Best ACH Payment Providers

The bottom line: Dharma is our favorite ACH payment provider because it comes in at a great price-point and has a diverse suite of processing tools that offer flexibility in how you accept payments.

Almost all of our recommended processing service brands specialize exclusively in ACH transactions—they’re also credit card processors. That’s because ACH processing isn’t as common as credit or debit card transactions. It’s a service that comes bundled with standard processing tools.

That said, ACH payments are a great way to make large transactions between bank accounts for a small fee. We’re here to help you find the ACH solution that best fits your business needs and saves you the most money on processing costs.

Clover POS terminals are an industry best and make a great combo to ACH processing.

Clover POS systems can scan checks with an on-device camera. You can also accept ACH payments via Clover’s online portal.

In addition to ACH functionalities, Clover offers a modernized point-of-sale system complete with inventory management tools and employee performance functionalities. That said, you don’t have to go direct through Clover to use it as your processor.

Some of our top payment processors, like Dharma Merchant Services and Payment Depot, offer Clover integrations. Going through a third-party provider may allow you to get a smaller transaction fee.

Stax isn’t the cheapest ACH processor, but it’s a solid ACH payment acceptor and credit card processor.

Stax doesn’t say a whole lot about its ACH processing on its website, but it does have an incredibly low ACH processing fee. If you are doing large ACH transactions, the savings can add up in a big way with a 1% fee and a $10.00 max fee per transaction. You’ll save money on any transaction over $1,000 that hits the $10.00 max fee.

Additionally, with Stax, you have an incredible, fully featured processing solution with all the bells and whistles. Stax is a great one-stop shop for all your processing needs if its $99.00 monthly fee is cost effective in relation to your transaction volume.

Simply put, the more transactions you process, the more you save with Stax.

Dharma has a low monthly fee and great ACH processing features making them a top candidate.

Dharma’s ACH processing platform allows you to accept checks or to manually enter bank details to run a one-time transaction. Dharma’s ACH service also allows you to set up recurring ACH payments with your customers.

And because Dharma integrates with some processing technology services, you can accept ACH payments in additional ways:

• Telecheck acceptance for Clover. If you have a Clover terminal or you decide to get one through Dharma, you can use the camera on your clover device to automatically scan a check into your processor.
• Virtual check (eCheck) acceptance. You can accept digital checks through Dharma’s payment portal.
• In-person check acceptance. You can key checks into your standalone credit card terminal using this option.

Simply put, Dharma gives you a ton of ways to accept ACH payments and at a good price. Best of all, Dharma is one of our top credit card processors if you need those services as well.

National processing makes paying your employees easy and does it at a solid price.

National Processing also offers a robust ACH service that does everything you’d expect from an ACH processor, and that makes paying your employees a breeze.

That said, National Processing’s ACH services also make it easy for customers to pay you from their bank accounts. You can also set up recurring ACH payments.

The only uncertainty we have with National Processing is its transaction price. The site says that $0.48 is the minimum fee per transaction but doesn’t give the whole range.

National Processing is also one of our highest-recommended credit card processors, so if you end up needing more than just ACH processing in the long run, you can always expand with your National Processing account.

Stripe is a free service, but you need to be a programmer or have access to one to use Stripe.

Stripe is an application programming interface or API. If you or your business associates don’t know what that means, Stripe probably isn’t for you. Stripe requires programming know-how to make it work.

Stripe allows you to accept ACH payments through your online payment portal just like you would a credit card. It can integrate into your website or into any site that uses a Stripe payment processor.

You can also use Stripe to send payable invoices that let customers pay how they want. This won’t guarantee you the low processing costs of ACH, but it is a good way to give your customers more payment options.

Put simply: no. Generally you want to be able to accept whatever payment methods your customers prefer to use. That said, there’s nothing wrong with encouraging the use of ACH processing to customers that are already loyal to your brand.

There are a lot of ways to accept ACH transactions, but your unique processing needs ultimately dictate which option is most efficient for your business. If you’re already using any of these providers for other forms of payment processing, ask them about ACH processing. If not, Dharma has the most robust ACH tools available.

If you’re looking for more details on the processing features of some of the brands recommended in this article, check out our recommendations for the top processors on the market today.

Disclaimer

At Business.org, our research is meant to offer general product and service recommendations. We don't guarantee that our suggestions will work best for each individual or business, so consider your unique needs when choosing products and services.