Adyen vs Paddle
Adyen and Paddle are both payments & billing tools. Adyen is aimed at enterprise and E-commerce, while Paddle is aimed at small businesses and developers.
Enterprise payments platform for online, in-store and platform sales
Merchant of record for software companies
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starting price | Not published | Not published |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Built for | Enterprise, E-commerce | Small businesses, Developers |
| Platforms | web | web |
| Country | NL · 2006 | GB · 2012 |
| 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 Paddle if
SaaS and software companies that sell internationally and want to outsource tax and billing entirely.
- Eliminates global tax compliance burden
- Available to sellers worldwide including Turkey
- Subscription billing and dunning included
Look elsewhere if: Marketplaces, physical goods or businesses that need Stripe-level API customization.
Adyen vs Paddle 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
Paddle
- Pay as you go5% + 50¢/per transactionMerchant of record: tax, fraud, chargebacks included
- CustomCustomVolume pricing for larger businesses
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
Paddle · Key features
- Merchant of record: global tax calculation, collection and remittance
- Checkout overlay and inline with localized pricing
- Subscriptions, trials, upgrades, proration and dunning
- Payment methods: cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, local methods
- Retain for failed payment recovery and ProfitWell Metrics
- Invoicing for B2B, API and webhooks
Cons
- Higher fees than direct Stripe
- Less customization than Stripe APIs
- Onboarding review can take time
Adyen vs Paddle: FAQ
Do Adyen and Paddle have a free plan?
Adyen has no free plan. Paddle has no free plan.
Which is better for small businesses, Adyen or Paddle?
Paddle lists small businesses as a core audience, while Adyen is aimed more at enterprise and E-commerce.