How we compared
We looked at processors and brokers that publish a page about peptide merchants, and at the four mainstream processors most stores start with. For each one we asked the same questions:
- Does it take research-use-only peptide stores?
- Does it require a third-party certification to approve you?
- Does it need processing history or a volume minimum?
- What does it claim about approval time, in its own words?
- Where does each fact come from?
Every competitor fact below is from that provider’s own public page, read on 8 October 2026, and linked so you can check it. Where a page says nothing on a point, the table says “not stated”. We do not publish anyone’s rates, because they change and depend on your application. We have not verified any provider’s approval claims, including timelines.
Disclosure: Amino Engine is one of the processors listed. We wrote this page.
The comparison table
| Provider | Research-use stores | Certification | History needed | Approval-time claim |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amino Engine | Yes. The store must carry research-use-only notices. | Ask us. | Not required. | Not stated. We review the store and documents once, before the first payment. |
| AllayPay | Offers a domestic research peptide merchant account, per its page. | Says it is not required for a domestic research peptide account. | Startups accepted with upfront reserves, per its FAQ. | “1-2 business days for credit card processing” |
| Corepay | Only peptide platforms that hold the certification it names, per its page. | Required since 1 April 2024, per its page. | Not stated. | Not stated. |
| Easy Pay Direct | Not stated. | Required for peptide businesses, per its page. | Not stated. | Not stated. |
| Peptide Payments | Not stated. | Waives its volume and history minimums for certified businesses. | Volume minimum and history requirement, waived if certified. Below the minimum, a cash reserve. | “Approvals in 24 Hours” |
| Unison Payment Solutions | Works with research suppliers, per its page. | Not stated in the lines we quote. | Not stated. | “typically in 3–7 business days when documentation is complete” |
| SeamlessChex | Not stated in the lines we quote. | Not stated in the lines we quote. | Not stated. | Claims 72-hour approval timelines, in a listicle that ranks its own product first. |
| 2Accept | Not stated in the lines we quote. | Not stated in the lines we quote. | Not stated. | Claims approval in 48 hours, per its page. |
Quoted text is the provider’s own wording. Other cells summarize the provider’s page, linked in the first column. Checked 8 October 2026.
Amino Engine
Amino Engine is the merchant processor for peptide brands. What we can tell you about it:
- Everyone can apply. No processing history is required.
- New stores, and stores shut down, frozen or declined elsewhere, are welcome to apply.
- Visa, Mastercard, Discover and Amex, on your own WooCommerce or Shopify store.
- We review the store and documents once, before the first payment. If something needs fixing, we say exactly what.
- Your rate is quoted with your approval. Before your first payment you get, in writing: your rate, any setup fee, payout timing, whether any reserve is held and for how long, and what a dispute costs.
- What blocks an approval is missing documents, or a store that will not meet our site rules: research-use-only notices and clear shipping and refund policies.
What this page does not claim for Amino Engine: an approval time, an approval rate, or any payment method beyond the four card brands above. If you need a certification answer, ask us about LegitScript at support@aminoengine.com. Apply here.
The other providers, one by one
AllayPay
AllayPay’s peptide page offers a domestic research peptide merchant account and says it does not require a third-party certification for one. On timing it says: “Most peptide merchants can get approved in 1-2 business days for credit card processing and 2-3 business days for ACH processing.” On new brands: “Yes, but currently there will be upfront reserves required for startup RUO merchants credit card processing.” Read AllayPay’s page.
Corepay
Corepay says that since 1 April 2024 it is unable to assist peptide platforms that do not hold the third-party certification it names, citing the Visa Integrity Risk Program. On disputes it warns: “Chargebacks are a major concern, and many peptide merchants end up on the MATCH list due to excessive disputes.” Read Corepay’s page.
Easy Pay Direct
Easy Pay Direct’s peptide article says a peptide business must hold a third-party certification to use it. If you have that certification, it is one to look at. If you do not, its page says you cannot use it for a peptide business. Read Easy Pay Direct’s page.
Peptide Payments
Peptide Payments describes itself as “High-Risk Specialist · Approvals in 24 Hours”. It says that for certified businesses “the volume minimum and the processing history requirement are both waived.” It adds: “Below the volume minimum, a merchant account is still approvable if you can fund a cash reserve.” Read Peptide Payments’ page.
Unison Payment Solutions
Unison says: “Unison helps research suppliers get underwritten with acquiring banks that understand the category, typically in 3–7 business days when documentation is complete.” Its page also publishes approval-rate claims, which we have not verified. Read Unison’s page.
SeamlessChex
SeamlessChex publishes a “best payment processor for peptides” listicle that ranks its own product first. In it, SeamlessChex claims a 99%+ acceptance rate and 72-hour approval timelines. Those are its claims; we have not verified them. Read SeamlessChex’s listicle.
2Accept
2Accept’s peptide page claims a peptide merchant account approved in 48 hours. That is its claim; we have not verified it. Read 2Accept’s page.
Broker, gateway or processor: who you are dealing with
Several names in this list are brokers or sales organizations, not the processor that approves you and pays you out. That is not a criticism. A good broker can save you weeks. But it changes the questions you ask.
- A broker takes your application and places it with one or more processors or banks. Ask which processor will hold your account, and who you call when a payout is late.
- A gateway is the software that connects your checkout to a processor. It moves the card data, but it does not decide whether your store is accepted.
- A processor approves your store, sets your terms and settles the money to your bank. Its agreement is the one that matters when something goes wrong.
Amino Engine is the merchant processor for peptide brands: you apply to us, we review your store, and your terms come from us in writing.
Mainstream processors: what their own terms say
Many peptide stores start on a mainstream processor. Here is what each one’s own pages say, so you can judge for yourself.
- Stripe. Its restricted businesses FAQ says: “Yes, Stripe supports the sale of many different peptides, with some limitations.” And: “Peptides that are for research purposes may be sold on Stripe as long as there are preventive measures in place to ensure these are not accessible to those who would purchase research chemicals for nonresearch purposes.” Stripe decides whether a store meets that. If it decided yours did not, read Stripe closed my peptide store.
- PayPal. Its Acceptable Use Policy bars activities that “relate to transactions involving (a) narcotics, steroids, certain controlled substances or other products that present a risk to consumer safety, (b) drug paraphernalia,” among others. The word peptide is not on the page. More on our PayPal and peptides page.
- Square. Its Payment Terms list, among businesses that may not use the service, “(20) high-risk products and services, including telemarketing sales,”. Peptides are not named.
- Shopify Payments. Its terms say “Certain categories of businesses and business practices are prohibited from using the Payments Services (“Prohibited Businesses”), or require additional review and approval by us to use the Payments Services (“Restricted Businesses”).” They add that those categories “are provided by each Payment Processor in your Designated Country and can be located at the links found in the Payment Processor List.” More on our Shopify Payments and peptides page.
Our platform policy tracker keeps these clauses with their dates, and our older post on Stripe alternatives for peptide brands covers the wider switch.
How to choose
- Ask for written terms before you sign. Rate, setup fee, payout timing, reserve, dispute cost and termination. If a provider will not write them down, that is your answer.
- Check who the processor is. A gateway or a broker is not the same as the processor that holds your money. Ask who approves and who pays you out.
- Match the requirements to your store. If a provider needs a certification, history or a volume minimum you do not have, move on early.
- Read the reserve and termination clauses. Our guides to rolling reserves and frozen funds show what to look for.
- Read approval claims as claims. A fast approval means little if the account closes in month two.
All competitor facts checked on each provider’s own page on 8 October 2026. This is general information, not legal advice.