Methodology

Data Sources

Where ProcessorFit's provider information comes from, and why we prioritize official primary sources over third-party summaries.

Last reviewed: July 3, 2026

Quick Answer

ProcessorFit builds every provider profile from publicly available primary sources: official websites, pricing pages, legal documentation, developer docs, product documentation, and public support centers. We do not use user reviews, third-party summaries, or non-public sources. Provider information changes over time — always verify directly before signing any agreement.

On this page

1Primary Sources ProcessorFit Uses
2Why Primary Sources Are Preferred
3Sources ProcessorFit Does Not Use
4Provider Information Changes Over Time
5Source URLs on Provider Profiles
QFrequently Asked Questions

Primary Sources ProcessorFit Uses

ProcessorFit builds all provider content from publicly available primary sources. These are sources created or published directly by the provider — not summaries, reviews, or third-party interpretations.

Official provider websites

Product pages, feature descriptions, market positioning statements, and publicly stated capabilities. This is the primary source for how a provider presents itself to prospective merchants.

Pricing pages

Published rate schedules, plan tier pricing, monthly fees, and per-transaction costs. Providers that publish pricing publicly receive a 'Public pricing' fit signal. Providers that do not are labeled quote-based.

Legal documentation

Merchant agreements, terms of service, end user license agreements, and acceptable use policies. Legal documentation often contains information about prohibited business types, reserve requirements, and termination provisions that marketing pages omit.

Acceptable use policies

Publicly available lists of prohibited or restricted business categories. Used to note any publicly disclosed approval considerations on provider profiles.

Product documentation

User guides, setup documentation, and publicly accessible feature specifications. Used to verify capabilities like recurring billing support, hardware compatibility, and integration availability.

Developer documentation

Public API documentation and integration guides. Used to verify ecommerce platform integrations, supported payment methods, and technical capabilities.

Public support centers

Publicly accessible help articles, FAQs, and knowledge base content. Often contains detailed information about account operations, fee structures, and product behavior that is not on the marketing site.

Why Primary Sources Are Preferred

Primary sources are preferred over third-party summaries for three reasons:

Accuracy
Third-party summaries — even from reputable publications — can contain errors, outdated information, or editorial interpretations that differ from what the provider actually offers. Going directly to the source reduces the risk of propagating inaccuracies.
Verifiability
Merchants can independently verify every data point ProcessorFit publishes by visiting the same primary sources. This transparency is core to ProcessorFit's mission: we are a starting point for research, not an endpoint.
Currency
Primary sources are updated by providers when their products change. Third-party summaries may lag by months or years. Checking primary sources during each review cycle maximizes the likelihood of catching changes.

Sources ProcessorFit Does Not Use

To maintain accuracy and editorial integrity, ProcessorFit does not use the following as primary data sources:

✕User review sites (Trustpilot, G2, Capterra, Yelp, etc.) — subject to selection bias and manipulation
✕Third-party comparison articles — often contain outdated or editorially interpreted information
✕Press releases — promotional in nature and not independently verifiable
✕Social media posts — not authoritative or verified by the provider
✕Forum discussions — anecdotal and unverifiable
✕Non-public provider information — ProcessorFit does not use embargoed, confidential, or insider sources
✕Undisclosed sources — all ProcessorFit information is traceable to a public primary source

Provider Information Changes Over Time

Payment processors change their pricing, features, terms, and supported business types regularly. A rate that was accurate when a profile was last reviewed may no longer reflect current offerings. A previously supported integration may have been discontinued.

ProcessorFit displays a last reviewed date on every profile and comparison page. This date reflects when the content was most recently checked against primary sources — not when the provider last changed its product.

Always verify directly: Before signing any merchant agreement, verify current pricing, contract terms, supported business types, and any approval requirements directly with the provider. No comparison tool — including ProcessorFit — can substitute for reading the actual merchant agreement.

Source URLs on Provider Profiles

Each provider profile on ProcessorFit includes a "Sources Reviewed" section that lists the primary source URLs used during the most recent review. These links allow merchants to verify ProcessorFit's information directly against the original source. Source links point to public pages only — no login-gated, subscription-gated, or non-public sources are used.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why doesn't ProcessorFit use user reviews as data sources?

User review sites introduce several data quality problems: selection bias (unhappy customers are more likely to review), manipulation risk (fake reviews, review removal campaigns), and a lack of business-context specificity (a 1-star review from a high-risk merchant declined at underwriting tells a different story than a 1-star review from a retail store with a billing dispute). ProcessorFit uses primary sources that any merchant can independently verify.

What if a provider's official website contains inaccurate information?

ProcessorFit documents what providers publicly state about themselves. If a provider's website contains marketing claims that conflict with legal documentation (such as the merchant agreement), ProcessorFit notes the discrepancy. We do not independently audit provider claims — we document them. Merchants should read the merchant agreement carefully before signing, regardless of what the marketing page says.

How does ProcessorFit handle providers that don't publish pricing?

When a provider does not publish pricing publicly, the monthly fee, processing rate, and contract term fields on their profile are labeled 'Needs Verification.' We note the pricing model type (e.g., quote-based) and direct merchants to contact the provider directly. We do not publish estimated or third-party reported pricing for providers that do not publicly disclose rates.

Does ProcessorFit use data from financial journalism or industry reports?

ProcessorFit uses primary sources — official provider documentation — rather than relying on journalism or industry reports. Third-party summaries, even from reputable publications, may contain errors, outdated information, or editorial interpretations that differ from what the provider publicly states. Going directly to the primary source reduces the risk of propagating inaccuracies.

Can providers submit their own information to ProcessorFit?

Providers may contact ProcessorFit to flag outdated or inaccurate information on their profile. However, ProcessorFit verifies all submitted information against public primary sources before updating any content. Provider submissions are treated as tips to investigate — not as authoritative updates that bypass the editorial process.

Next Steps

Data Freshness & Review Schedule

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Interchange-Plus Pricing Explained

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