iGaming Payment Solutions
Helio Pay ReviewIs It the Right Payment Solution for Your iGaming Business?
Adequate
Helio Pay is a non-custodial Solana-first crypto checkout, now operating as MoonPay Commerce after the $175M acquisition in January 2025. It is the official maintainer of the Solana Pay plugin for Shopify and processes payments straight to merchant wallets — no custody, zero chargebacks, instant settlement. The catch for iGaming operators: it is built for Web3 commerce and creator economy, not gambling. Flat 2% on all transactions (1% with the HelioX Pass NFT) regardless of volume, no SoftSwiss or EveryMatrix connector, and parent MoonPay's terms prohibit unlawful gambling. Workable for crypto-licensed operators willing to integrate via raw API, wrong tool for a regulated casino looking for a payments stack.
Quick Info
iGaming Score
Our iGaming Score: 5.2/10
Weighted scoring across six criteria
| Criterion | Weight | Score | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| iGaming Fit Built for Web3 commerce and creator economy. No SoftSwiss, EveryMatrix or Slotegrator connectors. MoonPay parent ToS prohibits unlawful gambling. Crypto casinos can integrate via API but the platform is not designed for them. | 25% | 3.5 | Weak |
| Geographic Coverage Crypto-borderless coverage by default. Off-ramp to fiat depends on MoonPay availability per country. No local fiat rails — players in Brazil cannot deposit via PIX, only via crypto wallets. | 20% | 5.0 | Adequate |
| Security & Compliance Non-custodial design eliminates custody risk. KYB optional for basic merchants. MoonPay parent layer adds Sumsub-grade KYC for fiat off-ramp. No bespoke fraud ML for the crypto leg — buyer fraud is the merchant's responsibility. | 20% | 4.0 | Weak |
| Fees & Pricing Flat 2% standard, 1% with HelioX Pass NFT. Higher base rate than NOWPayments (0.5%), CoinGate (1%) or CoinsPaid (0.8%). No volume discount path published. Add 0.5% if auto off-ramping to fiat. | 15% | 8.0 | Strong |
| Tech & Integration Minutes to live via the Shopify Solana Pay plugin or @heliofi/react. Good documentation, active SDK on GitHub, devnet sandbox. No iGaming platform connectors — every casino integration is custom API work. | 10% | 8.5 | Strong |
| User Trust Effectively no Trustpilot signal (1 review on hel.io). Helio.co's 4.6/5 is a different company. MoonPay acquisition for $175M validates the team and product, but third-party social proof for iGaming is absent. | 10% | 5.0 | Adequate |
| Overall | 100% | 5.2 | Adequate |
We score each provider on six criteria using a 1 to 10 scale. iGaming Fit carries the most weight at 25% because that is what matters most for gambling operators. Geographic Coverage gets 20%. Security and Compliance, Fees and Pricing, and Tech and Integration each get 15%. User Trust rounds it out at 10%. The final score is a weighted average of all six.
Score Explanation
Tech and chargeback handling pull the numbers up. Non-custodial Solana checkout, Shopify plugin used by thousands of stores, zero-chargeback by design, instant on-chain settlement — for the Web3 commerce job it was built for, Helio is solid. iGaming Fit drags the overall score down because the platform was never built for gambling: there is no SoftSwiss or EveryMatrix connector, no published casino case studies, and MoonPay's terms explicitly prohibit unlawful gambling. Fees score below NOWPayments because the 2% flat rate is 4x NOWPayments' 0.5% floor and there is no published volume tier. User Trust is a void — 1 Trustpilot review is not data. Geographic Coverage is the standard crypto-borderless story with the same caveat every crypto gateway has: zero local fiat methods.
Who Is Helio Pay Best For?
Weighted scoring across six criteria
Recommended For
Shopify Solana Pay merchants. Shopify stores adding Solana payments. Helio maintains the official Solana Pay plugin for Shopify, installed by thousands of merchants. If your iGaming-adjacent product runs on Shopify (skin marketplace, esports merch, content subscriptions), this is the fastest way to accept SOL, USDC and SPL tokens. Plug-and-play install, no API work.
Web3 and NFT commerce. Web3-native businesses where customers already hold wallets. NFT projects running presales, DAOs collecting contributions, creators selling digital goods. Helio's hosted payment links and embed button let any team accept crypto in minutes. Magic Eden, Backpack and dozens of Solana projects use it for this exact use case.
Discord and Telegram community payments. Discord and Telegram community payments. Helio's Discord bot handles role-gated payments, subscription management and pay-per-message tipping. Useful for gambling-adjacent content (handicapping services, paid tipster channels) where the actual gambling happens off-platform.
Fast Solana checkout pilots. Operators piloting Solana crypto checkout fast. Devnet sandbox, working SDK, full docs. Time-to-live is measured in hours, not the weeks CoinsPaid or BitPay require. If a casino wants to test whether Solana deposits drive any volume before committing to NOWPayments or CoinsPaid, Helio is the cheapest evaluation path.
Not Recommended For
UKGC-licensed iGaming operators. UKGC, MGA-strict or any regulated-market iGaming operator. Helio Pay is not on any approved-supplier list for gambling regulators. The parent MoonPay's terms explicitly prohibit unlawful gambling. Curacao-licensed crypto casinos can technically integrate at the 2% high-risk floor, but operators answerable to the UKGC, Ontario AGCO or NJ DGE should look at BitPay (US MSB) or CoinsPaid (Estonian-licensed) instead.
SoftSwiss and EveryMatrix casinos. Casinos running on SoftSwiss, EveryMatrix or Slotegrator. There is no Helio module in those platforms' marketplaces. CoinsPaid is SoftSwiss's primary crypto partner. NOWPayments has a NuxGame connector. Helio integration on these stacks is custom API work that gets little vendor support, and you will be the only operator doing it.
Fiat-heavy gambling sites. Fiat-heavy operators where less than 20% of deposits come through crypto. Helio handles the crypto leg only. You still need Nuvei, Trustly, Paysafe or AstroPay for cards, bank transfers and local methods. The 2% Helio fee is also higher than NOWPayments' 0.5%, so as a supplementary crypto rail it is overpriced.
Operators needing dispute management. Platforms that need on-platform dispute resolution. Helio transactions are on-chain and irreversible. If a player claims their deposit never credited or asks for a refund, the merchant must handle it manually and initiate a return transaction. Nuvei, Adyen and Worldpay have dispute portals; Helio does not.
Geographic Coverage
Supported regions and market focus
Regions
Coverage Analysis
Crypto-borderless by protocol. A player with a Solana, Ethereum or Bitcoin wallet anywhere in the world can pay an Helio-powered checkout — there is no fiat-rail dependency, no card BIN routing, no per-country payment-method enablement. Sanctioned jurisdictions (Iran, North Korea, Crimea, Cuba, Syria) are excluded by parent MoonPay's compliance layer. Fiat off-ramp coverage tracks MoonPay's availability map (150+ countries for crypto-to-fiat, fewer for fiat-to-crypto). Where Helio is weakest geographically: zero local fiat methods. A Brazilian player who wants PIX, an Indian player who wants UPI, or a Polish player who wants BLIK is locked out unless they already hold crypto.
Key Features for iGaming Operators
Products, payment methods, and verticals
Key Products
Payment Links, Embed Checkout, Shopify Solana Pay Plugin, WooCommerce Plugin, Subscriptions, Mass Payouts, API/SDK
Five product surfaces. (1) Payment Links — hosted checkout URLs, the simplest entry point. (2) Embed Button — React component drops into any site for inline crypto checkout. (3) Shopify Solana Pay Plugin — the flagship product, officially maintained by Helio, installed by thousands of Shopify stores. (4) WooCommerce Plugin — WordPress equivalent. (5) API/SDK — for custom flows, mass payouts, subscriptions, Discord and Telegram bots. Auto off-ramp added post-MoonPay acquisition: merchants can settle in USD or EUR at +0.5%. Swap functionality (crypto-to-crypto) at +0.25%.
Payment Methods
Solana-first by design. SOL, USDC on Solana, USDT on Solana, and hundreds of SPL tokens through Solana Pay. Cross-chain support added later: Bitcoin, Ethereum (ETH, USDC, USDT), Polygon (MATIC, USDC). MoonPay parent integration enables card-to-crypto on-ramp at checkout for buyers without wallets, though this adds a fiat-to-crypto fee on top of the 2% Helio fee. No native cards, no bank transfers, no e-wallets, no open banking. NOWPayments covers 350+ coins across more chains; CoinPayments covers 175+; Helio's strength is depth on Solana, not breadth across the ecosystem.
Verticals
eCommerce (Shopify Solana Pay plugin), Web3 commerce, NFT marketplaces and presales, creator economy, paid Discord and Telegram communities, SaaS subscriptions. iGaming is absent from the published vertical list. No casino case studies on hel.io's site, no sportsbook clients in MoonPay's press materials. Helio sells to merchants, creators and Web3 projects — not to operators. CoinsPaid, NOWPayments and BitPay all position themselves at least partially toward gambling; Helio explicitly does not.
| Feature | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Deposit Processing | Hundreds of tokens via Solana Pay (SPL standard) plus BTC, ETH, USDC, USDT across Solana, Ethereum, Polygon, Bitcoin. Heavy Solana ecosystem skew. payment methods, Instant (Solana, 400ms) / 10-30 min (BTC) | |
| Withdrawal / Payout | Instant (crypto to merchant wallet) | |
| Instant Withdrawals | Instant (crypto to merchant wallet) | |
| KYC / AML Built-in | Optional | |
| Chargeback Protection | 0% (crypto) | |
| Multi-Currency | 100+ crypto (SOL, ETH, BTC, USDC, USDT + SPL tokens), USD/EUR via off-ramp | |
| API Integration | Plugin + REST API + SDK | |
| Local Payment Methods | Hundreds of tokens via Solana Pay (SPL standard) plus BTC, ETH, USDC, USDT across Solana, Ethereum, Polygon, Bitcoin. Heavy Solana ecosystem skew. methods across multiple categories | |
| iGaming Specialization | Official Solana Pay Shopify plugin, non-custodial, 100+ tokens | |
| Geographic Coverage | 200 countries across Global (crypto) |
Pricing & Fee Structure
Fee structure and pricing model
Pricing & Fee Structure
% per transaction pricing model
2% standard / 1% HelioX
0% (keep crypto) / 0.5% (auto off-ramp to fiat)
Instant
Hundreds of tokens via Solana Pay (SPL standard) plus BTC, ETH, USDC, USDT across Solana, Ethereum, Polygon, Bitcoin. Heavy Solana ecosystem skew.
0% (non-custodial)
0.25% (swap) / 0.5% (auto off-ramp)
$0
$0
No
Pricing Details
Flat 2% per transaction for standard merchants. HelioX Pass holders (a paid NFT subscription) pay 1%. High-risk merchants are locked at the 2% minimum and the rate cannot be reduced under any circumstances per Helio's own documentation. Optional charges: 0.25% if you use the in-checkout swap (buyer pays in SOL, merchant receives USDC), and 0.5% if you auto off-ramp to USD or EUR through MoonPay's rails. Zero setup fee, zero monthly fee, no minimum volume, no contract. Compare to peers: NOWPayments 0.5% floor, CoinGate 1% base, CoinsPaid 0.8-1.5%, BitPay 1-2% plus $0.25 per transaction, CoinPayments 0.75-1.5%. On $200k monthly volume in crypto-only, Helio costs around $4,000 versus $1,000-2,000 at NOWPayments. Add fiat off-ramp and the gap widens. Helio is the most expensive base-tier crypto gateway we track. The trade-off is the Shopify plugin and the non-custodial model. Pricing as of May 2026.
Negotiation Tips
Get the HelioX Pass if you process more than ~$50k/month — the 1% rate pays for the NFT cost within a month or two. Skip the auto off-ramp if you can manage stablecoin treasury yourself (USDC is already as stable as USD for operational purposes). For Shopify stores, the plugin economics are fine because the integration cost is effectively zero. For iGaming operators evaluating Helio against NOWPayments at the same volume: NOWPayments will cost less even after HelioX. Helio's pricing only makes sense if you specifically need the Shopify plugin or non-custodial architecture as a regulatory requirement.
Speed & Settlement
Transaction processing and settlement timelines
Instant (Solana, 400ms) / 10-30 min (BTC)
Player-initiatedInstant (crypto to merchant wallet)
Operator payoutInstant
To operator accountCrypto-native (SOL, ETH, BTC, stablecoins). Optional USD/EUR via auto off-ramp.
Settlement optionsSolana finality is sub-second — for SOL, USDC on Solana and SPL tokens, deposits confirm in under 400 milliseconds. Bitcoin takes 10-30 minutes for the standard 3-confirmation threshold. Ethereum confirms in 12-15 seconds but L1 gas spikes can delay UX. Settlement to merchant wallet is instantaneous because there is no Helio custody — the buyer's signed transaction transfers directly to the merchant address. Fiat off-ramp adds T+1 to T+2 because USD/EUR settlement runs through MoonPay's banking rails. Refunds are manual — there is no Stripe-style refund endpoint; the merchant initiates a return transaction from their wallet. For context: Brite settles fiat at T+0, Trustly at T+1, Nuvei at T+2 to T+7, CoinsPaid and CoinPayments at instant for crypto and T+1-3 for fiat conversion. On crypto specifically, Helio ties NOWPayments and CoinsPaid for fastest settlement. Updated May 2026.
Integration & Tech
Developer experience and technical capabilities
API Type
Plugin + REST API + SDK
Onboarding
Same day
Sandbox
Solana devnet plus test mode in dashboard.
Mobile SDK
React SDK (@heliofi/react) and JS SDK (@heliofi/sdk). No native iOS/Android SDK — wrap via web.
White-Label
Embed button and hosted payment links are customizable with merchant branding. Not a full white-label PSP product.
Docs Quality
Good
Minutes (Shopify plugin) / hours (API)
Integration Assessment
Three integration paths. (1) Shopify Solana Pay plugin — free, plug-and-play, minutes to live, used by thousands of stores including esports merch and digital goods sellers. (2) Embed button via @heliofi/react React component, JS SDK @heliofi/sdk (~439 weekly npm downloads) and hosted payment links — minutes to hours. (3) Direct REST API at api.hel.io with Swagger docs, webhooks, devnet sandbox — hours to days for a casino-grade integration. Documentation quality is good: clear endpoints, runnable examples in sample-dev-app, active heliofi GitHub org. No SoftSwiss, EveryMatrix or Slotegrator connector. Updated May 2026.
Risk & Compliance
Licensing, fraud prevention, and regulatory compliance
Compliance Context
Non-custodial architecture is the headline security feature. Helio never touches buyer or merchant funds — payments flow wallet-to-wallet on-chain, settled in the blockchain itself. There is nothing for Helio to lose if its servers go down or get breached. KYB is optional for basic merchants (the non-custodial model lowers AML obligations). HelioX premium tier and high-risk merchants face enhanced verification. Post-MoonPay acquisition, MoonPay's compliance stack (Sumsub for KYC at the group level, multiple state MSBs in the US, FCA crypto-asset registration in the UK, DNB in Netherlands, CBI in Ireland) covers any custodial flow like the fiat off-ramp. Chargeback liability is zero by blockchain design. Note: an unrelated FCA warning was issued in October 2024 against 'HELIO' at helioglobex.com — that is a different entity, not Helio Fintech Ltd.
About Helio Pay: Company Background
Company and product information
Company History
Founded January 2022 in London as Helio Fintech Ltd (UK Companies House #13836904) by Stijn Paumen (CEO) and Jim Walker. The founders had spent 20 years building and selling two B2B SaaS companies for a combined $600M before pivoting to Web3 payments. The thesis: Solana's sub-second finality and sub-cent fees make crypto checkout actually usable, where Bitcoin and Ethereum had been too slow and too expensive for retail commerce.
Helio raised $3.3M seed in April 2023 to push the Solana Pay infrastructure mainstream. It became the official maintainer of Shopify's Solana Pay plugin, plugging crypto checkout into a Shopify storefront base of millions. By mid-2024 it had 5,000+ merchants, 350,000+ active wallets and had processed over $1B in transactions. The product expanded beyond Solana to Ethereum, Polygon and Bitcoin, and added Discord and Telegram integrations for community payments.
January 2025: MoonPay acquired Helio for $175M — MoonPay's largest acquisition. Helio kept its brand and team, now operating as MoonPay Commerce. The strategic logic is that MoonPay handles fiat-to-crypto (on-ramp) for end users, and Helio handles crypto-to-merchant (commerce) — two halves of a vertical stack. By May 2026, the combined entity is positioning as the default Web3 payments infrastructure layer, with Helio's checkout used as MoonPay's commerce front-end. Headcount sits around 50 at Helio Fintech Ltd, with the broader MoonPay group at 600+.
What Users Say: Trustpilot & Review Analysis
Our analysis of 1 reviews from Trustpilot and industry sources
Trustpilot Presence
Notable Clients
Shopify (Solana Pay plugin), WooCommerce, Discord communities, Magic Eden, Backpack, Various NFT projects
Shopify is the highest-leverage client — Helio's plugin is the officially recommended Solana Pay solution on the Shopify app store. Magic Eden (Solana's largest NFT marketplace) and Backpack (Solana wallet/exchange) used Helio for token sales and presales. Beyond crypto-native: thousands of Shopify merchants in fashion, music, digital goods and esports merchandise. Discord communities use the Discord bot for role-gated subscriptions. No publicly disclosed iGaming clients. MoonPay parent client list (Bitstamp, Bitpanda, BlockFi alumni) does not overlap with Helio's commerce-focused base.
Operational Details
Business terms, contracts, and support
Acquired by MoonPay January 2025 for $175M. Operates as MoonPay Commerce while retaining Helio brand. Built primarily for Web3 commerce and Shopify Solana payments — not positioned for iGaming. MoonPay parent ToS prohibits unlawful gambling. Licensed operators can integrate via API at 2% high-risk floor, but no SoftSwiss/EveryMatrix/Slotegrator connectors exist.
Frequently Asked Questions
10 questions about Helio Pay
Not directly. Helio Pay is built for Web3 commerce, Shopify stores, NFT projects and creator economy — not gambling. There are no SoftSwiss, EveryMatrix or Slotegrator connectors, no published casino case studies, and parent MoonPay's terms explicitly prohibit unlawful gambling. Curacao-licensed crypto casinos can integrate via the raw REST API at the 2% high-risk floor, but UKGC, MGA-strict or AGCO operators should look at BitPay, CoinsPaid or NOWPayments instead. The platform will work technically, but you will be the only casino using it, with no vendor playbook for the use case.
Flat 2% per transaction for standard merchants. 1% if you hold the HelioX Pass NFT (a paid subscription). High-risk merchants are locked at 2% and the rate cannot be reduced. Optional 0.25% swap fee (crypto-to-crypto) and 0.5% auto off-ramp fee (settle in USD or EUR). No setup fee, no monthly fee, no minimum volume. Higher than NOWPayments' 0.5% floor and CoinGate's 1% base, but lower than BitPay's 1-2% plus $0.25. Pricing as of May 2026.
Helio Fintech Ltd is non-custodial — funds flow buyer-wallet to merchant-wallet without passing through Helio — so it does not need an EMI or payment-institution license in the UK. Parent MoonPay (post-Jan 2025 acquisition) holds US state MSB licenses, FCA crypto-asset registration, DNB registration in the Netherlands, and Central Bank of Ireland authorization. Note: an October 2024 FCA warning against 'HELIO' at helioglobex.com is a different entity — not Helio Fintech Ltd.
Yes. MoonPay acquired Helio in January 2025 for a reported $175M — MoonPay's largest acquisition. Helio kept its brand and team and now operates as MoonPay Commerce. The strategic fit is vertical: MoonPay handles fiat-to-crypto on-ramp, Helio handles crypto-to-merchant commerce. Some product surfaces (auto off-ramp, card-at-checkout) now run on MoonPay's rails.
Solana-first by design: SOL, USDC on Solana, USDT on Solana, and hundreds of SPL tokens through Solana Pay. Cross-chain support added later: Bitcoin, Ethereum (ETH, USDC, USDT), Polygon. The token count is wide on Solana specifically but narrower than NOWPayments (350+ coins across 50+ chains) or CoinPayments (175+) overall. If you specifically need niche tokens on chains like TRON, BNB Chain or Avalanche, Helio is not the right tool.
Minutes for the Shopify Solana Pay plugin or WooCommerce plugin. Hours for the embed button via @heliofi/react. Hours to days for a custom REST API integration on an iGaming platform. Solana devnet sandbox is available for testing. Documentation is good — clear endpoints, runnable examples in the sample-dev-app GitHub repo. No SoftSwiss or EveryMatrix module exists, so casino integrations are full custom builds.
Zero chargebacks by design — blockchain transactions are irreversible. There is no card-network dispute mechanism, no acquirer clawback risk, no rolling reserve. The flipside: if a player claims their crypto deposit never credited or asks for a refund, the merchant handles it manually and initiates a return transaction from their own wallet. There is no Stripe-style refund endpoint.
Yes, via the auto off-ramp added post-MoonPay acquisition. Merchants can configure crypto-to-USD or crypto-to-EUR settlement, with funds landing in a bank account at T+1 to T+2. Cost is 0.5% on top of the 2% transaction fee. Coverage tracks MoonPay's banking footprint — most major European and US currencies are supported, fewer emerging-market currencies.
NOWPayments is the better fit for almost any iGaming use case. Lower fees (0.5% floor versus Helio's 2%), wider coin coverage (350+ versus ~100), a NuxGame iGaming platform connector, published casino clients (Betfinal, Chipstars, BazedBet), and a 4.4/5 Trustpilot from 850+ reviews. Helio's edge is the Shopify Solana Pay plugin and the non-custodial architecture. Unless you specifically need those, NOWPayments wins on every iGaming dimension.
Non-custodial design is the strongest safety argument — Helio never holds your funds, so there is no custody risk, no balance-freeze risk, no provider-insolvency exposure. The MoonPay acquisition adds institutional backing and a compliance stack. The main risks are: (1) on-chain operational mistakes are irreversible (wrong wallet address means lost funds), (2) no dispute mechanism if buyers complain, and (3) limited Trustpilot signal means you cannot pre-validate the product through other operators' experiences.
Our Verdict: Should You Use Helio Pay?
Final assessment for iGaming operators
Overall iGaming Score
Summary
Helio Pay is the best Solana checkout product available — non-custodial, instant, Shopify-integrated, MoonPay-backed. For Web3 merchants and creator-economy businesses, it is a strong pick. For iGaming, it is the wrong tool. The platform is not designed for gambling, parent MoonPay's terms prohibit unlawful gambling, fees are flat 2% (4x NOWPayments' floor), and there are no iGaming platform connectors. Crypto-licensed operators can technically integrate, but the vendor will not have a playbook for your use case.
Strongest Point
Shopify Solana Pay plugin and non-custodial architecture. The plugin is the officially recommended Solana Pay solution on the Shopify app store, used by thousands of stores. Non-custodial means zero counterparty risk on Helio — funds go straight from buyer wallet to merchant wallet. For Web3-native commerce, this combination is uniquely valuable. No competing crypto gateway matches both at once.
Key Limitation
iGaming positioning and the 2% flat fee. Helio is not pitched at casinos, has no SoftSwiss or EveryMatrix module, no published gambling clients, and parent MoonPay's ToS prohibits unlawful gambling. The 2% standard rate is 4x more than NOWPayments' 0.5% floor. The HelioX 1% tier is still 2x NOWPayments. No volume discount path is published, which makes high-volume economics worse than competitors.
Recommendation
For iGaming operators: use NOWPayments or CoinsPaid for crypto deposits. Both have casino-specific tooling, lower fees and published gambling clients. Consider Helio Pay only if you specifically need the Shopify Solana Pay plugin (for example, a gambling-adjacent merch store) or if you are running a Curacao-licensed crypto-native casino and want the non-custodial property at any cost. For everyone else: this is a Web3 commerce product, not a casino payments product. Updated May 2026.
Pros
- Official maintainer of the Solana Pay plugin for Shopify, used by thousands of stores. For any iGaming-adjacent business on Shopify (skin marketplaces, esports merch, paid content), this is the fastest way to accept Solana payments — minutes from install to live.
- Non-custodial by design. Funds flow buyer-wallet to merchant-wallet on-chain — Helio never holds money. Zero counterparty risk on the provider, zero rolling reserve, no balance-freeze exposure. For operators who got burned by PSP fund holds, this matters.
- Zero chargebacks. Blockchain transactions are irreversible, so there is no card-network dispute mechanism, no acquirer clawback, no fraud-related fund deductions. Same property as NOWPayments and CoinsPaid, but Helio leans into it harder by not even providing a refund endpoint.
- Fast integration. Plugin installs in minutes. Embed button via @heliofi/react takes hours. Direct REST API is documented at docs.hel.io with Swagger and sample code on GitHub. Devnet sandbox available. Time-to-live beats CoinsPaid (1-2 weeks) and BitPay (~1 week).
- MoonPay acquisition backing. Post-Jan 2025, Helio is part of a $5B+ valued group with multi-jurisdiction licensing (US state MSBs, FCA, DNB, CBI). Reduces small-team risk that affected the standalone Helio. Compliance stack is now Sumsub-grade for any fiat off-ramp flow.
- Hundreds of SPL tokens supported on Solana plus BTC, ETH, USDC, USDT on multiple chains. Wide enough for any mainstream crypto payment scenario, even if narrower overall than NOWPayments (350+) or CoinPayments (175+).
Cons
- Not built for iGaming. Helio is positioned at Web3 commerce, creator economy and Shopify merchants — not casinos. No SoftSwiss, EveryMatrix or Slotegrator connector. No published casino clients. Parent MoonPay's ToS explicitly prohibits unlawful gambling. CoinsPaid, NOWPayments and BitPay all have at least some iGaming positioning; Helio actively does not.
- Flat 2% standard fee is the highest base rate of any crypto gateway we track. NOWPayments 0.5%, CoinGate 1%, CoinsPaid 0.8-1.5%, CoinPayments 0.75-1.5%. The HelioX Pass NFT brings it to 1% but still doesn't beat NOWPayments. High-risk merchants cannot negotiate below 2% — Helio's documentation explicitly states this floor.
- Effectively no Trustpilot, G2 or Capterra signal. 1 review on hel.io's Trustpilot. The 4.6/5 helio.co rating is a different company. No third-party social proof for an iGaming operator to rely on for due diligence. NOWPayments has 850+ reviews; CoinGate 1,700+; CoinPayments 1,000+. Helio: nothing meaningful.
- No iGaming platform connectors. Every casino integration is a custom REST API build. CoinsPaid has SoftSwiss. NOWPayments has NuxGame. Helio has plugins for Shopify and WooCommerce — useful for retail, useless for a casino on Aristocrat Anaxi or Playtech. Custom integration also means no vendor playbook when something breaks.
- Solana-heavy product. While it supports BTC, ETH and Polygon, the platform's depth and reliability are strongest on Solana. Players who deposit in TRC-20 USDT (huge in Asia and emerging markets) are out of luck — Helio does not support TRON. NOWPayments covers 50+ chains; Helio covers 4.
- No native dispute or refund flow. Refunds are manual on-chain return transactions. If a player claims fraud or non-delivery, the merchant resolves it off-platform. For casinos used to PSP dispute portals, this is a significant operational shift.
Ready to evaluate Helio Pay for your business?
Helio Pay vs. Alternatives: How It Compares
Similar payment processing solutions
For crypto casinos, NOWPayments is the default choice — wider coin coverage at 350+, 0.5% floor versus Helio's 2%, NuxGame platform connector, and a 4.4/5 Trustpilot from 850+ reviews. CoinsPaid is the right pick if you run on SoftSwiss or need EU compliance through Estonian licensing. BitPay if US regulation is non-negotiable despite its 1.2/5 Trustpilot. Triple-A for stablecoin-only processing with a Singapore license. Pair any of these with Helio Pay only if you specifically need the Shopify Solana Pay plugin for a separate retail surface.
When to Choose an Alternative
NOWPaymentsChoose NOWPayments for any crypto-casino use case. Lower fees (0.5% versus 2%), wider coin coverage (350+ versus ~100), NuxGame iGaming connector, real Trustpilot signal at 4.4/5 from 850+ reviews. Helio's only edge — the Shopify plugin — does not matter for a casino.
CoinsPaidChoose CoinsPaid if you run on SoftSwiss or need EU regulatory positioning via Estonian licensing. iGaming-first product, casino-specific tooling, lower fees than Helio. The right pick when compliance and platform fit matter more than the non-custodial property.
BitPayChoose BitPay if US regulation requires a registered MSB. Strongest licensing credentials of any crypto gateway, despite the 1.2/5 Trustpilot. Helio does not have a US MSB; BitPay does.
CoinGateChoose CoinGate for MiCA-licensed EU operations. 70+ coins, ~1% pricing, clean European regulatory positioning. Reasonable middle ground if you want both broader coin coverage than Helio and EU compliance.
Triple-AChoose Triple-A for stablecoin-only processing with a Singapore license. Removes volatility risk entirely. Better fit than Helio for operators who want crypto rails without crypto exposure.
NuveiPair with Nuvei for fiat — cards, bank transfers, e-wallets, plus some crypto. Helio handles the Solana commerce leg of a hybrid storefront; Nuvei handles the actual casino deposits. Together they cover Web3 merch + fiat gambling.
NOWPayments
CoinsPaid
Nuvei
NOWPayments
Crypto Gateway
CoinsPaid
Crypto Processor
CoinGate
Crypto Gateway
BitPay
Crypto Gateway
CoinPayments
Crypto Gateway
Triple-A
Crypto-to-FiatEnd of Report. Helio Pay Provider Assessment Report 2026
Prepared and reviewed by the iGaming Payment Solutions Editorial Team · May 13, 2026