Choosing the right payment processor is one of the most important decisions a small business can make. Both Easy Pay Direct and Helcim offer dedicated merchant accounts, which already puts them ahead of aggregators like Stripe or PayPal that lump merchants together. But beyond that, their approach to pricing, support, and long-term stability is very different.
If you’re weighing Easy Pay Direct vs. Helcim, here’s how they compare:
Table of Contents
Easy Pay Direct at a Glance
Easy Pay Direct is built for businesses that can’t afford disruptions. Whether you run coaching programs, eCommerce stores, CBD or nutraceutical brands, or even selling firearms, EPD supports both low-risk and high-risk verticals across the U.S. and Canada. With partnerships across multiple back-end banks, EPD delivers a 99% approval rate in nearly every vertical, giving merchants confidence that they’ll be approved and supported for the long haul.
At the heart of its offering is the patent-pending Smart Gateway, which goes beyond basic processing. It includes:
- Transaction routing across multiple MIDs to protect revenue and keep you up and running.
- Chargeback mitigation, fraud prevention tools, and decline salvage
- ACH, recurring billing, invoicing, hosted checkout and mobile payments for flexibility.
- Compatibility with 500+ shopping carts, POS systems, and terminals.
What truly sets EPD apart is its service model. Every merchant is paired with a dedicated success manager and enrolled in the Payment Optimization Plan, structured check-ins at 7, 30, 90, 180, and 365 days. These reviews help optimize rates, manage risk, and ensure businesses scale safely over time.
Pros
- 99% approval rate across nearly every vertical and risk level
- Upfront underwriting ensures stability with no surprise shutdowns
- Smart Gateway technology with transaction routing
- 500+ integrations with shopping carts, POS systems, and terminals
- Dedicated Merchant Success Team with direct phone/text/email support
- Payment Optimization Plan with milestone check-ins to reduce costs and scale safely
Cons
- Slightly longer approval process (typically 1–2 days) due to upfront underwriting, but this ensures true approval and long-term stability
- Pricing not published upfront because it’s tailored to your business’s risk profile, gateway feature needs, and volume to secure the best possible rates
Helcim at a Glance
Helcim positions itself as a simple, transparent processor for low-risk, brick-and-mortar merchants who want an all-in-one solution. With its own POS system, smart terminals, card readers, and Tap to Pay on iPhone, it’s designed for businesses starting fresh. Pricing is clear with interchange-plus rates and no monthly fees, and features like invoicing, recurring billing, and next-day deposits add convenience. But Helcim comes with tradeoffs: it has limited integrations outside its own ecosystem, lacks dedicated success managers, and its support can take days to respond. Plus, while it onboards quickly, merchants often face auto-approvals that get rolled back later, wasting valuable time.
Pros
- Transparent interchange-plus pricing with volume discounts
- Free POS software and invoicing tools included
- Offers its own hardware: smart terminal, card reader, and Tap to Pay on iPhone
- ACH payments, recurring billing, and hosted checkout pages available
- Next business day deposits for many transactions
Cons
- Limited integrations with outside POS systems or hardware
- No dedicated success team. Support can take days to respond
- Auto-approval process may later be reversed, wasting merchants’ time
- Designed for low-risk businesses only; no high-risk support
Side-by-Side Comparison: Easy Pay Direct vs. Helcim
| Feature | Easy Pay Direct | Helcim |
|---|---|---|
| Approval & Risk Coverage | 99% approval rate; supports nearly every vertical and risk level | Best for low-risk businesses; high-risk not supported |
| Upfront Underwriting | Full underwriting before approval: ensures stability, prevents shutdowns | Auto-approves quickly, but can walk back approvals later and shut you down |
| Gateway Features | Smart Gateway with transaction routing, fraud tools, chargeback mitigation, recurring billing, multi-currency, secure customer vault, and more | Encryption and secure vault for stored card data, hosted pages, recurring billing, multi-currency |
| Payment Options | Integration with multiple POS systems, terminals, virtual terminal, mobile payments, invoicing, hosted check-out, tap to pay, BNPL, ACH | Helcim POS, Helcim terminal, Helcim card reader, Tap to Pay, hosted check-out, invoicing, ACH; limited clarity on external POS/hardware integration |
| Integrations & APIs | 500+ shopping carts & POS systems; API flexibility | Limited shopping cart, billing, and third party integrations; limited hardware flexibility outside Helcim’s own ecosystem |
| Support & Onboarding | Dedicated success team + Payment Optimization Plan with milestone check-ins | Standard customer support; no dedicated success manager |
| Pricing | Customized to risk profile and volume; rates optimized as you grow | Interchange-plus, no monthly fees |
Side-by-Side Comparison: Easy Pay Direct vs. Helcim
Approval & Risk Coverage
99% approval rate; supports nearly every vertical and risk level
Best for low-risk businesses; high-risk not supported
Upfront Underwriting
Full underwriting before approval: ensures stability, prevents shutdowns
Auto-approves quickly, but can walk back approvals later and shut you down
Gateway Features
Smart Gateway with transaction routing, fraud tools, chargeback mitigation, recurring billing, multi-currency, secure customer vault, and more
Encryption and secure vault for stored card data, hosted pages, recurring billing, multi-currency
Payment Options
Integration with multiple POS systems, terminals, virtual terminal, mobile payments, invoicing, hosted check-out, tap to pay, BNPL, ACH
Helcim POS, Helcim terminal, Helcim card reader, Tap to Pay, hosted check-out, invoicing, ACH; limited clarity on external POS/hardware integration
Integrations & APIs
500+ shopping carts & POS systems; API flexibility
Limited shopping cart, billing, and third party integrations; limited hardware flexibility outside Helcim’s own ecosystem
Support & Onboarding
Dedicated success team + Payment Optimization Plan with milestone check-ins
Standard customer support; no dedicated success manager
Pricing
Customized to risk profile and volume; rates optimized as you grow
Interchange-plus, no monthly fees
Why Easy Pay Direct is the Better Choice
Easy Pay Direct delivers stability, flexibility, and long-term growth:
- Real Approvals: EPD fully underwrites upfront, so once you’re approved, you stay approved.
- Better Rates: Pricing is tailored to your risk profile and volume and continuously optimized as you grow.
- Broader Risk Support: EPD works with nearly every vertical, including high-risk industries Helcim won’t touch.
- More Flexibility: Integrates with 500+ shopping carts, POS systems, and terminals vs. Helcim’s limited proprietary hardware.
- Smarter Tech: The EPD Gateway adds transaction routing, fraud tools, ACH, recurring billing, and more.
- Dedicated Support: Helcim’s support can take days. EPD provides a dedicated Merchant Success Team you can call or text directly with answers in minutes.
The Best Payment Processor for Small Businesses
When it comes to the best payment processors for small businesses, the decision shouldn’t be just about who looks cheaper today. Stability, growth, and peace of mind matter even more. Easy Pay Direct delivers all three, tailored pricing, advanced technology, and dedicated support to help businesses scale with confidence
If you read our full guide to the top payment processors for small businesses in 2025, you’ll see that while Helcim, Stax, and Deposyt all have their strengths, Easy Pay Direct consistently rises to the top as the most stable long-term partner.
