Sola
Sola is a privately held payment technology company (founded 1995, formerly Cardknox) providing a full-stack payment gateway, processing, and PayFac-as-a-Service platform to merchants and ISVs across North America, with proprietary interchange optimization, tokenization, and embedded payments capabilities.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1995
- HeadquartersBrooklyn, New York, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Sola does
Sola is a privately held payment technology company founded in 1995 (formerly known as Cardknox) that provides a full-stack payment processing and gateway platform to merchants and software platforms across North America. Its core offering combines a payment gateway supporting credit cards, ACH/check (Check 21), EBT, gift cards, and digital wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay) with an API-first architecture, iFrame-based secure form solutions (iFields), and proprietary interchange optimization technology (IQM). The platform extends to in-person and omnichannel acceptance via POS solutions, Tap to Pay on Android, and mobile SDKs for iOS and Android, with 3DS2 authentication and tokenization providing PCI DSS scope reduction.
Sola monetizes primarily through transaction fees (both flat-rate and interchange-plus pricing), supplemented by PayFac-as-a-Service revenue sharing via its Sola Go offering, gateway/API access subscriptions, and add-on modules such as Chargeback Management and Account Updater ($0.25 per card update). Its go-to-market combines direct enterprise sales with a developer-facing API-first self-service model, an SMB-oriented Merchant Portal, and channel distribution through ISV/SaaS partnerships (notably RMH announced in February 2026), plus registered ISO status with Citizens Bank and Elavin. The company serves a diversified customer base across e-commerce, omnichannel retail, ISVs/SaaS platforms, healthcare, B2B, subscription billing, high-chargeback merchants, unattended retail, and grocery/EBT verticals, with named customers spanning enterprise (Kith, Porcelanosa, CD, Fabuwood, Aluvii) and SMB segments. In October 2024 Michael Reed was appointed CEO, and the company rebranded from Cardknox to Sola in 2025 to position as a complete payment solutions provider entering its 30th year in the market.
Sola firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sola
- Legal name
- Sola Development Incorporated
- Website
- https://solapayments.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1995
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Sola is a privately held payment technology company (founded 1995, formerly Cardknox) providing a full-stack payment gateway, processing, and PayFac-as-a-Service platform to merchants and ISVs across North America, with proprietary interchange optimization, tokenization, and embedded payments capabilities.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sola industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Payment Processing Services
- NAICS
- Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (522320), Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (52232)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Merchant-of-Record (MoR) & Payment Facilitation (PayFac) Infrastructure (FSAGABAE)
Keywords
Where Sola is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Brooklyn, New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Sola business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Payment Processing Fees: Transaction fees charged to merchants for processing credit card, debit card, ACH, and other electronic payments. Supports both flat-rate pricing model and traditional underwritten pricing plans.
- Platform/PayFac Services: Revenue sharing with ISVs and SaaS providers who embed Sola's payment technology (Sola Go/PFaaS) and onboard merchants under their platform.
- Gateway and API Access: API access, developer tools, and gateway services for software companies integrating payment processing.
- Chargeback Management Add-Ons: Self-managed and fully managed chargeback management services available as add-ons with account-specific pricing.
- Account Updater: Per-card-update fee ($0.25 per card update) for automatic card data refresh on declined or expired cards.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Flat-rate pricing model |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Monthly | Traditional underwritten pricing plan |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Account Updater add-on |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | ACH payment processing |
| Other | Monthly | Chargeback Management |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels8 records
Sola product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sola is a payment technology company that provides end-to-end payment processing solutions for merchants and software platforms across North America. Its core offerings include a payment gateway with API-first architecture, hosted checkout (PaymentSITE), in-person and omnichannel POS solutions, ACH/check processing, recurring billing, and PayFac-as-a-Service (Sola Go) for ISVs and SaaS providers to embed payments. Supporting capabilities include proprietary tokenization, iFields iframe forms, IQM interchange optimization, Account Updater, 3DS2 authentication, and Chargeback Management.
Product overview
Sola is a complete payment solutions provider offering an integrated platform plus modular product architecture. The core offerings include the Sola Merchant Portal (online virtual terminal for transaction management), Sola Go (PayFac-as-a-Service for ISVs/SaaS providers to become payment facilitators), and integrated platform solutions. Key products include PaymentSITE (customizable hosted checkout), Chargeback Management (dispute tracking and resolution), Account Updater (automatic card data updates), Gift Card Program, and 3D Secure authentication. The platform supports multiple payment channels (online, in-person, omnichannel) and payment methods including credit/debit cards, ACH, EBT, and digital wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay). Developer-friendly features include Transaction API, iFields, and SDKs for .NET, iOS, and Android. Value-add services include Security & Fraud Protection, Transaction Optimization (with proprietary IQM routing), Data & Insights, and Mobile App. Sola serves merchants and platforms across North America.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- PaymentSITE: Hosted checkout page solution for online payments
- Sola Go
- Chargeback Management
- Account Updater
- Sola Gift
- 3D Secure
Products and services
- PaymentSITE Customizable hosted checkout page that can be used as a standalone web page or embedded into an existing website. Supports Apple Pay, Google Pay, QR codes, and 3DS2 authentication with full tokenization to keep merchants out of PCI DSS compliance scope. Targets online merchants and developers needing ready-to-deploy secure checkout.
- Sola Go (PayFac-as-a-Service) PayFac-as-a-Service solution enabling ISVs and SaaS providers to become payment facilitators with full suite of embedded payments tools including robust API, payment gateway, automated risk monitoring, and compliance support for revenue sharing. Targets software companies seeking to monetize via embedded payments without building infrastructure independently.
- Sola for Platforms Integrated platform solution for software companies to integrate payments into their software, monetize payments, and open new revenue streams. Targets ISVs and SaaS providers seeking embedded payments capabilities.
- ACH Payments Electronic payment processing through the Automated Clearing House network for bank-to-bank transfers. Supports next-day funding, automated recurring billing, and integration with accounting software with typically lower processing fees than credit cards. Targets B2B businesses, professional services, and any merchant seeking lower-cost payment collection.
- Online Payments Solution to accept and manage online payments through hosted checkout, API integration, or embedded payment forms supporting multiple payment methods including credit cards, digital wallets, and ACH. Targets e-commerce merchants and online businesses.
- In-Person Payments POS solutions for in-store or on-the-go payment processing including Tap to Pay functionality for Android devices. Targets brick-and-mortar retailers, restaurants, and service businesses requiring card-present payment acceptance.
- Billing and Invoicing Recurring payment and subscription billing management solution for collecting payments automatically on schedule. Targets subscription-based businesses, membership organizations, and B2B companies with recurring invoices.
- Omnichannel Solutions Unified payment solution connecting online and in-store payment channels for consistent customer experience across all sales channels. Targets retailers operating both online and physical locations.
- Sola Merchant Portal Online virtual terminal and merchant dashboard for managing transactions, viewing reports, processing recurring payments, and accessing add-on features like Chargeback Management and Account Updater. Targets Sola merchants across all segments.
- Chargeback Management Chargeback dispute management solution offering centralized tracking, intuitive workflows, and expert guidance. Available as self-managed or fully managed options with proactive assistance and prevention tools. Win rates range from 15-50% across industries.
- Account Updater Automatic card data update tool that reduces card declines by electronically obtaining updated expiration dates or account numbers from card brands (Visa, Discover, Mastercard). Costs $0.25 per card update with no setup or monthly fees. Targets subscription and recurring billing merchants.
- Sola Gift Card Program Gift card program for issuance, tracking, and redemption of gift cards managed through the Sola Merchant Portal with comprehensive reporting for multiple branch locations. Targets retail merchants seeking gift card programs.
- 3D Secure (EMV 3-D Secure 2.0) Card-not-present authentication protocol supporting all major card brands (Visa Secure, Mastercard SecureCode, Discover ProtectBuy, American Express SafeKey) with risk-based authentication using customer and transaction data points to reduce fraud and chargebacks.
- Sola Mobile App On-the-go payment processing mobile application for managing payments remotely. Targets merchants needing mobile access to payment management.
Quantifiable outcome
- 30-40% of revenues from integrated payments
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use Sola
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments10 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Sola technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration14 records
AI capability1 record
Feature11 records
Sola partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- RMH (Retail Management Hero)coreSola and RMH announced a strategic partnership to expand retail payments capabilities. The partnership enables RMH's retail management software customers to access Sola's full payment processing suite. An RMH plugin is documented in Sola's developer portal, facilitating seamless integration for RMH users.
- Citizens Bank, N.A.coreSola is a registered Independent Sales Organization (ISO) of Citizens Bank, N.A., Providence, RI. This banking partnership provides the underlying processing infrastructure and bank relationships enabling Sola to offer merchant payment processing services.
- Elavin, Inc.coreSola is a registered Independent Sales Organization (ISO) of Elavin, Inc., Georgia. This banking partnership provides additional processing infrastructure and bank sponsorship for merchant payment services.
- NACHAminorThe ACH network is governed by NACHA (National Automated Clearing House Association), which regulates and oversees the ACH network. Sola's ACH processing operates under NACHA rules and regulations.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Sola competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Helcim: Helcim is a payment processor serving SMBs and mid-market merchants with interchange-plus pricing, online and in-person acceptance, and platform integrations. It is a direct peer to Sola in pricing philosophy and target customer.
- Stax Payments: Stax is a payment processor offering subscription-style pricing for SMB and mid-market merchants, alongside developer APIs and integrated platform offerings. It is a direct competitor to Sola's merchant and online payment processing suite.
- Finix: Finix is a PayFac-as-a-Service provider that enables ISVs and SaaS platforms to embed and monetize payments, much like Sola Go. It is a direct peer in the platform/embedded payments vertical with similar revenue-sharing economics.
- Payment Depot: Payment Depot is a payment processor offering wholesale/interchange-plus pricing, POS, and online payment processing for SMBs. It is a direct competitor to Sola in the mid-market merchant space with similar pricing model options.
- EBizCharge: EBizCharge is a payment gateway and processor with strong ERP/accounting integration (NetSuite, etc.) and B2B/ACH capabilities. It competes with Sola in online, ACH, and ERP-integrated payment processing for mid-market merchants.
- North American Bancard: North American Bancard is a registered ISO/payment processor serving merchants across North America with gateway, POS, and online processing. It is a direct peer to Sola as a similarly scaled, US-centric ISO with comparable product breadth.
Broad incumbents
- Adyen: Adyen is a global payment processor serving enterprises and platforms with unified online, in-person, and platform processing. It competes with Sola in the omnichannel and platform/embedded payments spaces, though at a much larger enterprise tier.
- PayPal: PayPal operates Braintree and PayPal Commerce Platform, which provide payment processing and PayFac-style infrastructure for merchants and platforms. It is a broad incumbent competitor to Sola's merchant and platform offerings.
- Stripe: Stripe is a global payment processing and PayFac-as-a-Service leader serving both direct merchants and platforms/ISVs via Stripe Connect. It competes directly with Sola's payment gateway and Sola Go embedded payments offerings, though at significantly larger scale and broader geographic reach.
- Square (Block): Square (Block) provides payment processing, POS, and an embedded payments platform for software partners. It competes with Sola across online, in-person, and omnichannel merchant payments as well as platform/ISV enablement.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Sola social profiles
Digital presenceSola compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
Sola financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sola leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Sola funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sola 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 Sola
What does Sola do?
Sola is a payment technology company that provides end-to-end payment processing solutions for merchants and software platforms across North America. Its core offerings include a payment gateway with API-first architecture, hosted checkout (PaymentSITE), in-person and omnichannel POS solutions, ACH/check processing, recurring billing, and PayFac-as-a-Service (Sola Go) for ISVs and SaaS providers to embed payments. Supporting capabilities include proprietary tokenization, iFields iframe forms, IQM interchange optimization, Account Updater, 3DS2 authentication, and Chargeback Management.
Is Sola a public or private company?
Sola is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Sola founded?
Sola was founded in 1995. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Sola based?
Sola is headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Sola make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Payment Processing Fees are the primary driver. The others are platform/PayFac Services, gateway and API Access, chargeback Management Add-Ons and account Updater.
Who are Sola's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Helcim, Stax Payments, Finix, Payment Depot, EBizCharge and North American Bancard. Broad incumbents are Adyen, PayPal, Stripe and Square (Block).
Does Sola have an API?
Yes. The Sola API enables developers to process payments using the Sola gateway. Systems integrating with the Sola API can submit API calls using various commands. The API supports many payment methods including credit cards, ACH, EBT, and gift cards. Supports multiple data formats: gatewayform, gatewayjson, and gatewayxml. Primary environment is x1 with x2 and b1 as backups. The API has Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS) restrictions - requests from web browser clients are blocked; only server-side origins are accepted. Developer documentation is at docs.solapayments.com.
What industry is Sola in?
Sola's product category is Payment Processing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAGABAE, Merchant-of-Record (MoR) & Payment Facilitation (PayFac) Infrastructure. Its NAICS code is 522320.