Clearent vs Stax

A feature-by-feature comparison for ISVs integrating payments.

By Marcus Reed·Updated October 13, 2026

Clearent Review →Stax Review →Clearent Pricing →Stax Pricing →

Note: Clearent rebranded to Xplor Pay on July 8, 2025. Press release →

US merchants buy from Stax and Clearent as single offerings, and both companies process mostly through their own setups. Stax, previously Fattmerchant, bundles the gateway, processing and analytics and sells largely direct, with a revenue-share model for partners. Clearent, now marketed as Xplor Pay, adds tools for software partners to its processing and runs an embedded facilitation program.

Feature Comparison

Clearent5.5

vs13 criteria

Stax5.7Winner

Feature	Clearent	Stax	Notes
Integration Architecture	6	6	Both score 6/10. Clearent: Mid-market payment platform combining processing and ISV tools in a single offering. Stax: All-in-one payment platform combining gateway, processing, and business analytics.
API & Developer Experience	5	5	Both score 5/10. Clearent: Decent APIs for mid-market ISVs with integration support but limited developer community. Stax: Functional APIs but developer experience is secondary to the all-in-one business platform.
White-Label Capabilities	6	6	Both score 6/10. Clearent: Offers some white-label options for ISV partners including branded payment flows. Stax: Some branding customization available for ISV partners.
Processor Flexibility	3	3	Both score 3/10. Clearent: Processes on own network with limited routing to external acquirers. Stax: Primarily processes through own network with limited external routing options.
Pricing & Fee Structure	7	8	Stax scores slightly higher (8 vs 7). Subscription-based pricing (monthly fee + interchange) — cost-effective for high-volume merchants. Clearent: Transparent interchange-plus pricing with ISV-friendly volume economics
Omnichannel & In-Person Payments	6	7	Stax scores slightly higher (7 vs 6). Solid POS and terminal support with integrated hardware options. Clearent: Solid mid-market terminal support with EMV and contactless capabilities
Fraud & Security	6	6	Both score 6/10. Clearent: Standard PCI compliance and fraud tools appropriate for mid-market processing volumes. Stax: Standard PCI compliance with basic fraud detection and tokenization.
Revenue Sharing	6	5	Clearent scores slightly higher (6 vs 5). ISV revenue sharing program with margin control over interchange spread. Stax: ISV partnership model with rev-share but less flexible than pure PayFac platforms
Merchant Onboarding	7	7	Both score 7/10. Clearent: Streamlined onboarding with fast merchant activation for ISV sub-merchants. Stax: Straightforward merchant setup with guided onboarding process.
Global Reach	3	3	Both score 3/10. Clearent: US-only processing — no international acquiring capabilities. Stax: US-focused platform with minimal international payment capabilities.
Recurring Billing	5	6	Stax scores slightly higher (6 vs 5). Built-in invoicing and recurring billing features for SMB merchants. Clearent: Basic recurring payment features through gateway tokenization
Customer Support	6	7	Stax scores slightly higher (7 vs 6). Strong customer support with dedicated account management and US-based team. Clearent: Responsive mid-market support team with dedicated ISV partner managers
PayFac Options	5	5	Both score 5/10. Clearent: Embedded payments program allows ISVs to facilitate payments without full PayFac setup. Stax: Limited PayFac capabilities — more suited as a direct merchant platform than ISV enabler.

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Best for

Clearent

Best for ISVs in healthcare, B2B, and professional services verticals wanting a payment partner with deep vertical expertise. Now offers expanded capabilities through the Xplor Technologies platform.

Visit xplorpay.com ↗

Best for

Stax

Best for ISVs whose merchants process high volumes where interchange-at-cost plus subscription provides savings over percentage-based pricing. The model is less attractive for low-volume merchants.

Visit staxpayments.com ↗

Note: Clearent has rebranded to Xplor Pay. This comparison reflects the combined capabilities of the Clearent/Xplor Pay platform.

Clearent vs Stax: What ISVs Need to Know

Choosing between Clearent and Stax for embedded payments is a decision that directly impacts your ISV’s revenue model, merchant experience, and technical architecture. This comparison breaks down where each platform excels from an ISV integration perspective.

Key Differences for ISVs

The most important distinction between Clearent and Stax comes down to how each platform approaches ISV payment facilitation. Clearent and Stax take fundamentally different approaches to merchant onboarding, revenue sharing, and platform integration — and those differences matter when you’re building payments into your software.

Integration architecture varies significantly between the two. ISVs evaluating Clearent vs Stax should consider how each platform handles sub-merchant onboarding, payment splitting, and settlement timing. The right choice depends on your specific vertical, transaction volumes, and how much control you need over the merchant payment experience.

Pricing and revenue economics also differ. ISVs earn money from embedded payments through the spread between what they charge merchants and what the processor charges them. The pricing model each platform uses — flat-rate, interchange-plus, or custom — directly affects your payment revenue per transaction.

Which Platform Fits Your ISV?

The best choice between Clearent and Stax depends on your ISV’s specific requirements:

Transaction volume: Higher-volume ISVs may benefit from interchange-plus pricing, while lower-volume platforms often prefer flat-rate simplicity
Merchant type: B2B merchants have different payment needs than consumer-facing businesses
Geographic scope: International payment support varies significantly between providers
Integration depth: Some ISVs need white-label checkout while others are fine with co-branded experiences
Revenue model: How much of the payment margin you want to capture determines which platform’s economics work better

The ISV Payment Integration Perspective

For ISVs evaluating Clearent vs Stax, the comparison shouldn’t stop at processing fees. Consider the total cost of integration, ongoing maintenance, and the revenue opportunity from embedded payments. The platform that generates the most payment revenue for your ISV while providing the best merchant experience is the right choice — and that calculation is different for every software company.

Evaluate both platforms against your specific use case. Request ISV-specific pricing from each, and compare the total economics including setup costs, per-transaction revenue, and the engineering investment required to integrate and maintain each platform.