What Planet does

Planet is a privately held integrated payments, software, and Tax Free platform headquartered in Galway, Ireland, founded in 1985 and operating across 120+ markets with 1,001-5,000 employees and 800,000+ customers. The company serves three core verticals — retail, hospitality, and travel & transportation — through a modular, cloud-native technology stack that unifies online, in-person, and unattended payment acceptance (135+ currencies, 40+ payment methods) with property management software (Protel Cloud PMS, HotSoft PMS), an order management system for retail, dynamic currency conversion and multi-currency pricing APIs, a PCI-compliant Token Vault (PCI Proxy), Tax Free / VAT refund issuing and processing infrastructure, and hotel networking through the Hoist Group (Wi-Fi, in-room TV, Chromecast/Google Cast). Underlying infrastructure includes native integrations with Oracle Opera Cloud and Simphony Cloud, a Datatrans API gateway (docs at api-reference.datatrans.ch), and a Protel Marketplace with 1,100+ third-party integrations. Subsidiaries include Hoist Group, Protel Cloud PMS, HotSoft PMS, PCI Proxy, and acquired assets Avantio (vacation-rental software) and Rebagdata.

Name

Planet

Legal name

Planet

Website

https://weareplanet.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Planet is an Ireland-based integrated payments, software, and Tax Free platform serving 800K+ retail, hospitality, and travel customers across 120+ markets with PMS, OMS, payments, and VAT-refund solutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Integrated Payments and Commerce Software

akta.pro primary industry

Cross-Border FX, Multi-currency Settlement & Dynamic Currency Conversion (THACAJAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Card Issuing & Virtual Cards (lodge cards, single-use, tokenization) (THALAHAB)

Keywords

• Payment processing services
• Hotel property management
• Retail order management
• Vat refund solutions
• Currency conversion services

Headquarters

HQ city

Galway

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Payment Processing and Transaction Fees: Planet processes payments online, in-person, and on-the-go, earning transaction fees. The platform handles payments in 135+ currencies across 120+ markets with global acquiring partners.
2. Property Management Software (PMS): Subscription-based hotel property management software including Protel Cloud PMS and HotSoft PMS with cloud-based access and integrated features.
3. Order Management System (OMS): Retail order management system for click & collect, ship from store, and endless aisle capabilities with unified stock management.
4. Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) Commission: Merchants earn passive income through DCC when international customers choose to pay in their home currency. Planet guarantees better conversion rates than card issuers.
5. Multi-Currency Pricing Revenue Share: Merchants receive commission from currency conversion on transactions. Planet provides pricing API for up to 137 currencies, updated daily, with settlement in merchant's own currency.
6. Tax Free / VAT Refund Services: Automated VAT refund processing for international shoppers, available at airports, departure points, and city centers in digitally-enabled countries.
7. Terminal Hardware Sales: Sale and deployment of payment terminals (PAX, Verifone, Ingenico, Worldline) for in-person payments at retail, hospitality, and travel locations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Planet provides an integrated payments, software, and Tax Free platform for retail, hospitality, and travel businesses. Its offerings span a unified payment gateway (online, in-person, and unattended), hotel property management software (Protel Cloud PMS and HotSoft PMS), retail order management, Dynamic Currency Conversion, Multi-Currency Pricing, Token Vault tokenization, and automated VAT refund processing, supported by Hoist hotel networking infrastructure and 1,100+ integrations through the Protel Marketplace.

Product overview

Planet is an integrated payments, software, and Tax Free platform serving retail, hospitality, and travel industries. The platform combines a unified commerce architecture with modular solutions: core Payments (online, in-person, and unattended terminals), Property Management Software (Protel Cloud PMS and HotSoft PMS for hotels), Order Management System for retail, and VAT Refund/Tax Free processing. Supporting services include Dynamic Currency Conversion, Multi-Currency Pricing, Token Vault (PCI Proxy) for secure tokenization, and hotel networking via Hoist Group. The ecosystem offers over 1,100 integrations through Protel Marketplace, supports 135+ currencies across 120+ markets, and serves 800,000+ customers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hoist Group by Planet: Hotel Wi-Fi, in-room entertainment, and managed network infrastructure services for hospitality
• PCI Proxy
• Planet ecampus

Products and services

• Online Payments Payment gateway for accepting secure online payments via website, mobile app, or payment links, with PCI compliance and multi-currency support across 100+ markets; built for retail, hospitality, and travel merchants.
• In-Person Payments Terminal-based payment acceptance for retail, hospitality, and transport with countertop, mobile, and unattended solutions, including offline processing and support for PAX, Verifone, Ingenico, and Worldline terminals.
• Protel Cloud PMS Cloud-native hotel property management system for managing reservations, billing, maintenance, reporting, and analytics, with more than 1,100 integrations via Protel Marketplace and available as standalone or integrated with payments.
• HotSoft PMS Hotel property management system variant offered in select markets (Nordics, France, Ireland, UK) with hosted infrastructure, open integration ecosystem, and tokenizer integration for guest card tokenization.
• Order Management System (OMS) Unified commerce order management system for retailers enabling Click & Collect, Ship from Store, and Endless Aisle fulfilment, with intelligent order orchestration routing across stores and warehouses and unified stock management.
• Hoist by Planet (Hotel Networking) Hotel Wi-Fi and in-room entertainment solution with guest Wi-Fi, interactive TV, casting (Chromecast/Google Cast), and managed network services; powers digital infrastructure for hotels across Europe, Middle East, and Africa.
• VAT Refund (Tax Free) Automated Tax Free shopping solution providing VAT refunds, self-service kiosks, and integrated POS solutions for streamlined tax-free form issuance, available at airports, departure points, and city centers in digitally-enabled countries.
• Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) Currency conversion service that allows international customers to pay in their home currency at point of sale, with Best Rate Guarantee (refund difference up to 150%) and 135+ supported currencies; merchants earn passive commission income.
• Multi-Currency Pricing (MCP) Online pricing solution that lets international customers browse and pay in their own currency while merchants receive settlement in their base currency, with daily-updated pricing API supporting up to 137 currencies.
• Token Vault (PCI Proxy) Universal token vault for collecting, storing, and sharing payment tokens across multiple processors, keeping merchant systems out of PCI-DSS scope with flexible tokenization and PCI Level 1 certified infrastructure.
• Pay By Link Secure payment link solution enabling merchants to send payment requests via link for guarantee, deposit, or checkout without requiring a website or coding; integrated with Protel Cloud PMS and HotSoft PMS.
• Hotel Booking Engine Direct booking engine for hotels that provides potential guests with an easy and efficient booking journey, integrated with Protel Cloud PMS for inventory and rate management.
• EV Charging Payments Payment solutions designed for electric vehicle charging stations, scaling with flexible unattended terminal solutions for fleet and consumer charging environments.
• Parking Payment Solutions End-to-end in-app and in-person parking payment solutions with support for preferred payment methods, designed for parking operators and mobility providers.
• Tolls and Ticketing Payments Payment solutions tailored for high-volume travel environments, providing secure payments on reliable terminals for tolls, transit ticketing, and similar use cases.

Quantifiable outcome

• Hotels save 8-12 hours per week on manual payment reconciliation
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration32 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered strategic, core and minor.

• Japan Tax-Free VenturestrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 February 2026Planet became a major investor in Japan tax-free venture as the market enters an exciting new phase. Partnership supports scaling of Japan's Tax Free infrastructure ahead of landmark reform.
• ZucchetticoreTechnology or Integration · 3 February 2026Partnership announced February 2026 to simplify global checkout with fully integrated POS, payment and Tax Free solution. Zucchetti is one of Europe's leading IT companies.
• OraclecoreTechnology or IntegrationOver 30 years of strategic partnership between Oracle and Planet. Planet provides integrated payment solutions natively connected with Oracle's Opera Cloud PMS and Simphony POS systems, enabling seamless payment processing across hospitality operations.
• ShijicoreTechnology or IntegrationShiji is a global technology company providing innovative solutions for hospitality. Partnership enables integration between Shiji's property management systems and Planet's payment processing capabilities.
• LS RetailcoreTechnology or IntegrationLS Retail, an Aptos company, offers unified software solutions for retail and hospitality. Partnership enables integrated POS and payment capabilities.
• Outpayce from AmadeuscoreTechnology or IntegrationOutpayce, a wholly owned subsidiary of Amadeus, brings fintech and travel technology together. Partnership enables travel and transportation payment solutions.
• NamastayminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNamastay supports 400+ hotels in 42 countries with native booking experiences. Partnership enables distribution of Planet payment solutions to hospitality customers.
• DatatranscoreTechnology or IntegrationDatatrans provides secure payment gateway services and API infrastructure. Planet utilizes Datatrans for online payment processing with comprehensive documentation and developer resources at api-reference.datatrans.ch.
• ProtelcoreTechnology or IntegrationProtel is the provider of Protel Cloud PMS, Planet's flagship hotel property management system. Planet owns and operates the Protel Cloud platform for global hospitality customers.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• Worldpay (FIS): Large incumbent payment processor serving global retail, hospitality, and travel with online, in-person, and unattended payment acceptance. Comparable to Planet's enterprise acquiring, multi-currency, and terminal distribution capabilities, though broader in scope.
• Fiserv: Diversified payments and financial technology provider with merchant acquiring, Clover POS, and integrated commerce software. Comparable to Planet's retail and hospitality verticals through overlapping acquiring and software capabilities.

Direct peers

• Checkout.com: Global payment processor focused on enterprise merchants with multi-currency processing, fraud tools, and digital wallet acceptance. Competes with Planet for cross-border retail, travel, and digital-goods merchants requiring unified acquiring.
• Lightspeed Commerce: Cloud-based commerce platform with POS, OMS, payments, and multi-channel retail capabilities. Comparable to Planet's retail-focused OMS and integrated payments proposition, especially for specialty and mid-market retailers.
• Stripe: Leading online payment processor with global acquiring, multi-currency pricing, and a developer-first API. Competes with Planet's online payments, Datatrans gateway, and tokenization capabilities for digital-first retail and travel merchants.
• Adyen: Global payments platform offering online, in-person, and platform payment processing with multi-currency settlement. Competes with Planet for enterprise retail, hospitality, and travel merchants seeking a unified global payment gateway with DCC and broad payment-method support.
• Nexi: European payment technology group offering acquiring, payment gateway, DCC, and merchant software. Strongly comparable to Planet across European retail and hospitality merchant acquiring and integrated software offerings.
• Shiji Group: Global hospitality technology provider offering PMS, POS, and guest-experience platforms. Competes directly with Planet's Protel Cloud PMS and HotSoft PMS for hotel software contracts, often as a partner/integrator as well.

Emerging players

• Mews: Cloud-native hotel PMS challenger gaining traction with boutique and lifestyle hotels. Competes with Planet's Protel Cloud PMS for new-build hospitality deployments, particularly among digital-first hotel operators.
• Cloudbeds: Cloud-based hospitality management suite combining PMS, booking engine, and channel manager. An emerging direct competitor to Planet in mid-market and small hotel software, particularly outside premium chains.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/planet

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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

M&A3 records

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Planet