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Resolve Pay vs Balance Payments vs Melio: 2026 Comparison

Written by Resolve Team | Jul 16, 2026 2:57:59 PM

 

Resolve Pay, Balance Payments, and Melio support different parts of B2B commerce. Resolve Pay is the most directly aligned option for established B2B suppliers that want to offer net terms financing, automate accounts receivable, make faster credit decisions, and receive advance payment on approved invoices, while Balance Payments focuses on embedded payment infrastructure and Melio centers on bill payment workflows.

Key Takeaways

  • Resolve Pay supports supplier-side growth: The platform connects buyer credit decisions, net terms, non-recourse invoice advancement, payment acceptance, collections, and reconciliation.
  • Each platform serves a different workflow: Resolve Pay focuses on receivables and credit-to-cash operations, Balance Payments provides embedded payment infrastructure, and Melio supports business bill payments.
  • Approved invoices can improve cash timing: Resolve Pay may advance up to the approved invoice amount, subject to underwriting and transaction eligibility.
  • Non-recourse protection reduces seller risk: Merchants keep advances received on approved invoices even when an approved buyer later defaults.
  • AR automation reduces fragmented work: Resolve Pay helps finance teams coordinate invoicing, reminders, collections, payments, and accounting synchronization in one platform.
  • Resolve Pay fits established B2B sellers: Manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, and ecommerce merchants offering payment terms are the platform’s primary audience.

Why Businesses Compare Balance Payments and Melio Alternatives

Businesses compare B2B payment platforms when payment operations begin affecting growth, cash flow, or finance-team capacity. The correct platform depends on whether the company needs to manage incoming receivables, build payment functionality into another product, or organize outgoing vendor payments.

For B2B suppliers, the challenge often begins with buyer expectations. Customers may request Net 30, Net 60, Net 90, or customized payment terms, but extending those terms internally can tie up working capital and create additional credit, collections, and reconciliation work.

The Federal Reserve Payments Study tracks how noncash payments continue to evolve across the United States. The Small Business Credit Survey also examines business performance, financing needs, and credit access, while the U.S. Census Bureau tracks ecommerce activity throughout the economy.

Modern B2B payment platforms address these challenges in different ways:

  • Resolve Pay helps sellers approve buyers, offer payment terms, receive advance payment on approved invoices, and automate receivables.
  • Balance Payments provides infrastructure that platforms and marketplaces can incorporate into their own payment products.
  • Melio helps businesses create, approve, schedule, and track payments to vendors.

For suppliers selling on invoice terms, Resolve Pay is the most directly aligned platform because it is built around the complete buyer credit and receivables lifecycle.

Understanding Each Platform’s Market Position

Resolve Pay

Resolve Pay is a B2B payments, net terms, and accounts receivable platform for merchants that sell to other businesses. It originated from the B2B side of Affirm and was developed to help suppliers provide business buyers with purchasing flexibility without managing the entire credit process internally.

The platform combines previously separate components of B2B commerce:

  • Buyer credit applications and underwriting
  • Net terms and installment options for qualified buyers
  • Advance payment on approved invoices
  • Non-recourse protection
  • Digital invoicing and payment acceptance
  • Automated reminders and collections workflows
  • Accounting, ERP, ecommerce, and API connectivity

Resolve Pay describes its platform as a credit and AR team on tap. This positioning reflects its focus on helping sellers manage the workflow from initial buyer assessment through final invoice reconciliation.

Its accounts receivable platform also supports invoices that use net terms, cash on delivery, or payment due upon receipt. This makes Resolve Pay relevant beyond financed transactions because merchants can centralize more of their receivables activity within the same system.

Balance Payments

Balance Payments provides embedded B2B payment infrastructure for platforms, marketplaces, and software providers. Its API-oriented model is designed for companies that want payment, financing, onboarding, or transaction capabilities incorporated into their own product experiences.

Typical use cases include:

  • Platform-based B2B checkout
  • Seller and merchant onboarding
  • Marketplace payment workflows
  • Embedded payment experiences
  • Credit and payment functionality delivered through APIs
  • Domestic and international commerce workflows

Balance Payments is most relevant when the purchasing organization is building a payment product or marketplace experience rather than primarily managing its own receivables.

Implementation requirements depend on the workflow being created. Companies evaluating this model should consider their development resources, required payment flows, geographic coverage, and the level of control they need over the user experience.

Melio

Melio provides accounts payable and business payment software. Its primary workflow helps businesses create bills, route payments for approval, schedule vendor payments, and synchronize payment information with accounting systems such as QuickBooks.

Melio supports several ways to fund and deliver business payments. Delivery speed can vary based on the selected method, account eligibility, compliance checks, and payment review. Standard ACH delivery may take several business days, while faster delivery options may be available for eligible transactions.

Melio also offers receivables functionality, but its central market position remains closely associated with small-business bill pay and vendor payment management. This makes it most relevant when a company’s main objective is improving how it pays suppliers rather than offering financed payment terms to customers.

1. Resolve Pay for Integrated B2B Payments and Financing

Integrations and Best Fit

Integrations: QuickBooks Online, Xero, Oracle NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Shopify, BigCommerce, Magento 2, WooCommerce, and API connections

Best for: Established B2B merchants, manufacturers, distributors, and wholesalers that want to offer payment terms while improving cash flow and reducing manual receivables work

Resolve Pay is built around supplier-side credit-to-cash operations. Instead of treating underwriting, invoicing, financing, payment acceptance, collections, and reconciliation as separate projects, the platform coordinates them within a connected workflow.

Its B2B payments platform enables sellers to offer eligible buyers extended payment terms while receiving advance payment on approved invoices. Advance amounts, credit limits, and payment terms depend on Resolve Pay’s underwriting and buyer verification.

Buyer Credit Decisioning

Resolve Pay uses AI-supported models, business data, behavioral signals, and human credit expertise to assess buyers. Straightforward applications may receive rapid decisions, while more complex or higher-value requests can require additional review.

Merchants can also request a business credit check using basic company information. Resolve Pay’s quiet pre-approval workflow can help sellers evaluate a potential buyer without requiring the buyer to complete a lengthy initial process.

This supports several sales and finance use cases:

  • Evaluating new customers before extending terms
  • Reviewing credit capacity for larger orders
  • Reassessing existing customers as purchasing activity changes
  • Presenting qualified buyers with appropriate payment options
  • Reducing reliance on manual credit applications and bureau reports

All credit decisions remain subject to verification and Resolve Pay’s underwriting discretion.

Non-Recourse Invoice Advancement

Resolve Pay can provide advance payment on invoices from approved buyers. Depending on the approved structure, sellers may receive up to the invoice amount while the buyer retains the agreed payment period.

The advances are non-recourse on approved transactions. This means the merchant keeps the advance if an approved buyer later fails to pay, provided the transaction meets the applicable program requirements.

This structure helps suppliers:

  • Convert eligible receivables into cash sooner
  • Offer terms without funding the full payment period internally
  • Reduce exposure to approved buyer defaults
  • Plan inventory, payroll, and operating expenses with greater confidence
  • Support larger orders without waiting through extended collection cycles

Resolve Pay is positioned as a factoring alternative, but the workflow is integrated with buyer underwriting, digital payments, AR automation, and branded customer experiences.

Accounts Receivable Automation

Resolve Pay supports the receivables lifecycle from invoice creation through payment reconciliation. Its automation capabilities can help finance teams manage large customer portfolios without relying entirely on spreadsheets, inboxes, and manual reminders.

Core workflows include:

  • Invoice creation and management
  • Automated payment reminders
  • AI-assisted collections workflows
  • Buyer communication tracking
  • Payment matching and reconciliation
  • Portfolio and DSO visibility
  • Credit-line monitoring
  • Accounting synchronization

Resolve Pay’s agentic AR capabilities can assist with routine follow-up and collections tasks. Human teams can then focus on exceptions, customer relationships, disputes, and higher-value account decisions.

The platform’s smart bookkeeping tools also help map payment and transaction data to the appropriate invoices and accounting records.

Branded Buyer Payment Experience

Resolve Pay enables merchants to maintain their customer relationships through a white-label or merchant-branded payment portal. Buyers can review invoices and use supported methods such as ACH, wire transfer, card, or check.

A consistent buyer experience is particularly valuable for suppliers that sell through multiple channels, including:

  • Ecommerce checkout
  • Sales representatives
  • Email or phone orders
  • Marketplace transactions
  • Recurring wholesale relationships
  • Offline purchase-order workflows

Using ecommerce net terms, qualified buyers can apply for payment terms as part of the purchasing journey. This reduces the need to move credit applications and order approvals into separate offline processes.

ERP, Ecommerce, and API Connectivity

Resolve Pay provides financial integrations for commonly used accounting, ERP, and ecommerce systems. Connections can help merchants import customer and invoice information, synchronize transactions, and reduce duplicate data entry.

The platform supports both merchant and partner APIs. Merchant integrations can manage customers, invoices, payments, and payouts, while partner APIs can support platforms and marketplaces that need to manage multiple sub-merchants.

Resolve Pay’s developer documentation includes server-side APIs, client-side ecommerce guidance, and sandbox support for testing. This allows businesses to use a prebuilt integration where available or develop a customized workflow when required.

2. Balance Payments

Balance Payments centers its offering on infrastructure for platforms and marketplaces. Its API-based approach enables companies to add B2B payment experiences to an existing software product, marketplace, or commerce environment.

Core Capabilities

Balance Payments commonly supports workflows involving:

  • Embedded B2B checkout
  • Platform seller onboarding
  • Marketplace transactions
  • Payment processing
  • Credit-related functionality
  • Merchant payout coordination
  • International payment requirements
  • Custom user experiences

The model gives product and engineering teams control over how payment functionality appears within their applications. The technical scope will depend on the company’s architecture and desired user journey.

Balance Payments is therefore most relevant for businesses whose primary goal is building a payment-enabled product. Resolve Pay is more directly aligned with suppliers that want to improve their own net terms, receivables, and cash-conversion operations.

3. Melio

Melio helps businesses manage accounts payable and vendor payment workflows. Users can add bills, assign approval steps, select payment methods, schedule payments, and track payment status.

Core Capabilities

Melio’s functionality includes:

  • Bill creation and capture
  • Approval workflows
  • Scheduled and recurring payments
  • Vendor management
  • Payment-status tracking
  • QuickBooks connectivity
  • Card-funded vendor payments
  • ACH, check, and expedited delivery options

Melio may also allow a business to fund a payment using one method while the vendor receives another supported method. This can help businesses accommodate vendors with different payment preferences.

Its focus is different from Resolve Pay’s seller-side workflow. Melio is generally used to organize money leaving a business, while Resolve Pay helps B2B suppliers manage buyer approvals, invoices, incoming payments, collections, and eligible invoice advancement.

Why Resolve Pay Is the Strongest Fit for B2B Suppliers

A Unified Credit-to-Cash Workflow

B2B suppliers often assemble their payment operations from multiple products. A credit bureau may provide reports, an accounting platform may store invoices, a payment processor may accept funds, and employees may manage reminders through email and spreadsheets.

Resolve Pay brings these functions together. Its net terms management capabilities coordinate buyer assessment, credit limits, invoice funding, payment acceptance, reminders, collections, and accounting updates.

This unified model helps reduce handoffs between sales, finance, ecommerce, and operations teams.

Cash Flow Without Removing Buyer Flexibility

Flexible terms can make it easier for business buyers to place larger orders, purchase inventory, or align payments with their own cash-conversion cycles. However, the seller must still fund operations while waiting for payment.

Resolve Pay addresses both sides of the transaction. Qualified buyers retain payment flexibility, while sellers can receive advance payment on approved invoices.

This allows net terms to function as a sales and relationship tool rather than only as a receivables burden.

Risk Management Built Into the Transaction

Resolve Pay evaluates the buyer and establishes a credit structure based on its underwriting process. Non-recourse protection then applies to advances on approved transactions under the relevant program terms.

This approach can help merchants expand credit programs without building a large internal underwriting and collections department. It also provides a more coordinated process than treating credit reports, invoice financing, and payment collection as unrelated services.

Support for Multiple Sales Channels

Resolve Pay can support ecommerce, direct sales, field sales, invoiced orders, and platform transactions. Merchants can use prebuilt integrations or the Resolve Pay API to adapt the experience to their sales process.

This flexibility is important for manufacturers, distributors, and wholesalers whose buyers may place orders through different channels but still expect consistent credit limits, invoices, payment options, and account information.

Final Thoughts: Resolve Pay Supports Supplier-Side Growth

Resolve Pay, Balance Payments, and Melio should not be evaluated as interchangeable products. They address different operational goals.

Balance Payments is oriented toward platforms and marketplaces developing embedded commerce experiences. Melio supports businesses that want to organize bill payment and accounts payable processes. Resolve Pay is built for B2B sellers that need to approve buyers, offer net terms, receive advance payment on approved invoices, automate receivables, and reduce credit exposure.

For manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, and B2B ecommerce merchants, Resolve Pay provides the most complete alignment with supplier-side growth. Its combination of AI-supported credit decisions, non-recourse invoice advancement, AR automation, branded payments, and broad integration options helps sellers increase buyer purchasing flexibility without allowing extended terms to slow cash conversion.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is the Main Difference Between Resolve Pay, Balance Payments, and Melio?

Resolve Pay supports seller-side net terms, buyer underwriting, invoice advancement, accounts receivable automation, payments, and collections. Balance Payments provides embedded commerce infrastructure for platforms and marketplaces. Melio focuses primarily on bill payment, approval, and vendor payment workflows. Resolve Pay is the most directly aligned platform for established B2B suppliers selling to customers on payment terms.

How Does Resolve Pay’s Non-Recourse Structure Work?

Resolve Pay may advance funds on invoices from approved buyers. When an eligible advance is non-recourse, the seller keeps the advanced funds even if the approved buyer later defaults, subject to the applicable transaction and program requirements. Resolve Pay manages the associated credit assessment and collections process, allowing the merchant to reduce exposure to approved buyer payment risk.

Which Platforms Can Resolve Pay Integrate With?

Resolve Pay supports connections with QuickBooks Online, Xero, Oracle NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Shopify, BigCommerce, Magento 2, and WooCommerce. It also provides APIs for customized merchant, platform, and marketplace workflows. Integration scope varies by system, configuration, and the merchant’s required credit, invoice, payment, payout, and reconciliation processes.

How Quickly Does Resolve Pay Make Credit Decisions and Advance Funds?

Decision timing depends on the buyer, requested credit amount, available business information, and whether additional verification is required. Some eligible applications can receive rapid decisions, while complex requests may require further review. Approved invoice advances can generally help sellers receive funds substantially earlier than waiting through the buyer’s complete net terms period.

What Types of Businesses Benefit Most From Resolve Pay?

Resolve Pay is designed primarily for established B2B manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, merchants, and ecommerce sellers. It is particularly relevant for businesses that offer or want to offer Net 30, Net 60, Net 90, or customized terms and need integrated buyer underwriting, non-recourse invoice advancement, payment acceptance, collections support, and accounting reconciliation.

This post is to be used for informational purposes only and does not constitute formal legal, business, or tax advice. Each person should consult his or her own attorney, business advisor, or tax advisor with respect to matters referenced in this post. Resolve assumes no liability for actions taken in reliance upon the information contained herein.