Nobody publishes a count of the billing and payment tools MSPs run, so the useful way to answer it is by job. A typical MSP has a PSA and accounting software, then a direct debit provider, a card processor, a chasing tool and often a bridge to get card payouts into the ledger. Consolidating the collection side into one platform removes the last four as separate tools, along with the subscriptions, net payouts and double data entry that come with them, while the PSA and accounting software stay.
In this article
The short version
- No published count exists, and mapped by job a typical MSP adds a direct debit provider, card processor, chasing tool and often a bridge to its PSA and ledger.
- Net lump-sum payouts from GoCardless and Stripe have to be broken back into invoices and a fee line, by hand or through a paid bridge.
- GoCardless charges on every submitted payment, so a failed direct debit you then collect another way can cost you twice.
- Adfin puts direct debit, cards, pay by bank, chasing and reconciliation in one platform, paying out in full every weekday with its fee invoiced separately.
- Your PSA and accounting software stay, and the saving depends on your client mix, so price your own month on both sides.
What a typical MSP billing stack looks like
Every month you raise invoices, record them, collect the money and chase what doesn't arrive. The first two jobs usually sit in your PSA and your accounting software. The tools multiply in the gap between the invoice and the bank, because each way a client pays tends to bring its own product.
| Job | Usual tool | How it charges |
|---|---|---|
| Contracts, tickets, recurring invoice runs | PSA | Per agent, monthly |
| Ledger, VAT, reporting | Xero or QuickBooks | Per organisation, monthly |
| Monthly contracted fees | Direct debit provider | Per payment, plus add-ons such as your name on statements |
| Project work, hardware, one-offs | Card processor | Per payment, uncapped |
| Reminders and credit control | Chasing tool | Monthly subscription, often tiered by your revenue |
| Getting card payouts into the ledger | Bridge tool | Monthly, by number of transactions synced |
| Card payments over the phone or by link | Phone payments tool | Monthly plus per payment |
You may not have every row. If every client pays by direct debit, you might not need a card processor or a bridge, and a small client list can be chased from your own inbox. Once you take both direct debit and cards and have more than a handful of late payers, though, the middle rows tend to fill up, each with its own login, bill and copy of your client list.
What the extra tools cost beyond their price
Beyond the subscriptions, a split stack costs you time and fees in the gaps between tools.
Net payouts. GoCardless and Stripe both take their fees off before they pay you, and pay out a lump sum covering many payments. Someone has to break each lump sum back into invoices and a fee line, by hand or through the bridge you pay for.
Failed payments. GoCardless charges its fee on every payment you submit, whether or not it succeeds, so a failed direct debit you then collect another way can cost you twice.
Chasing that can't see payments. A chasing tool that isn't connected to how the client pays can't offer a card when a direct debit fails, and only knows an invoice is paid once the ledger catches up. GoCardless doesn't chase overdue invoices at all, which is one reason the separate tool exists.
Records that drift. When a client changes their finance contact or moves from card to direct debit, the change may need making in the PSA, the ledger, the direct debit provider, the card processor and the chasing tool. Each is one more place for details to go stale, and one more place to look when a payment goes missing.
What consolidating the payments layer removes
Adfin puts direct debit, cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, pay by bank and bank transfer, chasing and reconciliation in one platform, so the direct debit provider, the card processor, the chasing tool and the bridge stop being separate products.
Invoices come in from Xero or QuickBooks, or as uploaded PDFs and spreadsheets. Payments land in your bank every weekday at the full invoiced amount, with the fee invoiced separately, so there's no net batch to unpick and no bridge to pay for. Each payment is matched to its invoice and synced back to Xero or QuickBooks, including part payments and overpayments. Failed direct debits are retried for free and can fall back to the client's card, and you're only charged for payments that succeed. Core credit control is included in the price, with chasing over email, SMS and WhatsApp from your own email domain.
On the chasing side, Adfin's AI Customer Agents can pick the timing and channel for each client, add statutory late fees, offer instalment plans and send statements when a client goes quiet, within rules you set and approve.
To see what it would save you, list what you pay each month for the tools in the payments rows of the table, add the fees you paid on failed collections, and set that against the same month's payments priced on the new platform. The answer depends on your client mix, so price your own month.
What stays in your stack
Your PSA still runs tickets, contracts and invoice runs, and your accounting software still holds the ledger, VAT and reporting. The payments platform works alongside Xero and QuickBooks and doesn't replace either, or your PSA.
Common questions
How many tools does the average MSP use for billing and payments? There's no published count. Mapped by job, a typical MSP runs a PSA and accounting software plus a direct debit provider, a card processor, a chasing tool and often a bridge.
What does consolidating payment tools remove? The separate direct debit provider, card processor, chasing tool and bridge, along with the net payouts and duplicate client records that come with them.
Does consolidating always save money? Not always. It depends on how your clients pay and which subscriptions you currently have, so price your own month on both sides.
Why do MSPs pay for bridge tools? Card processors pay out one net lump sum for many payments, which doesn't match any single invoice, so a bridge breaks it back down for the ledger.
Can one platform replace my PSA? Adfin doesn't replace a PSA or your accounting software. It handles collection, chasing and reconciliation and syncs with Xero and QuickBooks.
Do I have to move my direct debit mandates to consolidate? Yes, but with 10 or more mandates Adfin moves them through the Bacs bulk change process without clients re-signing. With fewer, clients sign a new Adfin mandate.
Sources
- GoCardless Support Centre - Pricing and fees FAQs (accurate as of September 2026) https://support.gocardless.com/hc/en-gb/articles/115002831125-Transactions-and-fees-FAQs
- GoCardless Support Centre - Receiving a payout (accurate as of September 2026) https://support.gocardless.com/hc/en-gb/articles/17485089478940-Receiving-a-payout
- Stripe Docs - Receive payouts (accurate as of September 2026) https://docs.stripe.com/payouts
- Stripe Docs - Integrate an accounting tool (accurate as of September 2026) https://docs.stripe.com/accounting-integrations
- Adfin - Pricing (accurate as of September 2026) https://www.adfin.com/pricing
- Adfin - Next-generation direct debit (accurate as of September 2026) https://www.adfin.com/direct-debit-payments
