Whop vs Soar Payments: fees, holds and reserves

Fees, reserves, high-risk acceptance, Shopify support and payouts, side by side. Every figure comes from each company's own pages, checked 2026-10-21.

Payment processor

Whop

Card rate

2.7% + 30¢

No monthly fee listed

High-risk merchant services

Soar Payments

Card rate

Quote only

No monthly fee listed

Quick take

Soar Payments sets you up with a merchant account through partner banks, with terms quoted per business. Whop publishes one flat rate.
Soar Payments doesn't publish a standard card rate (interchange-plus (custom quote)). Whop publishes 2.7% + 30¢ with no monthly fee listed.
Soar Payments boards high-risk businesses. Whop reviews case by case and bans unapproved supplements and vapes.
Soar Payments works inside Shopify (third-party gateway). Whop replaces Shopify with its own storefront.

Side by side

Pricing
	Whop	Soar Payments
Type	Payment processor	High-risk merchant services
Pricing model	flat rate	interchange-plus (custom quote)
Card rate	2.7% + 30¢	Not published
International	+1.5% international cards, +1% currency conversion	Not published
Monthly fee	Not published	Not published
Setup fee	Not published	Not published
Chargeback fee	$15	Not published

Risk
	Whop	Soar Payments
High-risk businesses	Case by case	Yes
Dropshipping	Not published	Not published
Reserves	May hold a reserve when an account is new, when disputes trend toward card-network thresholds, or when delivery comes long after payment (example: 10% for 90 days).	Typically 5% to 10% of processing volume, held in a non-interest-bearing escrow while the account matures; not every merchant needs one; reviews every 60 to 90 days

Payouts and coverage
	Whop	Soar Payments
Payout speed	Next-day ACH ($2.50) or instant (4% + $2.50)	48 to 72 hours after batch close (cards)
Merchant countries	Payouts to 200+ countries	United States only (owner must have a US Social Security Number)
Currencies	Not published	Not published

Integrations and features
	Whop	Soar Payments
Shopify	Replaces checkout	Third-party gateway
WooCommerce	Not published	Yes
Subscriptions	Yes	Yes
One-click upsells	Yes	Not published
Apple Pay	Yes	Not published
Multiple MIDs	Not published	Not published
Token portability	Not published	Not published

Which one fits

Pick Whop if

Funnel and subscription brands that want storefront, checkout and payments from one company at a flat published rate.

+Published flat rate of 2.7% + 30¢ with no monthly platform fee listed
+Storefront, checkout, subscriptions and payouts in one product
+API and CLI that AI coding agents can use to build and edit stores
−Ecommerce storefronts launched in October 2026 and docs still called physical goods a work in progress on October 20, 2026
−Reserves possible on new accounts and late-shipping stores
−International cards cost 1.5% extra

Whop profile

Pick Soar Payments if

US high-risk merchants on Authorize.net or NMI who want interchange-plus pricing with published reserve and settlement terms.

+Publishes its pricing model (interchange plus a fixed markup)
+Publishes typical reserve size and review cadence
+Publishes settlement times for cards and ACH
+Shopify and WooCommerce supported through Authorize.net
−US-based businesses only; owner needs a US Social Security Number
−Dropshipping not listed among industries
−No published markup or monthly fee amounts

Soar Payments profile

Questions

Is Whop cheaper than Soar Payments?: Soar Payments doesn't publish a standard card rate, so you need a quote to compare. Whop publishes 2.7% + 30¢ on domestic cards with no monthly fee listed.
Does Soar Payments work with Shopify?: Third-party gateway. The FAQ says Authorize.net, the gateway most SoarPay merchants use, integrates natively with WooCommerce and Shopify. Gateways offered: Authorize.net, NMI, FluidPay and AcceptBlue; the platform page also lists USAePay.
Does Soar Payments accept high-risk or dropshipping stores?: High-risk: yes. Dropshipping: not published. The industry list covers 50+ verticals, including nutraceuticals, CBD, continuity/subscription, vape, firearms and travel; dropshipping is not listed. A credit check is required for every application, and scores under 600 are unlikely to be approved. The site footer says Soar Payments is a DBA of AltruPay LLC, a registered ISO of Commercial Bank of California.
Does Soar Payments hold reserves?: Typically 5% to 10% of processing volume, held in a non-interest-bearing escrow while the account matures; not every merchant needs one; reviews every 60 to 90 days

Sources

Whop sources · checked 2026-10-21

Soar Payments sources · checked 2026-10-21

Quick take

Soar Payments sets you up with a merchant account through partner banks, with terms quoted per business. Whop publishes one flat rate.

Soar Payments doesn't publish a standard card rate (interchange-plus (custom quote)). Whop publishes 2.7% + 30¢ with no monthly fee listed.

Soar Payments boards high-risk businesses. Whop reviews case by case and bans unapproved supplements and vapes.

Soar Payments works inside Shopify (third-party gateway). Whop replaces Shopify with its own storefront.

Side by side

Pricing
	Whop	Soar Payments
Type	Payment processor	High-risk merchant services
Pricing model	flat rate	interchange-plus (custom quote)
Card rate	2.7% + 30¢	Not published
International	+1.5% international cards, +1% currency conversion	Not published
Monthly fee	Not published	Not published
Setup fee	Not published	Not published
Chargeback fee	$15	Not published

Risk
	Whop	Soar Payments
High-risk businesses	Case by case	Yes
Dropshipping	Not published	Not published
Reserves	May hold a reserve when an account is new, when disputes trend toward card-network thresholds, or when delivery comes long after payment (example: 10% for 90 days).	Typically 5% to 10% of processing volume, held in a non-interest-bearing escrow while the account matures; not every merchant needs one; reviews every 60 to 90 days

Payouts and coverage
	Whop	Soar Payments
Payout speed	Next-day ACH ($2.50) or instant (4% + $2.50)	48 to 72 hours after batch close (cards)
Merchant countries	Payouts to 200+ countries	United States only (owner must have a US Social Security Number)
Currencies	Not published	Not published

Integrations and features
	Whop	Soar Payments
Shopify	Replaces checkout	Third-party gateway
WooCommerce	Not published	Yes
Subscriptions	Yes	Yes
One-click upsells	Yes	Not published
Apple Pay	Yes	Not published
Multiple MIDs	Not published	Not published
Token portability	Not published	Not published

Which one fits

Pick Whop if

Funnel and subscription brands that want storefront, checkout and payments from one company at a flat published rate.

+Published flat rate of 2.7% + 30¢ with no monthly platform fee listed
+Storefront, checkout, subscriptions and payouts in one product
+API and CLI that AI coding agents can use to build and edit stores
−Ecommerce storefronts launched in October 2026 and docs still called physical goods a work in progress on October 20, 2026
−Reserves possible on new accounts and late-shipping stores
−International cards cost 1.5% extra

Whop profile

Pick Soar Payments if

US high-risk merchants on Authorize.net or NMI who want interchange-plus pricing with published reserve and settlement terms.

+Publishes its pricing model (interchange plus a fixed markup)
+Publishes typical reserve size and review cadence
+Publishes settlement times for cards and ACH
+Shopify and WooCommerce supported through Authorize.net
−US-based businesses only; owner needs a US Social Security Number
−Dropshipping not listed among industries
−No published markup or monthly fee amounts

Soar Payments profile

Questions

Is Whop cheaper than Soar Payments?

Soar Payments doesn't publish a standard card rate, so you need a quote to compare. Whop publishes 2.7% + 30¢ on domestic cards with no monthly fee listed.

Does Soar Payments work with Shopify?

Third-party gateway. The FAQ says Authorize.net, the gateway most SoarPay merchants use, integrates natively with WooCommerce and Shopify. Gateways offered: Authorize.net, NMI, FluidPay and AcceptBlue; the platform page also lists USAePay.

Does Soar Payments accept high-risk or dropshipping stores?

High-risk: yes. Dropshipping: not published. The industry list covers 50+ verticals, including nutraceuticals, CBD, continuity/subscription, vape, firearms and travel; dropshipping is not listed. A credit check is required for every application, and scores under 600 are unlikely to be approved. The site footer says Soar Payments is a DBA of AltruPay LLC, a registered ISO of Commercial Bank of California.

Does Soar Payments hold reserves?

Typically 5% to 10% of processing volume, held in a non-interest-bearing escrow while the account matures; not every merchant needs one; reviews every 60 to 90 days