Comparison · Updated October 16, 2026
PayTrace vs Authorize.net for B2B and online payments
PayTrace
B
PayTrace is a Spokane-area payment gateway built for businesses that sell to other businesses and to government. Its differentiator is automatic Level 2 and Level 3 data capture, which can qualify commercial and purchasing card transactions for materially lower interchange. It publishes no rate card, and the processing rate you actually pay is set by whichever merchant services provider sells you the account.
Authorize.net
A-
Authorize.Net is a mature, Visa-owned payment gateway that offers robust, developer-friendly payment tools, strong fraud controls, and wide platform integrations. Pricing and merchant-account terms that vary depending on whether you use Authorize.Net’s all-in-one plan or attach your own processor.
VS
Overview
PayTrace and Authorize.net are both US payment gateways. A gateway is the software that sends card payments to the networks. It is not the merchant account that holds your money and pays it into your bank. Authorize.net is a wholly owned subsidiary of Visa and has been running since 1996. It publishes a full price list. Every plan costs $25 a month. The All-in-one plan, which includes a merchant account, charges 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction. The Gateway only plan charges 10¢ per transaction plus a 10¢ daily batch fee. eChecks cost 0.75% with a $10 monthly minimum. There is no contract or early-termination fee on the gateway. PayTrace was founded in 2004 and has been part of North (formerly North American Bancard) since March 2022. It is built for businesses that sell to other businesses and to government. Its strength is automatic Level 2 and Level 3 data: the extra order and line-item fields that let commercial and purchasing card payments qualify for lower interchange rates. It publishes no gateway or processing prices. It sells directly and through more than 300 reselling partners, and on a reseller account the reseller sets your fees. Authorize.net also accepts Level 2 and Level 3 data where your processor allows it, but full Level 3 line items need its API. Its Virtual Terminal, invoices and hosted pages send Level 2 fields only. On PayTrace, Level 3 comes with the Pro plan and works through the virtual terminal, integrations and API (an add-on on Pro). Neither company funds your account under its gateway-only service, because your merchant service provider pays you out. Authorize.net offers 24x7 phone and chat support. PayTrace offers phone support on weekdays from 5am to 7pm Pacific, plus email at any time. Payment Review grades Authorize.net A- and PayTrace B.
Key Takeaways
- ✓Authorize.net (A-) is the better choice for most businesses. Its prices are published, it charges $25 a month on every plan, its gateway has no contract, and support is open 24x7. PayTrace (B) is the specialist pick for B2B and government sellers who take a lot of commercial, corporate and purchasing cards.
- ✓PayTrace publishes no gateway, processing, ACH or recurring-billing prices. Your reseller or PayTrace's sales team quotes them. Authorize.net's Gateway only plan works out at about $77 a month for 500 card transactions over 22 batch days ($25 + $50 + $2.20).
- ✓Both gateways can send Level 3 data. PayTrace sends it automatically from its virtual terminal, payment links, ERP integrations and API on the Pro plan. Authorize.net needs an API integration for line items, and only where your processor supports it. On a $5,000 Visa purchasing-card sale, Visa's interchange rates effective 18 April 2026 (which PayTrace's published table matches) are 1.75% + $0.10 when Level 3 qualifies, against 2.95% + $0.10 for a non-qualified sale. That is $60 less interchange, or $47.50 against Visa's 2.70% + $0.10 standard card-not-present rate.
- ✓Authorize.net's gateway terms are no contract and no early-termination fee. PayTrace's 2026 terms say either side may end the gateway service at any time by written or email notice. On both, the merchant account behind the gateway can carry its own term and cancellation fee, so read that agreement.
- ✓Authorize.net has an A+ BBB rating against PayTrace's C+, though Authorize.net has far more complaints on file (53 in three years against 2). On Trustpilot, Authorize.net scores 1.6 from 92 reviews, and PayTrace's profile has a single review, so there is nothing meaningful to compare.
PayTrace
Choose PayTrace if a large share of your revenue arrives on commercial, corporate, purchasing or government cards. You get Level 2 and Level 3 data without hand-keying, embedded invoicing for Business Central, Acumatica, NetSuite and QuickBooks Online, and an optional direct merchant account with next-day or same-day funding. Before you sign, get a written quote that lists the gateway fee, per-transaction fee and processing markup separately.
Authorize.net
Choose Authorize.net if you want a published price and no gateway contract. It suits ecommerce, subscription and general online businesses. It connects to more than 170 ecommerce platforms, includes recurring billing, a card vault and its Advanced Fraud Detection Suite at no extra monthly fee, and runs 24x7 support. You can use its own merchant account or bring your own.
Overall Winner
🏆 Winner
Authorize.net
A-expert grade
Runner-up
PayTrace
Why?
Authorize.net is the better gateway for most businesses, as its A- grade against PayTrace's B suggests. You can see the price before you sign: $25 a month, then 10¢ per transaction plus a 10¢ daily batch fee on your own merchant account, or 2.9% + 30¢ all-in. Recurring billing, the card vault and fraud tools cost nothing extra, there is no gateway contract, support is open 24x7, and more than 170 ecommerce platforms connect to it. PayTrace wins one important niche. If your customers pay invoices with commercial, corporate, purchasing or government cards, it sends Level 3 line-item data automatically from its virtual terminal, payment links, ERP integrations and API. Authorize.net needs a custom API integration for that. The interchange saving can be worth more than any gateway fee: $60 on a single $5,000 Visa purchasing-card sale at Visa's April 2026 rates, against a non-qualified sale. But PayTrace publishes none of its own prices, so its total cost is only known once a reseller quotes you.
Feature by feature
Detailed Comparison
Filter Options
Pricing (USD, published rates, as of October 2026)
| Feature | PayTrace | Authorize.net |
|---|---|---|
| Published price list | No | Yes: three plans on its pricing page Winner |
| PayTrace's terms (section 6) say fees are governed by your agreement with the reseller, or by a separate fee agreement if you buy directly from PayTrace. Its site lists no gateway, processing, ACH or add-on prices. Third-party directories print estimated PayTrace fees, but PayTrace does not confirm them and none are used here. | ||
| Gateway monthly fee | Not disclosed | $25 on every plan |
| Authorize.net prorates the $25 fee if you start mid-month. The same fee applies on its All-in-one, Gateway only and Gateway + eCheck plans. | ||
| Gateway per-transaction fee (bring your own merchant account) | Not disclosed | 10¢ per transaction + 10¢ daily batch fee |
| Authorize.net charges the 10¢ on charges, refunds, voids and declines. Its gateway takes no percentage (0.00% discount rate) and has no monthly minimum. Your merchant account provider's own processing fees come on top. For example, 500 transactions over 22 batch days cost $25 + $50 + $2.20 = $77.20 a month in gateway fees. | ||
| All-in-one card rate (gateway + merchant account) | Not disclosed | 2.9% + 30¢, plus $25/month |
| Authorize.net marks this rate "Subject to eligibility". PayTrace sells its own merchant account, PayTrace Merchant Services, but it is quote-based and PayTrace publishes no rate for it. | ||
| ACH / eCheck | Not disclosed | 0.75% per eCheck, $10 monthly minimum |
| Authorize.net's eCheck.Net has no setup, per-transaction or batch fee. It charges $3 per returned item and $25 per eCheck chargeback, and is available only to US-based businesses. PayTrace sells Trace ACH, and its product matrix lists ACH as an option on the Pro plan, but it publishes no price. | ||
| Gateway chargeback fee | Not disclosed | $0 (cards); $25 (eCheck) |
| Authorize.net's $0 is its own gateway fee. Whoever provides your merchant account can still charge its own chargeback fee. | ||
| Setup fee | Not disclosed | $0 |
Published price list
PayTrace
No
Authorize.net
Yes: three plans on its pricing page
Winner
PayTrace's terms (section 6) say fees are governed by your agreement with the reseller, or by a separate fee agreement if you buy directly from PayTrace. Its site lists no gateway, processing, ACH or add-on prices. Third-party directories print estimated PayTrace fees, but PayTrace does not confirm them and none are used here.
Gateway monthly fee
PayTrace
Not disclosed
Authorize.net
$25 on every plan
Authorize.net prorates the $25 fee if you start mid-month. The same fee applies on its All-in-one, Gateway only and Gateway + eCheck plans.
Gateway per-transaction fee (bring your own merchant account)
PayTrace
Not disclosed
Authorize.net
10¢ per transaction + 10¢ daily batch fee
Authorize.net charges the 10¢ on charges, refunds, voids and declines. Its gateway takes no percentage (0.00% discount rate) and has no monthly minimum. Your merchant account provider's own processing fees come on top. For example, 500 transactions over 22 batch days cost $25 + $50 + $2.20 = $77.20 a month in gateway fees.
All-in-one card rate (gateway + merchant account)
PayTrace
Not disclosed
Authorize.net
2.9% + 30¢, plus $25/month
Authorize.net marks this rate "Subject to eligibility". PayTrace sells its own merchant account, PayTrace Merchant Services, but it is quote-based and PayTrace publishes no rate for it.
ACH / eCheck
PayTrace
Not disclosed
Authorize.net
0.75% per eCheck, $10 monthly minimum
Authorize.net's eCheck.Net has no setup, per-transaction or batch fee. It charges $3 per returned item and $25 per eCheck chargeback, and is available only to US-based businesses. PayTrace sells Trace ACH, and its product matrix lists ACH as an option on the Pro plan, but it publishes no price.
Gateway chargeback fee
PayTrace
Not disclosed
Authorize.net
$0 (cards); $25 (eCheck)
Authorize.net's $0 is its own gateway fee. Whoever provides your merchant account can still charge its own chargeback fee.
Setup fee
PayTrace
Not disclosed
Authorize.net
$0
Best For Your Business
Recommendations based on your business type
Distributor, manufacturer or government supplier paid mostly by commercial or purchasing cards
Recommended
PayTrace
PayTrace sends Level 2 and Level 3 data from every way you take payments, including keyed payments in the virtual terminal and invoices paid by link, so staff never key line items by hand. Its Product List helps with Visa's CEDP rules. Make sure you are quoted the Pro plan, because Basic sends Level 2 data only.
Online store on Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce or Magento
Recommended
Authorize.net
Authorize.net connects to more than 170 ecommerce platforms through ready-made plugins and publishes its prices. The only ecommerce platform PayTrace lists in its marketplace is Shopware.
Subscription or SaaS business
Recommended
Authorize.net
Automated Recurring Billing, Customer Information Manager and the fraud suite are all included in Authorize.net's $25 monthly fee. Account Updater costs $0.25 per updated card. PayTrace offers recurring billing as an option on Pro and publishes no price for it.
B2B company running Business Central, Acumatica, NetSuite or QuickBooks Online
Recommended
PayTrace
PayTrace's Trace AR builds invoice payment links, a client portal, reminders and payment matching into those systems, and the payments carry Level 3 data. Authorize.net's own invoices work without an integration but send Level 2 fields only.
Business that wants support outside US business hours
Recommended
Authorize.net
Authorize.net offers phone and live chat 24x7, closed on major holidays. PayTrace's phone line is open 5am to 7pm Pacific on weekdays, with email at other times.
PayTrace: Best for 2 use cases
Authorize.net: Best for 3 use cases
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this comparison
For most B2B sellers, yes. Both can send Level 3 line-item data, but they do it differently. PayTrace sends it automatically on its Pro plan from the virtual terminal, payment links, ERP integrations and API. Authorize.net accepts Level 3 only through its API (createTransactionRequest), and only if your processor or acquirer supports it. Its Virtual Terminal, hosted payment page, Payment Links and Invoices send Level 2 fields only. Neither company can guarantee that a transaction will qualify for the lower rate, because the card networks decide that.
Authorize.net publishes its prices, as of October 2026. Every plan costs $25 a month. On the All-in-one plan, transactions cost 2.9% + 30¢. On Gateway only, they cost 10¢ each plus a 10¢ daily batch fee. eChecks cost 0.75% with a $10 monthly minimum. There is no setup fee. PayTrace publishes no prices. Its terms leave fees to your reseller's agreement, or to a separate fee agreement if you buy directly. Ask for the gateway monthly fee, the per-transaction fee and the processing markup over interchange as three separate written numbers.
Not as gateways. PayTrace's help centre says it is the gateway and does not make deposits. Your merchant service provider controls funding. Authorize.net says the same, and gives a typical figure of 2–3 business days after the daily batch settles, with an industry average of three to five. If you buy the merchant account from them too, it is a different picture: PayTrace Merchant Services advertises next-day funding (12am ET cut-off) or same-day funding (10:30am ET cut-off), and Authorize.net's All-in-one plan includes its own merchant account.
Yes, both. Authorize.net's Gateway only plan connects to a merchant account you already have, at $25 a month plus 10¢ per transaction and a 10¢ daily batch fee. PayTrace sells a gateway-only account that connects to processors including North Enterprise, Fiserv and TSYS. Level 2 and Level 3 support, and EMV in-person payments, depend on which processor your account runs on, so check that first.
Not for the gateway itself. Authorize.net's gateway has no contract and no early-termination fee. PayTrace's 2026 terms let either side end the gateway service at any time by written or email notice. The merchant account is a separate agreement. A reseller's merchant agreement, or Authorize.net's All-in-one merchant account, can have its own term and cancellation fee, so read that contract before you sign.
Authorize.net is a wholly owned subsidiary of Visa and has been in business since 1996. PayTrace was founded in 2004 in the Spokane area of Washington. It joined North American Bancard, which renamed itself North in 2024, in March 2022, and became that group's preferred gateway. PayTrace still trades under its own name and describes itself as "a North company".
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