What Payhere does

Payhere (founded February 2020, headquartered in Seoul) is a South Korean fintech that provides a cloud-based point-of-sale platform and integrated payment hardware to small and medium-sized merchants. The core offering, Payhere POS, runs on Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS, and is paired with proprietary card terminals — the standard Payhere Terminal (5.7-inch touchscreen, dual cameras, 2-inch receipt printer), the larger Terminal Max with auto-cut 3-inch printer, and the 60-gram Bluetooth Mini reader for mobile merchants. The platform extends into a broad module suite including Table Order, Kiosk and Mini Kiosk Stand, Waiting queue management, KDS (Kitchen Display System), AI-based inventory management, AI Expense Ledger (launched July 2025), Customer Management & Marketing, Link Pay remote payments, Tax Refund processing, and a bundled Internet/CCTV/Terminal package.

Technically, Payhere is a multi-tenant cloud POS that unifies order management, card and contactless payment processing (NFC, Apple Pay, local currency, prepaid vouchers), inventory tracking, customer analytics, and Naver Place / Daangn review marketing behind a single dashboard. It integrates natively with Korea's major delivery aggregators — Baemin, Coupang Eats, Yogiyo, and others — consolidating orders from multiple platforms into one interface. The 467-gram terminal supports kiosk mode, dual-side QR/barcode scanning, and USB-C charging.

Payhere generates revenue through three streams: one-time hardware sales of terminals and accessories, card transaction processing fees paid by merchants, and recurring fees for add-on subscriptions such as Table Order (positioned at ~50% below market) and the Internet package. The software layer is free with hardware purchase — a deliberate zero-monthly-fee positioning. Go-to-market is product-led with a direct-to-consumer e-commerce motion through the company's website and Naver Shopping store, complemented by a direct sales team for enterprise and franchise customers (e.g., Kyochon Chicken, Hochikin) and a partner reseller network for regional SMB acquisition. As of 2025 the platform serves over 88,000 Korean stores spanning restaurants, cafes, retail, beauty, education, healthcare, and hospitality verticals.

Name

Payhere

Legal name

주식회사 페이히어 (Payhere Inc.)

Website

https://payhere.in

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Payhere is a South Korean fintech providing a cloud-based POS platform, proprietary card terminals, and integrated store-management software (table ordering, delivery aggregation, inventory, marketing) to over 88,000 small and medium merchants across food service, retail, beauty, and other verticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cloud POS Software

NAICS

Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (52232), Computer and Computer Peripheral Equipment and Software Merchant Wholesalers (423430), Service Establishment Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (42385)

SIC

Wholesale-Computers & Peripheral Equipment & Software (5045)

akta.pro primary industry

POS Payment Software & Middleware (Terminal OS, Apps, Device Management) (FSAMADAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

POS Terminal Hardware (Countertop, Mobile, PIN Pads) (FSAMADAA), Integrated Payment Processors (PSP/Acquirer) (FSAMABAA), POS, SoftPOS & In-Person Acceptance Infrastructure (FSAGABAO), POS-to-Online Unified Payments (Omnichannel Payments) (CRAFALAL)

Keywords

• Cloud-based POS system
• Card payment terminals
• Store management software
• Merchant payment processing
• Integrated retail POS

Headquarters

HQ city

Seoul

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Hardware Sales: One-time hardware sales of POS terminals (Payhere Terminal, Terminal Max, Mini) and accessories. Customers purchase the device once and use it indefinitely with no monthly fees.
2. Transaction/Payment Processing: Revenue generated through payment card transaction fees charged to merchants when processing card payments through the terminal or POS system.
3. Table Order Service Fee: Subscription or usage-based fee for table order service with up to 50% discount compared to competitors, with no per-transaction commission.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Payhere provides a cloud-based point-of-sale (POS) system paired with proprietary card payment terminals, enabling small and medium merchants in South Korea to process card payments, manage orders, inventory, delivery aggregation, and customer marketing through a unified software platform accessible via mobile, PC, and dedicated terminal hardware. The company also offers add-on services including table ordering, self-service kiosks, queue management, AI-based inventory, and AI expense ledger.

Product overview

Payhere is a South Korean integrated store management platform that provides a cloud-based POS (Point of Sale) system as its core offering, supported by a modular portfolio of hardware terminals, software applications, and value-added services. The ecosystem consists of Payhere POS (available as Mobile POS for Android/iPhone/iPad and PC POS for Windows/Mac), paired with hardware terminals (Payhere Terminal, Terminal Max, and Mini), and extended through add-on modules including Table Order, Kiosk/Mini Kiosk Stand, Waiting queue management, KDS (Kitchen Display System), AI-based Inventory Management, AI Expense Ledger, Customer Management & Marketing, Link Pay, Tax Refund (택스리펀), and Internet Package. The platform targets small-to-medium merchants across food service, retail, beauty, education, and service industries, offering a unified management system that covers ordering, payment processing, delivery dispatch, inventory, customer analytics, and marketing — all managed through a single dashboard.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Payhere POS (Mobile & PC) Cloud-based point-of-sale software available as Mobile POS for Android/iPhone/iPad and PC POS for Windows/Mac. Enables order management, payment processing, real-time sales tracking, inventory, customer analytics, and delivery aggregator integration. Software is free to use after purchasing Payhere hardware.
• Payhere Terminal All-in-one card terminal weighing 467g with 5.7-inch touchscreen, dual cameras for QR/barcode scanning, USB-C fast charging, Wi-Fi/hotspot connectivity, built-in 2-inch receipt printer, and kiosk mode. Supports NFC contactless, Apple Pay, local currency/prepaid vouchers, remote link payments, and tax refund processing.
• Payhere Terminal Max Larger all-in-one terminal with a 3-inch auto-cutting receipt printer and hybrid keypad/touch interface, designed for higher-volume cafes, restaurants, and food service businesses.

Quantifiable outcome

• Table turnover improvement of approximately 20%
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Naver (Naver Place)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial Naver Place integration enabling Payhere merchants to manage their Naver business listings, reviews, and local marketing directly from the POS system. Includes official partnership for review marketing and Naver reservation integration.
• Baemin (Delivery Hero Korea)coreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with Baemin delivery platform for order aggregation, allowing merchants to receive orders from multiple delivery apps in a unified POS interface.
• Coupang EatscoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with Coupang Eats delivery platform for consolidated order management through Payhere POS.
• YogiyocoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with Yogiyo delivery platform for multi-platform order consolidation in Payhere's store management system.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Toast Inc. US-based restaurant-focused POS and fintech platform combining hardware, software, and payment processing. Comparable to Payhere because both pursue an integrated hardware + software + payments model targeting F&B merchants, though Toast operates at far greater scale and has a public-market valuation benchmark.
• SumUp: European-headquartered mobile POS and card reader provider serving SMBs globally with low-cost hardware + payment processing. Comparable to Payhere because both compete on low-cost hardware + simple pricing for small merchants, though SumUp has broader geographic reach and lacks Payhere's F&B-specific add-on modules.

Broad incumbents

• Square (Block): Global integrated POS and payment processing platform serving SMBs with hardware terminals and software. Comparable to Payhere because both sell low-cost terminals paired with cloud POS to small merchants, but Square operates globally with a much broader product portfolio and financial services ecosystem.
• Naver Smart Store: Korea's dominant e-commerce platform with POS, payments, and merchant tools natively integrated into Naver's ecosystem. Comparable to Payhere because both target Korean SMB merchants with integrated commerce/payment stacks, though Naver operates at significantly larger scale and owns the platform traffic Payhere relies on.
• Coupang Eats Merchant Platform: Coupang's delivery and merchant services platform serving Korean F&B merchants with order aggregation, POS-adjacent tooling, and payments. Comparable to Payhere because both compete for Korean restaurant merchants with delivery-integrated order management, but Coupang has unmatched logistics infrastructure and balance sheet.
• POSCO DX (formerly POSCO ICT): Large Korean IT services arm of POSCO with significant POS, payment, and retail technology deployments. Comparable to Payhere because both serve Korean merchants with POS solutions, but POSCO DX is a much larger, publicly-listed conglomerate with broader enterprise reach.

Direct peers

• KIS Information & Communication: Korean VAN (value-added network) and POS provider serving SMB merchants with payment processing and store management software. Comparable to Payhere because both monetize Korean card payment processing on behalf of merchants, though KIS leans more on traditional VAN economics.
• TouchOne (Daou Tech): Korean POS software provider focused on F&B and franchise merchants with cloud-based ordering and payment solutions. Comparable to Payhere because both target Korean restaurant merchants with cloud POS + integrated payment, competing head-to-head in F&B verticals.
• OK POS (OK Cashbag / OKCM): Established Korean POS and merchant-services provider with strong franchise and SMB penetration. Comparable to Payhere because both sell integrated POS + payment terminals to Korean merchants across F&B and retail, with overlapping value propositions in card processing and store management.

Regional players

• Cafe24: Leading Korean e-commerce platform that has expanded into omnichannel POS and merchant tools. Comparable to Payhere because both serve Korean merchants with commerce + payment solutions, but Cafe24's heritage is e-commerce storefronts rather than in-store POS-first workflows.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors6 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Payhere