What is Affirm used for?

Affirm is a buy now, pay later service that lets shoppers split online and in-store purchases into fixed payments, with the total cost shown upfront. It is a good fit for spreading the cost of a large purchase, merchants offering installment options at checkout and shoppers comparing partner stores by category.

Is Affirm open source?

No. Affirm is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. In the Finance & Accounting category, open-source options include Hyperswitch, Lago and Polar.

What are some alternatives to Affirm?

Affirm competes with Klarna, Afterpay and PayPal.

Affirm: features, pricing and alternatives

About Affirm

Affirm is a consumer financing company that lets people pay for purchases over time instead of all at once. Shoppers pick a payment plan at checkout with a partner merchant, and the vendor says each plan shows the full cost before the customer commits. Options described on the homepage include short interest-free plans split into four payments and longer plans for larger purchases.

Beyond checkout, Affirm offers a mobile app where users can see their purchasing power and browse stores, an Affirm Card for paying over time online or in person, and a browser extension for desktop shopping. It also works with Apple Pay and Google Pay. A directory lets shoppers explore partner stores by category, such as electronics, travel, home and furniture, and fitness.

A separate section serves merchants and developers who want to offer Affirm at checkout. The service operates in several regions, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia, with a regional site for each. Affirm is a hosted commercial service and is not open-source software.

Key features

Pay over time at partner online and in-store merchants
Short interest-free plans split into four payments
Longer installment plans with total cost shown upfront
Affirm Card for paying over time anywhere
Browser extension and mobile app
Apple Pay and Google Pay support

Good fit for

→Spreading the cost of a large purchase
→Merchants offering installment options at checkout
→Shoppers comparing partner stores by category

Tags: buy-now-pay-later; consumer-finance; installments; payments; fintech; checkout; credit-card

Affirm: questions and answers

What is Affirm used for?: Affirm is a buy now, pay later service that lets shoppers split online and in-store purchases into fixed payments, with the total cost shown upfront. It is a good fit for spreading the cost of a large purchase, merchants offering installment options at checkout and shoppers comparing partner stores by category.
Is Affirm free?: Yes. Affirm has a free plan.
Is Affirm open source?: No. Affirm is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. In the Finance & Accounting category, open-source options include Hyperswitch, Lago and Polar.
What are some alternatives to Affirm?: Affirm competes with Klarna, Afterpay and PayPal.