Who We Are
Payment Processor Reviews is an independent research project analyzing payment processing solutions for high-risk ecommerce merchants. Our analysis is based on public data, merchant interviews, processor documentation, and regulatory filings.
We are not affiliated with any single processor. Our goal is to help merchants make informed decisions about payment infrastructure.
Why We Exist
If you sell peptides, research chemicals, nootropics, or supplements online, you already know the pain: mainstream processors don't want your business. Stripe shuts you down overnight. Square sends a 30-day termination notice. PayPal freezes your funds "pending review" — indefinitely.
We started this project because nobody was providing honest, comparative information about the processors that actually serve high-risk merchants. The existing review sites are either pay-to-play directories or haven't been updated in years.
Our Methodology
Every processor we review goes through a standardized evaluation:
- Approval testing — We submit applications across multiple business categories to measure approval rates and timelines
- Fee transparency — We document every fee: application, monthly, per-transaction, chargeback, reserve holdback, and early termination
- Chargeback handling — We evaluate dispute resolution tools, prevention systems, and threshold policies
- Platform integration — We test WooCommerce, Shopify, BigCommerce, and Magento plugins for each processor
- Merchant feedback — We collect real-world experience data from merchants currently using each processor
- Ongoing monitoring — We track policy changes, fee increases, and industry developments continuously
Our Tools
We've built specialized tools to help merchants assess and improve their payment processing posture:
- Termination Risk Score™ — A 4-layer compliance scanner that analyzes your website across conversion optimization, FDA regulatory compliance, LegitScript readiness, and payment processing survival metrics
- Processor Match Quiz — A guided assessment that matches you with the right processor based on your business type, volume, and risk profile
Editorial Independence
Some processors on our site offer referral programs. When you click a link and apply, we may earn a commission. This never influences our rankings — our methodology is applied identically to every processor, regardless of commercial relationship.
Processors cannot pay for placement, and we regularly rank processors with no affiliate relationship above those with one. Our revenue model lets us keep this resource free for merchants.
Contact
Have a tip? Know a processor we should review? Corrections or updates? Reach us at editorial@merchantprocessingguide.com.