Compare · OrbChain vs NowPayments ▓ SIDE BY SIDE KYC · custody · fees

OrbChain
vs NowPayments.

NowPayments is one of the longest-running crypto processors. Their coin coverage is broader than ours; their custody model and KYC tier structure are not. Here's what matters, honestly.

Create account → Migrate from NowPayments

Custody · KYC tiers · Fee transparency

§ Part I / IV · Core policy

Where the models diverge.

The decisions that matter
if you care about self-custody

TopicOrbChainNowPaymentsEdge

KYCEmail + password. Zero KYC ever.No KYC below ~$25k/mo; KYC required above, with tier reviews.ORB

CSTNon-pooled: own BIP-44 branch, auto-sweep to your wallet.Custodial — NP holds funds in merchant sub-wallets until withdrawal.ORB

FEE0.4% flat, no tiers.0.5% Auto (custody) / 1.0% Custom (flexible) / 0.4% Enterprise.ORB at low volume

WDRNetwork-native withdraw fee only.Withdraw fees include a custody-layer markup.ORB

VOLNo volume gates.Volume gates for KYC + discount tiers.ORB

§ Part II / IV · Capabilities

What's in the API.

Core is shared
OrbChain adds three cryptographic guarantees

FeatureOrbChainNowPaymentsEdge

LNInstant Lightning endpoint.No BTC-Lightning endpoint as of 2026-04.ORB

SREd25519-signed receipts.None.ORB

DWDeterministic event IDs.Random UUIDs; merchant must dedupe.ORB

INVHosted invoice + hosted payment page.Same — solid parity.TIE

SUBSubscriptions — plans + dunning + proration.Recurring-payments endpoint; simpler shape.ORB

POSingle + batch + scheduled payouts + refunds.Mass Payouts endpoint; feature parity.TIE

MC22 coins, 8 networks.100+ coins, 15+ networks. Significantly broader.NP

FITNo fiat rails.Fiat on/off ramps (IBAN, SEPA) through partners.NP

POSHosted POS PWA.Various POS integrations, no first-party PWA.ORB

§ Part III / IV · Developer experience

Docs, SDKs, site.

Both are solid here
Margins are small

PropertyOrbChainNowPaymentsEdge

SDKTyped JS + Python SDKs (zero-dep).Official PHP, Python; community Node.TIE

DCScURL + multi-language refs in /docs.Dedicated docs site; comparable depth.TIE

STATLive /status page, open-source health check.Statuspage.io; maintained, reactive.TIE

CHGPublic /changelog + RSS.Blog posts on releases; no dedicated changelog.ORB

§ Part IV / IV · Tradeoffs

When NowPayments
is the right call.

Honest
Not every shape fits OrbChain

Q.01Need an obscure coin (HBAR, ALGO, etc.)?

NowPayments likely wins. We ship 22 coins curated to cover real-world flow. If your customer base lives on a chain we don't support, NP's 100+ list probably has it.

Q.02Need fiat off-ramp?

NP has IBAN/SEPA partners integrated; we don't. If you need to auto-settle into EUR at month-end, NP is the right call today.

Q.03Operating at enterprise scale with custody preference?

Some merchants want the processor to custody — simpler accounting, fewer tax-lot calculations. NP's Enterprise tier is built for that. Our non-pooled, withdraw-on-demand model is the opposite decision.

0.4% flat.
No custody.
No tiers.

Migrate in 30 minutes via the shape-compatible REST API.

Migration guide → Create account