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Head-to-Head Specification Audit
PayFast vs Fly.io
E-Commerce & SaaS Businesses · South Africa
Specification Matrix
| Metric | PayFast | Fly.io |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | CustomBetter | Custom |
| API Rate Limit | 60 req/min | N/A |
| Target Country | South Africa | Global |
| Category | Payment Processing API | Cloud Hosting & Edge |
| Compliance | POPIA, PCI-DSS | SOC2, GDPR |
| Hosting Regions | ZA-Cape-Town, ZA-Johannesburg | US-East, EU-West, AP-Southeast, AF-South-ZA |
| Native Integrations | 6 listedBetter | 5 listed |
PayFast — Key Specs
- ✓Only major payment gateway with POPIA-compliant ZA data residency by default
- ✓Supports EFT, credit card, Instant EFT, Mobicred, and SnapScan natively
- ✓No monthly fee — pay 2.0–3.5% per transaction only
- ✓Recurring billing API supports subscription SaaS models out of the box
Fly.io — Key Specs
- ✓Deploy Docker containers to 30+ global regions — closest to ZA is Johannesburg (jnb)
- ✓Machines API launches VMs in under 300ms — ideal for per-request compute isolation
- ✓Fly Volumes provide persistent SSDs for stateful apps like databases and file stores
- ✓Free allowance covers 3 shared-CPU VMs and 3GB of persistent storage permanently
Frequently Asked Questions
What is cheaper, PayFast or Fly.io?+
Both tools start at $0/mo on their entry plans.
Which tool is better for compliance — PayFast or Fly.io?+
PayFast additionally supports POPIA, PCI-DSS. Fly.io additionally supports SOC2, GDPR.
Is PayFast or Fly.io compliant with South Africa's POPIA?+
PayFast supports POPIA compliance. Fly.io does not list POPIA as a supported framework.
Which tool is better suited for South Africa?+
PayFast is evaluated for E-Commerce & SaaS Businesses in South Africa with hosting regions: ZA-Cape-Town, ZA-Johannesburg. Fly.io has hosting regions: US-East, EU-West, AP-Southeast, AF-South-ZA. For data residency in South Africa, check each vendor's data processing agreements.
Data last verified: 12 June 2026
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