Decision Center
Comparing the solutions
Every published payment solution, compared on what matters: custody, keys, settlement, hosting, Lightning, fees, and what happens if the provider disappears. We do not rank or score them. Every cell has a state, and no cell is ever blank or guessed.
The comparison
Read down a column for one solution, or across a row to compare the same question everywhere.
| What we compare | Blink | OpenNode | LNbits | CoinCorner | Coinbase Business | BTCPay Server | Zeus | Strike | Breez SDK | IBEX |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Documentation only Wallet-based acceptance | Documentation only Custodial gateway | Documentation only Self-hosted acceptance platform | Documentation only Custodial gateway | Documentation only Custodial gateway | Documentation only Self-hosted acceptance platform | Documentation only Wallet-based acceptance | Documentation only Lightning infrastructure or provider | Documentation only Infrastructure or developer platform | Documentation only Infrastructure or developer platform |
| Readiness level | Documentation only R4: Merchant-ready | Documentation only R4: Merchant-ready | Documentation only R4: Merchant-ready | Documentation only R4: Merchant-ready | Documentation only R4: Merchant-ready | Documentation only R3: Workable with effort | Documentation only R3: Workable with effort | Documentation only R2: Early or narrow | Documentation only R1: Not merchant-ready | Documentation only R1: Not merchant-ready |
| Commitment level | Documentation only C2: Light operational setup | Documentation only C2: Light operational setup | Documentation only C4: Self-hosted infrastructure | Documentation only C4: Self-hosted infrastructure | Documentation only C2: Light operational setup | Documentation only C4: Self-hosted infrastructure | Documentation only C3: Business-process integration | Documentation only C3: Business-process integration | Documentation only C5: Engineering platform | Documentation only C5: Engineering platform |
| Our recommendation | Documentation only Not recommended for most small merchants | Documentation only Worth considering | Documentation only Suitable with operational tradeoffs | Documentation only Not recommended for most small merchants | Documentation only Suitable with operational tradeoffs | Documentation only Suitable with operational tradeoffs | Documentation only Worth considering | Documentation only Not recommended yet | Documentation only Not merchant-ready | Documentation only Not merchant-ready |
| Overall confidence | Documentation only High | Documentation only Medium | Documentation only Medium | Documentation only Medium | Documentation only Low | Documentation only Medium | Documentation only Medium | Documentation only Low | Documentation only Medium | Documentation only Medium |
| Who holds the funds | Documentation only Provider-custodied | Documentation only Provider-custodied | Documentation only Configurable | Documentation only Provider-custodied | Documentation only Provider-custodied | Documentation only Merchant-controlled | Documentation only Merchant-controlled | Documentation only Provider-custodied | Documentation only Merchant-controlled | Documentation only Provider-custodied |
| Who holds the keys | Documentation only Provider | Documentation only Provider | Documentation only Configurable | Documentation only Provider | Documentation only Provider | Documentation only Merchant | Documentation only Merchant | Documentation only Provider | Documentation only Merchant | Documentation only Provider |
| Fiat settlement | Not supported No | Documentation only Yes | Not supported No | Documentation only Yes | Documentation only Yes | Not supported No | Not supported No | Documentation only Yes | Not supported No | Documentation only Yes |
| Bank settlement | Not supported No | Documentation only Gated by approval | Not supported No | Documentation only Yes | Documentation only Yes | Not supported No | Not supported No | Documentation only Gated by approval | Not supported No | Documentation only Conditional |
| Self-hosting required | Not applicable Provider-hosted | Not applicable Provider-hosted | Documentation only Self-hosted | Not applicable Provider-hosted | Not applicable Provider-hosted | Documentation only Self-hosted | Documentation only Hybrid | Not applicable Provider-hosted | Not applicable Provider-hosted | Not applicable Provider-hosted |
| Lightning | Documentation only Yes | Documentation only Yes | Documentation only Yes | Documentation only Yes | Not supported Not supported | Documentation only Yes | Documentation only Yes | Documentation only Yes | Documentation only Yes | Documentation only Yes |
| On-chain | Documentation only Yes | Documentation only Yes | Documentation only Partial | Documentation only Yes | Documentation only Yes | Documentation only Yes | Documentation only Yes | Documentation only Yes | Documentation only Yes | Documentation only Yes |
| Open source | Documentation only Partial | Documentation only Partial | Documentation only Yes | Not supported No | Not supported No | Documentation only Yes | Documentation only Yes | Not supported No | Documentation only Yes | Not supported No |
| Refunds | Not supported No | Documentation only Partial only | Documentation only Manual | Documentation only Supported | Documentation only Supported | Documentation only Supported | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown |
| Settlement quality | Documentation only Fair | Documentation only Good | Documentation only Fair | Documentation only Good | Documentation only Good | Documentation only Fair | Documentation only Fair | Documentation only Fair | Not applicable | Documentation only Good |
| Fees | Documentation only Excellent | Documentation only Good | Documentation only Excellent | Documentation only Good | Unknown | Documentation only Excellent | Documentation only Good | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown |
| If the provider disappears | Documentation only Withdrawing funds depends on provider access | Documentation only Withdrawing funds depends on provider access | Documentation only The self-hosted service keeps running if your infrastructure stays up | Documentation only Withdrawing funds depends on provider access | Documentation only Withdrawing funds depends on provider access | Documentation only The self-hosted service keeps running if your infrastructure stays up | Documentation only The self-hosted service keeps running if your infrastructure stays up | Documentation only Withdrawing funds depends on provider access | Documentation only Payments stop, but existing funds remain merchant-controlled | Documentation only Withdrawing funds depends on provider access |
What this comparison shows, honestly
These solutions are not variations on one product; they are different commitments. A self-hosted platform like BTCPay puts custody and control entirely in your hands at the cost of running a server. A custodial gateway like OpenNode or Coinbase Business does the opposite: little to operate, but a provider holds your funds and your access depends on them. A Lightning rail like Strike can be powerful infrastructure while still not being a turnkey merchant product.
The single most decision-relevant row is who holds the funds. It separates the solutions more than any feature does, and it is the one thing marketing most often obscures.
Counting only the rows we mark unknown: Blink (0), OpenNode (0), LNbits (0), CoinCorner (0), Coinbase Business (1), BTCPay Server (0), Zeus (1), Strike (2), Breez SDK (2), IBEX (2). A higher count is not "worse"; it reflects how much the vendor leaves undocumented and how much our lab still needs to confirm.
We have completed documentation review, but hands-on lab validation is still in progress. A finding stays "Documentation only" until we verify it ourselves, and "Unknown" until the evidence exists at all. Nothing here is marked "Verified" yet, because we have not finished testing, and we will not pretend otherwise. See the laboratory roadmap.