Authorize.Net vs Verisign

Battle of the Giants

Authorize.Net vs Verisign's Payflow

You've got your website ready, catalog pages updated, and shopping cart that is compatible with either of these payment gateways. Now, which one to choose?

Linking vs. Integration

Both of these payment gateways have grown in market share over the years and have gotten more and more similar. One of the primary differences between the two is that Verisign (VS) differentiates between "integrated" and "link" solutions. The linked solutions is called Verisign Link, uses Verisign's server to host the gateway page and therefore a separate SSL certificate is not required. The integrated solutions is called Verisign Payflow Pro, and allows you to host your own payment page, with payments processing in the background, but also requires you to have an SSL certificate to ensure security. In other words, if you want to host a shopping cart on your site you will need the integrated solution. Therefore, this solution is essential for a true, localized, e-commerce environment. With Authorize.Net (ANet) you don't need to choose between the two solutions as they come in the same package.

Authorize.net and Verisign Fee Structures

Fee Structure for Authorize.Net

• Setup Fee: $149
• Gateway Access Fee: $20 per month
• Per Transaction Fee: $0.10

Fee Structure for Verisign's Payflow Link

• Setup Fee: $179
• Monthly Fee: $20
• Monthly Transactions Included: 500 ($0.10 per transaction after that)
• Gateway Access Fee: $20 per month
• Per Transaction Fee: $0.10

Fee Structure for Verisign's Payflow Pro

• Setup Fee: $249
• Monthly Fee: $60
• Monthly Transactions Included: 1000 ($0.10 per transaction after that)
• Gateway Access Fee: $20 per month
• Per Transaction Fee: $0.10

Merchant Accounts, Checks, AVS, and More

Verisign doesn't actually sell you their services, instead they pass your order on to one of their merchant account providers. The problem with this is that you are coaxed into signing up without understanding the merchant provider's fee structure. Most likely you will end up paying more than you need to. Since Authorize.Net and Verisign are two of the largest payment gateways, you may choose from a variety of merchant providers, many of which offer integrated shopping cart solutions compatible with Authorize.Net and Verisign at a rate superior to Verisign's sponsored merchants. Read (link - picking a merchant provider) for a guide on selecting a merchant account provider.

Remember that neither of these payment gateways offer a full merchant solutions. We recommend you visit our E-Commerce Consulting tutorial for a flowchart of all the processes involved in a complete e-commerce solution.

Accepting Electronic Checks (ACH)

To accept checks online and for ACH transactions you will need to open a separate account with an electronic check internet merchant (this account functions independently from a credit card merchant account).

Recurring Payments

Repeat payments are supported by both Authorize.Net and Verisign. This is useful if you need to charge customers on a monthly basis. With Authorize.Net you simply upload your payment information, which is then processed on the server. With Verisign you run a script on your own server and payments are processed one at a time.

Integration with Shopping Carts

Authorize.Net has traditionally been compatible with more shopping carts than Verisign, although Verisign is catching up. In either case you should decide on a shopping cart before deciding on a payment gateway.

Authorize.net, Verisign, and AVS

AVS stands for Address Verification System. An AVS check is a comparison of a street (mailing) address with a billing address. Verisign charges extra fees for AVS where Authorize.net does not. Since U.S.-based Internet transactions are required to use AVS this fee is unavoidable (and considering the rampant fraud scams out there you probably don't want to avoid AVS). For international transactions, AVS can be disabled - simply elect not to reject "Non-US Card Issuing Banks" and select "AVS is not supported." Finally, it is possible to disable AVS entirely if anti-fraud services and/ or CVN's (Card Verification Numbers - usually a three-digit number on the back of the card) are used instead. However - this may be a violation of your merchant account agreement, so be sure to verify this prior to disabling AVS.