Happy Valley

Adyen vs Chargebee

Adyen and Chargebee are both payments & billing tools. Adyen is aimed at enterprise and E-commerce, while Chargebee is aimed at enterprise and small businesses.

Adyen

Enterprise payments platform for online, in-store and platform sales

Chargebee

Subscription billing and revenue management

PricingPaidPaid
Starting priceNot publishedNot published
Free planNoNo
Free trial——
Built forEnterprise, E-commerceEnterprise, Small businesses
Platformswebweb
CountryNL · 2006US · 2011
Rating——

Choose Adyen if

Large merchants and platforms processing high volumes across several countries and channels that want one acquiring partner.

  • Transparent, published Interchange++ pricing with no setup or monthly fees
  • Single platform for online, in-store and marketplace payments
  • Strong authorization rates from direct acquiring and tokenization

Look elsewhere if: Small businesses and early startups that need instant self-serve setup (Stripe, PayPal, Square).

Choose Chargebee if

Growing SaaS with complex billing.

  • Flexible pricing models
  • Gateway independence
  • Strong revenue operations

Look elsewhere if: Simple subscriptions (Stripe Billing).

Adyen vs Chargebee pricing

Adyen

  • Processing fee$0.13/transactionFixed fee on every payment, plus the payment method fee
  • Cards (Visa, Mastercard)Interchange++ + 0.60%Interchange and scheme fees passed through at cost
  • American Express3.3% + $0.10North America rate; 3.95% elsewhere
  • ACH Direct Debit$0.27/transactionNo setup, monthly or closure fees; minimum invoice may apply

Chargebee

  • Flow0.80% of volumeOr $99/mo + 0.65%; $66K/mo breakeven; 100M usage events
  • EnterpriseCustomMulti-entity, account hierarchy, contract terms

Adyen · Key features

  • Own acquiring and processing for cards in many countries under one contract
  • Drop-in and Components SDKs for web, iOS and Android checkout
  • Point-of-sale terminals and Tap to Pay on iPhone and Android
  • RevenueProtect risk engine with configurable fraud rules
  • Network tokenization and automatic card updater to lift authorization rates
  • Adyen for Platforms for marketplace onboarding, KYC and split payouts

Cons

  • Sales-led onboarding that is not designed for small merchants
  • Integration and configuration usually need in-house developers
  • Minimum invoice can apply depending on industry

Chargebee · Key features

  • Subscription and usage-based billing
  • Multi-gateway support
  • Dunning and retention flows
  • Invoicing, tax and revenue recognition
  • Subscription analytics
  • Customer self-serve portal

Cons

  • Fees grow with billing volume
  • Implementation effort
  • Overlap with Stripe Billing

Adyen vs Chargebee: FAQ

Do Adyen and Chargebee have a free plan?

Adyen has no free plan. Chargebee has no free plan.

Which is better for small businesses, Adyen or Chargebee?

Chargebee lists small businesses as a core audience, while Adyen is aimed more at enterprise and E-commerce.

Not sure yet?