Dwolla is a financial technology company that provides a platform for businesses to facilitate bank-to-bank payments. Its core purpose is to offer a simple and powerful API for integrating Automated Clearing House (ACH) and Real-Time Payments (RTP) into applications and software. This allows businesses to send, receive, and manage funds directly between bank accounts, bypassing traditional card networks. Founded in 2008 by Ben Milne, Dwolla is headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa. The company focuses on making account-to-account transfers more efficient, secure, and affordable for various industries, including lending, real estate, insurance, and manufacturing.
Dwolla offers a suite of features designed for modern payment operations:
Dwolla's pricing is structured to accommodate businesses of different sizes and transaction volumes. The plans are typically usage-based, meaning costs are related to the number and type of transactions processed. While specific prices are not publicly listed, the model generally includes a few tiers:
Dwolla does not offer a free plan for processing live transactions. However, it provides a free sandbox environment for developers. This sandbox allows full access to the Dwolla API for building and testing integrations without any cost or commitment. Developers can simulate transactions, create customers, and test all functionalities in a controlled environment before deciding to move to a paid, live account.
Getting started with Dwolla involves integrating its API into your business application. Here is a typical workflow:
Pros:
Cons:
Dwolla is an API-first platform, which means it is designed to be integrated into other software applications rather than offering a large library of pre-built, third-party app integrations. Its main integration is with the U.S. banking system itself.
However, it partners with several open banking and technology providers to enhance its service:
Businesses use the Dwolla API to build custom integrations into their own platforms, CRMs, and ERP systems.
Yes, Dwolla provides a comprehensive and well-documented RESTful API, which is the core of its product. The API allows developers to programmatically manage customers, attach and verify bank accounts, and initiate various types of bank transfers.
Developers can get free API keys for the sandbox environment by signing up for a developer account on the Dwolla website. The developer portal provides extensive documentation, guides, and SDKs for popular programming languages.
Here is a conceptual example of using a client library to create a customer in Node.js:
const dwolla = require('dwolla-v2');
const client = new dwolla.Client({
key: 'YOUR_API_KEY',
secret: 'YOUR_API_SECRET',
environment: 'sandbox' // or 'production'
});
const customerData = {
firstName: 'Jane',
lastName: 'Doe',
email: 'jdoe@example.com',
type: 'personal',
address1: '99-99 33rd St',
city: 'Some City',
state: 'IA',
postalCode: '50309'
};
client.post('customers', customerData)
.then(res => console.log(res.headers.get('location'))); // Returns URL of the new customer resource
Dwolla does not have a traditional, public affiliate program where individuals can sign up and earn a fixed commission per referral. Instead, it offers a Partner Program designed for businesses, software platforms, and developers who want to build with or refer clients to Dwolla.
This program is more of a strategic partnership and is structured in different ways, including technology partnerships and referral partnerships. Compensation and benefits are typically customized based on the nature of the partnership. To join, interested businesses should visit the 'Partners' section on the Dwolla website and contact their partnership team to discuss opportunities. There is no standard commission rate publicly available.
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