Payroll · head to head
Clair vs Volopay
Clair
Payroll
On demand pay advances funded by a partner bank with no fee to the employee
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
Volopay
Payroll
Corporate cards, multi-currency accounts and accounts payable automation for Asia-Pacific businesses
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Clair advance limits start around $100 per advance and roughly $200 between paydays, so it covers a shift level cash gap and not a genuine emergency.; Volopay cross-currency spend within Singapore carries a fee around 3.1%, which is easy to overlook against the advertised free domestic transfers and can dominate total cost for internationally mobile teams.
- They diverge on capability: Clair covers Embedded enrolment, Volopay covers Multi-currency business accounts.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Clair and Volopay actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), platforms (Web, iOS, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Payroll).
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 Clair
- Embedded enrolment
- Bank issued advances
- Clair spending account and card
- Free standard delivery
- Instant delivery option
- Progressive limits
- Automatic repayment
- No interest or late fees
Only in Volopay
- Multi-currency business accounts
- Virtual and physical corporate cards
- Accounts payable automation
- Expense management
- Accounting integrations
- Approval workflows
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Clair
- A restaurant group already on 7shifts wanting on demand pay without adding another vendor contractnot Volopay
- A small business on QuickBooks Payroll enabling early wage access inside its existing payroll productnot Volopay
- An employer that wants a fee free option to be the default rather than a paid upgradenot Volopay
- A shift based operator using early pay access as a shift fill incentive without changing payroll timingnot Volopay
Volopay
- A Singapore-headquartered company paying vendors and staff across several APAC currencies from one accountnot Clair
- A finance team wanting free domestic transfers with accounts payable automation includednot Clair
- A regional business consolidating separate local business bank accounts into one multi-currency platformnot Clair
- A company whose card spend is concentrated in SGD and wants to minimise cross-currency fee exposurenot Clair
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Clair
- Advance limits start around $100 per advance and roughly $200 between paydays, so it covers a shift level cash gap and not a genuine emergency.
- Instant delivery to an existing bank account costs the employee $4.99, so the free path in practice means opening a Clair account and card that the employee did not previously want.
- The business depends on interchange from the Clair spending account, which means the design nudges workers to move their pay to a new account rather than keep their existing bank.
- Availability is tied to payroll and scheduling partners, so an employer on an unsupported payroll system cannot buy Clair directly.
- Advances are issued by Pathward, N.A. rather than Clair, so the terms and eligibility rules for the product ultimately sit with a bank that the employer has no contract with.
Volopay
- Cross-currency spend within Singapore carries a fee around 3.1%, which is easy to overlook against the advertised free domestic transfers and can dominate total cost for internationally mobile teams.
- Cross-border payments in non-SGD currencies add roughly 1.6%, so a company paying many overseas vendors accumulates a real cost that is not visible on the headline pricing.
- Regional focus on Asia-Pacific means weaker fit for companies whose spend is mainly in Europe or North America, where Payhawk or Extend cover the ground better.
- Pricing is not published, so despite the specific fee percentages that are publicly known, the underlying subscription or platform fee must be obtained by quote.
- As a comparatively young fintech, its card issuing depends on banking partners whose regulatory standing in each APAC market can change, and companies should confirm current licensing in their specific country before committing.
Pricing, plan by plan
Clair
On request- Clair on demand pay$undefined/year
- No published employer cost; delivered through payroll and scheduling partners
- Standard one to three business day advances are free to the employee
- Instant transfer to an external bank account costs $4.99
Volopay
On request- Volopay$undefined/month
- Free domestic SGD transfers and Accounts Payable Automation
- Approximately 1.6% fee on cross-border non-SGD payments
- Approximately 3.1% fee on cross-currency spend within Singapore
Which should you pick?
Choose Clair if
- You need embedded enrolment.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want bank issued advances.
Choose Volopay if
- You need multi-currency business accounts.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want virtual and physical corporate cards.
Questions people ask
- Is Clair or Volopay better?
- Neither clearly leads. Clair starts at On request and Volopay at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Clair or Volopay?
- Clair starts at On request and Volopay at On request.
- Does Clair or Volopay run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, iOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- What is Clair best used for?
- Clair is most often used for a restaurant group already on 7shifts wanting on demand pay without adding another vendor contract, a small business on quickbooks payroll enabling early wage access inside its existing payroll product, an employer that wants a fee free option to be the default rather than a paid upgrade, a shift based operator using early pay access as a shift fill incentive without changing payroll timing. Of those, a restaurant group already on 7shifts wanting on demand pay without adding another vendor contract and a small business on quickbooks payroll enabling early wage access inside its existing payroll product are not what Volopay is typically brought in for.
- What can Clair do that Volopay cannot?
- Clair covers Embedded enrolment, Bank issued advances, Clair spending account and card, Free standard delivery. Volopay covers Multi-currency business accounts, Virtual and physical corporate cards, Accounts payable automation, Expense management.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Clair: Does the employee pay a fee?
Not for standard one to three business day advances, and not for instant access into the Clair spending account. Instant transfer to an outside bank account costs $4.99.
Volopay: What currency is Volopay built around?
Singapore dollar as the base account currency, with support for spend and transfers across several other Asia-Pacific currencies.
Clair: How much can an employee advance?
Up to about $100 per advance and roughly $200 between paydays to start, with limits rising after consistent repayment.
Volopay: Are transfers free?
Domestic SGD transfers and the Accounts Payable Automation product are advertised as free; cross-border and cross-currency transactions carry separate fees.
Clair: Can I buy Clair if I do not use a partner payroll system?
Generally no. It is distributed through payroll and scheduling platforms such as Gusto, QuickBooks Payroll and 7shifts.
Volopay: Is pricing published?
No, subscription pricing requires a quote, though the specific cross-currency fee percentages are disclosed publicly.
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