Adyen vs Stripe
Adyen and Stripe are both payments & billing tools. Adyen is aimed at enterprise and E-commerce, while Stripe is aimed at developers and small businesses.
Enterprise payments platform for online, in-store and platform sales
Payments infrastructure for the internet
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starting price | Not published | Not published |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Built for | Enterprise, E-commerce | Developers, Small businesses, Enterprise |
| Platforms | web | web |
| Country | NL · 2006 | US · 2010 |
| 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 Stripe if
Developers and companies in supported countries who want full control over payments and billing.
- Best-in-class API and documentation
- Covers payments, billing, tax, fraud and marketplaces
- Reliable at scale with strong uptime
Look elsewhere if: Founders in unsupported countries or small sellers who prefer a merchant of record to avoid tax administration.
Adyen vs Stripe 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
Stripe
- Payments (standard)2.9% + 30¢/per card transactionUS domestic cards; +1.5% international, +1% currency conversion
- Billing0.7%/of billing volumePay-as-you-go; excludes one-off invoices
- Tax0.5%/per transactionTax Basic no-code; $0.50/txn via API; Tax Complete from $90/mo
- Custom pricingCustomLarge payment volume or unique business models
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
Stripe · Key features
- Checkout, Payment Links and Elements for custom forms
- Billing: subscriptions, usage-based pricing, invoicing, dunning
- Connect for marketplaces and platforms with payouts
- Radar fraud prevention and 3DS
- Tax calculation and Terminal for in-person
- Webhooks, test mode, Sigma analytics and extensive SDKs
Cons
- Not available to sellers in all countries
- You own tax compliance unless you add Stripe Tax and filings
- Fees add up: Billing, Tax, Radar are each priced
Adyen vs Stripe: FAQ
Do Adyen and Stripe have a free plan?
Adyen has no free plan. Stripe has no free plan.
Which is better for small businesses, Adyen or Stripe?
Stripe lists small businesses as a core audience, while Adyen is aimed more at enterprise and E-commerce.