Stripe vs Adyen
Written by Priya Nandakumar ·
Edited by Sebastiaan Smits ·
Fact-checked by Connor Blake ·
Published September 30, 2026 · Updated September 30, 2026
Stripe lets anyone sign up instantly and read the price first; Adyen onboards through sales and negotiates rates per merchant on a single platform covering acquiring, processing and settlement. Startups, SaaS companies and online stores start on Stripe. Large, high-volume businesses selling online and in person across many countries are who Adyen is built for.
Side by side
 Stripe |  Adyen | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Developer-first payments, instant self-serve signup | Enterprise-grade single platform, negotiated pricing |
| Best for | Developer-led SaaS, marketplaces and online stores | Large, high-volume global enterprises |
| Headquarters | United States | Netherlands |
| Pricing model | Usage-based | Usage-based |
| Pricing | 1.5% + EUR0.25 for standard EEA cards, higher for UK and international cards, per Stripe's published Netherlands rate card; no monthly fee for core payments; add-ons such as Billing, Tax, Sigma and the Managed Payments merchant-of-record service are charged separately. | Interchange++ model, a $0.13 fixed processing fee plus a method-specific variable fee, per Adyen's published pricing page; no monthly, setup, integration or closure fees, but a minimum invoice applies and the listed fees are indicative. |
| Free option | None | None |
| List price as listed on September 30, 2026 | 1.5% + €0.25 per successful charge for standard EEA cards, no monthly fee (as listed on Stripe's Netherlands pricing page) | $0.13 processing fee per transaction plus the payment method fee (Interchange+ + 0.60% for Visa and Mastercard), no monthly or setup fee; a minimum invoice applies |
| Place in our payment processing software ranking | #4 of 15 | #5 of 15 |
| Website | stripe.com | adyen.com |
Both are reviewed in full in Best Payment Processing / Payment Gateway Software in 2026. Position in that ranking can be paid for; the wording of a review or of this comparison cannot. Placement disclosure.
Which one to choose
Choose Stripe if
you want to start processing today, see a published rate before talking to anyone, and have developers who value documentation and a wide range of billing and marketplace products.
Stripe, #4 in the ranking · Visit Stripe →
Choose Adyen if
you process high volume across countries and channels, can justify a sales-led onboarding, and want acquiring, processing and settlement for stores and online on one platform at negotiated rates.
Adyen, #5 in the ranking · Visit Adyen →
Where they differ
Getting an account and a price
Stripe offers self-serve signup and a published blended rate: 1.5% plus EUR0.25 for standard EEA cards on its Dutch price list, more for UK and international cards. Adyen publishes its structure too, a $0.13 processing fee plus the payment method fee, for example interchange plus 0.60% for Visa and Mastercard, but calls those fees indicative, applies a minimum invoice by industry, and asks merchants to get in touch.
Edge: Stripe
Stores and online on one system
Adyen runs point-of-sale and online payments on the same platform: its own certified terminals, Tap to Pay on phones, and one Customer Area showing transactions by terminal, store or region with settlement reporting. Stripe is online-first; Terminal adds card readers, Tap to Pay and SDKs at 1.4% plus EUR0.10 for EEA cards, connected to your own or a third-party POS. For a retailer with stores and ecommerce, Adyen fits better.
Edge: Adyen
Developer surface and product breadth
Stripe's product range runs from Checkout to Billing to Connect for marketplaces, backed by documentation that serves solo developers and enterprise teams. Adyen's documentation covers server-side libraries, test cards, webhooks, Postman collections and OpenAPI files, so an engineering team is well equipped there too. Stripe's edge is the breadth of ready-made products and being able to start building without a sales conversation.
Edge: Stripe
What you can learn about the vendor
Adyen is publicly traded on Euronext Amsterdam, and its investor site publishes half-year shareholder letters and quarterly business updates. Stripe is privately held and has no public financial filings, though its reliability at scale is well established. A procurement team that must assess a processor's financial position from published accounts can do that for Adyen only.
Edge: Adyen
Tally: Stripe 2, Adyen 2, even 0.
When neither fits
A small European business that wants published per-method pricing without Adyen's sales process may prefer Mollie to either. A software company that would rather hand off global sales tax and VAT liability than run a gateway itself should look at Paddle's merchant-of-record model.
See Mollie and Paddle among the 15 products in Best Payment Processing / Payment Gateway Software in 2026.
Questions and answers
Is Adyen cheaper than Stripe?
It depends on card mix and volume. Adyen charges $0.13 per transaction plus the method fee, which for Visa and Mastercard is interchange plus 0.60%, so cost follows the actual interchange of each card. Stripe charges a blended 1.5% plus EUR0.25 for standard EEA cards. Adyen also applies a minimum invoice.
Can a small business use Adyen instead of Stripe?
It is a poor match. Adyen's onboarding is sales-assisted, its published fees are indicative, and it applies a minimum invoice that depends on industry or business model, so a low-volume merchant may pay for processing it does not use. Stripe's self-serve signup and published rate suit a small business better.
Does Adyen charge monthly or setup fees?
No. Adyen states that it has no monthly, setup, integration or closure fees. It bills per transaction, a $0.13 processing fee plus the payment method fee, subject to a minimum invoice that varies by industry or business model. American Express, for example, is listed at $0.13 plus 3.95% globally.
Why do large enterprises pick Adyen over Stripe?
Adyen runs acquiring, processing and settlement on one platform and covers in-person and online payments in the same system, which is why brands such as Uber, Spotify and eBay have standardized on it. Stripe's strength is its developer experience and breadth of online products.
Sources
Prices, plan limits and product facts on this page were checked against the vendors' own pages on September 30, 2026. Vendors change both without notice, so treat the figures as of that date.
- Stripe pricing page (Netherlands): Stripe's card rates and Terminal in-person rate
- Stripe Terminal page: Terminal readers, Tap to Pay and SDK or third-party POS integration
- Adyen pricing page: $0.13 processing fee, Interchange+ plus 0.60%, American Express rate, no monthly or setup fees, minimum invoice, indicative fees
- Adyen docs: in-person payments: Adyen terminals, Tap to Pay and the shared Customer Area for stores and online
- Adyen unified commerce page: online and in-person payments connected in one system
- Adyen docs: development resources: libraries, test cards, webhooks, Postman collections and OpenAPI files
- Adyen investor relations site: half-year shareholder letters and quarterly business updates