Freedom251 › Embedded Payments Platforms
Rainforest
What Rainforest is
Rainforest is a payments-as-a-service product for software platforms that want to embed payment acceptance for their merchants. It focuses on platform businesses rather than working directly with merchants. Supported payment methods include cards, Apple Pay, PayPal Wallet, Venmo, PayPal Pay Later, ACH and validated ACH. Platforms can integrate through prebuilt components, an API-only setup or a hybrid approach; components cover onboarding, payment acceptance, reporting and chargeback management. Rainforest says it conducts KYC and KYB checks and returns an approved, declined or manual-review response within minutes. Its product page describes a daily deposit covering payment methods, with an itemized report. Reports can show transaction costs, profitability and platform earnings. Rainforest says it is PCI DSS Level 1 certified and hosts its platform on AWS, with data encrypted in transit and card information encrypted at rest. It offers integration engineers, guides and sandbox testing. Direct API processing of full card and bank account numbers requires approval. Higher-volume card pricing requires contacting sales, and the risk management fee depends on assessed risk.
Who it suits
Rainforest is aimed at software platforms that want to embed payments for merchants, rather than merchants seeking a direct provider. Its documented components and API options suit platforms choosing an integration approach.
What it does well
- Supports multiple payment methods.
- Offers component, API-only and hybrid integration.
- Provides onboarding checks and review responses within minutes.
- Reports can include transaction costs and profitability.
- Integration engineers and sandbox testing are offered.
What to know first
- No free plan is listed.
- Higher-volume card pricing requires contacting sales.
- Full card and bank API processing requires approval.
- Risk management fee depends on assessed risk.
Limits
There is no free plan. Direct API processing of full card and bank account numbers requires Rainforest approval; higher-volume card pricing is available by contacting sales, and the risk management fee depends on assessed risk.
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Card transaction fees | Per item for monthly transaction volume 150k–250k · $0.20/item · 150k–250k monthly transactions | $0.20, paid once |
| ACH transaction | per item · ACH payments | $0.20 a month |
| Card transaction fees | Monthly dollar volume $15m–$25m; + interchange & DFA at passthrough · 0.20% · $15m–$25m monthly volume | $0.20 a month |
| Card transaction 150k–250k | per item · 150k–250k monthly transactions | $0.20 a month |
| Card volume tier 15–25m | monthly · $15m–$25m monthly card volume · interchange and DFA passed through | $0.20 a month |
| Standard payout | per item · Standard payouts | $0.20 a month |
| Account updater | per item · Updated card | $0.23 a month |
| Card transaction 50k–150k | per item · 50k–150k monthly transactions | $0.25 a month |
The first 8 of 12 plans, as rainforestpay.com lists them, read 2 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word. Every plan
Getting started
- Visit the Rainforest website.
- Choose an embeddable component, API-only, or hybrid integration approach.
- Use the guides and end-to-end sandbox testing to work through integration.
- Contact Rainforest for higher-volume card pricing if needed.
- Request approval before using the API to process full card or bank account numbers.
Verdict
Rainforest provides payment acceptance and related platform components, with several integration paths and reporting options. Platforms should check sales-dependent pricing and approval requirements for direct API processing.
Questions
Does Rainforest have a free plan?
No. Its pricing model is paid.
Which payment methods does Rainforest support?
Supported methods include cards, Apple Pay, PayPal Wallet, Venmo, PayPal Pay Later, ACH, and validated ACH.
How can a platform integrate Rainforest?
It documents embeddable components, API-only integration, and a hybrid approach.
What does Rainforest charge?
Listed fees include Card transaction fees at $0.20 a month for monthly dollar volume of $15m–$25m, plus interchange and DFA at passthrough; Standard payout at $0.20, paid once per item; ACH transaction at $0.20, paid once per item; Account updater at $0.23, paid once per item; and 3DS at $0.31, paid once per attempt. Higher-volume card pricing is available by contacting sales, and the risk management fee depends on assessed risk.
Can the API process complete card and bank account numbers?
Direct API processing of full card and bank account numbers requires Rainforest approval.
What platforms does Rainforest support?
Its listed platforms are Android, iOS, web, and API.
Facts from Rainforest's own pages
- Android system requirement
- Tap to Pay Android documentation requires Android 11 or newer, NFC and device security on a compatible phone or tablet. · docs.rainforestpay.com, 15 Oct 2026
- API access condition
- Direct API processing of full card and bank account numbers requires Rainforest approval. · docs.rainforestpay.com, 2 Oct 2026
- API authentication
- The API uses bearer credentials with production keys prefixed apikey_ and sandbox keys prefixed sbx_apikey_. · docs.rainforestpay.com, 15 Oct 2026
- API permissions
- API keys support resource and action permissions, permission groups and merchant-specific constraints. · docs.rainforestpay.com, 15 Oct 2026
- API uptime
- The status page reports 99.96% API uptime for August 2026 and 100% for September 2026. · status.rainforestpay.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Audience
- Rainforest says it focuses on helping software platforms make money from payments and does not deal directly with merchants. · rainforestpay.com, 2 Oct 2026
- Company experience
- Rainforest says its leadership team brings more than 20 years of payments and SaaS experience. · rainforestpay.com, 2 Oct 2026
- Company size and headquarters
- LinkedIn lists Rainforest as privately held, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with 51–200 employees. · linkedin.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Developer support
- Rainforest offers senior integration engineers via Slack and regular working sessions, as well as detailed guides and end-to-end sandbox testing. · rainforestpay.com, 2 Oct 2026
- Developer tooling
- Developer materials include interactive guides, integration libraries, sandbox testing, real-time API logs and Slack access to senior integration engineers. · rainforestpay.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Direct card API limit
- Processing raw card or bank data through the API requires Rainforest approval and platform PCI validation. · docs.rainforestpay.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Earlier funding
- TechCrunch reported Rainforest's $20 million Series A in June 2024, bringing cumulative funding then to $31.75 million. · techcrunch.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Embedded components
- Prebuilt embeddable components support merchant onboarding, payment acceptance, reporting, and chargeback management. · rainforestpay.com, 2 Oct 2026
- Founded and funding
- Crunchbase News reported a $29 million Series B in September 2025 and total funding of $57.5 million since the company's 2022 inception. · news.crunchbase.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Funding
- Rainforest advertises next-day funding, while documentation describes daily net or monthly gross deposit options. · rainforestpay.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Funding and reconciliation
- The product page says merchants receive one daily deposit for all payment methods with an itemized deposit report. · rainforestpay.com, 2 Oct 2026
- Google Pay requirements
- Google Pay requires a supported secure-element device and browser, a top-level payment component and compliance with Google Pay terms. · docs.rainforestpay.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Google Play listing
- Rainforest Pay, Inc.'s Mobile Pay app supports Tap to Phone, was updated September 1, 2026, shows 10+ downloads and displays no star rating or review count. · play.google.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Integration options
- Platforms can integrate through embeddable components, an API-only approach or a hybrid implementation. · docs.rainforestpay.com, 15 Oct 2026
- iPhone system requirement
- Tap to Pay on iPhone requires a supported iPhone and the latest iOS version. · rainforestpay.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Legal name
- Rainforest's terms identify the contracting entity as Rainforest Pay, Inc., a Delaware corporation. · rainforestpay.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: contract notices
- PaymentPop reports that covered contract errors or breaches require written notice within 30 days. · paymentpop.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: pricing transparency
- PaymentPop says published buy rates cover platform charges only; interchange, network costs and platform markup affect the final business price. · paymentpop.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: risk controls
- PaymentPop says Rainforest terms allow reserves, withholding or suspension that can delay payouts. · paymentpop.com, 15 Oct 2026
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