Unzer

What Is Unzer?

Before Stripe launched in Europe, before Adyen went public, a company called Heidelpay was already processing payments from a small office in Heidelberg. Founded in 2003, it spent nearly two decades building payment infrastructure for the German-speaking market — quietly, without the venture capital fanfare that would later define the fintech era.

In 2021, the company rebranded as Unzer, unifying several acquired businesses under a single platform. KKR acquired the group for approximately EUR 600 million, and the headquarters moved to Berlin. Today, Unzer Group GmbH employs over 750 people across 36 nationalities, operating as a BaFin-regulated payment institution serving merchants across Europe.

What distinguishes Unzer from pure-play online payment processors is its omnichannel capability. The platform handles online gateway payments, in-store POS terminal transactions, pay-by-link invoicing, and instalment solutions — all from a single provider. For retailers with both physical stores and e-commerce operations, this consolidation eliminates the complexity of managing separate payment vendors for each channel. The company supports over 200 payment methods across 160 countries, with particular depth in the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) where it has its strongest market presence.

Key Features

True Omnichannel Payments

Unzer's central selling point is genuine omnichannel payment processing. A merchant can accept a card payment in their Berlin shop, process an online order through their Shopware store, and send a pay-by-link invoice to a B2B customer — all reconciled in a single dashboard. This is not a theoretical capability; Unzer provides the POS hardware, the online gateway, and the pay-by-link infrastructure as integrated products. Few European payment providers match this breadth. Adyen offers similar omnichannel capability but targets larger enterprise merchants. Stripe remains primarily online-focused.

200+ Payment Methods

The payment method catalogue is extensive: Visa, Mastercard, Amex, PayPal, Klarna, SEPA Direct Debit, Sofort, Giropay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Alipay, WeChat Pay, iDEAL, Bancontact, EPS, PostFinance, Przelewy24, TWINT, and many more. Unzer's strength lies in local European methods — the platform supports the specific payment preferences of German, Austrian, Swiss, Dutch, Belgian, and Nordic consumers. For DACH-focused merchants, this local method coverage is a practical advantage over Stripe's more globally-oriented catalogue.

E-Commerce Platform Plugins

Unzer maintains official plugins for Shopware 6, WooCommerce, Magento 2, Shopify, OXID, and PrestaShop. These plugins use Unzer's UI Components v2, which are EAA (European Accessibility Act) compliant — a regulatory requirement taking effect in 2025. The WooCommerce plugin supports 20+ payment methods out of the box. Plugin updates are released regularly, with the latest WooCommerce 2.1.0 version shipping in February 2026. For merchants using standard e-commerce platforms, these plugins eliminate the need for custom API integration entirely.

Configurable Payment Pages

For merchants who prefer not to handle payment UI, Unzer offers hosted payment pages that can be configured with custom branding, payment method selection, and language localisation. The Payment Page v2 API provides granular control over the checkout experience while keeping PCI compliance burden on Unzer's side. This is particularly useful for smaller merchants who lack the development resources for a direct API integration.

Invoice and Instalment Payments

Unzer offers its own invoice and instalment payment products — not just as third-party pass-throughs but as first-party financial products. Merchants can offer customers the option to pay after delivery (invoice) or in monthly instalments, with Unzer assuming the credit risk. This buy-now-pay-later capability competes directly with Klarna's merchant offering, but with the advantage of being bundled into the same payment platform rather than requiring a separate integration.

Pricing

Unzer does not publish its pricing publicly. The company offers two models: an all-inclusive flat rate covering all payment methods, or a modular approach where merchants select specific payment methods at individual rates. Enterprise merchants negotiate custom volume-based pricing.

This opacity is a significant drawback for small and mid-sized merchants evaluating providers. User reviews mention that monthly minimum fees make the platform less attractive for low-volume online shops. Stripe, by comparison, publishes 1.5% + EUR 0.25 for European card payments on its website — a transparency that simplifies vendor comparison.

For merchants with established transaction volumes and a need for omnichannel or DACH-specific payment methods, the customised pricing can be competitive. The bundled POS, online, and invoice payments reduce total cost of ownership compared to maintaining separate providers for each channel.

EU Compliance & Privacy

Unzer operates as a payment institution supervised by Germany's Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin). This regulatory status provides a strong compliance foundation for merchants operating in regulated industries.

The company's compliance history includes a challenging period. In 2023, BaFin conducted a special audit that identified deficiencies in customer onboarding and AML processes, resulting in an onboarding ban for Unzer E-Com GmbH. The company invested over EUR 20 million in remediation, implemented a three lines of defence compliance framework, and BaFin fully lifted the ban in October 2024. This episode demonstrates both the regulatory scrutiny that BaFin-supervised institutions face and Unzer's commitment to meeting those standards.

All payment data is processed within the EU under GDPR requirements. PCI DSS certification covers card data handling. PSD2 and SCA compliance are built into the payment flow. The UI Components v2 used in e-commerce plugins are EAA compliant, addressing accessibility requirements that become mandatory across the EU.

One ownership note: KKR, a US-based private equity firm, acquired Unzer in 2021. While BaFin regulation and EU data processing remain in place, organisations prioritising fully EU-owned payment infrastructure should be aware of this structure.

Who It's Best For

DACH-region retailers with both online and physical store operations who want a single payment provider for all channels. Unzer's omnichannel capability and deep local payment method coverage are strongest in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

Shopware and Magento merchants who need quick payment integration through maintained plugins rather than custom API development. The pre-built plugins cover 20+ payment methods with accessibility compliance included.

B2B sellers offering invoice and instalment payment terms. Unzer's first-party invoice product with credit risk assumption simplifies B2B payment flows without requiring a separate BNPL provider.

Mid-market merchants processing significant volumes who can negotiate custom pricing. The all-inclusive rate model works well for businesses that need many payment methods without managing per-method pricing complexity.

The Verdict

Unzer brings something rare to the European payment landscape: genuine omnichannel capability backed by 20+ years of operational experience and BaFin regulation. The combination of online gateway, POS terminals, pay-by-link, and invoice payments under a single platform solves a real problem for retailers operating across channels. The trade-offs are a less polished developer experience than Stripe, opaque pricing, and a recent compliance stumble that required substantial remediation investment. For DACH-focused merchants needing omnichannel payments with deep local method coverage, Unzer delivers capabilities that purely online-focused competitors cannot match.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Unzer GDPR compliant?

Yes. Unzer Group GmbH is a BaFin-regulated German payment institution. All payment data is processed within the EU under GDPR standards, and the company holds PCI DSS certification for card data security. PSD2 and SCA compliance are built into the payment flow.

What happened with BaFin and Unzer?

In 2023, BaFin imposed an onboarding ban on Unzer E-Com GmbH after a special audit identified AML compliance gaps. Unzer invested over EUR 20 million in remediation, implemented a three lines of defence framework throughout the group, and BaFin fully lifted the ban in October 2024.

Does Unzer support in-store POS payments?

Yes. Unzer provides POS terminal hardware and software alongside its online payment gateway. Merchants can process card, mobile wallet, and other payments in physical stores, with all transactions unified in a single dashboard alongside online orders.

Which e-commerce platforms does Unzer support?

Unzer maintains official plugins for Shopware 6, WooCommerce, Magento 2, Shopify, OXID, and PrestaShop. These plugins support 20+ payment methods and are EAA (European Accessibility Act) compliant. A direct REST API is available for custom integrations.

How does Unzer compare to Stripe?

Unzer offers broader European payment method coverage (200+ methods), in-store POS capability, and first-party invoice/instalment products. Stripe provides a more polished developer experience, transparent public pricing, and broader global reach. Unzer is stronger for DACH-focused omnichannel merchants; Stripe excels for developer-led online-only businesses.