DonateAnyCrypto switched to a new payments provider – Apirone

On June 1st, we switched to a new payments provider - Apirone. In this article, we will explain all the new features, benefits for our users, and more.

DonateAnyCrypto's first payment provider

Our first payment provider was Cryptocloud. We liked this service for its features:

• Good payment page design, which is important for conversions.
• Support for a wide range of cryptocurrencies for payments, including Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum, and stablecoins like ERC20, TRC20, BSC, and MATIC. It's a comprehensive list, isn't it?
• Ability to accept worldwide bank cards for some projects.
• Automatic conversion of USD to cryptocurrency. To create an invoice, we simply provided the amount in USD, and the service converted it automatically.

However, from the beginning, we wanted to switch to a different service as quickly as possible. Why?

• High commission. We'll include a picture below to illustrate. Moreover, there are additional commissions on checkout for Ethereum ($3) and USDT ERC20 ($1.4). It's worth noting that these additional commissions are not mentioned on their fees page. So, if your customer wants to pay an invoice in Ethereum, for example, with a value of $10, you would receive $6.79 without network fees after deducting the 3% commission ($3 USD). Let's approximate it to $6 USD, including the network fee. 40% in fees? No, thanks. We'll pass.
• Lack of trust in the automatic USD to cryptocurrency conversion. While it may be convenient to have it done automatically, we prefer to handle the conversion ourselves.
• Uncertainty about card acceptance. On one hand, they mention that some projects can apply for the opportunity to enable customers to pay with bank cards. On the other hand, we are unsure about how well this feature works, given that crypto and banks don't always have a smooth relationship. We did not try this feature, so we cannot judge its effectiveness firsthand.
• Centralization. Cryptocloud only allows payments to be made to your merchant's account. Firstly, there is always a chance that the funds might be blocked. Secondly, it doesn't provide an option for auto payouts to our customers.
• Located in Russia. We mention this as a negative factor due to the instability of the region. The ongoing war in Ukraine is just one of several similar factors. While Russia has many talented individuals who work well, the government's actions can disrupt everything.

DonateAnyCrypto's second payment provider

The second payment provider we used was Litepay, and we found this service much more favorable than the previous one. We particularly liked it for the following reasons:

• Acceptance of Bitcoin, Litecoin, ZCash, and Monero.
• Moderate commission rate of 2%.
• Functionality for forwarding transactions, which enabled us to implement auto payouts.

However, we encountered some problems along the way:

• Lack of email support. Despite attempting to contact them via email, we did not receive any responses. Only after discovering their Telegram group were we able to reach them.
• There is no social media activity. While we hope that Litepay is functioning properly, it would be even better to see regular updates or news from them on social media or in a blog.

• Discontinuation of Monero without notification. One day, we received feedback from our users stating that the Monero payment method was not functioning. We checked our service and everything seemed fine. We then consulted Litepay's documentation, which still indicated support for Monero. It was only when we contacted them through Telegram that they confirmed they had stopped accepting Monero. We requested that they update their documentation, but as we write this article, it has been more than a month and the documentation remains outdated.

Our new payment provider – Apirone

Let's talk about the benefits of Apirone.

• Low fees: We utilize the forwarding transactions API, and the fee is only 1% + network fee. This is the lowest fee we've come across.
• Always online: If we ever need to contact the Apirone team, we know it won't be a problem. They respond promptly via email. Additionally, the founder of the service is easily reachable online, and he even offered to create a free advertisement for DonateAnyCrypto, which we greatly appreciate!
• Rich documentation & examples: Apirone provides not only comprehensive documentation but also examples of how to use the API for various services, such as file sharing and Telegram bots.
• Activity on social media: You can find articles and updates about the service on their active social media channels. This is important as it demonstrates that the service is actively maintained and continuously improving.
• Unique fees policy: For merchants, Apirone offers two options: a 1% fee for every transaction or a fixed fee for transactions above a certain amount. This is a highly interesting approach that we have not seen elsewhere.

We absolutely love Apirone, but there are a few points we would like to mention:

• Concerns about the Russia-based domain registrant: We believe Reg.ru is an unreliable domain registrant and using their services is not advisable. It is not just based in Russia but is also known for blocking domains without valid reasons. It would be beneficial for Apirone to consider switching to an excellent US-based domain registrar like Namecheap, which accepts cryptocurrencies. Alternatively, they could explore the best Russia-based provider, Timeweb.
• We would love to see support for new cryptocurrencies, especially Ethereum.

Although we wish we had known about Apirone since the inception of DonateAnyCrypto, it's better to discover something late than never, right?

We extend our gratitude to the Apirone team for providing this exceptional service!

Conclusion

Thanks to Apirone, our customers can now enjoy DonateAnyCrypto with the confidence of using a reliable payment provider we trust. Trust is a fundamental aspect that everyone desires, and we believe it is one of the most important elements in our life.

Next

Somebody may be wondering: How does DonateAnyCrypto earn money and generate profit if they don't charge their customers? It's a good question, and we'll delve into it further. In short, DonateAnyCrypto does not charge its customers at all. Instead, we have devised a new monetization model that sets us apart from other similar services.

Rather than charging our customers, we offer an opportunity for donors to highlight their donations for a small fee. Let's say you want to send a donation to your favorite streamer who uses DonateAnyCrypto. A regular donation includes text, image, and sound. However, for a small additional payment, you can add a voice message, video, sound, or even a unique animation to your donation. This concept was inspired by the game PUBG Mobile, where you can't buy superpowers to always win against your opponents. Instead, you can purchase customizations for your guns, cars, skins, and more. We admire this business model and draw inspiration from it.

Thank you for reading this article and using DonateAnyCrypto!

Always yours, the DonateAnyCrypto team.