What Are the Best Instant Payout APIs for Marketplace Sellers in February 2026?

When your sellers cash out on Friday afternoon, they expect funds to arrive before dinner, not the following Wednesday. Legacy payout systems route everything through slow ACH transfers and charge extra fees for anything faster. Marketplace seller payments built on real-time rails like RTP, FedNow, UPI, and PIX deliver funds in seconds with no speed surcharge, which keeps sellers active instead of switching to other platforms. We compared six APIs across payment speed, country coverage, transparent fees, integration timelines, and seller support to find which providers actually connect to instant settlement networks.

TLDR:

• Instant payout APIs send funds in seconds via real-time rails like RTP and FedNow vs 3-7 days with ACH
• Dots supports 300 payment rails across 190 countries with no speed fees or daily caps
• Most providers charge 1-1.5% extra for instant payouts or settle through slower ACH batches
• Look for transparent mid-market FX rates, white-label portals, and 24/7 seller support
• Dots moves $1.5bn yearly to 1M+ payees with API launch in under a week

What Is an Instant Payout API?

An instant payout API is a set of developer tools that sends money to marketplace sellers, contractors, or gig workers in seconds instead of days. Instead of batching payments through slow ACH transfers, these APIs connect to real-time payment rails like RTP, FedNow, UPI, or PIX.

You integrate the API into your marketplace with a few lines of code. When a seller completes a transaction, your system calls the endpoint with payment details. The API routes funds through the fastest available method (instant bank transfer, mobile money, or digital wallet) and returns status callbacks so sellers see funds arrive within minutes.

The API handles technical complexity like selecting the right payment rail per country, currency conversion, and bank authentication. For sellers, this turns the traditional 3-7 business day wait into a same-day experience.

How We Ranked Instant Payout APIs

We ranked instant payout APIs on five criteria that matter when paying sellers quickly.

Payment speed comes first. Does the API default to real-time rails like RTP, FedNow, PIX, or UPI, or does it route through 2-3 day ACH and charge extra for speed? The difference between seconds and days affects seller retention.

Global reach is second. Count the countries and local payment methods. Bank transfers alone won't work where mobile money dominates. Look for providers offering 100+ local rails beyond SWIFT and PayPal.

Pricing transparency is third. Check if FX spreads are disclosed, whether per-transaction fees vary by rail, and if you're locked into monthly minimums.

Fourth is integration speed and developer experience. Review API documentation, endpoint count, and time to go live. Fifth is recipient experience: can sellers choose their preferred rail, access white-label portals, and reach support 24x7?

Best Overall Instant Payout API: Dots

Dots is an instant payouts infrastructure provider built for marketplaces, gig platforms, and networks that need to move money in seconds instead of days. It connects to 300 payment rails across 190 countries and routes funds over real-time networks like RTP, FedNow, UPI, and PIX with no speed surcharge, so sellers receive money without extra fees or daily caps.

What they offer

• Real-time payouts over RTP, FedNow, UPI, PIX, and other instant rails with no extra “instant” fee.
• Global coverage across 190 countries and 300+ rails, including bank transfers, mobile money, and digital wallets via a white-label recipient portal.
• Compliance tooling for onboarding flows, automated KYC/AML, 1099 e‑filing, and 24/7 recipient support, plus REST APIs and webhooks that launch in under a week.

Good for: Marketplaces and gig platforms paying high volumes of sellers in many countries that want instant settlement by default, with minimal ops overhead and no speed premiums.

Limitation: Not a full “payments plus storefront” solution; you still own checkout, pricing, and marketplace logic while Dots focuses on payout infrastructure and compliance.

Bottom line: Pick Dots if instant, global, real-time payouts are core to seller experience and you want a single API that handles rails, FX, compliance, and recipient support.

Tremendous

Tremendous is a rewards and incentives provider that lets companies send gift cards, prepaid Visa cards, PayPal payouts, and bank transfers across more than 200 countries. It is built for marketing, HR, and research teams that distribute rewards, stipends, and thank-you payments where recipients often prefer branded gift cards instead of direct deposits.

What they offer

• Catalog access to hundreds of gift cards, prepaid cards, and digital rewards delivered by email or link.
• Cash payouts through ACH, PayPal, and similar rails for recipients who want money instead of cards.
• Simple dashboard and API for bulk sends, campaigns, and program tracking across geographies.

Good for: Surveys, loyalty programs, customer incentives, and employee recognition where the primary “payout” is a gift card or reward, not daily marketplace earnings.

Limitation: Does not use real-time banking rails like RTP, UPI, or PIX, and bank transfers still arrive on 1 to 3 day timelines, which is too slow for sellers expecting same-day access to funds.

Bottom line: Choose Tremendous when your main need is global rewards and gift cards, not high-frequency, instant settlements tied to marketplace balances.

Routable

Routable is a B2B payments automation tool that focuses on accounts payable workflows such as invoice processing and vendor bill payments. Finance teams use it to move suppliers off paper checks and into structured ACH, check, and cross-border flows with approval rules and accounting system integrations.

What they offer

• Automated bill pay with routing and approval workflows for invoices and vendor bills.
• Support for ACH, checks, and international payments tied into accounting systems like NetSuite and QuickBooks.
• Email-based payment experiences and multi-party routing for scenarios such as revenue shares or split payouts to businesses.

Good for: Finance teams that want to modernize AP and vendor payments on invoice terms, improving control and reconciliation without rebuilding their marketplace payout stack.

Limitation: Not designed around instant seller disbursements or real-time rails; it pays suppliers on scheduled terms and lacks recipient-selectable payout methods tuned for gig or creator platforms.

Bottom line: Pick Routable when your core need is AP automation for vendors, not on-demand payouts for marketplace sellers.

Stripe

Stripe is a global payments processor whose Connect product supports platform payouts to sellers in 46 countries. Platforms can send earnings to bank accounts and, in some markets, use “Instant Payouts” to supported debit cards for a separate percentage fee.

What they offer

• Card processing and payment acceptance with an integrated payouts layer for platforms and marketplaces.
• Standard payouts to bank accounts in 46 supported markets, plus debit-card Instant Payouts in a smaller set of regions.
• A single ecosystem for payments, payouts, tax handling, and basic compliance for businesses already using Stripe.

Good for: Platforms already built on Stripe that operate mainly inside Stripe’s supported countries and are comfortable using debit-card instant payouts for a subset of sellers.

Limitation: Instant payouts cost an extra 1% to 1.5% and only work for eligible debit cards in a few regions, with no direct access to RTP, UPI, or PIX, and global coverage capped at 46 payout countries.

Bottom line: Use Stripe when consolidation inside the Stripe stack matters more than maximizing real-time rails or global seller payout options.

Tipalti

Tipalti is an AP and mass payments suite aimed at finance teams paying suppliers, partners, and contractors at scale. It focuses on compliance, tax documentation, and invoice-driven payables, with payment options that include ACH, wires, and some alternative methods.

What they offer

• End-to-end AP automation, including invoice capture, approvals, and scheduled payments.
• Global mass payouts via ACH, wires, and a range of methods suitable for suppliers and contractors.
• Built-in tax forms (such as 1099 and W‑8 collections) and compliance tooling for large payables programs.

Good for: Large companies that value AP control, tax workflows, and invoice-based supplier payments more than instant, on-demand payouts to individual marketplace sellers.

Limitation: Typical payment times remain 1 to 5 business days with ACH and wires, implementation can take 4 to 8 weeks, and the product is finance-op centered instead of a developer-first instant payouts API.

Bottom line: Choose Tipalti if your main challenge is complex AP and compliance, not delivering seller earnings in seconds.

Trolley

Trolley is a payout API covering 210 countries via bank transfers, wires, and PayPal. It targets platforms, creator networks, and affiliate programs that need to pay people in many countries and want tax tooling and a white‑label recipient portal.

What they offer

• Cross-border payouts in 135+ currencies through bank transfers, wires, and PayPal.
• Recipient onboarding, tax document collection, and 1099 tools for creator and affiliate payouts.
• White-label recipient portals so payees can manage their details and payout preferences.

Good for: Creator and affiliate platforms that value broad country coverage and tax tooling and can tolerate several weeks of onboarding with banking partners before full payout capability is live.

Limitation: Requires 4 to 6 weeks of bank-partner onboarding for many rails, has minimal access to instant networks like RTP, UPI, and PIX, and often pushes recipient support back onto your internal team.

Bottom line: Pick Trolley if you need broad global coverage and tax features but can live with slower bank transfers and longer implementation timelines.

Feature Comparison Table of Instant Payout APIs

The table below compares six instant payout APIs across features that matter most: settlement speed, global reach, transparent pricing, onboarding time, and seller support.

Why Dots Is the Best Instant Payout API

Real-time payouts deliver funds instantly and keep sellers coming back. When sellers wait days for earnings, they look for other marketplaces. Dots removes that friction.

We built our API around real-time rails: RTP, FedNow, UPI, PIX. Marketplace payments settle in seconds, not business days. No speed surcharges, no daily caps, no debit-card-only restrictions.

The 300-rail network means sellers in Manila, Mexico City, or Miami pick the method they actually use. Mobile money, digital wallets, bank transfers all through one integration. Mid-market FX rates and flat fees replace hidden spreads and percentage markups competitors layer on.

You launch in under a week because we handle onboarding flows, KYC checks, 1099 filing, and 24/7 seller support. Your team focuses on building while we manage the payout stack.

Final Thoughts on Picking the Right Payout API

The gap between slow ACH transfers and same-day disbursements determines whether your sellers stick around or move to a competitor that pays faster. Real-time rails like RTP, FedNow, UPI, and PIX deliver funds in seconds, but only a few APIs connect to these networks without charging premium fees or limiting coverage to debit cards. Look for transparent pricing, 300+ payment methods across 190 countries, and white-label recipient portals that let sellers pick how they get paid. Get in touch to check out how Dots handles instant payouts for marketplaces.

FAQs

How do I choose the best instant payout API for my marketplace?

Start by checking if the API supports real-time rails in your sellers' countries: RTP, FedNow, UPI, or PIX beat ACH by days. Then compare pricing transparency (watch for hidden FX spreads), integration time, and whether recipient support lands on your team or theirs.

Which instant payout API works best for global marketplaces with sellers in 50+ countries?

Look for providers offering 100+ local payment methods beyond bank transfers (mobile money and digital wallets matter in developing markets). Dots and Trolley cover 190+ and 210 countries respectively, but only Dots connects to real-time rails globally without a 4 to 6 week bank-partner onboarding delay.

Can I avoid extra fees for same-day payouts?

Yes, but it depends on the provider. Stripe charges 1-1.5% extra for instant payouts to debit cards, while Dots routes through real-time networks by default with no speed surcharge. Check if the API treats instant settlement as standard or an add-on.

What's the difference between an instant payout API and a rewards API like Tremendous?

Instant payout APIs connect to real-time banking rails for direct deposits in seconds, built for high-volume seller disbursements. Rewards APIs like Tremendous focus on gift cards and incentives, routing through 1-3 day ACH for bank transfers. This is fine for one-time rewards but too slow for daily marketplace earnings.

How long does it take to integrate an instant payout API?

Integration time ranges from under one week (Dots, Stripe) to 4-8 weeks (Tipalti) or longer. Developer-first APIs with clear documentation and webhook support go live fastest, while finance-focused AP systems require longer implementations and bank-partner onboarding.