Digital River Alternatives for 2024 -

Sep 24, 2024

There's an abundance of Digital River alternatives on the market and you might not be aware of what makes one particular one stand out in particular.

It's particularly important to remember that Digital River is a merchant of record (MoR) that means that many payment providers might not provide the same comprehensive service you're used to from an MoR.

In this article We cover:

What makes HTML0 the best Digital River Alternative is a Retailer of Record

If you're familiar with Digital River but aren't familiar with the term "merchant of record" it's possible that you're not well-versed in the numerous advantages come from using it.

Let's review what an MoR is and the reasons why it's important is it important for your business uses one currently to make money from your SaaS software or other digital product -- you probably want to make sure you remain employing one.

 What Is a Merchant of Record?

Merchant of Record (MoR) is the entity that actually sells the goods and services that the client purchases. Businesses can act as their own MoR, but many opt to outsource that responsibility to an organization such as Digital River or to sell items or services on behalf of their company.

The MoR is responsible for the risk of SaaS transactions for you, meaning they handle everything from processing payments, charging back management, the collection and payment of taxes, and even conformity with local laws and regulations. And because the MoR is accountable for any issues related to these fields that they resolve, they can handle these issues, so that there is no need to.

Digital-commerce-reliant businesses that utilize an MoR can focus less on ecommerce and more on making great software, SaaS, video games, mobile games, or other digital goods.

What is it that makes an Merchant of Record Different From payment Service Providers ?

Payment service providers (PSPs) similar to MoRs, serve as an intermediary between companies that are looking to market a product, as well as the special networks and services that are necessary on the back end for the transaction to take place. Those specialized networks and services can include payment gateways payments processing, merchant accounts that accept credit and debit card payments, and others.

PSPs generally also have some sort of ecommerce platform and/or integration functionality (such like APIs, plug-ins, special integrations, etc.) for integrating their payment platform or checkout with your online store or website, but choices will differ.

But, payment service suppliers usually stop in the middle of controlling risk, handling tax issues, and assisting with chargebacks. When regulations and rules alter in the country or region of the regions or countries in which you offer your product, you'd be accountable for keeping up with the changes and making changes to your PSP processes, and checking out accordingly.

Certain PSPs might offer upgraded payment services in order to bring their offerings closer to what an MoR automatically provides, however they're usually bolt-on options which come with upgrade fees. In the case of Stripe, for instance. Stripe offers a fraud-prevention upgrade known as Radar however it is bundled with extra costs per transaction charges.

 Grow With , an Experienced Merchant of Record

is the leading merchant of record for worldwide software companies, powering over a billion dollars in worldwide transactions per year.

Here's just a handful of the ways we've earned that reputation.

 We've Got Decades of Expertise

Founded in 2005, has two decades of experience with enabling global payments, and has been part of the SaaS market as it has developed.

This is why our team has a deep understanding of the intricacies of selling digital goods as well as software, such as subscription management and all of the nuances that go with it.

 We're backed By Great Investors

There is no need to be concerned about being profitable or reliable. In addition to our expertise and expertise, we can also provide the peace of mind that comes with being backed by a high-performing, respected investment company.

Thanks to Accel-KKR, has the money and resources to grow your business using online payments as well as providing superior business, privacy, and security management.

 We Change When We Grow

The many years we have spent working in the international payments platform industry has also helped us grow in the past however, this growth has only happened due to our loyal clients.

That's for two reasons that we operate on the revenue-sharing model as well as because we're a trusted Partner who is eager to help to continue your growth.

 1. Earns money when you make Cash

With's revenue sharing model, we make money when you do. When your buyer makes a purchase We charge a modest commission fee on that transaction.

This means that even if you're not doing any business the transaction, we're not charged this commission.

Our team of experts will work together to come up with the most affordable flat-rate price based on your volume of business and transaction time. The pricing will include the features of our platform and tools.

2. Wants to Be Your Partner, Not Just Your Payments Solution

Stardock was able to complete the transition into SaaS subscriptions because of's already-in-hand subscription infrastructure that is ready to use, but they saw the mutual investment we made back into our own platform in order to develop innovative products and features.

This made Brad Sams of Stardock feel confident in his partnership with Stardock  the company, as he knew the partnership was for the long run. "Because the better we do, the better is going to come. It's important to ensure that everybody's winning, and things with just felt aligned."

" was going down that route of investing in the future and wasn't just taking a pay check every month but doing nothing."

 - Brad Sams, Stardock

TestDome has been pleased with the support they provide which ranges through assistance for buyer concerns as well as chargebacks right through to the highest levels of the company and our CEO.

 Award-Winning Customer Support and Customer Success

The high level of support and customer service has not just been acknowledged by our clients, it's also recognised in our own industry.

We don't just say we're looking to become an equal partner, we've made it our mission to show this.

 Our hands-on Migration Team strives for your success

Our support doesn't stop with those who have joined our platform -- we want to ensure you get up and running on our platform for payments as fast and effortlessly as you can.

Our hands-on implementation team comprised of high-performing sales engineers are experts in  the pre-built storefront for web as well as the flexible and comprehensive API, webhook functions, and more. They're there to help users make seamless changes via integration and migration.

 Other Fantastic Features

Here are a few other great benefits to using :

  • You'll automatically be compliant with sales tax, VAT and privacy rules across the globe.
  • The company accepts the best ninety-eight percent of the payment methods that are in use in 185 countries across the world, and in more than 21 language.
  • It is possible to customize seamless, modal or embedded pop-up checkout pages on your website.
  • It is easy for us to give coupons, discounts, and dynamic price points for promotions.
  • Checkout can be streamlined to a single click with 1ClickPay.
  • There's and more!

3 more Digital River Options

The options below are typical alternatives you might look at when evaluating Digital River competitors. Keep in mind that none of the below alternatives are merchants of records Therefore, you'll require to augment their offerings through internal channels or additional vendors and solutions.

 Stripe

Screenshot of Digital River alternative Stripe's homepage, with a colorful red, purple, and yellow background, large black text on the left, and photos of a smartphone screen and an analytics dashboard on the right.

Stripe is a well-known payment processor that lets businesses accept credit cards, debit cards, and mobile payments that include features such as:

  • Payment processing.
  • A customizable UI and pre-built checkout processes.
  • Simple management of subscriptions.
  • Online invoicing.

You may be wondering whether this is a viable alternative to your business because it's ubiquitous and it may initially appear to offer less expensive prices than the retailer of record that you're currently employing. This is because Stripe isn't a merchant of record.

If you're trying to reduce the costs of your transactions and you've got the capacity and expertise, as well as the time and teams to support the numerous services you'll be losing when you switch from MoR system to Stripe, this may be the right choice for your organization. But you'll need to make up the difference in the services you'll lose, such as the tax-related compliance aspect, fraud control as well as other. Stripe offers products that meet some of these needs however, they're additional services that increase your overall cost -- so any initial cost savings might quickly disappear.

But, if you're planning to change to Digital River to a business that is in the same class with the benefits and peace of mind an MoR gives, Stripe probably isn't the best Digital River competitor for you.

 Adyen

Screenshot of Digital River alternative Adyen's homepage, white background with black or green text and a close-up image of a small digital device and stylus.

Adyen bills itself as an "end-to-end payments, data, and financial management all in all-in-one solution." The solutions it offers for payments and financial services offer options and services like:

  • Payments in person and on the internet all in one system.
  • Optimizing revenue with smart payment routing, which improves conversion rates.
  • Subscription management features like dunning automation.
  • Risk management with fraud detection and prevention.

Although Adyen includes some of the features the merchant of record has, you will still need to manage your own company account and your merchant account.

PayPal is a great option for Business

Screenshot of Digital River alternative PayPal for Business' homepage, white background with black and blue text and photos of people and digital devices.

PayPal is a well-known online account for making personal online transactions however, they also provide a payment processing option for small business. PayPal for Business is both an in-person as well as electronic commerce solution.

(SaaS businesses that use it can take payments via PayPal.)

Other benefits offered by PayPal for Business include but do not limit themselves to:

  • Integrations built-in to major internet-based carts for shopping (such like Shopify).
  • QR codes as well as POS systems.
  • Invoicing.
  • Protection against chargeback (only only available to accounts for businesses that have Advanced Credit and Debit Card checkout).

Besides PayPal for Business, PayPal also has an exclusive payment processor for SaaS known as Braintree.

 How Can Help

Are you looking for a reliable merchant to grow your business internationally? This is a fully-stack and all-in-one payment solution for SaaS, software, video gaming, as well as other digital product businesses.

Our services cover the calculation of sales tax and VAT, collection, and remittance Localization of payments; Regulation compliance; award winning customer support, and much more!

Katie Stephan

Katie Stephan   Katie Stephan is the Senior Content Strategist at . In addition to her vast experience in marketing and expertise, she also holds earned an MFA in non-fiction creative writing and has served the communities she lives in as a writing professor at a local college.