Decision Center
I want no third party in the payment path.
Non-custodial, self-hosted or wallet-based solutions where payments reach you directly and keep working if a provider goes away.
The lowest dependency is also the highest responsibility: backups, keys, and uptime are yours.
Solutions whose documented facts match
These are the published solutions whose evidence, not marketing, fits this need today. Confirm the details on each page before you commit.
LNbits
LNbits is free, open-source Lightning software with a real point-of-sale extension, but you run it on your own Lightning backend, so custody follows that backend and the operational burden is real.
- Custody
- Configurable
- Bank settlement
- No
BTCPay Server
BTCPay Server is the reference self-custody answer: free, open-source software that takes Bitcoin and Lightning straight to your own wallet, in exchange for running and maintaining a server.
- Custody
- Merchant-controlled
- Bank settlement
- No
Zeus
Zeus is a self-custodial Lightning wallet and node-control app with a point-of-sale mode: you hold the keys, and how much you operate depends on whether you point it at your own node or use its embedded one.
- Custody
- Merchant-controlled
- Bank settlement
- No
Breez SDK
Breez SDK is a developer toolkit for building self-custodial Lightning into your own app. A typical merchant cannot use it as-is; it is for the developer who would build a merchant product on top of it.
- Custody
- Merchant-controlled
- Bank settlement
- No
Weigh it against everything else
This is one need. Your decision usually balances several. See the full comparison or revisit the other needs.
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