When you're looking for a user-friendly app to send payment links to your customers, PayLink by PointCheckout and Zbooni are two of the best options in the market.
But what's the difference between them? And how do they compare in key features such as ease of use and flexibility?
To make your decision easier, here's our in-depth comparison of PayLink vs. Zbooni to help you weigh up your options and decide which is the best fit for you.
PayLink by PointCheckout is the most flexible payment solution for small businesses, offering an app to generate payment links in seconds, payment gateway integration into your own website and invoicing software, and even a free online store called PayLink Shops under your own brand and domain name.
Zbooni is an online marketplace for businesses. It provides a system to do commerce through a variety of channels and helps small businesses start selling online. The simple invoicing tool allows merchants to create orders with a payment link that can be sent to clients for a fast and safe checkout experience.
Payments is the foundation of e-commerce and remote transactions, so any solution it should be user-friendly, and at the same time be safe and secure with a clear overview of the transactions and transparency in fees. See how PayLink app and Zbooni compare across some of the most critical functionalities.
Time to onboard
With a fully digital account opening and onboarding, the two apps have a similar experience when opening an account. Both companies promise to have the onboarding application done in minutes and activation within a day. Opening an account with Zbooni however is slightly less cumbersome for some merchants as sending documents such as trade license and activation is done through whatsapp instead of in the app directly. PayLink by PointCheckout is a regulated payments company rather than a marketplace so it needs to adhere to strict compliance regulations and that could delay approvals or restrict certain industries such as imitation jewelry or financial services. The process is fully in app and also activations and document change requests are fully done from the app.
Ease of use for merchants
When your business is booming, clients waiting and calls are coming in, how quickly a merchant can issue a link and send it to clients is an important factor. Using Zbooni, merchants can send a product link in 10 seconds, which is amazing, although you need to invest the time creating the product portfolio first so you can share those links. A small hurdle with a big reward still.
PayLink works with both pre-defined product links as well as instant payment links, which is a great feature for quick issuance of links. Similar to how restaurant card machines work for example, Just enter the amount to be collected, add an item description, client phone/email and send a link. This is especially important for service companies such as those of freelancers or consultants, when there is no real product to create in a marketplace and send a link for.
Ease of payment for clients
Both PayLink and Zbooni are self explanatory once clients receive a link, so either one is a strong choice if ease of payments is important to you.
One main difference is that PayLink has a lot simpler interface for clients to pay once a link is issued. All required info is on one page, which translates usually to faster payment and significantly less abandonment at payment. Also PayLink clearly shows its PCI compliance certification at the payout page to assure clients of their payment security. It is worth noting that a PayLink payment link is fully branded with your logo and banner, making it more of an immersive experience for your clients and comes across as more trustworthy.
Whichever you use it is important to followup with clients and make sure they did receive the link and are clear on how to pay in case they have questions.
Price comparison
Two key things that matter for starting businesses that both PayLink and Zbooni offer: 0 setup fees, 0 monthly fees, and 0 monthly minimums. Both apps are known for it, and both are making a difference for starting entrepreneurs in the region. Their fees are on a per transaction basis, so you pay when your clients pay.
However, the percentage per transaction differs, and here is where it makes a difference. Zbooni charges a 3.5% per transaction regardless of volume, already a very competitive rate. PayLink rates however start at 2.95% + 1 AED per transaction, and reduces to 2.6% or less as your monthly volume grows.
The only other fee involved is the payout fee, or the transfer fee to the merchant account.Albeit a very small difference, PayLink is slightly cheaper at AED 7 per payout, while Zbooni transfers costs the merchants AED 10 per transfer. The payout fee is thus hardly a decision factor.
When to choose PayLink
PayLink really thrives on two different use cases:
Small businesses and entrepreneurs who need a ready to use payment link solution that is free to start with, but has plenty of ambition and room to scale in the future
Fast-growing teams that want a reliable and scalable all-in-one platform for their payments starting with links, without the complexity and high fees of other payment gateways
As a payment company, the PayLink app is one interface, with online payment for your existing website, payment links through the app with unlimited terminals for the team, the free online store PayLink Shops, and accounting software integrations, this is the best option to start and grow.
When to choose Zbooni
You need to control the fees for a small business
The easiest way to compare is as follows: if your average transaction is less than AED 200 and your monthly volume is below AED 20,000 per month, PayLink tends to be more expensive as its rich features are not fully utilized.
You are not planning to scale beyond sending links
Online payment is much more than payment links. So if you don’t intend to launch an online store or use invoice payments through accounting software (integrate with Zoho, Xero, etc), then this is the right choice for you.
Can you use PayLink and Zbooni together?
There are some situations where it makes sense to use both apps for your business, after all there are no signup or monthly fees for either. For example your team could use Zbooni for quick payments on specific product items, while your online e-commerce and payments page could be managed through PayLink. As your business grows and you gain more experience with both apps, you can then decide which one is best in the long term.