Compare E-Commerce APIs

Choose one of the integration methods below to connect a Web site to the payment gateway for processing transactions. Also view the Merchant Integration Guide, which focuses on the settings available in the Merchant Interface for configuring a Web site connection to the payment gateway.

Simple Checkout Server Integration Method (SIM) Advanced Integration Method (AIM)
Cost Free Free Free
Customer Experience Pays on customizable Authorize.Net Web site Pays on customizable Authorize.Net Web site Pays on your Web site
Level of Customization Choose one of our Authorize.Net Simple Checkout "Buy Now" and "Donate" buttons or create your own button by customizing color and text.

Single-item purchases in any quantity
Authorize.Net can handle all the steps in the secure transaction process—payment data collection, data submission and the response to the customer—while keeping Authorize.Net virtually transparent You can control all steps in the payment process
Technical Expertise Required Copy and paste HTML Scripting techniques to authenticate transactions with a unique transaction fingerprint Advanced scripting knowledge recommended
Merchant SSL Certificate No SSL required No SSL required SSL Required
User Sessions N/A N/A Must use AIM to maintain user session throughout payment process
Data Storage Data stored on Authorize.Net PCI-compliant servers (reduces risk to merchant) Data stored on Authorize.Net PCI-compliant servers (reduces risk to merchant) Data stored locally on secure merchant server
Resources No API required, simply log into Merchant Interface to configure Buy Now or Donate buttons View the Implementation Guide View the Implementation Guide