The core difference: a gateway vs an orchestration layer
This is the single most important thing to understand, and it is easy to miss. The facts below are drawn from each provider's public materials; confirm current details directly before you choose.
UnumPay (built by the Shopify Plus agency Alchemative) is a Shopify-approved payment orchestration app. It does not process payments itself — it sits between your store and 40+ payment service providers across 45+ countries, letting you activate and switch between them from one dashboard. It is especially useful in markets where Shopify Payments is not available, like Pakistan.
Rapid Gateway is the other kind of product: an SBP-licensed payment gateway that actually processes the transaction and settles funds to your bank. You connect it to Shopify through its own official plugin, as your gateway — there is no extra layer between Shopify and the money.
At a glance
A side-by-side view for a Pakistani Shopify merchant. Pricing changes often, so verify current rates with each provider.
| Factor | Rapid Gateway | UnumPay |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Direct SBP-licensed payment gateway | Orchestration app routing to 40+ PSPs |
| Shopify integration | Its own official Shopify plugin | Shopify-approved app connecting other gateways |
| Payment methods | Cards, Raast, JazzCash, easypaisa, bank, QR | Whatever the connected gateways support |
| Pricing | 2% wallet / 2.5% card (published, all-in) | 0.85% per txn + plans, on top of gateway MDR |
| Settlement | T+1 to your PKR bank account | Depends on the underlying gateway |
| Best for | A direct local gateway with clear pricing | A marketplace of many gateways / multi-country |
What UnumPay does well
- Choice and redundancy. Access to 40+ gateways means you can run several at once and fail over if one has issues.
- Global reach. Coverage across 45+ countries makes it strong for stores selling into multiple markets.
- Native Shopify app. A one-click install from the Shopify App Store, useful where Shopify Payments is unavailable.
- One dashboard. Unified transaction monitoring, success rates and reporting across every connected gateway.
- Local-method bridges. It works to bring local rails like JazzCash and easypaisa into Shopify checkouts.
What Rapid Gateway does well
- It is the gateway, not a middleman. One SBP-licensed provider processes the payment and settles to your bank — no orchestration layer in between.
- Its own official Shopify plugin. Install the Rapid Gateway Shopify plugin, paste your key, and go live — cards, Raast, JazzCash, easypaisa, bank transfer and QR at checkout.
- Published, all-in pricing. A flat 2% wallet / 2.5% card MDR with no per-merchant negotiation and no separate per-transaction orchestration fee.
- Every local method in one account. No need to assemble providers — the full Pakistani method mix is built in.
- T+1 PKR settlement. Funds land in your local bank account the next business day.
- More than a gateway. Built-in invoicing, payment links and a role-based merchant portal are included.
Pricing: compare like for like
It is tempting to read UnumPay at 0.85% and Rapid Gateway at 2% and conclude UnumPay is cheaper. That is not a like-for-like comparison, and getting it wrong can cost you.
UnumPay's fee is for the orchestration layer. You still pay the underlying payment provider's own MDR on top of UnumPay's 0.85% per transaction (plus its Free, Pro or Enterprise plan). Rapid Gateway's 2% wallet / 2.5% card is the all-in gateway rate — it is the processor, so there is no second fee stacked on top.
So the honest question is total cost: the underlying gateway MDR plus UnumPay fees, versus Rapid Gateway's single published rate. Confirm both in writing for your volume before deciding.
Which should you choose?
- Choose UnumPay if you want a marketplace of many gateways, sell across several countries, or need multi-gateway redundancy and are comfortable managing an extra layer and fee.
- Choose Rapid Gateway if you are a Pakistan-focused Shopify merchant who wants a single direct gateway, every local payment method, transparent all-in pricing, T+1 PKR settlement and built-in invoicing — through its own official Shopify plugin.
The bottom line
UnumPay and Rapid Gateway are not quite the same kind of product. UnumPay is a capable orchestration layer that gives Shopify stores access to many gateways worldwide. Rapid Gateway is a direct, SBP-licensed Pakistani gateway with its own Shopify plugin, published pricing and every local method in one place.
For most Pakistani Shopify merchants who want the simplest path to getting paid in rupees — one provider, one clear rate, all local methods — a direct gateway like Rapid Gateway is the cleaner choice. For a wider view, see our 2026 guide to the best payment gateways in Pakistan or the Shopify payment gateway page.