PayGate
PayGate (Payfast by Network) is a Cape Town-based payment gateway and aggregation provider serving South African merchants, with PCI DSS Level 1 certification, 70+ platform integrations, and enterprise clients including Takealot, DHL, and Dischem.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersCape Town, South Africa
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What PayGate does
PayGate, operating commercially as Payfast by Network, is a South Africa-based payment gateway and aggregation provider founded in 1999 and headquartered in Cape Town. The company operates two complementary products: a payment gateway (PayGate) for enterprise merchants requiring direct acquirer relationships with real-time gross settlement, and a payment aggregator (Payfast) for SMBs with net 48-hour settlement. Its technology stack includes the Payhost Enterprise API for custom integrations, the Payweb hosted payment page, and over 70 pre-built platform plugins spanning ecommerce, booking, and shopping-cart systems. The platform supports 18+ payment methods including major card networks, mobile wallets, QR codes, and localized South African methods, with features for tokenization, recurring billing, split payments, multi-currency pricing, and immediate payout.
PayGate is a subsidiary of Network International, a Middle East and Africa payments company, and is PCI DSS Level 1 certified — the highest payment-industry security standard. The company monetizes primarily through transaction processing fees on payment volume, supplemented by subscription billing for merchants using recurring-payment features. It serves both enterprise clients with complex bespoke integrations (tourism, gaming, large retail, logistics) and SMBs via self-serve aggregation, with named enterprise customers including Takealot, DHL, Dischem, and Yuppiechef. Beyond core processing, PayGate has expanded into adjacent products such as a Point-of-Sale device, Event Ticketing, Invoicing, Donations, and Business Funding (Easy Advance, Lula), broadening its surface area from pure payments into embedded commerce finance for the South African merchant ecosystem.
PayGate firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- PayGate
- Legal name
- Payfast
- Website
- https://paygate.co.za
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- PayGate (Payfast by Network) is a Cape Town-based payment gateway and aggregation provider serving South African merchants, with PCI DSS Level 1 certification, 70+ platform integrations, and enterprise clients including Takealot, DHL, and Dischem.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
PayGate industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Payment Gateway Services
- NAICS
- Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (522320), Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (52232)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Merchant Payment Gateways (API/Hosted Checkout) (FSAMACAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Payment Gateways & API Connectivity (FSAGABAB), Integrated Payment Processors (PSP/Acquirer) (FSAMABAA), Recurring Billing, Subscriptions & Tokenized Payments (CRAFALAH), Tokenization, Network Vaults & Credential Management (FSAGABAF), Bill Pay, Invoicing & Payables Platforms (BPAMAFAF)
Keywords
Where PayGate is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cape Town
- HQ country
- South Africa
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices1 record
Markets served
PayGate business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Transaction Processing Fees: Merchants pay fees for processing card and electronic fund transfers through the gateway. Settlement is real-time gross for gateway merchants and net settlement every 48 hours for aggregation merchants.
- Subscription Services: Scheduled payments at regular intervals for merchants using subscription billing features
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
PayGate product offering
Product offeringCore offering
PayGate (branded as Payfast by Network) is a secure, scalable, and PCI DSS Level 1 certified online payment gateway that processes card and electronic fund transfer payments for South African merchants. It offers the Payweb hosted payment page, the Payhost enterprise API with non-redirect PCI-compliant integration, and supports 18+ payment methods, tokenization, split payments, immediate payouts, multi-currency pricing, and 70+ pre-built ecommerce, shopping cart, and booking system integrations.
Product overview
Payfast by Network is a comprehensive payment platform offering both a Payment Aggregator (Payfast) and Payment Gateway (Paygate) solution. The Paygate enterprise gateway provides fully supported payment infrastructure with multi-user access control, real-time reporting, and acquirer agnostic connectivity across all major South African institutions. Key products include Payweb (hosted payment page), Payhost (enterprise API), and various add-on modules including Point-of-Sale, Ecommerce, Event Ticketing, Invoicing, and Donations solutions. Additional features support recurring payments (Subscriptions, Tokenization), business funding (Easy Advance, Lula Business Funding), multi-currency transactions, immediate payouts, split payments, and batch processing through the Payfast by Network App.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Payweb: Hosted payment page solution for merchants
- Payhost
Products and services
- Paygate Payment Gateway
Quantifiable outcome
- Real-time gross settlement for gateway merchants
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use PayGate
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
PayGate technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
AI capability1 record
Feature9 records
PayGate partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Network InternationalcoreParent company and strategic partner. Network International is a leading payments company in the Middle East and Africa. Payfast operates as part of the Network group, with branding 'Payfast by Network'. The company logo appears in the footer linking to network.ae domain.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
PayGate competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- PayPal: Global digital payments incumbent offering gateway, wallet and checkout services. Overlaps with PayGate in serving cross-border ecommerce merchants in South Africa.
- Adyen: Global enterprise payment platform offering unified online, mobile and in-store processing. Increasingly targets the same large enterprise merchants in South Africa that PayGate serves.
- Visa: Global payments network whose rails, acceptance solutions and gateway partnerships shape the competitive context for PayGate's acquirer-agnostic gateway product.
Others
- Network International: Parent company of PayGate and a leading MEA payments group. Not a competitor but the strategic owner whose broader portfolio shapes PayGate's market positioning and access to regional distribution.
Emerging players
- Flutterwave: Africa-focused payment infrastructure provider enabling cross-border payments and gateway services. Emerging competitor to PayGate as African ecommerce and platform businesses expand.
Direct peers
- Stripe: Global payment gateway and processing platform serving online businesses with APIs and hosted checkout. Directly competes with PayGate's enterprise gateway and aggregation products, especially as Stripe expands into the South African market.
- Peach Payments: South African payment gateway and processor offering online card payments, subscriptions and alternative payment methods. Most direct domestic competitor to PayGate for enterprise and SMB merchants in South Africa.
- Yoco: South African fintech offering payment acceptance solutions spanning POS and online gateway. Competes with PayGate in aggregation and SMB segments across the South African merchant base.
- PayU: Global digital payments provider with a strong South African gateway business serving enterprise and SMB merchants. Directly competes with PayGate on enterprise gateway and aggregation in South Africa.
- Ozow: South African instant EFT payment provider enabling merchants to accept online bank transfers. Competes for online checkout share in the SA market alongside PayGate's gateway.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
PayGate social profiles
Digital presencePayGate compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
PayGate financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
PayGate leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
PayGate funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
PayGate 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 PayGate
What does PayGate do?
PayGate (branded as Payfast by Network) is a secure, scalable, and PCI DSS Level 1 certified online payment gateway that processes card and electronic fund transfer payments for South African merchants. It offers the Payweb hosted payment page, the Payhost enterprise API with non-redirect PCI-compliant integration, and supports 18+ payment methods, tokenization, split payments, immediate payouts, multi-currency pricing, and 70+ pre-built ecommerce, shopping cart, and booking system integrations.
Is PayGate a public or private company?
PayGate is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was PayGate founded?
PayGate was founded in 1999. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is PayGate based?
PayGate is headquartered in Cape Town, South Africa, in the Africa region.
How does PayGate make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Transaction Processing Fees are the primary driver. The others are subscription Services.
Who are PayGate's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are PayPal, Adyen and Visa. Network International is listed as an others. Flutterwave is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Stripe, Peach Payments, Yoco, PayU and Ozow.
Does PayGate have an API?
Yes. Payfast offers developer APIs for payment gateway integration. Provides easy-to-use APIs and pre-built integrations for popular ecommerce platforms and shopping carts. Developer documentation available at Aggregation Dev Docs (https://developers.payfast.co.za/docs) and Gateway Dev Docs (https://docs.paygate.co.za/). Developer documentation is at developers.payfast.co.za/documentation.
What industry is PayGate in?
PayGate's product category is Payment Gateway Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAMACAA, Merchant Payment Gateways (API/Hosted Checkout), with a secondary code of FSAGABAB, Payment Gateways & API Connectivity. Its NAICS code is 522320.