Looking for a Telpay alternative?
Telpay charges per transaction. We charge flat.
Your data stays on your machine. No cloud dependency.
Telpay vs EFT Flow: Honest comparison
Different tools for different needs. Here's how they stack up.
| Feature | Telpay | EFT Flow |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing Model | Per-transaction (~$0.75-1.50+) | Flat rate ($95/month) |
| At 50 payments/month | ~$40-75/month + monthly fee | $95/month |
| At 200 payments/month | ~$150-300/month + monthly fee | $95/month |
| At 500 payments/month | ~$375-750/month + monthly fee | $95/month |
| Data Location | Cloud (their servers) | Local (your machine) |
| Payment Method | Direct (funds flow through Telpay) | File-based (you upload to your bank) |
| Bill Payments | Yes (utility bills, CRA, etc.) | No (EFT/direct deposit only) |
| Accounting Integration | Sage, QuickBooks, others | Any CSV/Excel export |
| Works Offline | No | Yes |
| Lifetime License Option | No | Yes ($2,990) |
When Telpay might be right
We believe in honest comparisons. Telpay has features we don't.
- Bill payments: If you need to pay utilities, CRA remittances, or other billers via their payment network
- Low volume: If you process under 50 EFT payments/month
- Full automation: If you want payments processed automatically without file uploads
- Established workflows: If your team is already trained on Telpay
When EFT Flow wins
EFT Flow is the better choice when...
- EFT-only: You just need direct deposit / vendor payments (not bill pay)
- Volume matters: 100+ payments/month (flat rate beats per-transaction)
- Privacy matters: You want data on your machine, not a third party's servers
- Control matters: You prefer uploading files directly to your bank
- Ownership matters: You'd rather pay once ($2,990) and own it
What Telpay does that EFT Flow doesn't
We're focused on EFT file generation. Telpay is a broader payment platform.
Telpay includes
- Bill payments: Pay utilities, CRA, and other billers
- Cheque printing: Issue physical cheques
- Payment processing: They handle the actual fund transfer
- Multi-user approvals: Built-in approval workflows
EFT Flow focuses on
- EFT file generation: Convert your data to CPA-005
- Direct deposit: Payroll and vendor payments via EFT
- Your bank, your control: You upload to your bank
- Simple workflow: Import → Map → Export
The key difference: Telpay is a payment processing service. EFT Flow is a file conversion tool. If you need bill pay, cheques, or want a hands-off payment service—Telpay might be right. If you just need to convert your payment list to a bank file cheaply—that's us.
The math at scale
Per-transaction fees add up. Fast.
Annual cost comparison (EFT payments only)
Telpay pricing varies; these are estimates based on published rates.
| Monthly Payments | Telpay/Year (est.) | EFT Flow/Year | You Save |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | ~$600-1,100 | $1140 | Varies |
| 100 | ~$1,100-2,000 | $1140 | $0-860+ |
| 200 | ~$2,000-4,000 | $1140 | $860-2,860+ |
| 500 | ~$5,000-9,500 | $1140 | $3,860-8,360+ |
Or pay $2,990 once and never pay again. If you're only doing EFT payments (not bill pay), the savings are significant.
Key differences explained
Data location
Telpay: Cloud-based. Your payment data lives on their servers. They process the payments for you.
EFT Flow: Desktop app. Your data stays on your machine. We generate a file—we never see your actual payment data or amounts.
How payments work
Telpay: You enter/import payments. Telpay processes them through their system. Funds flow through Telpay.
EFT Flow: You export from your accounting software. We convert to CPA-005. You upload to your bank. You control when payments go out.
Scope of service
Telpay: Full payment platform—EFT, bill pay, cheques, approvals.
EFT Flow: Focused tool—EFT file generation only. Does one thing well.
Pricing philosophy
Telpay: Per-transaction + monthly fees. Cost grows with volume.
EFT Flow: Flat monthly or one-time lifetime. Predictable costs that don't scale with usage.
Common switch scenario
When businesses move from Telpay to EFT Flow.
The situation: You're paying Telpay for EFT payments, but you don't use their bill pay or cheque features. You're essentially paying per-transaction fees for something your bank can do from a file upload.
The switch:
- Export vendor list from Telpay (or re-enter in EFT Flow)
- Set up your accounting software export in EFT Flow (one-time)
- Generate CPA-005 files and upload to your bank's business portal
- Cancel Telpay EFT service (keep their bill pay if you still need it)
The result: Same payments going out. Flat monthly cost. Data stays on your machine.
Telpay vs EFT Flow FAQ
Can EFT Flow pay my utility bills like Telpay does?
No. EFT Flow generates EFT files (CPA-005) for direct deposits and vendor payments. We don't have a biller network for utilities, CRA, or other payees. If you need bill pay, keep using Telpay for that—but you can switch your EFT payments to us.
Is EFT Flow as easy to use as Telpay?
Different kind of easy. Telpay is "enter payments, they handle it." EFT Flow is "import your payment list, click export, upload to bank." A few more steps, but you have more control and significantly lower costs at volume.
Can I use both? Telpay for bill pay, EFT Flow for direct deposits?
Yes. Many businesses do exactly this. Use Telpay for their bill payment network. Use EFT Flow for payroll and vendor EFTs where per-transaction fees add up.
Why would I want to upload files myself instead of having Telpay do it?
Three reasons: (1) Cost—no per-transaction fees. (2) Control—you decide exactly when payments are submitted. (3) Privacy—your payment data never leaves your machine or goes through a third party.
Does EFT Flow integrate with Sage like Telpay does?
EFT Flow imports any CSV or Excel file. Export from Sage (any report with payee names and amounts), import into EFT Flow, generate your bank file. No special integration needed—works with any export format.
Ready to try flat-rate EFT?
Download the trial. Import your payment list. Compare for yourself.