VektorIndex
Independent directory. VektorIndex is not affiliated with or sponsored by any listed vendor. All specifications are sourced from official vendor documentation.

Head-to-Head Specification Audit

AWS vs PayFast

Enterprise & SaaS Developers · Global

Cloud Hosting & Edge

AWS

Enterprise & SaaS Developers · Global

Visit AWS

Payment Processing API

PayFast

E-Commerce & SaaS Businesses · South Africa

Visit PayFast

Specification Matrix

MetricAWSPayFast
Starting PriceCustomBetterCustom
API Rate LimitN/A60 req/min
Target CountryGlobalSouth Africa
CategoryCloud Hosting & EdgePayment Processing API
ComplianceGDPR, CCPA, POPIA, SOC2, ISO27001, HIPAA, FedRAMPPOPIA, PCI-DSS
Hosting RegionsUS-East, US-West, EU-West, AP-Southeast, AU-East, AF-South-ZAZA-Cape-Town, ZA-Johannesburg
Native Integrations7 listedBetter6 listed

AWS — Key Specs

  • Cape Town region (af-south-1) provides local ZA data residency for POPIA compliance
  • 200+ cloud services covering compute, storage, AI, databases, and IoT
  • 99.99% uptime SLA on core services including S3, RDS, and EC2
  • Spot Instances reduce compute costs by up to 90% for fault-tolerant workloads

PayFast — Key Specs

  • Only major payment gateway with POPIA-compliant ZA data residency by default
  • Supports EFT, credit card, Instant EFT, Mobicred, and SnapScan natively
  • No monthly fee — pay 2.0–3.5% per transaction only
  • Recurring billing API supports subscription SaaS models out of the box

Frequently Asked Questions

What is cheaper, AWS or PayFast?+

Both tools start at $0/mo on their entry plans.

Which tool is better for compliance — AWS or PayFast?+

Both support POPIA. AWS additionally supports GDPR, CCPA, SOC2, ISO27001, HIPAA, FedRAMP. PayFast additionally supports PCI-DSS.

Is AWS or PayFast compliant with South Africa's POPIA?+

Both AWS and PayFast support POPIA compliance frameworks according to their official documentation.

Which tool is better suited for Global?+

AWS is evaluated for Enterprise & SaaS Developers in Global with hosting regions: US-East, US-West, EU-West, AP-Southeast, AU-East, AF-South-ZA. PayFast has hosting regions: ZA-Cape-Town, ZA-Johannesburg. For data residency in Global, check each vendor's data processing agreements.

Data last verified: 11 June 2026