Head-to-Head Specification Audit
PayFast vs Supabase
E-Commerce & SaaS Businesses · South Africa
Specification Matrix
| Metric | PayFast | Supabase |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | CustomBetter | $25/mo |
| API Rate Limit | 60 req/min | 500 req/minBetter |
| Target Country | South Africa | Global |
| Category | Payment Processing API | Database & Backend |
| Compliance | POPIA, PCI-DSS | GDPR, SOC2, HIPAA |
| Hosting Regions | ZA-Cape-Town, ZA-Johannesburg | US-East, EU-West, AP-Southeast |
| Native Integrations | 6 listed | 7 listedBetter |
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
Supabase — Key Specs
- ✓Full PostgreSQL — no proprietary query language lock-in
- ✓Built-in Auth, Realtime, and Storage in a single project dashboard
- ✓Row Level Security (RLS) policies enforce data access at the database layer
- ✓REST and GraphQL APIs auto-generated from your schema — zero boilerplate
Frequently Asked Questions
What is cheaper, PayFast or Supabase?+
PayFast starts at $0/mo, which is lower than Supabase at $25/mo.
Which tool is better for compliance — PayFast or Supabase?+
PayFast additionally supports POPIA, PCI-DSS. Supabase additionally supports GDPR, SOC2, HIPAA.
Is PayFast or Supabase compliant with South Africa's POPIA?+
PayFast supports POPIA compliance. Supabase does not list POPIA as a supported framework.
Which has a higher API rate limit — PayFast or Supabase?+
Supabase has a higher API rate limit at 500 requests per minute. PayFast: 60 req/min. Supabase: 500 req/min.
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. Supabase has hosting regions: US-East, EU-West, AP-Southeast. For data residency in South Africa, check each vendor's data processing agreements.
Data last verified: 11 June 2026
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