Datatrans vs PostFinance
Classic PSP with acquirer agreement vs. payment facilitator of a Swiss bank
Datatrans by Planet is an established Swiss PSP, which is particularly aimed at larger companies with high transaction volumes. PostFinance, as a well-known Swiss financial institution, offers its own payment solution for online shops. A key difference: Datatrans requires a separate acquirer agreement, while PostFinance acts as a payment facilitator. What this means in terms of costs and effort is shown in this comparison.
Total monthly costs of Datatrans and PostFinance with a turnover of EUR 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), wide 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-off setup costs of up to 249 EUR, a lack of e-commerce tools, no Samsung Pay and a significantly lower Google rating at 2.2 stars.
Comparison table advantages and disadvantages 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 chargeable plugins
Complex setup
No e-commerce tools
High monthly fixed costs
Fees not transparent
Chargeable support hotline
PostFinance
Advantages
Numerous payment methods (including TWINT and PostFinance Pay)
Free plugins
Low transaction fees
Free trial available
Swiss company
High recognition in Switzerland
Personal support
Disadvantages
Samsung Pay not supported
No e-commerce tools
High setup costs (one-off)
Low Google rating
Which payment methods do Datatrans and PostFinance offer?
Both providers support the main 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. Conversely, Datatrans supports Reka but does not offer WIR Pay. With 14 payment methods compared to 12, PostFinance has a slight lead in terms of coverage.
Comparison table 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
Zahlen 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. With Datatrans, some plugins are subject to a fee, whereas PostFinance offers all plugins free of charge. Neither provider offers Shopify support or integrated e-commerce tools. In terms of integrations, PostFinance has a slight advantage 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 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 smaller database. PostFinance offers free support, Datatrans charges additionally for support enquiries.
For whom is Datatrans suitable and for whom PostFinance?
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 does the setup with Datatrans and PostFinance require?
PostFinance charges one-off setup fees of 199 to 249 EUR and requires a PostFinance business account, but offers a 30-day simulation mode. With Datatrans, a separate acceptance agreement must first be concluded 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 EUR 20,000, PostFinance costs EUR 365.90 (E-Com Bundle), while Datatrans costs EUR 398. Important: The Datatrans price does not yet include acquiring costs, as a separate acquirer agreement is required. With a turnover of EUR 100,000, PostFinance is at EUR 1,749.90, Datatrans at EUR 2,015 (excluding acquiring). PostFinance charges a one-off setup fee of EUR 199–249, but offers an all-in-one solution with no additional acquirer fees.
Comparison table of costs Datatrans vs PostFinance
Provider
Subscription
Set-up 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 – Comerciante:innen therefore require a separate acceptance agreement with an acquirer before payment processing can be set up. The stated costs therefore do not include any acquiring fees (approx. 1.6% extra). The test account is only activated once the acquirer contract has been concluded.
PostFinance
Use of PostFinance Checkout requires a PostFinance business account or a credit card for fee billing. In addition, one-off setup costs of 199 EUR (Checkout All-in-One) to 249 EUR (Checkout Flex) apply. A free simulation mode enables Comerciante:innen to test the integration in advance.
Conclusion: Datatrans or PostFinance – which Swiss provider is more convincing?
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 smaller database. PostFinance offers free support, Datatrans charges additionally for support enquiries.
