Best PayFac Platforms for Small Businesses: Pricing and Setup

The best PayFac platforms for a small business selling to Indian customers are 1. Xflow, 2. Razorpay, 3. Cashfree, 4. EximPe and 5. Stripe.

Xflow is embedded payments infrastructure that lets you take payments from your Indian customers by card, RuPay, Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and netbanking, and get paid in your overseas bank account.

A payfac for small business is a payment facilitator that lets a small business accept payments with no separate merchant account, because the business trades as a sub-merchant under the PayFac's master merchant account.

Selling to India changes the question, because you need a provider whose checkout shows UPI and the other ways Indian customers pay.

Each of these five payfac providers takes payments from Indian customers and pays you abroad.

1. Xflow - best for a small overseas business or platform that sells subscriptions or larger invoices to Indian customers, on custom pricing.
2. Razorpay - best for a business that already runs a verified Razorpay account and wants to add customers in India without moving to a new provider.
3. Cashfree - best for a Shopify or Magento store that wants a ready-made plugin and can collect payer details, such as a tax ID, at checkout.
4. EximPe - best for B2B sellers whose Indian buyers pay invoices from their own bank accounts by transfer into an INR virtual account.
5. Stripe - best for a business already on Stripe that wants to add UPI for Indian buyers to its existing account and dashboard.

A payfac for small business usually charges a flat rate plus a percentage per transaction, which can mean higher transaction fees than a merchant account of your own.

For payments from customers in India, this is what you can compare today:

• Xflow - Custom pricing (talk to sales). Our team helps with onboarding and quotes for your payment volume.
• Stripe - UPI at 2% plus 1.5% on international transactions, and 2% more if currency conversion is needed, in the UK, Singapore, Canada and Australia. Check the rate for your own country.
• Razorpay, Cashfree and EximPe - do not publish an import rate, so ask each for a quote on one sample payment.

On a GBP 100 order, Stripe's UK rate of 2% plus 1.5% international comes to GBP 3.50, rising to GBP 5.50 if Stripe has to convert the currency.

Your Indian customers see prices in INR, and Stripe shows UPI in INR alone, so someone converts the money into your currency. Ask each payfac provider who carries the exchange rate and when it is fixed.

The all-in cost is the headline rate plus forex conversion, any international surcharge and Goods and Services Tax (GST) on the fee.

All five pay out in your own currency, so what sets them apart is whether you need an existing account, how much your checkout must collect from each payer, and whether subscriptions renew on UPI alone or on cards and bank mandates too.

1. Xflow

Xflow is an embedded payments infrastructure service that lets a business outside India take payments from Indian customers and receive them in its own overseas account.

Xflow holds a final (fully approved) Payment Aggregator - Cross Border (PA-CB licence) from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for inward and outward flows, as of Feb 2026.

Your customer pays in INR on a hosted checkout, and Xflow settles through an Authorised Dealer Category-1 (AD-1) bank into your overseas account.

Key features

• Your Indian customers pay in INR by Visa or Mastercard card, RuPay, UPI or netbanking on one hosted checkout.
• UPI AutoPay, card mandates and e-NACH bank mandates let a subscription business set up recurring charges that buyers in India approve once under RBI mandate rules.
• Funds reach the overseas bank account you already hold, in USD, GBP, EUR, CAD, AUD and more, with standard settlement of T+2 (2 business days).

Pros

• You collect from outside India with no company registration, local bank account or hire in India, so you can start before any Indian setup work.
• A test mode where no real funds move lets your team try the checkout before any Indian customer pays.
• Going live takes days, so your checkout can open to Indian customers soon after Xflow's team has checked your documents.

Cons

• Indian wallets and card EMI (equated monthly instalments) are not in the method list, so a customer who wants to pay that way needs another option.

Verdict: choose Xflow when Indian customers are a real share of your sales and you want custom pricing and payouts into your existing bank account; see how to accept international payments from India.

2. Razorpay

Razorpay is an Indian payment gateway, and its Import Flow product lets foreign businesses take payments from Indian customers and receive them in an overseas bank account once a Razorpay team has verified them.

Your customer pays in INR through the checkout you already use, which suits a business that has a verified Razorpay account.

Key features

• Indian customers can pay by UPI, netbanking or cards (Visa, Mastercard, RuPay and Diners), with payment links and recurring options such as UPI AutoPay.
• Import Flow works on all Razorpay integrations once it is activated, so a business already on Razorpay can add customers in India without a new build.
• Razorpay pays out to an overseas bank account in USD, EUR, GBP, CAD, SGD, AUD and other currencies, so you are paid in your own currency.

Pros

• Setup and day-to-day use are straightforward, so a team without a payments engineer can reach a working checkout quickly.
• Wide method coverage means fewer Indian customers abandon at checkout because their usual way to pay is missing.
• Technical support is quick and knowledgeable on integration questions for many merchants, which helps when something breaks at your checkout.

Cons

• Some merchants have had accounts put on hold or closed with little explanation, so keep a second way to collect from Indian customers.
• Help with account problems can be slow, with tickets left open for some merchants, so do not count on a fast fix if your account is held.
• Razorpay restricts the maximum transaction value to USD 30,000 across all supported payment methods, so a large invoice has to be split or paid another way.

Verdict: choose Razorpay if you already run a verified Razorpay account and keep each payment under USD 30,000.

3. Cashfree

Cashfree is an Indian payments company whose Collect from India product lets an overseas business sell to Indian customers and get paid abroad.

Your customer pays in INR by UPI, card, netbanking or RuPay, and Cashfree pays the money out to your overseas account in your own currency.

It suits a store that wants a plugin or payment links and can ask each buyer for a few extra details at checkout.

Key features

• Collect from India works through a Shopify or Magento plugin, payment links or the API, so you can start on the route that matches how you sell.
• Cashfree takes UPI, cards, netbanking, virtual accounts and RuPay for collection, plus UPI AutoPay, card standing instructions and e-mandates for subscriptions.
• Cashfree pays out to your overseas account in USD, EUR, GBP, SGD, AUD, CAD, HKD and more than 100 other currencies, so you are paid in your own.

Pros

• Integration through the API is quick and simple, so your team can test payments within days of starting and move on to live traffic.
• A company outside India needs no Indian incorporation or GST registration to start, so you can begin without a local entity.
• There is no set-up cost to integrate, so you can test the flow before committing any payment volume.

Cons

• Support can be inconsistent, with slow replies and some merchants having to explain the same issue to several staff, so urgent problems can sit.
• Some merchants have had accounts blocked or deactivated without a clear reason, so keep a backup way to collect in case yours is restricted.
• Cashfree asks for details such as the payer's tax ID (PAN), date of birth and invoice number on each payment, so your checkout has to collect them.

Verdict: choose Cashfree if you run a Shopify or Magento store and can collect the payer details it asks for at checkout.

4. EximPe

EximPe is a cross-border payments company that gives an overseas seller an INR virtual account and a hosted checkout, so Indian buyers can pay by bank transfer, card, UPI, netbanking or QR without the seller needing a local entity.

EximPe then pays out to your international bank account.

Key features

• Indian buyers can pay by card, UPI, netbanking or QR on a hosted checkout, or by Indian bank transfer (NEFT, RTGS or IMPS) into an INR virtual account.
• EximPe accepts Visa, Mastercard, RuPay and wallets, and it supports UPI AutoPay and e-NACH mandates, so recurring collection is covered.
• EximPe offers a REST API, a hosted-checkout JavaScript SDK, payment links, webhooks and a sandbox, so your developers can test the flow before you collect.

Pros

• INR virtual bank accounts let a buyer pay from their own bank by transfer, which fits invoice-led B2B payments better than a card checkout does.
• Wallet payments are on the method list, so Indian buyers who prefer to pay from a wallet balance can do it on the same checkout.
• EximPe supports PSP, sub-merchant and direct-merchant flows, so a platform outside India can map its own model onto it.

Cons

• EximPe nets refunds against your upcoming payouts, and a refund request fails if your balance does not cover it, so keep a cushion in your account.
• EximPe converts at the exchange rate on the day it pays you out, so any exchange movement after your buyer pays is yours to carry.

Verdict: choose EximPe when your Indian buyers are businesses that settle invoices from their own bank accounts.

5. Stripe

Stripe is a global payments company that works as both a payment processor and a payfac. Its UPI option is open to businesses in 35 locations, including the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Singapore and Germany.

It suits a business already on Stripe, and the catch is that UPI is the only Indian method.

Key features

• UPI works through Checkout, Payment Links, Subscriptions and Invoicing, so a business already on Stripe adds customers in India on the setup it already runs.
• UPI is shown to your Indian customers in INR alone, so they see and pay a rupee price at checkout.
• UPI AutoPay covers recurring payments from buyers in India of up to INR 15,000 each, so a monthly plan below that amount can renew on UPI.

Pros

• Stripe is easy to use, with simple setup and automatic deposits into your bank account, so a small team can run it.
• The API and documentation are well regarded by developers, which shortens the build if your business already uses Stripe.
• Recurring billing is a standout feature of the product, which suits a subscription business that bills its customers every month.

Cons

• Some businesses report account closures and held balances, so keep cash flow that does not depend on one account.
• Some users find support slow and hard to reach by phone, so a small team with an urgent payment problem may wait.
• Stripe caps a single UPI payment at INR 100,000, so a larger Indian invoice has to be split or paid another way.

Verdict: choose Stripe if you already sell on it, your Indian customers pay by UPI and each order stays under INR 100,000.

Recurring payments from India run under RBI mandate rules, and a subscription business feels them first. The rules apply to any business outside India that takes India-issued cards, in any currency, and they require:

• Pre-debit notice - the customer is told at least 24 hours before each charge, so a renewal never lands unannounced.
• Extra approval above INR 15,000 - on cards, a charge over INR 15,000 needs the customer to authenticate each time, and UPI does not support recurring charges above INR 15,000, so neither renews silently.
• No mandate, no payment - if the customer has not set up a mandate, the bank declines the payment.

The comparison table above shows which mandate types each provider supports, and Stripe caps UPI AutoPay at INR 15,000 per payment.

Billing with us

- you bill Indian customers through UPI AutoPay, card mandates or e-NACH, and we pay out to your overseas bank account in T+2 (2 business days).

Ask every provider how it handles the notice and the INR 15,000 limit before you commit.

An acquirer, the bank behind card payments, registers a PayFac to onboard many small businesses, which is why a PayFac platform offers fast onboarding. Know-your-business (KYB) checks still confirm your company is real before a provider lets you collect.

Whichever provider you pick, the steps run in this order:

1. Pick a provider that takes the methods your customers in India use, including UPI AutoPay if you bill every month.
2. Gather your KYB documents: legal business name, registered address, incorporation certificate, ID for a signatory or director, overseas bank details, and your website with a short description of what you sell.
3. Submit the application and answer the provider's follow-up questions.
4. Choose how customers pay: a payment link, a hosted checkout, a store plugin or the API.
5. Test in the sandbox or test mode before any real money moves.
6. Go live and receive payouts in your overseas bank account.

Providers ask for slightly different sets of documents, so confirm yours with the one you pick.

Setting up with us

- you talk to sales, our team checks your documents and you go live in days. You need no Indian company, local bank account or hire in India, as our guide to accepting payments without a local entity explains.

Refunds, disputes and held funds once you are live

On Stripe, you can refund a UPI payment for up to 60 days, and the money can take up to 7 working days to reach the customer.

If an Indian customer's bank or payment app accepts a UPI dispute, you cannot contest it and Stripe removes the funds immediately.

A PayFac's terms can also let it hold funds, so the risk of account freezes is worth asking about.

Before you choose, ask each provider, including us, how long refunds take, how disputes are handled and when it can hold funds.

The best payment system for small businesses depends on how you bill and who pays you. Here is how the five picks fit four common sellers, so you can find the seller that looks most like your business.

• A US software tool billing Indian customers every month - Xflow, for UPI AutoPay, card mandates and e-NACH with payouts abroad. A tool already on Stripe can add UPI there if its customers pay by UPI and each charge stays under INR 15,000.
• A UK course seller with Indian students - Xflow, where students pay by UPI, RuPay, cards or netbanking. Razorpay suits a seller that already holds a verified account and sells a business type it supports, such as education.
• A Shopify or Magento store - Cashfree, for its ready-made plugin, once your checkout can collect the payer details it asks for.
• A B2B agency invoicing Indian firms - EximPe, when the firms pay from their own bank accounts by transfer. Xflow suits larger invoices on custom pricing, and Razorpay is limited to USD 30,000 per payment.

Weigh up the options in our guide to payment gateways for foreign companies.