How We Match You to a Provider
The scoring logic behind every recommendation — no black boxes.
Based on 23 providers, 6 scoring axes, and real elimination rules.
The Pipeline
Every recommendation passes through three stages. 21 providers enter. 3 come out.
Stage 1: Hard Elimination
Before scoring, providers that can't serve you are removed entirely. These are binary — pass or fail.
Stage 2: Multi-Axis Scoring
Every surviving provider starts at 50 points. Risk fit dominates — it's worth more than any other dimension.
| Dimension | Max Points | Logic |
|---|---|---|
| Base Score | +50 | Every surviving provider starts here |
| Risk Fit | +40 | Green industry match = +40, Amber = +10. Risk dominates. |
| Volume Alignment | +20 | 5 tiers: <£10k, £10k-50k, £50k-250k, £250k-1M, £1M+ |
| Priority Match | +5 each (cap 20) | low-fees, fast-setup, international, developer-friendly, fast-settlement |
| Feature Fit | +15 | Subscriptions (+10), split payments (+15) |
| Channel Match | +10 | In-person channel + in-person strength |
Your Risk Profile
Beyond the provider match, the engine calculates two additional indicators that signal how confident the recommendation is and how likely a reserve or hold may be imposed.
Risk Confidence
Measures how strongly the engine trusts its own recommendation.
Reserve Probability
Estimates the likelihood that a provider will impose a rolling reserve or fund hold on your account.
Why Some Providers Are Avoided
The engine doesn't just show you the best match — it explicitly tells you which providers to avoid and why. This prevents businesses from wasting time applying to providers that will reject them or impose punitive conditions.
Hard Disqualification
Provider doesn't support your payment type, region, or volume. No amount of negotiation changes this.
Industry Exclusion
Your industry is explicitly excluded or rated "red risk" by the provider. Applying will result in rejection.
Capability Gap
Provider lacks a required capability like marketplace support or split payments that your business model demands.
Provider Registry
All 23 providers in the engine. This is what the system knows about each one.
| Provider | Payment Types | Terminal | Marketplace | Regions | Min Volume | Key Strengths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Square | 🌐 🏪 | ✓ | — | both | None | in-personpos-hardwareeasy-setupretail |
| PayPal | 🌐 | — | — | both | None | trusted-brandbuyer-protectioneasy-setuplow-volume-friendly |
| Adyen | 🌐 🏪 🏬 🔄 | ✓ | ✓ | both | £50k | enterpriseinternationalomnichannelhigh-volume |
| Datman | 🌐 🏬 | — | ✓ | UK | £10k | marketplacesplit-paymentsrevenue-shareuk-specialist |
| SumUp | 🏪 🌐 | ✓ | — | both | None | low-volumeportableno-monthly-feessimple-pricing |
| Zettle (PayPal) | 🏪 🌐 | ✓ | — | both | None | in-personpaypal-integrationsmall-business |
| Worldpay | 🌐 🏪 🔄 | ✓ | — | both | £5k | establisheduk-presencetraditional-merchant-services |
| Barclaycard Payments | 🌐 🏪 | ✓ | — | UK | £3k | bank-backeduk-establishedtraditional |
| takepayments | 🏪 🌐 | ✓ | — | UK | None | uk-focusedsimplecard-machines |
| Braintree | 🌐 🔄 🏬 | — | ✓ | both | £5k | subscriptionsdeveloper-friendlypaypal-venmorecurring-billing |
| Mollie | 🌐 🔄 | ✓ | ✓ | both | None | europeanlocal-payment-methodssimple-integrationtransparent-pricing |
| Klarna | 🌐 | — | — | both | £10k | bnplconsumer-financingcheckout-boostfashion-retail |
| Checkout.com | 🌐 🔄 🏬 | — | ✓ | both | £100k | enterpriseglobalhigh-volumefraud-prevention |
| Trust Payments | 🌐 🏪 | ✓ | — | both | £10k | higher-risktravelspecialist-industries |
| Revolut Business | 🌐 🏪 | ✓ | — | both | None | multi-currencymodern-bankinginternationalfast-setup |
| GoCardless | 🔄 | — | — | both | None | direct-debitrecurringlow-feessubscription-focused |
| Dojo | 🏪 🌐 | ✓ | — | UK | None | fast-settlementuk-focusedcard-machineshospitality |
| OPP | 🌐 🏬 | — | ✓ | both | £20k | marketplace-specialistsplit-paymentsflexible-payoutsplatform-focus |
| Elavon | 🌐 🏪 | ✓ | — | both | £5k | enterprisehospitalityglobal-reachtravel |
| Airwallex | 🌐 | — | ✓ | both | £10k | multi-currencyinternationalfx-optimizationglobal-payouts |
| Quantum ePay | 🌐 🏪 🔄 | — | — | US | None | high-riskcbdfirearmsnutraceuticals |
| Easy Pay Direct | 🌐 🏪 🔄 | — | — | US, UK, EU | None | broad-high-riskregulatedadultcbd-hemp |
| Payline Data | 🌐 🏪 🔄 | — | — | US | None | general-purposein-persononlinerecurring |
Risk Appetite Heatmap
How each provider rates every industry category. Green = accepted. Amber = additional review. Red = rejected.
| Provider | E-commerce | SaaS | Marketplace | Retail | Hospitality | Food & Bev | Prof. Services | Travel | Subscription | Digital Goods | Fashion | Mobile Vendor | Market Stall | Franchise | Delivery | Platform | Utilities | Membership | Gaming | Nutraceuticals | CBD | Crypto | Gambling | Adult | subscription-ecommerce | food-delivery | ticketing | education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Square | ✓ | · | · | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ✕ | · | · | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ~ | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ |
| PayPal | ✓ | · | · | ✓ | · | · | · | · | · | ✓ | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ✕ | · | · | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ~ | ~ | ✓ |
| Adyen | ✓ | · | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | · | · | ✓ | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ~ | · | · | · | ~ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Datman | ✓ | · | ✓ | · | ✓ | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ✓ | ✓ | · | · | · | ✕ | · | · | · | ✕ | ✕ | ~ | ✓ | ~ | ~ |
| SumUp | · | · | · | ✓ | ✓ | · | ✓ | · | · | · | · | ✓ | ✓ | · | · | · | · | · | ✕ | · | · | · | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ |
| Zettle (PayPal) | · | · | · | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ✕ | · | · | · | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ |
| Worldpay | ✓ | · | · | ✓ | ✓ | · | · | ~ | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ~ | · | · | · | ~ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ~ | ✓ |
| Barclaycard Payments | ✓ | · | · | ✓ | ✓ | · | ✓ | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ✕ | · | · | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ~ | ✓ |
| takepayments | · | · | · | ✓ | ✓ | · | ✓ | · | · | · | · | ✓ | · | · | · | · | · | · | ✕ | · | · | · | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ |
| Braintree | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | · | · | · | · | · | ✓ | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ✕ | · | · | · | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ~ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mollie | ✓ | ✓ | · | ✓ | ✓ | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ✕ | · | · | · | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Klarna | ✓ | · | · | ✓ | · | · | · | · | · | · | ✓ | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ✕ | · | · | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ~ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
| Checkout.com | ✓ | · | · | · | · | · | · | ✓ | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ~ | · | · | ~ | ~ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Trust Payments | ✓ | · | · | · | ✓ | · | · | ✓ | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ~ | ~ | ~ | · | ~ | ✕ | ✓ | ~ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Revolut Business | ✓ | ✓ | · | ✓ | · | · | ✓ | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ✕ | · | · | ~ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ~ | ✓ |
| GoCardless | · | ✓ | · | · | · | · | ✓ | · | ✓ | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | · | · | · | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
| Dojo | · | · | · | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ✕ | · | · | · | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ |
| OPP | ✓ | · | ✓ | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ✓ | · | ✓ | · | · | ✕ | · | · | · | ✕ | ✕ | ~ | ~ | ✓ | ~ |
| Elavon | ✓ | · | · | ✓ | ✓ | · | · | ✓ | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ✕ | · | · | · | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Airwallex | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | · | · | · | ✓ | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ✕ | · | · | · | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ~ | ~ | ✓ |
| Quantum ePay | ✓ | · | ~ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ~ | · | · | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
| Easy Pay Direct | ✓ | · | ~ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ✓ | · | · | ✕ | ✕ | ~ | ✓ | ~ | ~ | ✓ |
| Payline Data | ✓ | · | ~ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ~ | · | · | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ |
Scroll horizontally to see all industries. Hover over cells for details.
Example Walkthrough
Watch the engine process a real profile step by step.
20 providers eliminated, 3 survive.
See Your Own Risk Profile
Book a free 15-minute call and we'll walk through your best fit, acceptable options, and providers to avoid.
Book a 15-Minute Call