CSG Forte 2026: Benefits, Features & Pricing

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On this page

Overview
Pricing and Plans
Features
Integrations
User Reviews

Overview

CSG Forte

4.5

(86)

Pricing

Pricing available upon request

About CSG Forte

CSG Forte is a payments management platform designed to handle the entire payment lifecycle, from processing to security, within a unified system. It supports businesses of various sizes across industries such as government, property management, insurance, healthcare, retail, and utilities. Independent software vendors can also use the platform to manage scalable payment needs.

The platform provides omnichannel payment processing, enabling businesses to accept payments online, in-person, by phone, or through mobile devices. It supports multiple payment methods, including ACH, eCheck, credit cards, debit cards, and Apple Pay. Features include revenue optimization tools, bill presentment, payment validation, authentication mechanisms, and reporting and analytics for transaction insights.

CSG Forte uses a PCI-compliant architecture and RESTful APIs to integrate securely with existing payment systems. It is designed to simplify merchant onboarding and maintain security and efficiency as businesses grow.

CSG Forte Screenshots

CSG Forte Pricing and Plans

Starting price: Connect with an advisor for pricing

Free Trial

Free Version

Credit Card

Pricing available upon request

No plan information available

ACH

Pricing available upon request

No plan information available

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CSG Forte Features

Popular features found in Payment Processing
ACH Payment Processing
Billing & Invoicing
Debit/Credit Card Processing
In-Person Payments
Mobile Payments
Multi-Currency
Multiple Payment Options
Payment Fraud Prevention
Payment Gateway Integration
PCI Compliance
Recurring/Subscription Billing
Reporting/Analytics
More features of CSG Forte
Accounting Integration
Activity Dashboard
API
Client Portal
Compliance Management
Contactless NFC
Credit Card Management
Credit Card Processing
Customer Accounts
Customer Database
Customer History
Customizable Branding
Customizable Reports
Data Security
eCommerce Management
Electronic Payments
Electronic Signature
Fraud Detection
Invoice Processing
Mobile Access
Mobile Card Reader
Multi-Location
Online Payments
Payment Processing
Point of Sale (POS)
Real-Time Analytics
Real-Time Data
Real-Time Reporting
Receipt Management
Remote Access/Control
Reporting & Statistics
Retail POS
Returns Management
Sales Reports
Search/Filter
Self Service Portal
SSL Security
Third-Party Integrations
Transaction History
Transaction Monitoring

CSG Forte Integrations

Accela Building

AccountEdge

Zoho CRM

Rentec Direct

CSG Forte User Reviews

Overall Rating

4.5

Ratings Breakdown

70%

20%

Secondary Ratings

Ease of Use

4.4

Value for money

4.4

Customer support

4.4

Functionality

4.3

Locksley S.

Verified reviewer

Financial Services

2-10 employees

Used daily for more than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed December 2020

Great Service

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Value for money

Customer support

Previously 4

Functionality

Pros:

Ease of use is the softwares biggest advantage.

Cons:

There is really nothing I do not like about the software.

Ken T.

Verified reviewer

Non-Profit Organization Management

51-200 employees

Used daily for more than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed July 2019

Excellent Pricing-A Little Lacking on Features

We started out with PayPal online payments but quickly wanted a more robust and professional way to accept payments at a lower cost. Forte was a great solution for us overall.

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Value for money

Customer support

Functionality

Pros:

The system handles all the PCI requirements and offers very, very competitive one-time eCheck entries. VERY few companies I found will offer this so it is a GREAT benefit our church deeply appreciates.

Cons:

Setup was a little involved, since we are not a typical storefront selling some kind of product. Our payments are all donations. As such, setting up to allow people to donate to various of our income stream was a little involved--regular donations, international fund, youth camp fund, assistance to the needy, etc. But we've been able to make it work for us.

Reasons for choosing CSG Forte

eCheck option! Users can also set up recurring payments, but one-time with no advance set up was a definite and huge plus!

Reasons for switching to CSG Forte

Cost and desire for a more professional look.

Vendor Response

Hi Ken. Thanks so much for providing feedback based on your experience using Forte. We appreciate your time and value you as a customer. Our support teams are available to help you with whatever you need.

Replied July 2019

Richard B.

Verified reviewer

Accounting

2-10 employees

Used daily for less than 6 months

Review source

Reviewed October 2021

Poor Customer Service, Poor Communication, and Poorly Structured Business Practices

As mentioned, we had processed a single transaction for just over $2,400 through Forte. Forte indicated that for that transaction we had one of two choices. First, we could do nothing and in due time Forte would release our funds to us as outlined in our agreement. So I read the clickwrap agreement on Forte's website. Due time, which was determined exclusively by Forte, was at least 90 days, but could be extended by Forte in its sole discretion up to two years. Forte's second option, and the one that they indicated repeatedly that they strongly preferred, was for us to contact our customer and have the customer stop the payment on their end causing it to be returned to Forte. We could then collect payment from our customer a different way that didn't involve Forte. Aside from the fact that that would have likely been difficult to do and might not have worked (since the payment was several days old at this point), it also would have damaged our relationship with our customer, which was unacceptable. We opted to wait and see what Forte did in 90 days and planned to sue them in small claims court if they decided to use their ridiculous two year provision to continue to hold our money. Ninety days came and went. Forte did nothing. We waited another 30 days. Forte did nothing. Finally, I emailed Forte again and reminded them of the issue. I received no response from Forte; however, the next week our $2,400 arrived in our account. What a mess!

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Value for money

Customer support

Functionality

Pros:

We decided to add Forte to our merchant services suite to process ACH payments at lower cost. Getting our account setup with Forte was very easy as was integrating it in with our business management software (Zoho). Processing payments through Zoho onto the Forte platform was also very straightforward. In all, it had the potential to be a major improvement to our business and to significantly reduce our cost for payment processing, unfortunately it did not work out that way.

Cons:

Forte's product operated as a bait and switch. We processed a grand total of one transaction on the Forte platform. The day after that first transaction, we received a poorly written email from someone at Forte thanking us for our cooperation with their investigation and indicating that it had now been concluded. That was the first we had become aware of any investigation. Forte indicated in their email that they had opted to close our account and that a subsequent email with additional information would follow. Shortly thereafter, the second email arrived. That email indicated that Forte had opted to close our account for one or more of a number of reasons. The vast majority of the reasons obviously didn't apply (for example, one of them was excessive returns and another was excessive chargebacks -- we'd only processed a single transaction and never had a return or chargeback). Several emails to Forte's "fraud investigator" and customer service failed to produce a more meaningful understanding of why Forte had chosen to close our account after a single transaction. All the personnel would do was parrot the account closing email that we had received that was itself less than helpful. Either way, we accepted that the account was closed, moved on, and hired another vendor for ACH payments. Given Forte's lackluster customer service it seemed to be a blessing in disguise. That left, however, one final matter.

Reasons for choosing CSG Forte

We were attracted to Forte by it's low per transaction cost and that it does not have a monthly account fee.

Vendor Response

Hi Richard, We're pleased you recognized how simple we've made it to integrate to popular software applications like Zoho, and the significant cost advantages of our platform. Like many in our industry, CSG Forte performs required Know Your Customer checks and has determined what level risk is acceptable to our business. Unfortunately, this can lead us to making the tough decision of not working with certain merchants. We have made changes to ensure we communicate faster with merchants in the future, so you'd have the information needed to act accordingly. We appreciate you taking the time to provide specific feedback.

Replied December 2021

Kacie R.

Verified reviewer

Government Relations

2-10 employees

Used daily for more than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed October 2025

Highly Recommend

We have had Forte for years and not once had any issues that couldn't be quickly fixed. Most companies need to work on customer services response times, but we've never had an issue.

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Value for money

Customer support

Functionality

Pros:

Customer Service is top notch. Equipment provided is easy to manage. Payment processing is simple, transaction fees are minimal, easy to operate, and reporting is easy to follow.

Cons:

I don't feel I have any cons about Forte. Processing is simple and if any issues arise, they are resolved quickly.

Katrine F.

Verified reviewer

Non-Profit Organization Management

2-10 employees

Used daily for more than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed August 2019

It just WORKS!

We use Forte with NeonCRM. The two work together wonderfully.

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Value for money

Functionality

Pros:

Reliability. It just works. Up time is very close to 100%.

Cons:

It's not pretty and takes a little bit to learn your way around, but it always works. Pretty isn't always better. I've seen many software companies release new prettier versions and lose the comfortable flexibility.

Reasons for choosing CSG Forte

Evaluation for function, features, ease of use, and cost made Forte the best choice.

Reasons for switching to CSG Forte

Forte was integrated with NeonCRM and seemed like the best option of the 5 that NeonCRM offered.

Eoin G.

Verified reviewer

Health, Wellness and Fitness

2-10 employees

Used other for less than 12 months

Review source

Reviewed July 2020

Integration with Invoicing Systems with some what rates competitive with Square, Stripe and Paypal

We had a generally positive experience with Forte. Our main use of Forte was ACH processing, but the turn around time on ACH transactions was upwards of 10 days before funds were deposited in our account. Our new processor linked with our bank has a much faster turnaround time, usually 3 days.

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Value for money

Customer support

Functionality

Pros:

Setting up the account was a pretty smooth process. We were assigned a merchant ID and given access to a virtual client to manually charge credit cards. They offer ACH processing with our invoicing software. When we decided to move to a different ACH process we left Forte. I was expecting a hassle cancelling our account, but it was straightforward and easy.

Cons:

The virtual credit card processing client is very dated as is the navigation for reporting. Unlike Square, Forte charges a different percentage for American Express credit cards (and many of our clients use their business AmEx which created a functionally higher credit card processing rate.

Reasons for choosing CSG Forte

Stripe requires Authorize.net which takes a percentage of payment vs a flat rate.

Reasons for switching to CSG Forte

We were looking for ACH payments

Robert P.

Verified reviewer

Consumer Services

2-10 employees

Used daily for less than 6 months

Review source

Reviewed June 2021

Disgusted with this company they are the WORST - STAY AWAY

Have a business that only collects high priced services after discussing what my company does they decided to end my agreement I am a legit company not running a scam. I give people who fought for our company services.

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Value for money

Customer support

Functionality

Pros:

NONE NONE NONE NONE NONE NONE NONE NONENONE NONE NONE NONENONE NONE NONE NONENONE NONE NONE NONENONE NONE NONE NONE

Cons:

CUSTOMER SERVICE, INCONSISTENCY, RUDE, UNPROFESSIONAL

Reasons for choosing CSG Forte

YOU SHOULDN'T STAY AWAY

Reasons for switching to CSG Forte

Customer is better and they are helpful they didnt interrogate me what my business is about

Vendor Response

Hi Robert, We appreciate you taking the time to leave a review. Like many in our industry, CSG Forte has made business decision to not support certain types of merchant processing due to the financial or business risks involved, or may require reserves due to the increased risks in a given type, or based on information found during a required "Know Your Customer" review. It's not our intention to create friction but to manage risk and comply with regulations; however we understand your frustration given the time and energy you invested into evaluating and initially choosing CSG Forte.

Replied December 2021

Kate O.

Verified reviewer

Management Consulting

2-10 employees

Used monthly for less than 12 months

Review source

Reviewed July 2019

Great and Easy Product for Small Business Owners

This service is HANDS DOWN the most affordable, and best value for the money when it comes to allowing a business to collect AUTOMATIC PAYMENTS. It has reduced the HOURS that I used to spend weekly collecting and writing invoices. Now everything is handled automatically - a dream for me and my team.

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Value for money

Customer support

Functionality

Pros:

The product is STRAIGHT FORWARD and very affordable for allowing me to collect ACH and Credit Card payments for my business.

Cons:

The functionality is low - I'd like to be able to run more reports. The interface is rudimentary - I'd like to see a more sleek dashboard.

Reasons for choosing CSG Forte

Automated and professional platform. Fewer fees. ACH capabilities. Easy set up.

Vendor Response

Thanks so much for the feedback, Kate. We're glad you find working with Forte to be such a great experience and is such good value for your business. Our support team is available at your convenience if you need any assistance with anything.

Replied July 2019

Vaishnavi A.

Verified reviewer

Legal Services

51-200 employees

Used daily for less than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed October 2025

Payment Integration review as a developer

Smooth, easy to understand the documentation. Dex portal is easy to navigate. Overall it was greate.

Ratings Breakdown

Ease of use

Value for money

Customer support

Functionality

Pros:

Customer support and open to suggestions. Very friendly and readily available. Faster resolution of issues/support.

Cons:

Website can be more user friendly, it is fine but always scope for improvement. Sometimes it flickers . Also, some mistakes in documentation(w.r.t. rest api integration). Otherwise it is fantastic.

Tammy K.

Verified reviewer

Government Administration

51-200 employees

Used daily for less than 2 years

Review source

Reviewed May 2025

Great Payment Tool