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Personal Finance · head to head

Affirm vs Trustly

Affirm logo

Affirm

Personal Finance

Buy now pay later app offering short interest-free plans and longer plans that charge real APR interest

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Trustly logo

Trustly

APIs

Pay-by-bank payments network, majority-owned by private equity firm Nordic Capital

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Affirm has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Affirm longer instalment plans carry real interest, up to roughly 36 percent APR depending on the retailer, item and applicant, which is a genuine borrowing cost that the buy now pay later framing can obscure for shoppers who do not read the terms shown before accepting.; Trustly it is majority-owned by Nordic Capital, a private equity firm, so its long-term roadmap is ultimately oriented toward an eventual sale or IPO rather than indefinite independent operation.
  • They diverge on capability: Affirm covers Pay in 4, Trustly covers Pay by bank checkout.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Affirm and Trustly actually diverge.

Attributes where Affirm and Trustly differ
AttributeAffirmTrustly
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelFree for short Pay in 4 plans; longer plans carry a disclosed APR up to roughly 36 percent, merchant pays a transaction feequote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsiOS, Android, WebWeb, API
CategoryPersonal FinanceAPIs

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Affirm

  • Pay in 4
  • Monthly instalment loans
  • Soft credit check
  • No late fees
  • Affirm Card
  • Pre-purchase terms disclosure

Only in Trustly

  • Pay by bank checkout
  • Instant refunds
  • Verified payouts
  • Multi-market bank connectivity
  • Merchant dashboard and reconciliation
  • Fraud and risk tooling

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Affirm

  • A shopper financing a large purchase such as furniture or electronics who wants disclosed APR terms compared directly against a credit card before committingnot Trustly
  • Someone using the short Pay in 4 plan for a smaller purchase who intends to pay it off within six weeks with no interestnot Trustly
  • A borrower who has missed a payment before and specifically wants a lender that does not charge late feesnot Trustly
  • A retailer offering point-of-sale financing to reduce cart abandonment on higher-ticket items, in exchange for paying Affirm a transaction feenot Trustly

Trustly

  • An e-commerce merchant wanting a lower-cost alternative or complement to card payment acceptancenot Affirm
  • A gaming or gambling operator needing verified, instant payouts to players' bank accountsnot Affirm
  • A merchant wanting instant refunds processed directly to a customer's bank account rather than card reversal delaysnot Affirm
  • A business in a market with strong open banking adoption wanting pay-by-bank as a checkout optionnot Affirm

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Affirm

  • Longer instalment plans carry real interest, up to roughly 36 percent APR depending on the retailer, item and applicant, which is a genuine borrowing cost that the buy now pay later framing can obscure for shoppers who do not read the terms shown before accepting.
  • Even with no late fees, Affirm reports many loans to credit bureaus, so a missed or late payment on a longer plan can affect a credit score in a way the marketing around interest-free short plans does not prepare shoppers for.
  • Approval and APR both vary by individual loan, so the same shopper can be offered interest-free terms on one purchase and a high APR on another, making the cost unpredictable until checkout.
  • Merchants pay a transaction fee to offer Affirm at checkout, a cost typically built into retail pricing, so shoppers who pay by other means still indirectly subsidise the option even if they never use it.
  • The Affirm Card blurs the line between buy now pay later and a general-purpose credit card, and using it for everyday spending on interest-bearing terms can compound borrowing cost in a way a single point-of-sale purchase would not.

Trustly

  • It is majority-owned by Nordic Capital, a private equity firm, so its long-term roadmap is ultimately oriented toward an eventual sale or IPO rather than indefinite independent operation.
  • Consumer familiarity with paying by bank transfer still lags card payments in most markets, so merchants typically see it used as a secondary option rather than a full card replacement.
  • The 1.15 to 3.15% merchant fee range is not a single published rate, so a merchant cannot know its actual cost without a sales negotiation.
  • As with all open banking-dependent payment methods, reliability depends on the consistency of the underlying banks' own APIs, which Trustly does not control.
  • Its verified payout functionality is heavily used in gaming and gambling, a sector with additional regulatory scrutiny, which is worth factoring in when evaluating vendor risk exposure by association.

Pricing, plan by plan

Affirm

Free
  • Pay in 4Free
    • No interest if paid on time over six weeks
    • No late fees for a missed payment
    • Soft credit check at application
  • Monthly instalmentsFree
    • APR disclosed before the loan is accepted, up to roughly 36 percent depending on retailer and applicant
    • Terms from three to 36 months depending on purchase amount
    • Payment history can be reported to credit bureaus

Trustly

On request
  • Trustly$undefined/month
    • Typical merchant cost of 1.15% to 3.15% depending on volume and market
    • Exact rate negotiated per merchant, not published as a flat card

Which should you pick?

Choose Affirm if

  • You need pay in 4.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want monthly instalment loans.
Affirm review

Choose Trustly if

  • You need pay by bank checkout.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want instant refunds.
Trustly review

Questions people ask

Is Affirm or Trustly better?
Neither clearly leads. Affirm starts at Free and Trustly at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Affirm or Trustly?
Affirm has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Affirm and On request for Trustly.
Does Affirm or Trustly run on more platforms?
Affirm runs on iOS, Android, Web. Trustly runs on Web, API.
Can I use Affirm for free?
Yes. Affirm has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Trustly starts at On request.
What is Affirm best used for?
Affirm is most often used for a shopper financing a large purchase such as furniture or electronics who wants disclosed apr terms compared directly against a credit card before committing, someone using the short pay in 4 plan for a smaller purchase who intends to pay it off within six weeks with no interest, a borrower who has missed a payment before and specifically wants a lender that does not charge late fees, a retailer offering point-of-sale financing to reduce cart abandonment on higher-ticket items, in exchange for paying affirm a transaction fee. Of those, a shopper financing a large purchase such as furniture or electronics who wants disclosed apr terms compared directly against a credit card before committing and someone using the short pay in 4 plan for a smaller purchase who intends to pay it off within six weeks with no interest are not what Trustly is typically brought in for.
What can Affirm do that Trustly cannot?
Affirm covers Pay in 4, Monthly instalment loans, Soft credit check, No late fees. Trustly covers Pay by bank checkout, Instant refunds, Verified payouts, Multi-market bank connectivity.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Affirm: Does Affirm always charge interest?

No, short Pay in 4 plans over six weeks are typically interest-free if paid on time; longer instalment plans of three to 36 months can carry a disclosed APR up to roughly 36 percent.

Trustly: Who owns Trustly?

Nordic Capital, a private equity firm, holds a 51.1% majority stake; Alfven & Didrikson and BlackRock hold smaller stakes.

Affirm: Does Affirm charge late fees?

No, Affirm does not charge late fees for a missed payment, unlike some buy now pay later competitors, but missed payments can still be reported to credit bureaus.

Trustly: Is Trustly going public?

It has discussed an IPO but as of its most recent comments said one remained at least a year away.

Affirm: Will using Affirm affect my credit score?

The initial application uses a soft credit check that does not affect your score, but Affirm reports many resulting loans to credit bureaus, so payment history on the loan itself can affect your score.

Trustly: What does it typically cost a merchant?

Roughly 1.15% to 3.15% of transaction value depending on volume and market, negotiated per merchant.

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