Helcim

Helcim is payment-processing software for businesses that sell in person, online, or by invoice. It is best suited to small businesses that want several ways to collect payments in one service, including recurring billing. The trade-off is that transaction charges vary, and some payment types add a per-transaction fee.

Overview

Helcim combines point of sale, online checkout, payment links, invoicing, and a virtual terminal with recurring payments, a customer vault, and an inventory catalog. That breadth is useful for merchants handling both face-to-face and remote sales; it is less compelling for a business that only needs to send invoices or accept payments through one channel.

In-person payments include major payment types such as Apple Pay and Google Pay. Helcim supports multiple currencies and daily payouts. Eligible merchants can accept ACH through invoicing, recurring payments, payment requests, and the Virtual Terminal, though eligibility makes ACH less of a universal option. The company was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta.

Key features

• Multiple payment channels: Point of sale, online checkout, payment links, invoices, and a virtual terminal cover a broad range of common sales workflows. This makes Helcim a practical option for a merchant that wants to manage varied payment types together.
• Recurring billing and customer vault: Merchants can bill customers on a recurring basis. Card Vault tokenizes stored payment details, so future charges can be taken without storing card numbers on the merchant’s own systems. Recurring payments carry an additional 0.4% per transaction, which can matter for businesses with substantial subscription or repeat-payment volume.
• Integrations and custom work: Helcim offers integrations for QuickBooks Online, Xero, and WooCommerce, plus its API and HelcimPay.js for custom integrations and website payments. These options suit businesses connecting payment processing to accounting, ecommerce, or bespoke systems.
• Security: Helcim identifies itself as a PCI Level 1 Service Provider and says it protects cardholder data with AES-256 encryption and TLS 1.2 or higher in transit. Those measures and tokenization support merchants that want to keep card details off their own systems.
• POS device support: The POS app is available for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android. Supported devices require Windows 10/11, macOS 10.13 or higher, iPadOS 16 or higher, or iOS 16 or Android 10 or higher; Chromebooks and LG L322DL devices are incompatible. That rules out some existing hardware.
• Support: Phone support runs Monday through Friday, 7 a.m.–5 p.m. MT, and Saturdays, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. MT. Contact-form questions receive a reply within one business day, a useful route for merchants who do not need round-the-clock phone coverage.

Pricing

Helcim payment processing

The plan costs nothing and has no account monthly fees. It uses interchange-plus transaction rates that vary by volume and payment method, so the zero account price is not a zero-cost way to process sales. Recurring payments add 0.4% per transaction. ACH/EFT-PAD costs 0.5% + 25¢ per transaction, capped at $6.

This structure suits businesses that prefer no monthly account charge and can evaluate processing costs against their own payment mix and volume. Merchants relying heavily on recurring billing or ACH should account for those added charges when comparing options.

Platforms

Helcim lists Android, iOS, macOS, web, Windows, and API support. The broad platform range is useful for businesses using different devices or building a custom payment connection, subject to the POS app’s operating-system requirements and device exclusions.

Who it's for

Helcim is a strong fit for small businesses that need a mix of in-person and online acceptance, invoicing, payment links, or recurring billing, and want integrations or an API as they grow. It is a weaker fit for merchants seeking fixed transaction costs, since rates vary, or for businesses that need ACH without eligibility conditions. Its published phone-support hours may also not suit teams that need phone help outside those windows.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Broad collection options: POS, checkout, invoicing, payment links, and a virtual terminal can cover multiple sales channels in one service.
• No account monthly fees: The plan has a free price, keeping a recurring account charge out of the cost equation.
• Useful integration choices: QuickBooks Online, Xero, WooCommerce, the API, and HelcimPay.js support accounting, ecommerce, and custom connections.
• Daily payouts and multi-currency support: These provide flexibility for merchants managing cash flow or payments across currencies.

Cons

• Variable transaction rates: Costs depend on volume and payment method, making the processing bill harder to assess from the account price alone.
• Extra charges for some payment types: Recurring billing adds 0.4%, while ACH/EFT-PAD has its own rate and transaction charge.
• ACH eligibility applies: Merchants cannot assume ACH is available to every account.
• Hardware exclusions: Chromebook users and owners of LG L322DL devices cannot use the POS app.

Alternatives

Choose PayAnywhere if its Pay as you go structure fits your sales better: the listed rates are 2.69% for swipe, dip, or tap and 3.49% + $0.19 for keyed transactions. Choose PayPal Invoicing if invoice creation and sending without setup or subscription fees are the priority; transaction fees apply when customers pay. Consider Zeller for its free-to-download POS, which requires a Zeller Terminal and has transaction fees. SumUp Invoices is an alternative when unlimited invoices and quotes, recurring invoices, and customer management are the focus. QuickBooks GoPayment is another mobile payment option, though its app requires a QuickBooks Payments account and is subject to eligibility, credit, and application approval. Grafterr GO! is another freemium option. MobilePayments lists in-person card payments at $1.39 per transaction, with Tap to Pay on iPhone at +10p per transaction and business and non-EU cards at 2.39% total. myPOS Glass offers a free plan for monthly card turnover under £10,000.

Browse Mobile Payment Processing Software, Payment Processing Software, Virtual Terminal Software, or Point-of-Sale Software for more options by category.

Verdict

Choose Helcim if your business needs several payment channels, recurring billing, and integrations without an account monthly fee. Its broad toolkit is the main reason to choose it; variable rates and added recurring or ACH charges are the reasons to compare alternatives before committing.