dLocal alternative for wallet apps and fintechs
dLocal onboards through sales and says it primarily serves companies with significant current or near-term volume. For fintechs and wallet apps holding USDT or USDC, Unigox is a dLocal alternative. Keep dLocal for card checkout, seller payouts and fiat-funded payouts.
When Unigox fits better than dLocal
You are not at dLocal's volume yet
dLocal says it mostly works with companies that have large volumes now or soon, and in some cases points an earlier-stage company to a partner or to a start in fewer markets. A Unigox Payments API integration starts with a call to agree your markets and setup; your company then passes KYB, and API credentials follow approval.
You want the fee quoted on every order
dLocal sets each client's fees in a proposal: transaction fees by method and country, a base component and pass-through items. Its Quote API, switched on by your Technical Account Manager, can then fix the rate, fees and taxes for a payout. On Unigox every order starts with a quote showing the rate, the Unigox fee, your own percentage fee and the total. An order that does not complete is not charged. To compare, price the same payout with a dLocal proposal and a Unigox quote.
Your stablecoins stay in your wallet until an order
With Stablecoin Full you fund a dLocal balance in USDT or USDC. On Unigox the stablecoins wait in your partner wallet, your server signs each order's transfer into escrow, and a funded payout that stops waits in escrow until your server signs its refund back to that wallet. Keep the wallet topped up, or payouts stop.
When to stay with dLocal
Shoppers pay you by card, cash or instalments
dLocal's checkout takes cards, wallets, bank transfers, mobile money, cash and buy-now-pay-later, with a fraud and chargeback suite, and its dMoRe service can be merchant of record for the sale and its taxes. Unigox collections are bank transfers and mobile money.
You pay workers and sellers on a schedule
dLocal pays staff, sellers and partners on daily or weekly cycles and splits marketplace payments between buyers, sellers and the platform. Your platform approves each beneficiary, and dLocal adds its own sanctions screening. On Unigox every payout is an order for one of your customers, who first passes a Unigox identity check.
You would rather not hold stablecoins
dLocal lets a merchant fund payouts and take collections in fiat or in stablecoins, so stablecoins stay optional there. A Unigox payout is always funded from USDT or USDC in your partner wallet.
Your company is in the United States
Unigox does not currently offer its services in the United States; dLocal collects for US merchants through a money services business registered with FinCEN.
dLocal vs Unigox for stablecoin payouts and collections
| Topic | dLocal | Unigox |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A payments platform for global companies selling into emerging markets in Latin America, Africa and the Middle East, and Asia: payins, payouts, marketplace payments, fraud tools, merchant of record and Stablecoin Full. | A Payments API for paying your customers and collecting from them in local currency, settled in USDT or USDC. |
| Who it is for | Enterprise merchants and platforms, usually with large volume already in place. An earlier-stage company may be pointed to a partner or to fewer markets at first. | Companies adding local payouts and collections to their own app. Each one passes KYB first. |
| Getting started | Sales first: discovery, a commercial agreement and due diligence, then sandbox or pilot testing. Payouts API credentials come from a Technical Account Manager, and each access token lasts 180 seconds. | A call to agree markets and setup, then company verification (KYB); API credentials follow approval. The sandbox has the same endpoints as production. |
| Stablecoins | Stablecoin Full: fund payouts and settle collections in USDT or USDC, on- and off-ramps, stablecoin checkout and payouts to wallets. USDT on Ethereum, Tron, BNB Smart Chain and Polygon; USDC on Ethereum, Polygon, BNB Smart Chain, Solana, Arbitrum and Base. | USDT or USDC from your partner wallet funds each payout, and collections release USDT or USDC into the same wallet. |
| Payouts | To bank accounts, wallets and mobile money, cards or cash-out points, depending on the market, from the dashboard or the API. | To your customer's own bank or mobile money account. A payment business connected to Unigox or an individual P2P merchant sends the money, and a quote can be limited to payment businesses. |
| Collections | Cards, wallets, bank transfers, mobile money, cash, instant payments and buy-now-pay-later, settled in fiat or in stablecoins. | Bank transfer or mobile money to a payment business or P2P merchant. USDT or USDC reaches your partner wallet after the payment is confirmed. |
| Who verifies the person paid | Your platform approves the beneficiary and the amount and sends the payout instruction. dLocal screens counterparties against sanctions lists and can hold a payout for compliance checks. | Unigox verifies each of your customers before their first order: you send their details with an ID document and a selfie, reuse an eligible Sumsub or Persona check, or send them a Unigox verification link. |
| Pricing | A proposal for each client: transaction fees by method and country, a base component and pass-through items. FX quotes include dLocal's markup and are switched on by your Technical Account Manager. | No single rate. Each quote lists the rate, the Unigox fee, your own percentage fee and the total, and the fee depends on the currency and payment method. |
| When a payout stops | You can cancel a payout while it is pending or on hold; a payout can also be rejected, or held for compliance checks. | A funded payout that stops stays in escrow until your server signs the refund back to your partner wallet, and an order that does not complete is not charged. |
| Regulation | Dlocal Ltd is authorised by Malta's MFSA as an e-money and payment institution and operates as a payment institution; DLOCAL OPCO UK LTD is an FCA authorised payment institution; and Dlocal Corp. LLP is registered with FinCEN as a money services business. | Unigox works through two companies: UNIGOX NETWORK CORP. in Canada handles the local-money side and is registered with FINTRAC as a money services business and with the Bank of Canada as a payment service provider; UNIGOX NETWORK CORP. in Panama handles the crypto side, including wallets and escrow. |
UnigoxAdding Unigox next to dLocal
Get verified
Book a call to agree your markets and setup, then pass KYB. Your dLocal due diligence does not carry over, and API credentials follow approval.
Build in the sandbox
Your developers request quotes, create orders, sign transfers and test refunds in the Unigox sandbox, with an X-API-Key header in place of the OAuth tokens dLocal's Payouts API uses.
Handle webhooks
Check the HMAC-SHA256 signature on each webhook. Order status, refunds and customer identity checks arrive there, and a failed delivery is retried.
Fund the partner wallet and go live
Top up USDT or USDC, switch to your production key and send Unigox the orders for the markets you choose. Each customer completes a Unigox identity check before their first order.
Questions about dLocal competitors
Which dLocal competitors suit an earlier-stage fintech?
dLocal's own FAQ says it primarily serves companies with significant current or near-term volume and may send an earlier-stage company to a partner. If your company holds USDT or USDC and pays customers or collects from them in local currency, the Unigox Payments API is open to companies that pass KYB. We also compare Unigox with Nium and Flutterwave, two other companies that pay out in local currency.
Read the Nium comparisonHow do the dLocal and Unigox APIs handle authentication?
Both are REST APIs with a sandbox and a Postman collection. dLocal's Payouts API uses OAuth2 access tokens that last 180 seconds, from credentials its Technical Account Manager issues. The Unigox API takes an X-API-Key header and comes with signing examples in Python, JavaScript and C#, because your server signs each stablecoin transfer.
How is dLocal pricing set, and what fees does dLocal charge?
dLocal publishes no price list. Each client gets a proposal, typically transaction fees by payment method and country, a base component and pass-through items such as statutory or network fees. The Unigox Payments API has no single rate either: the fee depends on the currency and payment method, and each quote shows it with the rate before you create the order.
Does dLocal support USDT?
Yes. Stablecoin Full lets dLocal merchants fund payouts, settle collections, run on- and off-ramps and pay out in USDT or USDC, with USDT on Ethereum, Tron, BNB Smart Chain and Polygon. What differs on Unigox is where the stablecoins sit before an order: in your partner wallet rather than a dLocal balance.
Can we keep dLocal and add Unigox for some markets?
Yes. dLocal may suggest that a lower-volume company start with fewer markets, and Unigox can handle customer payouts and top-ups in other currencies it serves. The two are separate integrations: Unigox runs its own KYB and customer identity checks, and its payouts come from a partner wallet you fund apart from your dLocal balance.
Map your markets with our team
Tell us where you pay out and collect, and which stablecoin you hold. We confirm the currencies and payment methods open to you before your developers start.
dLocal and other names and logos are trademarks of their respective owners. Unigox is not affiliated with, endorsed or sponsored by them. Information about other companies comes from public sources, mainly the companies' own websites, and each company can change its products and fees at any time.