Echelon Payments
Echelon Payments is a US-based, privately held payment processor founded in 2006 that delivers credit card, debit, ACH, POS, and B2B payment solutions to SMB merchants across Restaurant, Retail, Service, B2B, and Nonprofit verticals through a network of 4,000+ sales partners.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersMelville, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Echelon Payments does
Echelon Payments (legal entity EPSG, LLC) is a US-based payment processing company founded in 2006 by Brett Sturm and Richard Ross and headquartered in Melville, NY. The company processes more than $7.5 billion in annual transaction volume across five vertical solutions — Restaurant, Retail, Service, B2B, and Nonprofit — and is registered as an Independent Sales Organization (ISO) of Merrick Bank, Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, and Woodforest National Bank.
The company's product portfolio spans traditional hardware (POS systems, credit card terminals, smart terminals, mobile card readers, tap-to-phone) and software layers including payment gateways, virtual terminals, automated invoicing, mobile wallet support, and API integration services. Echelon operates Merchant and Partner Portals as well as proprietary "FrontEndWare" transaction processing technology supporting credit, debit, EBT, private label, gift, and loyalty card processing. The platform is PCI DSS compliant and achieved SOC 2 Type 2 certification in March 2025. ERP and e-commerce integrations cover QuickBooks, NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics, SAP, Oracle, Epicor, Sage, Zoho, WooCommerce, Magento, and others.
Echelon's revenue model is built on transaction fees plus hardware sales, distributed through a network of 4,000+ local sales partners, ISV partners, and referral partners. Sales partners receive lifetime residuals and contractually protected portfolios, producing industry-low merchant attrition. The company is privately held with no PE or VC backing, generated over $40 million in revenue per its CEO's stated figure, and was named to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in 2025.
Echelon Payments firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Echelon Payments
- Legal name
- EPSG, LLC
- Website
- https://echelonpayments.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Echelon Payments is a US-based, privately held payment processor founded in 2006 that delivers credit card, debit, ACH, POS, and B2B payment solutions to SMB merchants across Restaurant, Retail, Service, B2B, and Nonprofit verticals through a network of 4,000+ sales partners.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Echelon Payments industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Merchant Payment Processing
- akta.pro primary industry
- Merchant Payment Gateways (API/Hosted Checkout) (FSAMACAA)
Keywords
Where Echelon Payments is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Melville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Echelon Payments business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Payment Processing Transaction Fees: Echelon generates revenue through transaction fees charged to merchants for processing credit card, debit card, ACH, and other payment methods. The company offers transparent pricing with locked-in rates and no hidden fees.
- Sales Partner Residuals: Sales partners earn lifetime residuals on merchant accounts they bring to Echelon. The company pays residuals on time every month with over 20 years of track record. This creates recurring revenue for the partner network while Echelon retains a portion of transaction fees.
- Hardware and Equipment Sales: Sale and lease of payment terminals, card readers, POS systems, and related hardware to merchants. The company offers smart terminals, mobile readers, and comprehensive POS stations.
- ISV Partnership Revenue Sharing: Revenue sharing arrangements with integrated software vendors (ISVs) who embed Echelon payment solutions. ISV partners can grow revenue by 40%+ through custom pricing and built-in revenue sharing opportunities.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Monthly | Transparent fixed pricing with no rate increases |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Echelon Payments product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Echelon Payments provides custom payment processing solutions for merchants across restaurant, retail, service, B2B, and nonprofit verticals, leveraging proprietary FrontEndWare transaction processing technology, integrations with major ERP/accounting platforms, and a national network of local sales partners. Revenue is generated through transaction-based fees on credit, debit, ACH, EBT, gift, and loyalty card processing, plus sale/lease of payment terminals, smart terminals, POS systems, and mobile readers.
Product overview
Echelon Payments is a payment processing company that offers a unified platform with multiple integrated modules and industry-specific solutions. The core product portfolio includes Point of Sale (POS) systems, credit card terminals, smart terminals, payment gateways, and mobile payment solutions. These are complemented by specialized solutions for Restaurant, Retail, Service, B2B, and Nonprofit industries. The platform also includes partner-facing tools such as the Sales Partner Portal and Referral Partner Program, as well as API integration services for businesses requiring custom connectivity. All solutions are backed by 24/7 U.S.-based support and comply with PCI DSS and SOC 2 security standards.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Point of Sale (POS) Systems
Quantifiable outcome
- 50% more portfolio value at year 5 compared to competitors
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use Echelon Payments
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Echelon Payments technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration12 records
Feature4 records
Echelon Payments partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- CREATE. PaymentscoreStrategic partnership announced September 19, 2025 to expand into the non-profit marketplace. CREATE. leverages Echelon's full-service operational infrastructure including underwriting, onboarding, risk management, compliance, and customer service. CREATE. brings non-profit sector expertise and relationships while Echelon provides robust operational backbone.
- Merrick BankcoreEchelon (EPSG, LLC) is a registered Independent Sales Organization (ISO) of Merrick Bank, providing banking relationships for payment processing services.
- Deutsche Bank Trust Company AmericascoreEchelon (EPSG, LLC) is a registered Independent Sales Organization (ISO) of Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, providing banking relationships for payment processing services.
- Woodforest National BankcoreEchelon (EPSG, LLC) is a registered Independent Sales Organization (ISO) of Woodforest National Bank, providing banking relationships for payment processing services.
- QuickBooks, NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics, SAP, Oracle, Epicor, Sage, ZohocoreEchelon provides seamless integrations with major accounting and ERP platforms including QuickBooks, NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics, SAP, Oracle, Epicor, Sage, and Zoho. These integrations reduce manual reconciling and costly errors for B2B merchants.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Echelon Payments competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Gravity Payments: SMB-focused merchant services ISO with a values-driven, transparent-pricing positioning similar to Echelon's. Operates with a local sales partner model and targets small and mid-sized merchants across the U.S.
- Host Merchant Services: Independent merchant services provider specializing in transparent pricing, interchange-plus pricing, and SMB-focused payment processing — overlapping closely with Echelon's locked-in, no-hidden-fees positioning.
- PaymentCloud: ISO and merchant services provider targeting SMB and mid-market merchants with high-risk and standard processing, partner residuals, and multi-vertical solutions — comparable GTM and customer overlap with Echelon.
- North American Bancard: Large independent sales organization (ISO) providing merchant payment processing, POS, and residual-based partner programs across SMB verticals — directly comparable to Echelon's ISO model and multi-vertical merchant services offering.
- Dharma Merchant Services: Independent payment processor offering transparent, fixed pricing and partner programs for SMB merchants, with emphasis on ethical practices — philosophically and operationally aligned with Echelon's positioning.
- Clearent: Payment processor and ISO offering merchant acquiring, POS, and partner/residual programs to SMB and mid-market merchants — closely aligned with Echelon's product breadth and channel structure.
Broad incumbents
- Stripe: Global payments infrastructure provider serving businesses of all sizes with developer-first APIs, hosted checkout, and embedded finance — a vastly larger competitor that increasingly targets the same mid-market and B2B merchants as Echelon.
- Block (Square): Public fintech offering Square merchant acquiring, POS hardware, software, and banking — competing with Echelon across SMB retail and service verticals with deeper brand recognition and integrated software stack.
Emerging players
- Helcim: Direct-to-merchant payment processor with transparent interchange-plus pricing, POS, and online checkout offerings aimed at SMBs — a comparable but smaller-scale, technology-led alternative to Echelon's partner-led model.
- Stax: Subscription-based payment processing platform targeting SMB and mid-market merchants with transparent pricing and integrated software — overlapping with Echelon's merchant services but distributed via direct SaaS rather than ISO partners.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Echelon Payments social profiles
Digital presenceEchelon Payments compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Echelon Payments financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Echelon Payments leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles18 records
Echelon Payments funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Echelon Payments M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Echelon Payments
What does Echelon Payments do?
Echelon Payments provides custom payment processing solutions for merchants across restaurant, retail, service, B2B, and nonprofit verticals, leveraging proprietary FrontEndWare transaction processing technology, integrations with major ERP/accounting platforms, and a national network of local sales partners. Revenue is generated through transaction-based fees on credit, debit, ACH, EBT, gift, and loyalty card processing, plus sale/lease of payment terminals, smart terminals, POS systems, and mobile readers.
Is Echelon Payments a public or private company?
Echelon Payments is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Echelon Payments founded?
Echelon Payments was founded in 2006. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Echelon Payments based?
Echelon Payments is headquartered in Melville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Echelon Payments make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Payment Processing Transaction Fees are the primary driver. The others are sales Partner Residuals, hardware and Equipment Sales and ISV Partnership Revenue Sharing.
Who are Echelon Payments's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Gravity Payments, Host Merchant Services, PaymentCloud, North American Bancard, Dharma Merchant Services and Clearent. Broad incumbents are Stripe and Block (Square). Emerging players are Helcim and Stax.
Does Echelon Payments have an API?
No public API is recorded for Echelon Payments.
What industry is Echelon Payments in?
Echelon Payments's product category is Merchant Payment Processing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAMACAA, Merchant Payment Gateways (API/Hosted Checkout).