Authorize.Net review

Authorize.Net is a payment gateway and processing option for businesses taking payments online, by phone, on smartphones, or in person. It supports credit and debit cards, eChecks, and digital wallets, including Apple Pay, Google Pay, and PayPal. Tools include a Virtual Terminal for entering phone orders in a browser, a Virtual Point of Sale that connects a card reader to a computer, and Simple Checkout buttons for website purchases or donations. Mobile options include QR codes, digital wallets, and tap to pay. Fraud detection is included in the listed plans.

The plan choice matters: All-in-one includes a merchant account; Gateway only does not. One Reddit commenter says the gateway facilitates transactions while the merchant bank underwrites the account and sends funds to the business. That distinction is worth confirming with Authorize.Net and your bank before signing up, especially if you already have a processor.

The appeal is payment flexibility without committing to just one checkout channel. The listed tools cover website payments, phone orders, mobile acceptance, and card-reader payments from a computer. Recurring billing and digital invoicing are included in all three listed plans, along with fraud detection and 24/7 support.

According to the published pricing details, each plan costs $25 per month, with no annual price or discount shown:

• All-in-one: Includes a merchant account and gateway. The listed card rate is 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction.
• Gateway only: For businesses with an existing merchant account. The listed fee is 10¢ per transaction plus a 10¢ daily batch fee.
• Gateway + eCheck: For U.S. businesses adding eChecks. eCheck processing is 0.75%; credit-card fees are 10¢ per transaction plus a 10¢ daily batch fee.

That gives businesses with an existing merchant account a different fee structure from the all-in-one option. A Reddit commenter says Authorize.Net works for their Odoo setup, though that is one user’s report, not a guarantee about a particular integration.

The $25 monthly charge applies to every listed plan; there is no free plan or free trial listed, and no annual discount is shown. Transaction costs sit on top of that fee. For the all-in-one plan, the listed rate is 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction. Gateway-only and Gateway + eCheck list 10¢ per card transaction plus a 10¢ daily batch fee, while eChecks cost 0.75%. The published pricing details do not publish other caps or volume-based rates, so ask for a quote if your transaction mix is unusual.

Integration fit can also take work. In an Odoo discussion, one commenter calls Authorize.Net a standard alternative but says physical terminals that work with both POS and accounting tools can be a hurdle. Treat that as a user report, not a universal limitation.

A Reddit thread includes a merchant’s claim that funds were held, while commenters dispute that the gateway itself holds or disburses funds and point instead to merchant-bank underwriting and risk reviews. The reports conflict; confirm who controls settlement and what review or reserve terms apply before processing payments.

Authorize.Net lists all three plans at $25 per month. There’s no monthly price jump between tiers; the difference is what account and processing setup you get. The All-in-one plan includes a merchant account and gateway, with card processing at 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction. Gateway only costs the same $25 monthly, but excludes the merchant account and charges 10¢ per transaction plus a 10¢ daily batch fee. Gateway + eCheck also costs $25 monthly; credit cards use the Gateway-only fees, while eCheck processing is 0.75%.

The pricing page also lists eCheck at 0.75% per transaction as an add-on for U.S.-based businesses. That rate is not a substitute for checking which plan and payment method you’ll use. All plans include recurring billing, digital invoicing, fraud detection and 24/7 support, according to the pricing details. No free plan, annual billing price or annual discount is listed. Budget for the $25 monthly fee plus the applicable transaction charges.

The published product and pricing information doesn’t explain migration steps, data exports, or whether customer and recurring-payment records can be transferred. Before switching, ask Authorize.Net and your current processor what can move, what must be recreated, and whether any existing payment agreements require customer action. Map your checkout, phone-order, mobile and in-person workflows too: Authorize.Net lists online payments, a Virtual Terminal, mobile payments and a Virtual Point of Sale, but the materials here don’t document how to migrate each setup.

Recurring billing is included across the listed plans, but the source doesn’t say how subscriptions transfer. Treat that as a key question if recurring payments are central to your business. We also don’t have Reddit posts or comments in the published material, so we can’t responsibly name user-reported reasons for leaving. Confirm export options, fees and timing in writing before you switch either way.