WavePay vs integrating each payment rail yourself
Integrating each rail yourself means one integration, one reconciliation feed and one failure mode per wallet and card scheme; WavePay replaces them with one checkout call and one ledger, at the cost of depending on WavePay for the rails it enables.
Updated · by T3raTech · Free: 25 payments per 30 days, $0; Basic: 250 payments per 30 days for $9/month; Pro: 2,500 payments per 30 days for $29/month
| Each rail yourself | WavePay | |
|---|---|---|
| Integrations to build | One per wallet, card scheme and PayPal | One: POST /v2/checkouts |
| Reconciliation | One report per rail | One payments ledger with since/limit cursors |
| Retries | Each integration's own idempotency rules | Idempotency-Key on every checkout |
| Licence keys | Build and run key issuing yourself | Built in: Ed25519 entitlements, offline verification |
| Agent onboarding | Per-provider portals and forms | POST /v2/register or skill.md — no browser |
| Control | Direct relationship with every provider | WavePay sits between you and the provider |
Questions
When should I integrate a rail directly?
When you need one rail only, want the direct provider relationship, and are happy to build its reconciliation and licensing yourself.
When does WavePay make more sense?
When your buyers hold different rails, or when an agent has to set payments up without a browser.