Payments · Subscription / Membership Pricing
Stax Review
Subscription (membership) pricing — flat monthly fee, no percentage markup
Quick verdict
Stax is best for High-volume, higher-ticket contractors who process enough to amortize a monthly subscription and want to eliminate percentage markup on processing. Only saves money at sufficient volume (monthly fee is dead weight below it); recurring complaints about hidden fees and customer service (Capterra ~3.1); monthly commitment is hard for seasonal trades.
Rates & pricing
Subscription pricing: $99/mo (up to $150K/yr volume), $139/mo ($150K-$250K), $199+/mo ($250K+), plus interchange and a flat per-transaction fee (8¢ terminal / 15¢ online or mobile). No percentage markup on processing.
Pricing model: subscription · Monthly fee: $99+
Affiliate disclosure: No confirmed affiliate program — we currently earn nothing from Stax.
About Stax
Stax (formerly Fattmerchant, renamed in 2021) pioneered the subscription, or 'membership,' pricing model in payments: you pay a flat monthly fee and then process at interchange plus a small flat per-transaction fee, with no percentage markup on top. Founded in 2014 in Orlando, it now serves 30,000+ businesses processing $30B+. The model's promise is that on high volume, paying a fixed subscription instead of a percentage markup can save serious money — the more you process, the more the math favors it.
For a high-volume contractor (think busy multi-crew operations doing big-ticket work), Stax can deliver the lowest effective rate of the models here, because you're cutting out the percentage markup entirely and paying near-wholesale interchange plus a few cents per transaction. Plans scale by annual volume: $99/month up to $150K/year, $139/month to $250K, and $199+/month above that.
The trade-offs are real and show in the reviews (Capterra ~3.1, Trustpilot ~3.6). The subscription only pays off at sufficient volume — below it, you're paying $99+/month for nothing versus a no-monthly-fee processor like Helcim or Square. And the most common complaints are about unexpected/hidden fees and customer service, which undercuts the 'transparent' promise for some users. Stax is a genuinely strong fit for the right high-volume business, but it requires running your real numbers and going in clear-eyed about the service-and-fee complaints; lower-volume shops are usually better off with Helcim (interchange-plus, no monthly fee) or Square (simplicity).
How it works
You choose a subscription tier based on your annual processing volume and pay that flat monthly fee. From there, transactions cost interchange (the card networks' wholesale cost) plus a small flat per-transaction fee — 8¢ on terminals, 15¢ on online/mobile — with no percentage markup added by Stax. You accept payments via terminals, a virtual terminal, online, invoices, and recurring billing through Stax's platform. Because there's no percentage markup, your effective rate falls as your average ticket and volume rise, which is why the model favors high-volume, higher-ticket businesses. You'll want to confirm all fees up front, as complaints about unexpected charges are the main reputational issue.
Pros & cons
What works
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No percentage markup on processing
Stax charges a monthly subscription instead of a percentage on top of interchange, so you pay near-wholesale interchange plus a few cents per transaction. On high volume, eliminating the percentage markup can save serious money.
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Cheapest model at high volume
For busy, higher-ticket contractors, the subscription math can deliver the lowest effective rate of the models here — the more you process, the better it gets relative to flat-rate or even interchange-plus.
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Flat, predictable per-transaction cost
Beyond interchange, you pay a fixed 8¢/15¢ per transaction rather than a percentage, which makes large-ticket jobs (HVAC, roofing) dramatically cheaper to process than on a flat-rate card fee.
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Full payments platform
Terminals, virtual terminal, online payments, invoicing, and recurring billing are included, covering how a service business actually collects across on-site, online, and recurring.
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Established and high-volume-proven
With 30,000+ businesses and $30B+ processed, Stax is a proven platform for the high-volume use case its model is built for.
What doesn't
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Only pays off at sufficient volume
Below the volume where the subscription amortizes, you're paying $99+/month for little benefit versus a no-monthly-fee processor. A lower-volume shop usually loses money on Stax — run your real numbers first.
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Hidden/unexpected fee complaints
The most common negative reviews cite unexpected or hidden fees, which undercuts the model's transparency promise. Confirm every fee in writing before signing, and watch your early statements closely.
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Customer-service complaints
Poor customer service is the other recurring complaint (Capterra ~3.1, Trustpilot ~3.6). For a contractor who needs responsive support on payment issues, that's a real consideration.
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Monthly commitment
The flat monthly fee is a fixed cost regardless of how much you process in a given month — tougher for seasonal trades with slow periods than a no-monthly-fee processor.
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Wrong fit for small shops
Stax is built for high volume. Solo operators and small shops are almost always better served by Helcim (interchange-plus, no monthly fee) or Square (simple flat-rate), not a subscription.
Features & integrations
Key features
Integrations
Frequently asked
How does Stax subscription pricing work?
You pay a flat monthly fee based on your annual volume ($99/mo up to $150K/yr, $139/mo to $250K, $199+/mo above), and then process at interchange plus a small flat per-transaction fee (8¢ terminal, 15¢ online/mobile) with no percentage markup. The model saves money at high volume by eliminating the percentage cut processors normally take.
Is Stax cheaper than Square or Helcim?
Only at sufficient volume. Because Stax charges a monthly fee but no percentage markup, it can be the cheapest option for high-volume, higher-ticket contractors — but below the break-even point, the monthly fee makes it more expensive than no-monthly-fee Helcim or simple Square. Run your actual monthly volume and average ticket through the math before switching.
What are the main complaints about Stax?
Two recurring ones: unexpected or hidden fees and poor customer service (Capterra ~3.1, Trustpilot ~3.6). The fee complaints are notable because they undercut the transparency the subscription model promises — so confirm every fee in writing up front and review your first statements carefully.
Who should use Stax?
High-volume, higher-ticket contractors (busy multi-crew operations, lots of large invoices) who process enough to amortize the $99+/month subscription and benefit from eliminating percentage markup. Solo operators and lower-volume shops are usually better off with Helcim (interchange-plus, no monthly fee) or Square (simplicity).
Is the monthly fee a problem for seasonal trades?
It can be. Because the subscription is a fixed monthly cost regardless of volume, a seasonal business pays it through slow months when processing is low, which erodes the savings. Seasonal or variable-volume contractors should weigh that against a no-monthly-fee model like Helcim before committing to a subscription.