Stax vs Tilled

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

By Marcus Reed·Updated October 13, 2026

Stax Review →Tilled Review →Stax Pricing →Tilled Pricing →

Stax began life as Fattmerchant, a platform that sold straight to merchants, and its partner program grew out of that direct business. Tilled started at the partner end and was designed as a facilitation service from day one. Both operate in the US only. Stax processes mainly on its own network, while Tilled works through its acquiring partners, and neither offers multi-processor routing.

Feature Comparison

Stax5.7

vs13 criteria

Tilled6.5Winner

Feature	Stax	Tilled	Notes
Integration Architecture	6	7	Tilled scores slightly higher (7 vs 6). PayFac-as-a-Service infrastructure with modern REST API and webhooks. Stax: All-in-one payment platform combining gateway, processing, and business analytics
API & Developer Experience	5	7	Tilled has an edge (7 vs 5). Clean, modern API design with good documentation and sandbox environment. Stax: Functional APIs but developer experience is secondary to the all-in-one business platform
White-Label Capabilities	6	8	Tilled has an edge (8 vs 6). Full white-label with branded merchant experience and custom payment flows. Stax: Some branding customization available for ISV partners
Processor Flexibility	3	4	Tilled scores slightly higher (4 vs 3). Limited to Tilled's acquiring partners; no multi-processor routing. Stax: Primarily processes through own network with limited external routing options
Pricing & Fee Structure	8	7	Stax scores slightly higher (8 vs 7). Subscription-based pricing (monthly fee + interchange) — cost-effective for high-volume merchants. Tilled: Transparent interchange-plus with ISV markup control; no hidden fees
Omnichannel & In-Person Payments	7	4	Stax has an edge (7 vs 4). Solid POS and terminal support with integrated hardware options. Tilled: Primarily online-focused with limited physical terminal support
Fraud & Security	6	6	Both score 6/10. Stax: Standard PCI compliance with basic fraud detection and tokenization. Tilled: Standard tokenization and PCI scope reduction; basic fraud screening tools.
Revenue Sharing	5	8	Tilled has an edge (8 vs 5). ISVs keep 100% of their markup above interchange — transparent revenue model. Stax: ISV partnership model with rev-share but less flexible than pure PayFac platforms
Merchant Onboarding	7	8	Tilled scores slightly higher (8 vs 7). Fast automated onboarding with same-day merchant activation capability. Stax: Straightforward merchant setup with guided onboarding process
Global Reach	3	3	Both score 3/10. Stax: US-focused platform with minimal international payment capabilities. Tilled: US-only processing with no international acquiring capabilities.
Recurring Billing	6	6	Both score 6/10. Stax: Built-in invoicing and recurring billing features for SMB merchants. Tilled: Basic recurring payment support through card tokenization.
Customer Support	7	7	Both score 7/10. Stax: Strong customer support with dedicated account management and US-based team. Tilled: Responsive partner support team with ISV-focused technical guidance.
PayFac Options	5	9	Tilled leads significantly (9 vs 5). Core offering is PayFac-as-a-Service — full PayFac power without the compliance burden. Stax: Limited PayFac capabilities — more suited as a direct merchant platform than ISV enabler

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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 ↗

Best for

Tilled

Best for ISVs wanting a pure PFaaS solution with maximum transparency and control over payment economics. Direct competitor to Finix for ISVs focused on payment monetization.

Visit tilled.com ↗

Stax vs Tilled: What ISVs Need to Know

Choosing between Stax and Tilled 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 Stax and Tilled comes down to how each platform approaches ISV payment facilitation. Stax and Tilled 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 Stax vs Tilled 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 Stax and Tilled 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 Stax vs Tilled, 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.