Chaser and Adfin both automate invoice chasing for UK businesses, but Chaser is credit control software that takes payments through your own Stripe account, while Adfin is a payments platform with credit control built in, taking card, bank and direct debit payments itself and matching them back to Xero or QuickBooks. A chasing tool covers the gap if your payments already run smoothly and the problem is reminders; a payments platform also covers how customers pay once a reminder lands, by card, bank or direct debit.
In this article
The short version
- Chaser is credit control software that chases by email, SMS and automated calls.
- Chaser takes card, bank and direct debit payments through your own Stripe account, at Stripe's fees plus a Chaser fee on direct debit.
- Adfin takes card, bank and direct debit payments itself and chases by email, SMS and WhatsApp.
- A chasing tool covers the gap when payments already run smoothly; a payments platform also covers how customers pay.
- Adfin's credit control can be used on its own, with payments added later.
What Chaser does
Chaser is credit control software. It reads your invoices from your accounting system and chases overdue ones by email and SMS, with automated phone calls as well. It gives customers a payment portal, can add late payment fees by rule, runs credit reports on customers and has AI features for writing emails and flagging risky debtors. It connects to Xero, QuickBooks, Sage and several larger finance systems.
To take payments, Chaser connects to your own Stripe account. Customers can then pay from the portal by card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or instant bank transfer, and Chaser can collect Bacs direct debit through the same Stripe account. You pay Stripe's fees, and for direct debit Chaser adds a fee of up to 0.5% per transaction, capped at £2. Chaser is priced by your annual revenue, billed monthly or yearly, so you'll need to ask for a quote in pounds.
What Adfin does differently
Adfin starts from the payment. It takes card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, pay by bank, bank transfer and direct debit payments itself, so you don't need a Stripe account, a separate direct debit provider or your own Bacs facility. Every reminder carries a link your customer can pay from, regular customers can be moved onto direct debit, and customers who pay by transfer can each have their own bank details in your business's name, so their payments match to the right invoice whatever reference they type.
Chasing runs over email, SMS and WhatsApp, on the schedule you set, and stops as soon as the customer pays. Because Adfin holds the payment as well as the reminders, a failed direct debit doesn't drop out of the process: Adfin retries it for free, then can charge a card on file or send a payment link while reminders carry on. Its AI Customer Agents can adjust timing and channel to each customer, add statutory interest to overdue business invoices, offer instalment plans and send statements, within rules you approve.
Payments are matched to invoices, including part payments, with two-way sync to Xero and QuickBooks, and payouts arrive every weekday in full with Adfin's fees invoiced separately.
Adfin and Chaser side by side
| Chaser | Adfin | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Credit control software | Payments and credit control platform |
| Chasing channels | Email, SMS, automated calls | Email, SMS, WhatsApp |
| Card and pay by bank | Through your own Stripe account, at Stripe's fees | Built in |
| Direct debit | Bacs through Stripe, plus a Chaser fee of up to 0.5% (capped at £2) | Built in, no Bacs facility of your own needed |
| After a failed direct debit | Chasing has to be restarted by hand | Free retries, then card on file or a payment link |
| Late fees | Interest, fixed or percentage fees by rule | Statutory interest added automatically |
| Accounting software | Xero, QuickBooks, Sage and larger finance systems | Xero and QuickBooks, two-way sync |
| Pricing basis | Subscription banded by annual revenue | 1% + 20p per successful payment, essential credit control free |
Adfin's percentage is capped at £4 on direct debit and bank payments, so those cost at most £4.20 each, with an extra 0.3% on direct debits over £2,000. Automatic late fees, AI agents that tune each customer's reminders and emails sent from your own address are part of enhanced credit control, at 0.3% per paid invoice and only when you use it.
How to tell which you need
A chasing tool on its own covers the job when your customers already pay easily: they're mostly on direct debit with a provider you're happy with, or they pay by transfer and the only problem is that nobody reminds them. In that case, the decision is about the chasing itself, and Adfin can be used that way too. Its credit control works on its own, without taking payments through Adfin, and you can switch payments on later.
A payments platform starts to matter when late payment is partly about how customers pay. Some signs:
- Customers say they'll pay by card if you send a link, and you have to set one up.
- You run a direct debit provider, a card processor and a chasing tool, each with its own fees and records.
- Bank transfers arrive with the wrong reference and someone matches them by hand.
- A failed direct debit means the invoice quietly stops being chased.
If several of those sound familiar, compare the fees and admin of your current set-up with one account that takes payment, chases and reconciles. Adfin's accounting sync covers Xero and QuickBooks, so if your books are in Sage or a larger finance system, check the integration before anything else.
Common questions
Does Chaser collect payments? Yes, through your own connected Stripe account. Customers can pay by card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or instant bank transfer from Chaser's portal, at Stripe's fees.
Can Chaser collect direct debit? Yes. Chaser collects Bacs direct debit through a connected Stripe account, with an extra Chaser fee of up to 0.5% per transaction, capped at £2, on top of Stripe's fees.
Do I need Stripe to take payments with Adfin? No. Adfin takes card, pay by bank, bank transfer and direct debit payments itself, without a Stripe account or a separate direct debit provider.
Can I use Adfin just for chasing? Yes. Adfin's credit control can run on its own, without taking payments through Adfin, and you can add payments later.
How much does Chaser cost? Chaser is priced by your annual revenue, billed monthly or yearly. Ask Chaser for a quote in pounds.
Does Adfin chase by WhatsApp? Yes. Adfin sends reminders by email, SMS and WhatsApp, each with a payment link the customer can pay from.
Sources
- Chaser - Credit control software (accurate as of October 2026) https://www.chaserhq.com/
- Chaser Help - Set up Bacs direct debit (accurate as of October 2026) https://help.chaserhq.com/set-up-bacs-direct-debit
- Chaser - Pricing (accurate as of October 2026) https://www.chaserhq.com/chaser-pricing
- Adfin - Credit control (accurate as of October 2026) https://www.adfin.com/credit-control
- Adfin - Pricing (accurate as of October 2026) https://www.adfin.com/pricing
