The digital paying agent experience, without the enterprise contract
SRS Acquiom built a great platform for institutional PE firms. Cleo Pay brings the same digital payee onboarding, W-9 collection, ACH disbursement, and real-time deal dashboard to middle-market M&A, with transparent pricing and no minimum deal size.
No minimum deal size. No enterprise contract. Transparent pricing per engagement.
Side by Side
Cleo Pay vs. SRS Acquiom
SRS Acquiom is the market leader in private M&A paying agent services, built over 15 years for institutional PE. Cleo Pay is purpose-built for middle-market deals where SRS's enterprise model is more than you need.
| Cleo Pay | SRS Acquiom | |
|---|---|---|
| Core use case | Middle-market private M&A paying agent | Institutional PE and large private M&A paying agent, escrow, and shareholder representation |
| Payment speed | 1-2 business days via ACH | Same day for most payees (purpose-built infrastructure) |
| Digital payee onboarding | Self-serve portal, personalized link per payee, 15 min | Digital via Clearinghouse platform |
| W-9 and W-8 collection | Built into onboarding flow | Built into onboarding flow |
| Optionholder payroll (W-2) payments | Yes | Yes |
| Real-time deal dashboard | Yes, per-payee status 24/7 | Yes, via Deal Dashboard (Clearinghouse) |
| Escrow integration | Yes, unified with payments | Yes, fully integrated escrow and paying agent |
| Post-close earnout and escrow releases | Yes | Yes, with full multi-year post-close administration |
| Shareholder representative services | No | Yes — a core SRS Acquiom service |
| MarketStandard deal benchmarking | No | Yes — proprietary dataset of 2,200+ deals |
| Pricing | Transparent flat fee per engagement, disclosed upfront | Negotiated per deal, not publicly disclosed |
| Contract requirement | No enterprise contract or MSA required | Enterprise engagement with formal onboarding |
| Deal size minimum | No minimum | Optimized for mid-market and above; institutional pricing |
| Time to get started | Same week | Formal onboarding process |
This comparison is based on publicly available information about SRS Acquiom's platform and services as of 2026. SRS Acquiom is a registered trademark of its respective owner.
Why Switch
Where Cleo Pay wins for middle-market M&A
SRS Acquiom is the right choice for large institutional PE deals with complex multi-year post-close administration. For everything else, Cleo Pay delivers the same digital experience at a price and pace that fits the deal.
Transparent pricing before you sign
SRS Acquiom fees are negotiated per deal and never disclosed publicly. Industry estimates put average engagements around $97,000. Cleo Pay quotes a flat fee per engagement before you sign anything. No negotiation theater. No post-close surprise invoices.
No minimum deal size
SRS Acquiom's institutional model and pricing structure means smaller middle-market transactions are either declined or priced at a premium relative to deal value. Cleo Pay serves transactions from under $10 million to over $1 billion with the same platform and the same pricing model.
Start the same week, not the same quarter
Engaging SRS Acquiom requires formal onboarding, contract negotiation, and platform setup. Cleo Pay is live within days of engagement. For counsel managing a tight signing-to-close timeline, speed to start matters as much as speed to pay.
The same digital payee experience
SRS Acquiom's value proposition has always been the digital self-service flow for shareholders and optionholders. Cleo Pay delivers the same experience: personalized onboarding links, digital LOT, W-9 and W-8 in the same flow, ACH in 1-2 days, and a real-time dashboard for deal counsel. The payee experience is indistinguishable.
FAQ
Common questions about switching from SRS Acquiom
Book a Demo
See the full paying agent platform in 20 minutes
Walk through payee onboarding, the deal dashboard, and ACH disbursement with a Cleo Pay specialist. Bring your next deal.
- ACH disbursement in 1-2 business days
- Digital payee onboarding, no paper LOTs
- W-9 and W-8 collected automatically
- Optionholder payroll payments handled
- Transparent pricing before you sign