Selecting the right B2B payment solution can determine whether your cash flow thrives or struggles. While Melio focuses on accounts payable automation for businesses paying vendors and OnDeck provides traditional business loans, Resolve Pay delivers net terms financing with complete AR automation that enables B2B sellers to offer competitive payment terms while receiving immediate cash.
Understanding these fundamental differences helps manufacturers, wholesalers, and distributors choose the approach that matches their operational model and growth objectives. Each platform addresses distinct pain points across the B2B payments landscape, from managing outgoing vendor payments to accessing working capital or transforming accounts receivable into a competitive advantage.
The B2B payments landscape encompasses three distinct categories that address fundamentally different business challenges. Recognizing these differences prevents the common mistake of comparing platforms that serve entirely separate purposes.
Platforms like Resolve Pay enable B2B sellers to offer deferred payment terms to their customers while receiving immediate cash. The seller gets paid upfront, the buyer pays in 30, 60, or 90 days, and the financing provider assumes the collection responsibility. This model transforms accounts receivable from a cash flow burden into a competitive advantage.
Platforms like Melio help businesses manage their outgoing vendor payments. These tools simplify bill payment workflows, automate AP processes, and provide flexibility in payment methods. The focus centers on the buying side of transactions rather than the selling side.
Platforms like OnDeck provide traditional loans and lines of credit for general working capital needs. Businesses borrow money, use it for any purpose, and repay with interest over time. The merchant bears full repayment liability regardless of how well their business performs.
The critical distinction lies in who bears the risk and who benefits from the cash flow improvement. Resolve Pay serves B2B sellers who receive immediate payment while their financing provider manages collections. Melio serves businesses paying vendors through streamlined workflows. OnDeck provides borrowed capital with full merchant repayment liability.
Resolve Pay operates as a comprehensive B2B payments platform designed specifically for manufacturers, distributors, and wholesalers who need to offer competitive payment terms without straining their cash flow or assuming credit risk.
The non-recourse financing model represents Resolve Pay's most significant differentiator. When a seller submits an invoice through Resolve Pay:
This structure protects sellers from covered credit-default losses on eligible approved invoices, subject to Resolve Pay's program terms and applicable exclusions. Traditional factoring arrangements typically include recourse provisions that leave sellers holding the bag when customers fail to pay. Resolve Pay assumes the covered buyer credit-default risk on eligible approved invoices, helping sellers extend terms while reducing their exposure to non-payment for credit reasons.
The credit engine uses AI to evaluate buyer creditworthiness, delivering decisions in under 24 hours. This replaces the manual process of calling trade references, pulling credit reports, and analyzing financial statements that traditionally consumed days or weeks of staff time.
The cash flow transformation proves substantial in practice. Consider a distributor with a typical 45-day DSO (Days Sales Outstanding). Every dollar of revenue sits in accounts receivable for six weeks before becoming usable cash. With Resolve Pay:
This acceleration freed Archipelago Lighting to triple their revenue while reducing net terms approval time from 10 days to 24 hours. The company now offers credit lines 20x higher than they could extend independently. ConEquip, a construction equipment company, achieved 30% year-over-year growth by offering competitive terms without tying up working capital. Elston Materials increased margins from 25% to 30% by eliminating the hidden costs of managing net terms internally.
Beyond financing, Resolve Pay provides complete accounts receivable automation that eliminates manual AR work. The platform handles invoice generation, payment reminders, reconciliation, and collections through a single integrated system.
The agentic collections system uses multi-channel sequences including email, SMS, and voice AI to follow up on outstanding payments. The automation includes:
Unlike aggressive factoring company tactics that can damage vendor-customer relationships, Resolve Pay's approach maintains the seller's brand experience throughout. Buyers interact with a white-labeled payment portal that reflects the seller's branding, not a third-party collection agency. Trenchless Supply reported AR workload reduced by 90% after implementing Resolve Pay. The time previously spent chasing payments, reconciling accounts, and managing credit applications now goes toward growth activities.
The proprietary AI credit engine evaluates thousands of data points including:
Credit decisions arrive in under 24 hours, with instant approvals available for some purchases up to USD $25,000. This speed creates a competitive advantage at checkout. TrueCable's VP of Sales noted that "customers are taken aback at how quickly we respond by confirming a decent-sized line."
Resolve Pay supports quiet pre-approval checks that can begin with basic business information and do not require the buyer to complete a traditional credit application during the initial assessment. This can reduce friction in the credit evaluation process.
Melio positions itself as an accounts payable automation platform helping businesses manage vendor payments. The platform simplifies outgoing payment workflows through features like batch processing, approval routing, and multiple payment method options.
Melio's core functionality centers on making it easier to pay bills:
The platform works well for businesses whose primary pain point involves managing outgoing vendor payments rather than collecting from customers. Small service businesses, retail operations, and professional firms often fall into this category.
Melio focuses on accounts payable workflows, including bill capture, payment scheduling, approval workflows, vendor payments, and accounting synchronization. Its structure is designed primarily for businesses managing outgoing payments rather than B2B sellers seeking invoice advances and integrated net terms.
Melio supports two-way synchronization with QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, Xero, and NetSuite. The platform provides businesses with tools to streamline how they pay their suppliers and manage approval processes across their teams.
OnDeck operates as a traditional small business lender providing term loans and lines of credit. The platform targets businesses needing working capital for general purposes including inventory purchases, equipment, hiring, or operational expenses.
OnDeck's primary value proposition centers on speed. Businesses can receive funding the same day they apply, which proves valuable for emergency capital needs. OnDeck currently offers term loans from USD $5,000 to USD $400,000, while its business line of credit is a separate revolving-credit product.
The platform considers factors beyond traditional credit scores during underwriting, potentially making capital accessible to businesses that banks might decline. This alternative underwriting approach opens doors for companies with credit challenges or limited operating history.
OnDeck provides term loans and business lines of credit for business working-capital needs. Its term loans are backed by a personal guarantee and a general lien on business assets, while its line of credit is also subject to the applicable lending agreement and personal guarantee.
OnDeck is structured for businesses seeking general-purpose borrowed capital, while Resolve Pay is structured around eligible B2B receivables, net terms, credit management, and AR automation. This differs from a traditional business loan because eligible Resolve Pay advances are non-recourse for covered approved-buyer credit defaults, subject to invoice validity, disputes, verification, exclusions, and applicable program terms.
Each platform serves distinct business profiles and operational models. Matching the right solution to specific needs prevents costly misalignments.
Resolve Pay fits best for:
The ideal Resolve Pay customer typically generates USD $1M+ in annual revenue and sells physical products to other businesses on payment terms. Industries with strong representation include:
SS&SI Dealer Network achieved 5x revenue growth through Resolve Pay. Shields Childcare Supplies won new business by offering Net 90 terms they could not extend independently. DocShop Pro built an entire B2B marketplace with embedded net terms checkout.
Melio serves businesses managing routine vendor payments, companies seeking AP automation, organizations wanting flexible payment method options, and teams requiring multi-user approval workflows. The platform works for businesses whose primary challenge involves paying their own bills rather than collecting from customers. Freelancers, agencies, retail stores, and professional services firms often match this profile.
OnDeck serves businesses needing working capital that is not tied to specific customer invoices, companies evaluating a traditional business lending structure, and situations requiring fast access to capital. Traditional business lending can address capital needs such as equipment, inventory, or other expenses that are not tied directly to customer invoices.
The integration ecosystem often determines implementation success. Platforms that connect with existing systems reduce manual work and adoption friction.
Resolve Pay provides native integrations with major platforms:
E-commerce:
Accounting and ERP:
Payment Processing:
The two-way sync capability means invoice and payment data flows automatically between systems. Onboarding typically takes a few days to a few weeks depending on the systems, configuration, training, and integration requirements. Rima Bouhaidar, Accounting Manager at VI, noted: "Resolve worked with us along the way to understand our needs and managed to fully automate a 2-way integration. The work required from our end has decreased by at least 90%."
Resolve Pay supports ecommerce integrations alongside ERP and accounting connections, while Melio's documented integration ecosystem centers on QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, Xero, and NetSuite.
Resolve Pay maintains SOC 2 Type II certification demonstrating rigorous security controls. The real-time decisioning engine delivers credit approvals quickly, while ML-powered payment matching automates reconciliation that would otherwise require manual effort.
The technical architecture supports:
Resolve Pay is designed for B2B sellers whose cash flow is tied up in customer receivables and extended payment terms. The platform addresses the specific challenges that emerge when manufacturers, distributors, and wholesalers need to offer competitive payment terms while maintaining healthy working capital.
Resolve Pay is particularly relevant when:
When a B2B seller's working-capital challenge comes from waiting for approved customers to pay invoices, Resolve Pay addresses that receivables cycle directly. Eligible approved invoices can receive advance funding while buyers retain their agreed payment terms, and Resolve Pay supports the related credit, invoicing, reconciliation, payment, and collections workflows.
The B2B payment portal gives buyers a branded environment for managing invoices and payments while helping sellers centralize their receivables workflow. RentAll Construction summarized the impact: "Resolve has positively impacted our cash flow. Their advance on each invoice we submit has translated into quicker receivables, directly contributing to healthier cash flow management."
When an eligible buyer and invoice qualify for Resolve Pay's non-recourse program, the seller can receive an advance before the buyer's payment due date. Resolve Pay then manages the applicable payment and collections workflow. Covered approved-buyer credit defaults do not require the seller to repay the advance solely because of that default, while disputes involving merchandise issues or merchant error follow a separate resolution process.
Resolve Pay helps B2B sellers offer approved customers flexible net payment terms while improving access to cash and reducing manual accounts receivable work. The platform combines buyer credit assessment, eligible invoice advances, invoicing, reconciliation, payments, and collections within one B2B workflow.
Resolve Pay provides non-recourse advances on eligible approved invoices. For covered buyer credit defaults, the seller is not required to repay the advance solely because the approved buyer fails to pay. Invoice disputes, merchandise issues, merchant errors, verification requirements, and other program exclusions are handled separately under the applicable terms.
Resolve Pay supports major ecommerce platforms including Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, and Magento 2, along with accounting and ERP systems such as QuickBooks Online, Xero, Sage Intacct, and Oracle NetSuite. REST APIs and other integration options support additional workflows. Implementation typically takes a few days to a few weeks depending on the merchant's systems and integration requirements.
Resolve Pay serves mid-market B2B sellers, typically generating USD $1M+ in annual revenue, who sell physical products to other businesses on payment terms. Key industries include HVAC parts distribution, construction materials, medical and pharmaceutical supplies, industrial equipment, foodservice equipment, electrical supplies, and safety equipment.
The agentic collections system uses multi-channel sequences including email, SMS, and voice AI with professional, friendly messaging that preserves customer relationships. Automated escalation follows configurable day thresholds, pausing automatically when payments or disputes are received. The white-labeled buyer portal maintains the seller's brand throughout the payment experience.
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.