Paystack iOS SDK

Accept payments in your iOS app with Paystack. The SDK gives you a ready-made payment flow that takes the customer from choosing a payment method to a completed payment.

Requirements

iOS	14.0+ for the payment flow. The package can be added to apps that target iOS 13, but the payment flow is only available on iOS 14 and later.
macOS	Not supported
Swift	5.7+ (Xcode 14+)

Installation

We recommend installing the SDK with Swift Package Manager:

1. In Xcode, select File → Add Package Dependencies…
2. Enter https://github.com/PaystackHQ/paystack-sdk-ios.git
3. Add both the PaystackCore and PaystackUI libraries to your app target.

CocoaPods: the SDK isn't published to CocoaPods trunk. It can only be used as a local pod, by pointing your Podfile at a local copy of this repo. CocoaPods support will be discontinued from 2 December 2026, so please use Swift Package Manager.

Then import both where you start a payment:

import PaystackCore
import PaystackUI

Setting up Paystack

Build a Paystack object with your integration's public key. Never put your secret key in an app.

let paystack = try? PaystackBuilder
    .newInstance
    .setKey("pk_live_xxxxxxxx")
    .build()

Optional builder settings:

Method	What it does	Default
setDisplayAudience(_:)	Tailors the payment UI to who is holding the device. See Display audience	.customerFacing
enableLogging()	Prints SDK logs to the console. Useful while integrating; leave it off in production	Off

let paystack = try? PaystackBuilder
    .newInstance
    .setKey("pk_live_xxxxxxxx")
    .setDisplayAudience(.merchantFacing)
    .enableLogging()
    .build()

Accepting a payment

1. Initialize a transaction on your server with the Initialize Transaction API and send the returned access_code to your app.
2. Start the payment flow with that access code.
3. When the flow finishes, verify the transaction on your server before giving value.

SwiftUI

chargeUIButton returns a button you can style. Tapping it opens the payment flow.

paystack?.chargeUIButton(accessCode: "transaction access code",
                         onComplete: paymentDone) {
    Text("Pay")
}

UIKit

Call presentChargeUI from your own button. The flow is presented on the view controller you pass in, which must not already be presenting something.

@IBAction func payButtonTapped(_ sender: Any) {
    paystack?.presentChargeUI(on: self,
                              accessCode: "transaction access code",
                              onComplete: paymentDone)
}

Handling the transaction result

Both entry points call onComplete with a TransactionResult:

func paymentDone(_ result: TransactionResult) {
    switch result {
    case .completed(let details):
        print("Transaction completed with reference: \(details.reference)")
    case .cancelled:
        print("Transaction was cancelled")
    case .error(let error, let reference):
        print("An error occurred: \(error.message), reference: \(String(describing: reference))")
    }
}

Result	Meaning
.completed(ChargeCompletionDetails)	The customer finished the payment process. Verify the transaction status and amount on your server before giving value, using webhooks or the Verify Transaction API.
.cancelled	The customer closed the payment flow.
.error(error: ChargeError, reference: String?)	Something went wrong. error.message is safe to show the customer; error.cause holds the underlying error for your logs.

Supported payment methods

The SDK shows the payment methods that are enabled on your integration, that suit the transaction's currency, and that the SDK supports. If only one method qualifies, the flow opens it straight away. Otherwise the customer chooses from a list.

Country	Currency	Payment methods in the SDK
Nigeria	NGN	Card, Bank Transfer (Pay with Transfer), Zap
Ghana	GHS	Card, Mobile Money: MTN, AirtelTigo, Telecel
Kenya	KES	Card, Mobile Money: M-Pesa, Airtel Money, Pesalink (bank transfer)
Côte d'Ivoire	XOF	Card
South Africa	ZAR	Card, Capitec Pay, Scan to Pay, SnapScan

Other channels you may have enabled on your integration (for example Apple Pay) aren't available in the SDK yet and won't be shown. If none of your enabled channels is supported, the customer sees a message asking them to contact you.

Display audience

Some payment methods work differently depending on who is holding the device:

• .customerFacing (default): the customer is paying on their own phone, for example in your shopping app.
• .merchantFacing: the merchant holds the device and shows the screen to the customer, for example in a point-of-sale or terminal app.

Set it once on the builder (see Setting up Paystack). It applies to every payment started from that Paystack object, in both SwiftUI and UIKit.

Payment method	Customer-facing	Merchant-facing
Zap	"Open Zap" button that opens the Zap app	QR code for the customer to scan with Zap
Scan to Pay	The payment code with a copy button, and See Scan to Pay apps, which lists supported banking and wallet apps and opens the chosen one	QR code for the customer to scan
Bank Transfer / Pesalink	Account details with copy buttons	Account details without copy buttons
All other methods	Unchanged	Unchanged

If your app doesn't call setDisplayAudience(_:), nothing changes: the UI is customer-facing.

Scan to Pay app links: the SDK opens banking apps with links. You don't need to add anything to your app's Info.plist. If the customer doesn't have the chosen app installed, the SDK tells them so.

Appearance

The payment UI supports light and dark mode and follows the device's appearance setting.

Testing

Use your integration's test public key and an access code from a test transaction. The payment UI shows a TEST badge while you're in test mode.

For test cards and other test details, see Paystack's test payments guide.

Example apps

The repo includes two example apps:

• Example/: a SwiftUI app.
• UIKit Example/: a UIKit app.

To run one:

1. Open its project. For Example/, run pod install in that folder first and open the .xcworkspace.
2. In ContentView.swift (SwiftUI) or ViewController.swift (UIKit), set your public key on the PaystackBuilder.
3. Initialize a transaction on your integration and paste its access code where indicated.

The example apps make real payments when you use a live key.