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LILPE

ComparisonOne payment aggregator vs Orchestration layer

LILPE 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.
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The approaches

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 LILPE 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 'LILPE or an aggregator', but 'one aggregator on its own, or a layer that can use several'.
  1. Your businessCheckout, apps, platforms
  2. LILPEOne API and dashboard
  3. Routing engineRules, health, cost
  4. ProvidersPSPs, gateways, acquirers
  5. Payment networksCards, real-time rails, banks
Where an orchestration layer sits. Illustrative; which providers are connected for your business is confirmed during onboarding.

Side by side

How the two approaches compare

Neutral, factual differences. Neither column is better in every situation.
LILPE vs. Payment Aggregators: side-by-side comparison
CriteriaOne payment aggregatorOrchestration layer (LILPE's approach)
What it isA regulated provider that collects and settles paymentsA layer that routes payments across the providers you connect
Who holds the moneyThe aggregator, in its escrow accountStill the regulated aggregators and banks behind it
Integrations to maintainOneOne, to the layer
If the aggregator has an outagePayments through it stopNew payments can route to another connected provider
Payment method coverageWhat that aggregator offers youWhat the connected providers offer together
ReconciliationOne provider's reportsCombined across providers
ComplexityLowestA layer to configure and understand

Deciding

When each one makes sense

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 LILPE, who contracts with the aggregators and where money sits; for LILPE, 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 LILPE; which providers can be connected for your business is confirmed during onboarding.

FAQ

Questions about this comparison

Is LILPE a payment aggregator?

This site presents LILPE 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?

LILPE'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.

Guides

Guides and explainers

Plain-language answers to the questions businesses ask before and after they go live.

Working out whether you need more than one provider?

Tell us how you're paid today and we'll talk it through honestly.

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