Rye is a technology company that provides developers and platforms with tools to sell products and services online without making users leave the app or site they are using. The company’s Universal Checkout API connects applications directly to product catalogs, pricing, shipping, and payment systems so that buyers can complete purchases smoothly while orders are processed behind the scenes. Rye works with brands, creators, and marketplaces to let products reach audiences in new digital environments while keeping the transaction experience simple and uninterrupted.
Redefining Online Shopping Experiences
Rye started with the goal of making online commerce more intuitive for both developers and buyers. Traditional e-commerce often requires customers to leave the environment where they discovered a product and complete a purchase through multiple screens, which can cause frustration and abandoned carts. Rye addresses this by retrieving price, tax, and shipping information instantly and processing orders in the background so that users feel like they never left the app or website they were using. This technology allows developers to integrate commerce directly into their applications without managing inventory or negotiating individually with brands.
By removing the friction from checkout, Rye enables platforms to keep users engaged while converting interest into actual sales. Marketplaces can sell merchandise, social apps can let viewers purchase featured products, and gifting platforms can take orders and process payments without interrupting user experiences. Each interaction flows smoothly from discovery to purchase confirmation.
How the Technology Works
Rye’s Universal Checkout API allows applications to handle every stage of a purchase from cart creation to final order confirmation without redirecting users to an external website. The system calculates landed costs in real time, including taxes and shipping, and operates across nearly any online store. Merchants maintain their status as merchant of record, while Rye processes tokenized payments so sensitive card data is never exposed. This setup reduces certain compliance obligations for developers while meeting the security expectations that buyers and brands require.
Developers can connect to Rye through well-documented APIs that manage product data retrieval, order placement, and post-purchase tracking. Once a connection is made, platforms can access catalog information and checkout capabilities without maintaining their own inventory or managing individual brand partnerships. This allows applications to generate revenue from sales they facilitate while giving merchants broader exposure to buyers in new digital environments.
Empowering Developers and Platforms
Rye focuses on simplifying the integration process so developers can dedicate more time to designing user experiences rather than maintaining backend systems. Documentation, console tools, and pre-built components allow developers to quickly connect products in a platform to live purchasing functions. This reduces the effort required to manage separate inventory feeds, fulfillment pipelines, or payment gateways while giving platforms the ability to scale commerce features efficiently.
Platforms that integrate Rye can also earn revenue from facilitated sales through commissions or affiliate rewards. This allows developers to generate revenue without the challenges of building supply chains or negotiating partnerships with brands. At the same time, users benefit from seamless access to products and services without leaving the environment where they discovered them.
The Role Rye Plays in Modern Commerce
Rye’s founders noticed that e-commerce often feels fragmented because discovery, selection, and purchase happen in separate places. Rye lets users browse, compare, and buy products directly within apps or websites, handling checkout, taxes, and shipping in real time to reduce friction and keep buyers engaged.
Since launch, Rye has processed thousands of orders per month and onboarded over a thousand brands. Users spend more time exploring products and completing purchases, merchants reach new audiences without extra storefronts, and platforms retain users while increasing engagement.
Rye’s infrastructure embeds commerce into applications with minimal overhead. Developers add purchasing features without complex backend systems, and merchants sell through new channels without extra operations. Investor backing and experienced leadership from companies like Reddit, Twitch, and Notion have helped expand its APIs to support seamless in-app commerce globally.
By simplifying discovery-to-purchase flows, Rye improves efficiency and user experience for buyers, developers, merchants, and platforms. It supports social commerce, marketplaces, gifting, and subscriptions while keeping transactions secure, fast, and uninterrupted. Rye proves that integrated commerce can be simple, scalable, and satisfying for everyone involved.
Arjun Bhargava Co-Founder & CEO, Rye
