Comparison
Peneu vs. Payment Aggregators
An orchestration layer and a payment aggregator aren't competitors so much as different layers. The real choice is between one aggregator on its own, and a layer in front of more than one.
Different jobs, often used together
A payment aggregator is a regulated business: under RBI's 2025 Master Direction, it collects customers' payments for merchants, holds them in an escrow account with a scheduled commercial bank, and settles them. An orchestration layer such as Peneu doesn't replace that; it sits in front of one or more aggregators and banks, routes each payment to one of them, and brings their results together. So the question for most businesses isn't 'Peneu or an aggregator', but 'one aggregator on its own, or a layer that can use several'.
Comparison
Side-by-side comparison
| Criteria | One payment aggregator |  Orchestration layer (Peneu's approach) |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A regulated provider that collects and settles payments | A layer that routes payments across the providers you connect |
| Who holds the money | The aggregator, in its escrow account | Still the regulated aggregators and banks behind it |
| Integrations to maintain | One | One, to the layer |
| If the aggregator has an outage | Payments through it stop | New payments can route to another connected provider |
| Payment method coverage | What that aggregator offers you | What the connected providers offer together |
| Reconciliation | One provider's reports | Combined across providers |
| Complexity | Lowest | A layer to configure and understand |
When one aggregator is enough
For a business with one market, a few payment methods and volumes where a short outage is an inconvenience rather than a crisis, one good aggregator is usually the right answer. It's simpler, cheaper to run and easier to reconcile.
- Your customers' payment methods are all covered.
- Your aggregator's reliability and support have been acceptable.
- Month-end reconciliation is quick.
When a layer in front starts to pay off
The case for orchestration grows with the cost of a failed payment and the number of providers you already juggle.
- Sales days where minutes of downtime cost real money.
- A second aggregator already added for a method or market the first handles poorly.
- Reports in several formats that someone matches by hand.
- Several business units, each with its own provider.
What doesn't change
Adding an orchestration layer doesn't change who is regulated for what. The aggregators still do merchant due diligence, still hold funds in escrow, and still settle to you under their agreements. Ask any orchestration provider, including Peneu, who contracts with the aggregators and where money sits; for Peneu, that's set out during onboarding.
The honest answer
Start with one good aggregator if your needs are simple. Consider orchestration when you have, or need, more than one provider, when resilience matters more than simplicity, or when reconciliation across providers has become a job in itself. This page doesn't claim any particular aggregator network for Peneu; which providers can be connected for your business is confirmed during onboarding.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is Peneu a payment aggregator?
This site presents Peneu as a payment orchestration platform and doesn't claim an RBI payment aggregator authorisation for it. Collecting and settling money is done by regulated aggregators and banks.
Does moving to orchestration mean leaving my current aggregator?
Not necessarily. An orchestration layer is designed to sit in front of providers, which can include ones you already use, subject to what can be connected for your business.
Is orchestration only for large businesses?
It's most useful where there are several providers or high stakes on uptime. Smaller businesses often do well with one aggregator.
What does it cost?
Peneu's pricing page lists its plans (Starter free API access, Scale ₹14,999 a year, Enterprise contact sales); the connected providers' own charges apply on top, and transaction charges are separate.
Working out whether you need more than one provider?
Tell us how you're paid today and we'll talk it through honestly.