Calgary-based fintech Helcim has launched a new browser-based product aimed at solving a growing pain point for service businesses using vertical SaaS platforms: high, locked-in payment fees.
The company today announced the Helcim Payment Extension, a lightweight browser extension that injects Helcim’s interchange-plus payment processing directly into third-party business software such as Jobber, Clio, and Jane App.
Many web-based business platforms bundle payments with their software, limiting merchants to a single processor and charging flat rates that can exceed 2.9 percent. While convenient, those costs often scale poorly for growing clinics, trades businesses, and professional services firms—sectors that make up a significant share of Calgary’s small business economy.
Helcim’s new extension is designed to break that tradeoff. Rather than replacing existing tools or requiring custom integrations, the browser extension allows merchants to keep their current software while routing payments through Helcim. Transaction data flows between the platform and Helcim automatically, keeping invoices and records in sync without manual reconciliation.
“Finally, we don’t have to choose between our clinic software and fair payment rates,” said Jedd Ylagan, owner of Kinetically Whole Therapies and a beta user of the extension. “Our staff works exactly as before, but our payment costs are significantly lower.”
At launch, the Helcim Payment Extension supports more than 20 vertical SaaS platforms, with the company planning to expand to over 100 integrations by the end of the year. Helcim says early adoption has come from healthcare, home services, automotive, and professional services—industries where transaction volume increases quickly as businesses scale.
Unlike most embedded payment offerings, Helcim uses an interchange-plus pricing model, passing card network costs through transparently rather than bundling them into flat rates. The company says the extension allows merchants to benefit from that pricing without giving up the operational software they depend on.
“We think businesses should have control over their financial relationships,” said Helcim founder and CEO Nic Beique. “They shouldn’t have to overpay for payments just to use the tools that run their business.”
The launch underscores a broader trend of Calgary-based fintech companies building infrastructure products that compete globally while solving practical problems for service businesses at home.
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