share terms in writing to compare with Rainforest's published buy rate.
Feature by feature
Detailed Comparison
Filter Options
Business model and registration (US)
| Feature | Payabli | Rainforest |
|---|---|---|
| Who the merchant contracts with | Payabli (Centavo, Inc.), a registered payfac | Rainforest, as agent of its sponsor bank, with the bank as a party |
| Payabli's sub-merchant terms (last updated 13 June 2026) are between the merchant and Centavo, Inc. d/b/a Payabli. Rainforest's processing terms (last updated 9 January 2026) are between Rainforest Pay, Inc., the merchant and the sponsor bank(s), and Rainforest signs them as the bank's agent. With either provider your platform is not a party to the merchant's processing contract. Rainforest requires your own merchant agreement, which it calls the Payment Processing Agreement, to link to its terms and to list your fees. | ||
| Sponsor banks | PNC Bank and Huntington Bank (payfac); Merrick Bank (ISO/MSP) | First Citizens Bank & Trust (JPMorgan Chase also listed on its web page) |
| Payabli's website footer names its banks. Rainforest's own sources disagree. Its processing terms (9 January 2026) define the sponsor bank as one listed at legal.rainforestpay.com/sponsor, and that PDF (updated 9 May 2023) lists only First Citizens Bank & Trust. Its sponsor-banks web page (updated 17 October 2024) lists First Citizens and JPMorgan Chase Bank. Ask Rainforest which bank will sponsor your merchants. | ||
| Large merchants | Direct tri-party terms above $1M Visa or $10M Mastercard a year | Three-party terms from the start |
| Payabli's terms automatically bind a merchant to its Direct Acquirer (Tri-Party) Terms once it processes more than $1 million through Visa or $10 million through Mastercard in 12 months. At $1 million a year in American Express volume, Amex may move the merchant to a direct relationship. Rainforest's standard terms already name the sponsor bank as a party. | ||
| Where merchants can be | US-formed businesses | US principal place of business only |
| Payabli's sub-merchant terms require a sole proprietorship existing in the US or its territories, or an entity formed in a US state or territory. Its tri-party terms limit service to the US, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, and its account agreements require a checking account at a US bank. Rainforest's terms prohibit processing for businesses whose principal place of business is outside the United States, excluding US territories. Rainforest said in September 2025 that it plans to launch in Canada, but its January 2026 terms are still US-only. | ||
Who the merchant contracts with
Payabli
Payabli (Centavo, Inc.), a registered payfac
Rainforest
Rainforest, as agent of its sponsor bank, with the bank as a party
Payabli's sub-merchant terms (last updated 13 June 2026) are between the merchant and Centavo, Inc. d/b/a Payabli. Rainforest's processing terms (last updated 9 January 2026) are between Rainforest Pay, Inc., the merchant and the sponsor bank(s), and Rainforest signs them as the bank's agent. With either provider your platform is not a party to the merchant's processing contract. Rainforest requires your own merchant agreement, which it calls the Payment Processing Agreement, to link to its terms and to list your fees.
Sponsor banks
Payabli
PNC Bank and Huntington Bank (payfac); Merrick Bank (ISO/MSP)
Rainforest
First Citizens Bank & Trust (JPMorgan Chase also listed on its web page)
Payabli's website footer names its banks. Rainforest's own sources disagree. Its processing terms (9 January 2026) define the sponsor bank as one listed at legal.rainforestpay.com/sponsor, and that PDF (updated 9 May 2023) lists only First Citizens Bank & Trust. Its sponsor-banks web page (updated 17 October 2024) lists First Citizens and JPMorgan Chase Bank. Ask Rainforest which bank will sponsor your merchants.
Large merchants
Payabli
Direct tri-party terms above $1M Visa or $10M Mastercard a year
Rainforest
Three-party terms from the start
Payabli's terms automatically bind a merchant to its Direct Acquirer (Tri-Party) Terms once it processes more than $1 million through Visa or $10 million through Mastercard in 12 months. At $1 million a year in American Express volume, Amex may move the merchant to a direct relationship. Rainforest's standard terms already name the sponsor bank as a party.
Where merchants can be
Payabli
US-formed businesses
Rainforest
US principal place of business only
Payabli's sub-merchant terms require a sole proprietorship existing in the US or its territories, or an entity formed in a US state or territory. Its tri-party terms limit service to the US, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, and its account agreements require a checking account at a US bank. Rainforest's terms prohibit processing for businesses whose principal place of business is outside the United States, excluding US territories. Rainforest said in September 2025 that it plans to launch in Canada, but its January 2026 terms are still US-only.
Best For Your Business
Recommendations based on your business type
Vertical SaaS that wants to model payments revenue before signing
Recommended
Rainforest
Rainforest publishes its buy rate (interchange + 0.30% + $0.30, cheaper at volume), $0.20 ACH and $15 disputes, and takes no revenue share. Payabli's rates come only in a private fee schedule.
Software whose merchants pay vendors or subcontractors (property management, construction, field services)
Recommended
Payabli
Payabli's Pay Out sends vendor payments by virtual card, ACH, check, RTP or wire from the same platform as pay-ins, and virtual card payouts earn interchange. Rainforest lists no payables product.
Platform whose end users pay by PayPal or Venmo
Recommended
Rainforest
Rainforest accepts PayPal, Venmo and PayPal Pay Later in its payment component. Payabli's docs list cards, ACH, Apple Pay, Google Pay, checks and IVR, but not PayPal or Venmo.
Software for businesses that still receive paper checks or phone payments
Recommended
Payabli
Payabli supports remote deposit capture for in-person checks (including capture by phone), lockbox and IVR card and ACH payments. Rainforest does not list check capture.
Small engineering team that wants to embed payments with little front-end work
Both offer white-label components and an API-only option. Rainforest's cover onboarding, payments, payment and deposit reports (with refunds) and chargebacks, with a visual Component Studio. Payabli's cover checkout and saved cards, and it adds eight server SDKs plus integration advisory by Slack and phone.
Software with merchants outside the United States
Neither. Payabli's merchant terms require a US-formed business with a US checking account. Rainforest's terms exclude businesses whose principal place of business is outside the US. Rainforest has announced plans to launch in Canada but had not changed its terms as of January 2026.
Payabli: Best for 2 use cases
Rainforest: Best for 2 use cases
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this comparison
No. With Payabli, the merchant signs Payabli's sub-merchant terms, and Payabli is the registered payment facilitator of PNC Bank and Huntington Bank. With Rainforest, the merchant signs Rainforest's processing terms with Rainforest, acting as its sponsor bank's agent, and the bank. Your platform links those terms from its own agreement and sets the fees its merchants pay.
Interchange and network fees at cost, plus 0.30% and $0.30 per card payment at entry level. The percentage drops to 0.25% above $5 million a month and 0.20% above $15 million; the per-payment fee drops to $0.25 above 50,000 transactions a month and $0.20 above 150,000. Tiers are pick-a-tier, so all volume bills at the tier reached. ACH and standard payouts cost $0.20 an item, disputes and returns $15, account updater $0.23, 3DS $0.31 an attempt and ACH validation $1.49. EMV terminals cost $11.25 a month. A risk management fee depends on your risk level and is not published. There is no revenue share and no PCI fee.
No. Payabli prices each platform individually and describes its model as a revenue share. Its sub-merchant terms say fees come from a schedule Payabli gives you. The only published figures are a few add-ons: a printed statement fee of up to $10 a month, $180 an hour for intensive investigations, and $20 per ACH stop payment. Merchant pricing can be flat-rate, tiered or interchange-plus, set by your platform.
Not as far as Rainforest publishes. Its site, docs and API reference cover collecting payments and depositing them to your merchants, with no vendor-payment or payables product, so confirm with Rainforest if you need one. Payabli's Pay Out lets merchants pay vendors by virtual card, ACH or check, or same-day by RTP or wire, with a vendor portal and managed payables.
Rainforest's standard timing is T+1 for card and PayPal payments and T+4 for ACH, configurable per merchant within your platform's minimums. Its paid Accelerated ACH add-on can move validated ACH payments to T+1. Payabli batches at 5 PM ET by default. Its examples show next-banking-day funding for transactions before cutoff with a hold of up to one day, but it says timing depends on each account's funding type.
They differ. Payabli offers eight server SDKs (TypeScript, C#, PHP, Python, Java, Go, Ruby and Rust), embedded checkout components, iOS mobile components and a no-code builder. Rainforest offers a REST API and a wider set of white-label web components for onboarding, payments, reports (with refunds) and chargebacks, with Tap to Phone SDKs for iOS and Android in beta.