Shannon Vissers

As with so many other merchant services providers, Payroc has a few nice features, such as a robust lineup of products and services, including EMV-compliant mobile processing solutions. At the same time, it still includes a very lengthy contract term. Its hefty early termination fee has generated significant criticism among merchants.

Epos Now is a budget-friendly, user-friendly point of sale solution, but it has some shortcomings — such as requiring an additional paid plan for technical support and inconsistent customer service. See if the system might be a good fit for you!

KORONA POS is a good POS solution, though I still see room for growth. In the future, I’d particularly like to see continued improvement in inventory management features and a native online ordering platform. It would also be nice to see a wider selection of pre-built integrations.

Rapid Finance (formerly Rapid Advance) is an alternative small business funder. It offers merchant cash advances (MCAs) and short-term business loans to small businesses seeking short-term funding. Unlike many of its competitors, it provides a number of variations on the typical MCA, leading to a slightly longer application process but also better rates in many cases.

If you don’t understand basis points or the other aspects affecting your credit card processing rates, do some research or ask someone to explain it to you. If your processor can’t do that, you probably want to start looking for a new one. You can start by checking out our top-rated credit card processors for small businesses.

We’ve identified seven different features that you need to look at very carefully in selecting a merchant account provider. They’re all equally important, and you’ll want to examine each of them when evaluating any merchant account provider you’re thinking of signing up with. While it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to come up with a precise estimate of your overall costs, you should be able to get a pretty good idea by evaluating these seven features.

Clover Go looks like any other mobile processing app out there. Unfortunately, small businesses are going to encounter inconsistent pricing and potentially awful customer support. Check out our Clover Go review to see if it’s really the best option for you!

Clover POS is powerful and flexible, but it’s not a perfect point of sale system. If you’re not impressed by Clover, check out these alternatives to find a POS system that better suits your needs!

Upstart is an online lending platform that offers consumer loans to qualified borrowers. It has relaxed credit score requirements, competitive terms and fees, and an easy application process. Upstart is an excellent resource for many people who do not fit the traditional model of a loan borrower.

Kiva offers crowdfunded microloans and is one of the least expensive forms of financing available to business owners. It is definitely worth checking out if you run a community-oriented business that needs a small infusion of cash. It is suitable for startups but not for large businesses.