How we rate
Every product on FeeHawk gets the same treatment: we pull pricing from official sources, cross-reference it against at least two independent references, and score it across four dimensions. No product gets a rating without verified data. If we can't confirm a number, we say so.
We don't accept payment for reviews or let companies influence their scores. Our revenue comes from audit services and referral fees disclosed on our advertiser disclosure page. The ratings exist to help you make a decision, not to push you toward a particular product.
The four dimensions
Every product is scored from 1.0 to 5.0 across four categories. The overall rating is the weighted average.
Pricing
30% weightWhat you actually pay, not what the sales page says. We look at transaction fees, monthly fees, contract terms, hidden charges, and how pricing scales as your volume grows. A processor with low rates but a $500 early termination fee scores lower than one with slightly higher rates and no contract. Total cost of ownership matters more than headline numbers.
Features
25% weightWhat the product actually does for a small business. For processors, this includes supported payment types, integrations, reporting, and fraud tools. For POS systems, we evaluate inventory management, employee tools, and offline capability. For banks and cards, we look at the features that matter for daily operations: mobile deposits, spending controls, rewards structures.
Ease of use
25% weightHow fast can a non-technical business owner get up and running? We evaluate signup friction, dashboard clarity, onboarding flow, and how much hand-holding the product requires. A product that needs a developer to integrate scores lower than one you can set up in an afternoon. Most small business owners don't have IT departments.
Support
20% weightWhat happens when something goes wrong. We research support channels (phone, chat, email), response times, and real user experiences from Reddit, Trustpilot, G2, and BBB complaints. A product with 24/7 phone support and fast resolution times scores higher than one where you're stuck in a chatbot loop. When your terminal goes down during dinner rush, email-only support is not acceptable.
What the scores mean
| Score | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 4.5 - 5.0 | Outstanding. Best in category with minimal downsides. |
| 4.0 - 4.4 | Excellent. Strong option for most businesses. Minor tradeoffs. |
| 3.5 - 3.9 | Good. Solid choice for the right use case, but notable weaknesses in one or two areas. |
| 3.0 - 3.4 | Average. Works but you can probably do better. Significant gaps. |
| Below 3.0 | Below average. We'd recommend looking elsewhere unless your situation is very specific. |
Where our data comes from
Every data point in a review (transaction fees, monthly costs, contract terms, feature lists) is sourced from at least two of the following:
- 1. Official pricing pages and documentation. The primary source. We link directly to these where possible.
- 2. Merchant statements and contracts. What companies actually charge often differs from what they advertise. Real statements tell the real story.
- 3. User reviews and complaints. Reddit, G2, Trustpilot, and BBB filings. These surface the problems that never make it to the marketing page.
- 4. Industry reporting. Nilson Report, Federal Reserve payments studies, and regulatory filings for publicly traded companies.
When two sources conflict, we flag it in the review and explain the discrepancy. We'd rather show you the uncertainty than pretend we have a clean answer.
Category-specific evaluation
The four rating dimensions stay consistent, but what we look at inside each dimension changes by product type.
Payment processors
Pricing model (interchange-plus vs. flat-rate vs. tiered), transaction fees, monthly fees, contract length, early termination fees, PCI compliance costs, and settlement speed. We weight interchange-plus pricing favorably because it's the most transparent model for businesses processing over $10K/month.
POS systems
Monthly software cost, hardware cost and options, built-in vs. third-party processing, key features for the target industry (restaurant vs. retail vs. service), and whether the system locks you into a specific processor.
Business credit cards
Annual fee, APR range, rewards structure, sign-up bonus value, and how the card fits typical small business spending patterns. A card with 2% back on all purchases is often more valuable than one with 5% in narrow categories most businesses rarely hit.
Business banks
Monthly fees and waiver thresholds, minimum balance requirements, APY on deposits, transaction limits, and integration with accounting tools. For small businesses, we prioritize no-fee accounts with strong digital banking features over high-APY accounts with restrictive requirements.
Payment gateways
Transaction fees, monthly gateway fees, integration options (shopping carts, invoicing, recurring billing), developer documentation quality, and PCI compliance scope. We evaluate whether the gateway creates processor lock-in or lets you switch providers easily.
Business loans
APR range, loan amounts, repayment terms, time to funding, minimum credit score, minimum revenue requirements, and origination fees. We heavily penalize products with opaque "factor rate" pricing that obscures the true cost of borrowing. If a lender won't show you an APR, that tells you something.
How we keep reviews current
Payment processing pricing changes frequently. A review from six months ago might already be wrong. We re-verify pricing and key data points on a rolling basis and update the "last updated" date on each review when we do. If a product makes a significant pricing change between our review cycles, we flag it as soon as we're aware.
If you spot something outdated or incorrect in a review, let us know. We'd rather fix a mistake fast than defend a stale number.
Editorial independence
FeeHawk earns revenue through merchant statement audit fees and, in some cases, referral fees from products we recommend. These referral relationships are disclosed on individual review pages and on our advertiser disclosure page.
Referral relationships never influence ratings. Products that pay us referral fees are scored using the exact same methodology as products that don't. We've given low scores to products with referral relationships and high scores to products without them. If we can't maintain that separation, we'd rather drop the referral than compromise the rating.