Flexilay
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Flexilay vs Zip: scheduled LayBy or buy now, pay later?

Both let shoppers pay over time, but they work in fundamentally different ways: Flexilay schedules payments toward goods you keep until paid, while Zip lends customers money up front.

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FlexilayVSZip

Modern LayBy vs Zip — the honest, side-by-side comparison.

Flexilay is modern LayBy: a simple way for your customers to pay for an order in instalments before they take the goods. There is no lending, no credit check, no interest and no debt. Payments run on a weekly, fortnightly or monthly schedule through your own Stripe account, and you keep the goods until the plan is complete.

Zip is an Australian buy now, pay later (BNPL) provider. Zip is a line of credit: it pays the retailer up front, hands the goods to the customer immediately, and the customer then repays Zip over time. That convenience can come with account fees and, on some Zip products, interest charged to the customer. This page compares the two fairly so you can pick the right fit for your store.

Flexilay LayBy payment plan — a deposit plus scheduled instalments, collected once paid off.
Simple two-column iconography — a padlocked parcel held until paid (Flexilay) vs a parcel handed over with an IOU (Zip).Australian small-business owner at a laptop reviewing a Stripe dashboard, reinforcing 'your own Stripe account, funds never held'.
Feature
Flexilay
ZipZip
What it is
Modern LayBy: payment scheduling toward an order
Buy now, pay later (BNPL) line of credit
Who funds the purchase
Nobody lends — the customer pays in instalments before collecting
Zip pays the retailer up front, then the customer repays Zip
Credit checks
None
Yes — subject to a credit assessment / approval
When goods are released
After the plan is paid in full
Immediately, at the point of sale
Customer debt
None — no money is borrowed
Yes — an outstanding balance owed to Zip
Account fees / interest to the customer
None
$9.95 monthly account fee (waived with no end-of-month balance); Zip Plus and Zip Money can charge interest
Merchant fee
Small per-completed-order fee — see pricing
Merchant/retailer fee per transaction (reported around 4%)
Lending / compliance risk to merchant
None — you are not lending or extending credit
Borne by Zip as the credit provider, not the merchant
Who holds the funds
Your own Stripe account — Flexilay never holds your money
Zip pays the merchant and collects repayments from the customer

The core difference: scheduling vs lending

Flexilay never lends anyone money. Your customer commits to a payment schedule and pays it down over time; once the final payment clears, you release the goods. Because nothing is borrowed, there is no credit check, no interest and no debt for the shopper.

Zip works the opposite way. It is a credit product: Zip pays you up front, the customer walks away with the goods, and the customer then repays Zip. That is genuine lending, which is why it involves a credit assessment and can carry account fees and interest.

What it means for your customers

No credit check

Flexilay shoppers are never assessed or knocked back — anyone can start a plan. Zip requires a credit assessment and approval.

No interest or debt

Flexilay customers only ever pay the price of the order. Zip can charge a monthly account fee, and Zip Plus and Zip Money can charge interest.

Pay your way

Flexilay supports weekly, fortnightly or monthly schedules so customers can budget for the things they want.

What it means for you as a merchant

No lending or compliance burden

You are scheduling payments, not extending credit, so the lending obligations that sit with a BNPL provider simply don't apply to you.

Your Stripe, your money

Payments flow straight into your own Stripe account. Flexilay never holds or touches your funds.

Simple, low-cost pricing

Flexilay is free to start with no monthly or setup fees — just a small fee on completed orders. See the pricing page for current rates.

Keep control of stock

Goods stay with you until the plan completes, so you're never out of pocket for unpaid stock.

Where Flexilay works today

Flexilay is built in Australia and connects to the tools you already use. Live connectors include WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Odoo, Xero and QuickBooks, with Shopify coming soon. See the connectors page for the latest list.

Frequently asked questions

Is Flexilay the same as Zip or another BNPL?
No. Flexilay is modern LayBy — payment scheduling toward an order the customer collects once it's paid off. It involves no lending, no credit check, no interest and no debt. Zip is a buy now, pay later line of credit that pays the retailer up front and is repaid by the customer.
Does Flexilay or Zip run a credit check?
Flexilay never runs a credit check. Zip is available to approved applicants only and is subject to a satisfactory credit assessment, because it is extending credit.
Will my customer pay interest or fees?
With Flexilay your customer only pays the price of the order — no interest, no account fees. Zip Pay is interest free but charges a $9.95 monthly account fee (waived if there's no balance at the end of the month); Zip Plus and Zip Money can charge interest.
When does the customer get the goods?
With Flexilay, you release the goods once the payment plan is complete. With Zip, the customer receives the goods immediately and repays Zip afterwards.
Does Flexilay hold my money like a BNPL provider?
No. Payments run through your own Stripe account, so Flexilay never holds your funds. Zip pays the retailer up front and then collects repayments from the customer.
Do I take on any lending or compliance risk with Flexilay?
No. You're scheduling payments, not lending money or extending credit, so the credit-provider obligations a BNPL service carries don't apply to you.

Keep exploring

How Flexilay worksWhy Flexilay isn't BNPLBuy now, pay later alternativesPricingConnectors

Offer LayBy without becoming a lender

Add modern LayBy to your store with no credit checks, no interest and no debt — payments straight into your own Stripe account.

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