Digital River Alternatives for 2024 -

Sep 24, 2024

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

It's important to know it is that Digital River is a merchant of record (MoR), which means that some payment providers might not offer the type of complete features you're accustomed to when using an MoR.

In this article this post, we will discuss:

Why the Best Digital River Alternative is a Merchant 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.

This article will help you understand what an MoR is and the reasons why it's important is it important for your business uses one currently to earn money for your SaaS, software, or other digital product -You should make sure you keep using one.

 What Is a Merchant of Record?

Merchant of Record (MoR) is the company which sells the products and services that the client purchases. Companies can serve as their own MoR However, many prefer to contract out this task to a firm like Digital River or to sell goods or services on behalf of their company.

The MoR takes on the liability of SaaS transactions for you and handles everything from the processing of payments and chargeback management to the collection and payment of taxes, and even the compliance of local laws and regulations. And because the MoR is accountable for any issues that arise in these areas, they handle resolving the issues for you so you don't have 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 makes an Merchant of Record Different From Payment Service Providers ?

Pay service companies (PSPs), like MoRs provide the bridge between business owners who are looking to market a product, and the specialized systems and services necessary on the back end to make those transactions happen. Those specialized networks and services could include payment gateways, payment processing, a merchant account to take credit or debit cards, and many more.

PSPs usually also include some sort of ecommerce platform and/or integration functionality (such such as APIs plug-ins or special integrations.) to connect their payment system or payment gateway with your shop or site, however the different options are available.

But, payment service providers generally fall in the middle of controlling risk, handling tax issues, and assisting with chargebacks. If regulations or rules change within any one of the regions or countries where you sell your products, you'll be responsible for keeping the latest on these changes, and updating your PSP processes and checkout accordingly.

A few PSPs might offer upgradeable payment solutions to get their services closer to the features that MoR includes automatically, but these are typically bolt-on functions which be accompanied by upgrade costs. For example, Stripe offers a fraud-prevention upgrade called Radar however it is bundled with additional costs per transaction costs.

 Grow with , an Expertly-Trained Merchant of Record

is the largest retailer of record for the world's software firms, processing more than one billion dollars of global transactions per year.

Here's just a handful of the many reasons why that we've earned this reputation.

 We Have Decades of Expertise

Established in 2005, we have more than two decades of experience enabling global payments, and we've been a part of the SaaS market as it has developed.

Because of this, our team has a deep understanding of the complexities of selling digital items as well as software, such as subscription management and all of the nuances that go with it.

 We're backed by Great Investors

You don't need to worry about whether you're profitable or reliable. In addition to our expertise and expertise, we can also provide the assurance that comes with being backed by a top-performing, highly respected investment company.

Through Accel-KKR, we have the resources and proceeds needed to help scale your business using online payments as well as providing superior security, privacy and corporate security governance.

 We Grow When You Grow

The many years we have spent working in the international market of payments platforms has helped us grow in the past However, that growth has only happened due to our loyal customers.

This is due to two factors: because we work on a revenue sharing model and also because we're a business Partner who is eager to help you continue growing.

 1. It is a way to earn money when you make Money

Thanks to 's revenue sharing system that we use, we earn money whenever you do. In the event that your client makes a purchase, we charge a small commission fee on that transaction.

That means that if you're not doing any business or transferring money, we're not charging you that commission.

Our team of experts will work together with you to establish simple, flat-rate pricing depending on your amount of transactions and time, and that pricing includes all of our platform's features and tools.

2. Would Like to Be your Partner and Not Just Your Payments Management Solution

Stardock was able to make the change into SaaS subscriptions because of's already-in-hand subscription infrastructure that is ready to use, however, they also saw the reciprocal commitments we put in our own platform to continue developing new products and features.

It made Brad Sams of Stardock feel confident in his partnership with Stardock , because he could see that we were there to last. "Because the better we do then the better it will be to come. We've got to make sure that everyone's on the winning side, and everything's to be aligned."

" was going down that route that was a continuous investment, not simply collecting a paycheck each month, and not doing anything."

 -- Brad Sams, Stardock

TestDome is also pleased with the support they provide, noting that it goes from assistance with buyer issues as well as chargebacks right up to the top of the company and the CEO.

 Highly-Commercialized Customer Support and Customer Retention

Our high-quality support and customer service has not only been recognized by our clients, it has also been recognized in our business.

We don't just say we're looking to become a partner -- we've set out to show this.

 Our hands-on Migration Team is determined to help you succeed.

Our support doesn't stop with those who have joined our platform We want to make sure you are started on our platform for payments as fast and effortlessly as you can.

Our team of hands-on, highly efficient sales engineers are experts in  the pre-built storefront for web, the flexible and extensive API, webhook functions including webhooks. We're here to assist users make seamless changes through migration and integration.

 Other Fantastic Features

Here are a few additional great reasons for using :

  • It will be automatically compliant in compliance with VAT, sales tax as well as privacy laws around the world.
  • accepts the top most popular payment options which are accepted in more than 185 countries around world, and in more than 21 languages.
  • You can customize seamless embedded or modal popup checkout experience on your site.
  • We make it simple to provide discounts, coupons and dynamic price points for promotions.
  • Checkout can be streamlined to a single click with 1ClickPay.
  • Plus much more!

3 more Digital River Solutions

These are the most common choices to look into in the case of evaluating Digital River competitors. Remember that none of the below choices are merchants of record therefore you might require to augment their offerings, either internally or with other vendors or services.

 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, as well as mobile payments and features like:

  • Payment processing.
  • An UI that can be customized and built checkout flow.
  • Simple and simple management of your subscription.
  • Invoicing online.

It's possible that you're wondering whether it's a good alternative for your company because it's ubiquitous and it may seem at first like it has less expensive prices than the retailer of record that you're currently employing. This is because Stripe is not a merchant of record.

If you're trying to reduce the cost of transactions and you've got the size experience, knowledge, and staff to handle the numerous services you'll be losing when you switch from MoR system to Stripe, this may be the best option for your organization. But you'll need to compensate for the loss in services lost, including taxes compliance, fraud prevention as well as other. Stripe offers products that help with some of these requirements However, these are an add-on that can raise your total cost- so any initial cost savings could quickly evaporate.

However, if you want to switch to Digital River to a business that is in the same class with the advantages and security that MoR offers, Stripe probably isn't the most suitable 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 describes itself as "end-to-end payments, data, and financial management all in one solution." Its payment solutions as well as financial services come with features and products such as:

  • Online and in-person payments are all the same system.
  • Optimization of revenue through intelligent payment routing that improves conversion rates.
  • Subscription management features like dunning automation.
  • Risk management with the detection of fraud and prevention.

Even though Adyen has certain features that a merchant of record offers but you'll need to manage your own company accounts and merchant accounts.

PayPal to 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 digital wallet for personal online payments, but they also offer an option to process payments to small businesses. PayPal for Business can be used both in person and as an ecommerce solution.

(SaaS companies that utilize it also accept payments through PayPal.)

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

  • Integrations built-in to major web-based shopping carts (such like Shopify).
  • QR code and POS systems.
  • Invoicing.
  • Chargeback protection (only offered to business accounts with Advanced Credit and Debit Card payment).

In addition to PayPal for Business, PayPal also offers an exclusive payment processor for SaaS known as Braintree.

 How Can Help

Are you looking for a reliable merchant to help you increase your sales internationally? It is a complete, integrated payment system for SaaS, software, video gaming, as well as other businesses that sell digital products.

Our services cover the calculation of sales tax and VAT as well as collection and remittance Payment localization, regulation compliance; award winning consumer support; and so many more!

Katie Stephan

Katie Stephan   Katie Stephan is the Senior Content Strategist for . Besides her extensive marketing experience and expertise, she also holds earned an MFA in creative nonfiction writing and has been a part of her local communities as a writing professor at a local college.