Datatrans vs PostFinance
Classic PSP with acquiring contract vs. payment facilitator of a Swiss bank
Datatrans by Planet is an established Swiss PSP that is particularly aimed at larger companies with high transaction volumes. As a well-known Swiss financial institution, PostFinance offers its own payment solution for online shops. A key difference: Datatrans requires a separate acquirer agreement, whereas PostFinance acts as a payment facilitator. This comparison shows you what this means in terms of costs and effort.
Total monthly costs from Datatrans and PostFinance with a turnover of CHF 20,000
Total monthly costs of Datatrans and PostFinance with a turnover of CHF 100,000
What are the advantages and disadvantages of Datatrans and PostFinance?
Datatrans convinces with a high Google rating (4.1 stars), broad payment method support and omnichannel capability. Disadvantages are the required separate acquirer contract, paid plugins, a paid support hotline and high monthly fixed costs.
PostFinance benefits from high brand awareness in Switzerland, a wide range of payment methods and personal support. Disadvantages are the one-time setup costs of up to 249 CHF, missing e-commerce tools, no Samsung Pay and, with 2.2 stars, a significantly lower Google rating.
Comparison table of advantages and disadvantages of Datatrans vs PostFinance
Datatrans
Advantages
Numerous payment methods (including TWINT and PostFinance Pay)
Free trial available
High brand awareness
High Google rating
Support for omnichannel payments (POS)
Disadvantages
Partly paid plugins
Complex setup
No e-commerce tools
High monthly fixed costs
Fees are not transparent
Paid support hotline
PostFinance
Advantages
Numerous payment methods (including TWINT and PostFinance Pay)
Free plugins
Low transaction fees
Free trial available
Swiss company
High awareness in Switzerland
Personal support
Disadvantages
Samsung Pay not supported
No e-commerce tools
High setup costs (one-time)
Low Google rating
Which payment methods do Datatrans and PostFinance offer?
Both providers support the most important Swiss payment methods: credit cards, TWINT, PostFinance Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay and purchase on account. PostFinance additionally offers WIR Pay and Reka, which are missing from Datatrans. Datatrans supports Reka, but does not offer WIR Pay. With 14 compared to 12 payment methods, PostFinance has a slight lead in terms of coverage.
Comparison table of payment methods Datatrans vs PostFinance
Datatrans
PostFinance
Mastercard
Yes
Yes
Visa
Yes
Yes
Postfinance Pay
Yes
Yes
Twint
Yes
Yes
American Express
Yes
Yes
Entdecken
Yes
Yes
PayPal
Yes
Yes
ApplePay
Yes
Yes
GooglePay
Yes
Yes
SamsungPay
No
No
WIRpay
No
Yes
REKA
Yes
Yes
CENTI
No
No
Crypto
Yes
Yes
Purchase on account
Yes
Yes
Bezahl mit Bank
No
No
How do the plugins from Datatrans and PostFinance differ?
Both providers offer plugins for WooCommerce, Shopware, JTL, Ecwid, Drupal and Magento. PostFinance also supports Prestashop, which is missing from Datatrans. Some plugins are subject to a fee with Datatrans, whereas PostFinance offers all plugins free of charge. Neither provider offers Shopify support or integrated e-commerce tools. PostFinance has a slight advantage in terms of integrations thanks to its free plugins.
Comparison table of plugins and integrations Datatrans vs PostFinance
Datatrans
PostFinance
No
No
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
What is the status of the support at Datatrans and PostFinance?
PostFinance offers personal support in Switzerland. Datatrans relies on a chargeable support hotline. Google reviews: Datatrans 4.1 stars (26 reviews), PostFinance 2.2 stars (178 reviews). Datatrans has a higher rating, but on a significantly narrower basis. PostFinance offers free support, whereas Datatrans charges additionally for support inquiries.
Who is Datatrans suitable for and who is PostFinance suitable for?
PostFinance is suitable for companies that are already anchored in the PostFinance ecosystem and prefer an all-in-one solution without a separate acquirer agreement. Datatrans is aimed at larger companies with high transaction volumes that already have an acquirer agreement and require tailored payment solutions with omnichannel support.
How much effort is required to set up with Datatrans and PostFinance?
PostFinance charges one-off setup fees of CHF 199 to 249 and requires a PostFinance business account, but offers a 30-day simulation mode. With Datatrans, you first need to conclude a separate acceptance agreement with an acquirer before the test account can be set up – a significant additional effort. For a faster start, PostFinance is the more straightforward choice.
How much does Datatrans cost compared to PostFinance?
With a monthly turnover of 20,000 CHF, PostFinance costs 365.90 CHF (E-Com Bundle), while Datatrans costs 398 CHF. Important: The Datatrans price does not yet include the acquiring costs, as a separate acquirer contract is required. With a turnover of 100,000 CHF, PostFinance is 1,749.90 CHF, while Datatrans is 2,015 CHF (excluding acquiring). PostFinance charges one-time setup costs of 199–249 CHF, but offers an all-in-one solution with no additional acquirer fees.
Comparison table of costs Datatrans vs PostFinance
Provider
Subscription
Setup costs
Monthly costs
Transaction fees
Datatrans
Get Started
CHF 0.00
CHF 20.00
1.60%
+
CHF 0.29
Datatrans
Scale Now
CHF 0.00
CHF 125.00
1.60%
+
CHF 0.29
PostFinance
Checkout All-in-One
CHF 199.00
CHF 14.90
2.50%
+
CHF 0.00
PostFinance
E-Com Bundle
CHF 0.00
CHF 19.90
1.55%
+
CHF 0.18
PostFinance
Checkout Flex
CHF 249.00
CHF 19.90
1.55%
+
CHF 0.18
Additional remarks
Datatrans
Datatrans is not a Payment Facilitator – merchants therefore need a separate acceptance agreement with an acquirer before payment processing can be set up. The stated costs therefore do not include acquiring fees (approx. 1.6% extra). The test account is only activated once the acquirer agreement has been concluded.
PostFinance
For the use of PostFinance Checkout, a PostFinance business account or a credit card for fee billing is required. In addition, one-time setup costs of 199 CHF (Checkout All-in-One) to 249 CHF (Checkout Flex) apply. A free simulation mode allows merchants to test the integration in advance.
Conclusion: Datatrans or PostFinance – which Swiss provider convinces you?
PostFinance offers personal support in Switzerland. Datatrans relies on a chargeable support hotline. Google reviews: Datatrans 4.1 stars (26 reviews), PostFinance 2.2 stars (178 reviews). Datatrans has a higher rating, but on a significantly narrower basis. PostFinance offers free support, whereas Datatrans charges additionally for support inquiries.
