Shift4 vs Zil Money

PayPal

Venmo

Stripe

PayPal provides an end-to-end suite of tools that can integrate with a business's existing systems and service providers. Its network of shoppers and businesses provides AI-driven data insights to help businesses reach new customers and drive results.

Venmo is a digital wallet and payment gateway that allows customers to send money and make purchases via mobile device, and share activity via the purchase feed

Stripe is a financial infrastructure platform that enables businesses to accept payments online and in person. It offers a suite of APIs for payment processing, subscription management, fraud prevention, and financial services integration Stripe provides both developer-focused tools with extensive documentation and no-code solutions for businesses without technical staff.

Shift4 (NYSE: FOUR) is boldly redefining commerce by simplifying complex payments ecosystems across the world. As the leader in commerce-enabling technology, Shift4 powers billions of transactions annually for hundreds of thousands of businesses in virtually every industry.

Data Security

Debit/Credit Card Processing

Electronic Signature

In-Person Payments

Mobile Payments

Multi-Currency

Multiple Payment Options

Online Payments

Partial Payments

Receipt Management

Recurring/Subscription Billing

Reporting/Analytics

Transaction Monitoring

Shift4

Web-based

Square Point of Sale

Clover

Square Payments

Cash App

Shopify

Wave

Clio

Basic

Manager

After 40 years of delivering food trying to change and have third company handling my delivery need, Barely started with skytab, at the same time with chownow to handle my delivery’s customers and found out that these two doesn’t work together, hoping they start soon

Owner

when you call for issues, you're on the phone for ever. If you have a Server that runs a credit card on the wrong check and the guest has already left, you as the merchant eat that check amount!

Shift4 then deliberately circumvented this block by using alternate business names to attempt to process payments—a blatant act of fraud.

POS system was unreliable, I was on the phone for 2-3 hours every month with them to push updates that would rarely come through.   When I called to cancel they wanted me to buy the contract out on the back end even though there was a documented history of their system not being reliable.

It was a pretty easy system, The workflow was nice with starting tabs and I enjoyed the backend product.

Companies like this do not deserve a chance to earn your business, save the nightmare and go with toast, this company sucks!

The terminals were returned and I did not hear anything else until I got an automated ticket notification 2 months later and then a RMA request another 2 weeks after that.

Our experience with Shift4 / Lighthouse has been nothing short of a nightmare, and we want to warn other businesses before they fall into the same trap.

Cases were marked as “resolved” automatically after five days, even though nothing had been fixed or explained.

I would be willing to change my review if customer service would work with me on the fee as they have been good in previous years about reversing fees for services was not using when calling in.

They hide the contract length and early termination fees for their contract via a website titled terms and conditions.

Customer service was helpful at this time and reversed some previous fees for services I was not using and put me on a basic plan and assured me there would be no additional charges.  

Integration Specialist

It seems to have its ability to grab information and connect to many sources for our CRM.

President

I moved from IRN card processing to Shift4 with the understanding that monthly Reporting and Fees would be more transparent and easily understood. While the fees charged actually showed up in the month they were incurred, the reporting did not reflect the actual transactions.

We had outages with Shift 4 and that impacted checking in guests for our hotel.

owner

They have added monthly fees and a contract which is charging $525 in early termination fees.  

We strongly advise all small businesses to avoid Shift4 / Lighthouse at all costs.

Shift 4 is our processor but cannot help you retrieve a credit card mistake!

The icing on the cake was our new card processor could not get us installed before our 12 month contract expired, so Shift4 charged us for the entire following 12 months of support and reporting.

Co-CEO

They are now trying to have me cancel and pay $2,400 or charge me $310 a month in no usage fees

General Manager

After telling us they would match we stayed only to find out they didn't match.   When we approached shift 4 with this, the response was sign this new contract.  

At the start of 2025 ( January 2nd) noticed a 189.00 charge on my bank account  and called the next day to find out what is was for.

This all-in-one system simplifies operations, allowing us to focus more on customer service and less on administrative tasks.

They refused to refund me even though I had proof that I was unable to access the equipment to return it.

It offers a seamless blend of sales processing, inventory management, and customer tracking.

Delay in processing credit cards.   After you select cc you have to wait until it connects to the reader,  Only about 5 seconds but seems like a long time when we are busy.

They said if I switched over to charging the customers 3%, there would not be any fees.  

I also do not like that they do not involve the sales rep and others when developing the menu for your resturant, the developers need to observe how a restaurant is run before they build it out.

Continued to charge fee after service cancelled and then charged high fee to cancel.

This thing is like learning another language.

No where on the agreement is any mention of contract length or fee for early termination.

Even though our hotel was in DC and centrally located it took a long time for anyone to figure it out.

We went with Clover after spending over 50 hours on hold with them and getting nowhere and now we can’t even ship their crappy product back to them because they don’t have us listed as owners of the company that they send bills to.

It has been a terribly exasperating experience to try and get information out of them to try and understand their reports.

Then when I need just certain things from a daily report it gives me too much information and there is no way to tailor it to what we need and customer support does not help much as they don’t seem knowledgeable.

We called several times and told them WE DON'T have them and "customer service " said there is nothing they can do.  

Nothing to report because we didn’t receive anything but debits to our bank for nothing.

Shift 4 charged me $2600 for not having the equipment returned in time!

We still took the $3K buy out option, just to get rid of this awful company.

Customers have to jump through hoops to get technical support.  

I have a great local rep that I always have to call because the larger company usually cant help.

Customer service can improve, when I call several times they seem not as knowledgeable and have to follow up everytime keeping me hold for a long time.

My original sales rep from 12 years ago was good when it was owned by Harbor Touch.

They never delivered the credit card terminals but insist they did.

They didn’t have a setting turned on that cost me $22,000.

I do not recommend this company for a small company that is not processing a lot.  

I even have an email from my sales guy (before I signed up) that confirms there was no contract, and no early termination fees.

Pricing

Sales and Billing

Credit Card Processing

Customer Support

Phone Support

Transaction Processing

Restaurant Operations

Service Cancellation

Equipment Charges

SkyTab for Restaurants

Freelancers

Small Business

Large Enterprises

Mid-size Business

Sometimes the platform feels a bit slow, especially during peak hours and customer support responses could be quiker.

The dashboard and the customer support are amazing!

Amazing customer service and just overall fantastic site to use

Zil Money a financial technology company, not a bank. Zil Money offers banking services through a partnership with FDIC member bank Texas National Bank.

ACH Payment Processing

Activity Dashboard

Billing & Invoicing

Customer Statements

Electronic Payments

Invoice Management

Invoice Processing

Payment Links

Receivables Ledger

Third-Party Integrations

Vendor Management

Proprietary

Zil Money

Windows

Linux

Chromebook

Android

iPhone

iPad

QuickBooks Enterprise

Melio

All-in-One Platform: The convenience of managing various payment methods (checks, ACH, payroll) and financial tools from a single dashboard.

Founder

The platform offers a wide range of features like check printing, ACH, and wire transfers that are especially useful for small businesses and freelancers.

Strategy and Operations Manager

It’s super easy to send and receive payments, automate invoices, and even print checks right from the platform. Plus, the integrations with QuickBooks and other tools make managing finances a breeze.

Litigation consultant

Access fee-free transactions for eligible transactions through your ZilMoney Wallet.

Agriculture

It’s especially useful for small businesses needing a digital check solution without high bank fees. Once I got used to the dashboard, everything became quick and intuitive.

Engineer

it really has a unique highlight is the ability to pay vendors, employees, or rent using a credit card.

Add Marketing

The interface looks a little dull maybe give it a different design because first glance didnt real me in as much.

They make things very easy to manage my business payments go over smoothly, and I just feel more confident about the security of the of it all.

The process to process Payments was so easy to follow and made it more manageable to deal with during payday

Work from home mom

Zil Money provides a wide range of financial services, including online banking, check printing, ACH and wire transfers, invoicing, and expense management, all in one platform.

It streamlines transactions, ensures timely payments, and provides robust encryption for data security.

Development Sr

Overall, Zil Money can be a powerful tool for managing payments and financial transactions, particularly for businesses looking for a comprehensive and cost-effective solution.

Assistant

I was really upset about the failed extended trial but this website or app is awesome so join along friends

We use it primarily for sending e-checks or for printing physical checks.

Overall, Zil Money has made my financial workflows much easier.

Maybe provide more offers/discounts in the future.

Real estate agent

I am able to send and money easily without delays.

Program Assistant

Learning Curve: Despite its user-friendly interface, some users may initially find it challenging to navigate all the features and functionalities, especially if they are not tech-savvy.

Head of Operations

Some of our vendors still require checks for payment and printing them is straightforward as well.

I would like if they had some sort of prepaid card you could give employees for there direct deposit.

may experience a learning curve when first using the platform, especially if they are not familiar with digital payment systems.

Driver

Multiple ways to make payments and receiving as well.

did glich a time or two but i cant say for certain tht it wasnt my internet connection or even my phone

We don't use some of the other features yet but may look into them in the future as our business grows.

Directer

It's interesting to see what I could utilize. If I had customer. And the accounts emailed to me.

Highly recommend for anyone looking to simplify their business finances!

Software Engineer

I was not able to integrate third party products super well.

Director

Good service and excellent support customer

the most easiest experience I have ever had

It is very easy to send money and deposit.

Zil Money has been an absolute game-changer for my business!

Independant Executive Assistant

Simple design which helps with was of use an and response.

We have several different checking accounts to pay from and switching back and forth is very easy.

Cost-effective easy to use an implement friendly for all computer literacy, age levels and competent at doing exactly what it states it would do

Ability to get to my money when I needed it

The process to make the first few payments go thru was not good.

Novel spinoff of what most banks already offer their business clients

administrative consultant

Logging on a nd security system is unbelievable

My overall experience was positive. If I was going to continue my business into the future I would’ve kept using zilmoney.

CEO - IT Consultant

So far we are happy with our experience with Zil Money's Online Check Writer and so are our vendors.

Administration

It’s really just the customer service team really needs fast response and support.

Normally a switch like this is both time consuming and confusing but in this case it was super easy.

Shift4 vs Zil Money Comparison (2026)

Shift4

Zil Money

Overview

Video & Screenshots

Pricing

User reviews

Key features

Integrations

Alternatives