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Karbon vs Skydo: What's best for Indian exporters in 2026?

  • Cheaper than Karbon on a typical $10K invoice
  • Flat fee vs Karbon's 1% fee that scales with size
  • Instant FIRA, eBRC and GST invoicing built in
  • Built for India, trusted by 30,000+ businesses
View detailed comparison

Over $1B processed • Trusted by 30,000+ businesses • Licensed by RBI

RBI PA-CB authorized
HDFC Bank
ISO 27001 certified
Visa
Accept payment from 150+ countries
USA
Client pays
50010K50K100K
1 USD = 83.500 INR
Live FX rate · Updated now
You'll receiveINR
₹ 4,15,079
karbon₹ 4,13,325
You lose:0.4%
₹1,754 more received via Skydo

Karbon vs Skydo: The Detailed Comparison

Both let you receive international payments in India. The difference shows up in fees, paperwork, and the small things that add up.

Featureskarbon
Pricing
Total cost on $10K invoice~$105 (~1% flat fee)$29 flat fee
Forex markup0-1%, live rateLive mid-market rate, 0% markup
Compliance
FIRAAutomatic, bundled into the feeInstant, free, per-transaction
eBRCNot confirmedAutomated for Amazon Global Selling
GST invoicingNot confirmedBuilt-in GST compliant invoicing
RBI authorizationPartner-bank modelFull PA-CB authorization
Payment & experience
Settlement to bank24-48 hoursWithin one business day
Customer supportIndia-based; WhatsApp, phone, emailIndia-based WhatsApp, email, phone
Founded2019, Bengaluru, India2022, Bengaluru, India

Karbon vs Skydo: Pricing and Forex

See what a typical invoice actually costs on Karbon versus Skydo's one flat fee at the live mid-market rate.

You're receiving🇺🇸$
Converted to🇮🇳INR
karbon
Amount received$5,000.00
Transfer fee (1%)-$50.00
Amount after fees$4,950.00
FX rate applied0-1% markup₹83.5000
Converted amount (INR)₹4,13,325
0% FX Markup
Amount received$5,000.00
Platform fee ($29 flat)-$29.00
Fixed fee$0.00
Amount after fees$4,971.00
FX rate appliedLive Mid-Market₹83.5000
Converted amount (INR)₹4,15,079
For every $5,000 invoice, you keep 1,754 more with Skydo

Compliance, Payment Rails, and Platform Comparison

Fees matter. So does everything else.

karbon
FIRA auto-generated for every transaction at no extra cost
Instant per-transaction FIRA within 24 hours
eBRC automation not explicitly confirmed
Automated eBRC, especially for Amazon Global Selling
GST-compliant records referenced but not detailed
GST-compliant invoice generation built in
Guided purpose-code handling at onboarding
Correct purpose code assignment, full transparency
SOFTEX and EDPMS handling not detailed publicly
SOFTEX / EDPMS handled in compliance workflow

No more chasing your CA every quarter or your bank for stamped certificates the day before a GST deadline.

Who Should Use Karbon Over Skydo?

Karbon still wins in a few situations. Here are the ones worth knowing.

Karbon is better for

  • Freelancers and exporters collecting mostly in USD
  • Amazon or D2C sellers wanting auto FIRA on payouts
  • Businesses fine with a partner-bank compliance model
  • Exporters comfortable with a 1% fee per invoice
  • When fast settlement matters most overall

Skydo is better for

  • Indian freelancers, IT/ITeS, and SaaS companies
  • Businesses receiving $2,000+/month internationally
  • Exporters needing FIRA, eBRC, and GST invoicing
  • Anyone who wants zero forex markup and flat fees
  • SaaS and Amazon Global Selling merchants

How to Migrate from Karbon to Skydo

You don't need to close Karbon to start with Skydo. Most exporters run both in parallel for a few weeks while transitioning clients.

Step 1 of 5Takes ~5 minutes

Create your Skydo account

Sign up at skydo.com with PAN, Aadhaar, and business documents (GST certificate, IEC if you have one). India-based onboarding typically completes verification within 24 hours, often within the same business day.

  • PAN card
  • Aadhaar card
  • GST certificate
  • Bank account details

Karbon vs Skydo: Frequently Asked Questions

Karbon vs Skydo: which is cheaper for receiving international payments in India?+
Skydo is typically cheaper for larger invoices. Karbon's roughly 1% flat fee scales with invoice size, landing around $100-105 on a $10,000 payment, while Skydo charges a flat $19-29 regardless of size, a gap that widens the bigger your invoices get over time.
Karbon vs Skydo: which has better forex rates for USD to INR conversion?+
Both apply a live forex rate rather than a hidden markup, which is a genuine strength for each platform. The real difference is the fee layered on top: Karbon charges roughly 1% that scales with invoice size, while Skydo charges a fixed fee that stays flat no matter how large the invoice is.
Does Skydo provide FIRA and eBRC that Karbon does not offer?+
Skydo provides both FIRA and eBRC automatically by default for every transaction. Karbon confirms automatic FIRA generation but doesn't explicitly confirm automated eBRC on its public pages, which may matter if your GST filings or DGFT compliance specifically require eBRC documentation alongside FIRA.
Karbon vs Skydo: which is better for Indian IT services and SaaS companies?+
Skydo is built specifically around Indian export compliance with multi-currency support and confirmed eBRC, which may suit IT services and SaaS exporters billing in varied currencies. Karbon's USD-first flat fee works well if your invoicing is mostly in dollars and you value fast settlement above all else.
Can I migrate from Karbon to Skydo without losing existing international clients?+
Yes. Migrating to Skydo doesn't require telling your international clients anything beyond updated payment details on your invoices. You can run both Karbon and Skydo in parallel for a few weeks while transitioning invoices, so no existing client relationship is disrupted during the switch.
Is Skydo RBI authorized like Karbon for cross-border payments to India?+
Skydo is built specifically for Indian exporters with RBI-aligned compliance workflows built in from day one. Karbon, by contrast, has no publicly confirmed independent RBI PA-CB licence and appears to operate through partner-bank arrangements rather than a direct authorisation of its own.