Adyen vs Stripe: Price, Features & What’s Best
This article is part of a larger series on Payments.
Stripe and Adyen are popular international payment processors with ecommerce tools, strong integrations, and in-person card terminals. Stripe, however, has more extensive integration options, better rates for non-credit card payment methods, and a slightly larger international reach. Meanwhile, Adyen offers independent merchant accounts for better stability, interchange-plus pricing for credit cards, and a more unified experience for multichannel sales.
In a nutshell, when comparing Stripe vs Adyen, these are our recommendations:
- Stripe: Best for small and growing tech-savvy businesses needing flexibility
- Adyen: Best for mid-sized and larger businesses wanting highly optimized payment processing across all channels
Stripe vs Adyen Quick Comparison
Better for | Small, growing, tech-savvy, integrations | Medium and large businesses, account stability, customer analysis, unified payment system |
Monthly minimum | None | $120 (US; varies by country) |
Online transaction fees | 2.9% + 30 cents | 3% + 12 cents to 4.99% + 42 cents |
In-person transaction fees | 2.7% + 5 cents | 27 cents |
Interchange plus fees | For high-volume merchants (Contact Stripe) | For Mastercard, Maestro, Visa, and V-Pay; occasionally Discover, Diners Club, and JCB |
Invoice fee | 0.4%, 25 free/month; 0.5% recurring bills | None |
Average payout | 2 business days, per a schedule you set; instant payout for 1%, minimum 50 cents | Per programmed schedule or immediate (manually) |
Online payments | Checkout pages; integrate with ecommerce, mobile apps, CRM software, and more | Checkout pages, integrate with ecommerce, mobile apps, CRM software, and more |
POS features | Custom build or connect to existing POS | Custom build or connect to existing POS |
POS Hardware | Offers precertified card readers only | Adyen terminals (EU, UK, US only) |
Integrations | 680+ in areas of payments, operations, marketing, and finance | 100+ in areas of commerce |
Average user rating | 4.66 out of 5 | 4 out of 5 |
Ease of use | Very good | Good |
Customer service | 24/7 chat and phone support, email, resource library | In person training, support via ticket |
Both Adyen and Stripe are excellent choices for payment systems and similar in tools and functionality. Both have global reach, reasonable transaction fees, and great versatility in multichannel sales.
Adyen has the advantage of interchange-plus pricing for credit cards and independent merchant accounts. This means cheaper credit card processing fees and fewer issues of withheld funds. In fact, you can manually select independent payouts or create a schedule. However, its application process takes longer, and it does not offer as many integrations, languages, and payment methods as Stripe.
Stripe only offers interchange-plus pricing to high-volume sellers, but its transaction rates are overall cheaper for non-credit card transactions like Apple Pay. It reaches more countries and integrates with more third-party apps but requires some tech-savvy skills. Unlike Adyen, it puts all its customers into a combined merchant account; this means you can get started immediately, but you’re more likely to encounter frozen fund problems.
When to Use An Alternative: Neither Stripe nor Adyen is a strong choice for in-person sales and microbusinesses. In these cases, we recommend Square, which offers competitive rates and a free POS system that works for hobbyists and small businesses.
Most Affordable: Adyen
Card reader and terminal pricing | $48–$550 | $59–$299 |
Ecommerce transaction fees | 3% + 12 cents to 4.99% + 42 cents | 2.9% + 30 cents |
Card-present transaction fees | 3% + 12 cents to 4.99% + 42 cents | 2.7% + 5 cents; 2.9% + 30 cents for touchless |
Virtual terminal transaction fees | 3% + 12 cents to 4.99% + 42 cents | 2.9% + 30 cents |
ACH transaction fees | 37 cents | 0.8%, $5 cap |
Interchange-plus fees | For Mastercard, Maestro, Visa, and V-Pay; occasionally Discover and Diners Club, and JCB | For high-volume merchants (Contact Stripe) |
Invoice fee | N/A | 0.4%, 25 free/month; 0.5% recurring bills |
Chargeback fee | Unspecified; up to 0.5% of transaction | $15 |
Special pricing for nonprofits | None | Custom, discounted |
Adyen is overall the cheaper option, despite the higher fixed-rate pricing on some of its payment methods. That’s because the main payment method, credit cards, is mostly on interchange-plus pricing—meaning you pay only the interchange rate charged by the banks with a small processing fee added on. (In Adyen’s case, 12 cents). This rate varies by issuing bank and type of card but is generally well below Stripe’s flat rates.
The platform is also cheaper when it comes to ACH debit transactions, charging only 37 cents, whereas Stripe charges 0.8% with a $5 cap. Ayden does not charge extra for invoices (but Stripe’s invoicing program is more robust).
When it comes to hardware, the two are evenly matched when comparing individual card readers. Adyen, however, has a wider variety—thus, a broader price range.
When Stripe Is Cheaper
At Ayden’s current fixed rates, Stripe is always cheaper for card-present transactions. Looking past the credit cards where Ayden provides interchange-plus pricing, Stripe is the cheaper option for transactions over $180. Finally, Adyen has a minimum monthly invoice of $120; Stripe has no lower limit for the fees it collects in a month. If you are a smaller business, Stripe is the better option.
Best for Payment Types: Tied
Payment methods (non-credit card) | 23 | Varies by country |
Credit cards supported | 9 | 8 |
Payment types | Credit card, debit card, contactless payments, ACH debit and credit, checks, cash | Credit card, debit card, contactless payments, ACH, checks, cash, PayPal |
Buy Now Pay Later | Klarna, Afterpay, Clearpay, credit card installments | Klarna, Afterpay, Clearpay, credit card installments |
Cash-based vouchers | OXXO, Boleto Bancário | OXXO, Boleto Bancário |
It’s difficult to pick a winner for payment types because Adyen’s depends on what region you are in. Europe has far more options than the US, for example, while Stripe does not make a distinction. Each processes something the other does not. Stripe, for example, can process checks, while Adyen handles Samsung Pay.
The one standout is that Adyen will process PayPal, where Stripe does not. However, PayPal lets you create a free account and add it to any checkout, so this is more a matter of convenience.
Best for Payment Security: Adyen
PCI Compliance | Included | Included |
Fraud prevention | Chargeback protection, risk assessment, 3D Secure authentication, optimize risk levels | Chargeback protection, advanced machine-learning fraud protection, customizable risk levels, 3D Secure |
Transaction security | Tokenization, PCI DSS Level 1, ISEA3402/SOC 1 | PCI DSS Level 1, AES-256 encryption, SSAE18 SOC 1 and 2 reports, PSDS2 and SCA Compliant |
Both Adyen and Stripe offer excellent transaction security, fraud protection, and risk assessment, but Adyen comes out ahead in the number of tools it offers as part of its plans. It also offers risk assessment tools, which can detect and block synthetic subscribers, stop card testing attacks, identify fraudulent domains, and more. Its risk management dashboard lets you monitor fraud and optimize risk procedures. You can create risk rules and block lists.
Adyen offers tools that improve transaction security for many different industries.
(Source: Adyen)
Both Adyen and Stripe offer 3D Secure, which adds an additional layer of protection to online interactions. It’s required for transactions in the European Union. Both also boast compliance with multiple security programs.
When to Use Stripe
Stripe Radar is fraud protection powered by data from the Stripe network, aided by machine learning to track and adapt to the latest fraud trends. It also offers a version for teams that includes block and allow lists and manual review flows. These cost 5–7 cents per transaction but may be worth it for bigger businesses with a large number of customers or those that do very high ticket sales and prefer additional security.
Best for International Payment Processing: Stripe
Currencies | 135+ | 130 |
Merchant countries | 47 | 37 |
Languages | 25+ | 29 |
Cross-border fees | 1% + 30 cents | Undisclosed |
Currency conversion fee | 1% | 1.2%–3% |
Taking price out of the equation, Stripe is the best for international payment processing. It’s available to merchants in more countries around the world (47 vs Adyen’s 37) and offers a wider variety of international payment methods such as iDEAL (Netherlands) and GrabPay (Southeast Asia). Plus, it can process ACH credit and ACH-style transfers for other countries. Its currency conversion fees are less expensive as well.
Stripe works with merchants in 47 countries, but can process payments for nearly 200.
(Source: Stripe)
When comparing Stripe vs Adyen for cross-border fees, it’s difficult to pick a winner. Stripe has a simple, set fee of 1% + 30 cents. Adyen does not list a cross-border fee but may instead leave that to the individual credit card company as part of its interchange fee.
When to Use Adyen
Adyen processes three major players in the payment game that Stripe does not: PayPal, Samsung Pay, and Maestro. PayPal is the best-known and trusted payment method for online payments internationally. Samsung Pay is a touchless payment system like Apple Pay popular for mobile payments in Asia, the US, the UK, and elsewhere. Maestro is a leading credit card service for South America.
Best for Ecommerce: Tie
Payment features | Split tender, discounts, tips, digital receipts, refunds | Split tender, discounts, tips, digital receipts, refunds |
One-click payment | ✔ | ✔ |
Present in local currency | ✔ | Choice (Dynamic Currency Conversion) |
Languages | 30+ | 20 |
Pay in installments | Klarna | Klarna, drop-in code |
Invoicing | Simple, recurring | Third-party integration |
Virtual terminal | Stripe Terminal | Mail Order/Telephone Order (MOTO) feature |
Multichannel (eBay, Amazon) | Third-party integrations | eBay |
Social selling (Facebook, Instagram) | Third-party integrations | API |
Integrations | 680+ integrations, including online stores, sales funnels, crowdfunding, email marketing, and more | 100+ in ecommerce, POS, mobile, unified commerce, CRM |
Mobile app | Back-end management; no sales processing | Apps for accepting payments; digital event guide |
Product catalog | In Beta | None |
Customer management | Basic customer information | Basic customer information |
POS features | Custom build, unifies online and in-store payments, customer management, fleet management tools | Terminal POS system, third-party integrations |
When comparing Adyen vs Stripe for ecommerce, it comes down to the details and what you want from your system. Both have similar features, such as integration with other systems, card terminals for in-person checkouts, and a virtual terminal option. They can also retain customer account information and update card information, making both good for subscriptions and one-time sales.
They do well for international sales as well. Stripe offers more languages than Adyen, which does have 20—a good number for the areas it covers. Both even let you present costs in the local currency.
In the news: In January 2022, Adyen launched Android POS terminals (US, UK, and EU only). The terminals are all-in-one mPOS solutions, mostly with handheld devices. They also have an app management feature, so users can upload apps for loyalty, inventory, returns, and more.
Best for Business Features: Adyen
Payout speed | Per programmed schedule or immediate (manually) | 2 days |
Instant payout option | None | 1% of payout volume plus a minimum fee of 50 cents |
Reports and analytics | Channel performance, risk assessment, predict cash flow, find high-spenders, repeat customers, test loyalty programs | Balance, payout, risk assessment (through Stripe Radar), customer analysis (through Stripe Sigma) |
Marketing | Third-party integrations | Third-party integrations |
Financing | None | Stripe Capital |
Additional services | Create spending cards | Startup services, create spending cards |
Integrations | 100+ | 680+ |
We chose Adyen as the best for business features for two main reasons. Since it provides an individual merchant account, you can manually program an immediate payout or set a regular schedule of payouts. Additionally, its reporting and analysis tools are more robust and offered as part of the package (Stripe’s reports just involve basic payment data—unless you purchase Stripe Radar for fraud analysis or Stripe Sigma for customer analysis).
Adyen’s reports help you understand channel performance, customer spending, and payment method effectiveness.
(Source: Adyen)
Both services offer spending cards that are funded from your account. These can be used as corporate spending cards or prepaid debit cards for employees. It’s an excellent feature when so many younger employees do not get standard checking accounts.
When to Use Stripe
Stripe stands out as the better choice for small and growing businesses because it offers startup services through Stripe Atlas, which helps with doing legal paperwork, issuing stock, generating funds, and getting peer support from the Stripe Atlas Community. What’s more, Stripe Capital offers loans that you pay back with a percentage of your profits each month. Stripe also has more integrations for marketing, customer support, employee management, accounting, and other business needs.
Best for Integrations: Stripe
# Apps (International) | 680+ | 100+ |
Industries Covered | 10 | 5 |
App Marketplace Search | Search by need, industry, geographic area or country, search bar | Search by Platform vs System Integrator, industry, region |
API/SDK | Excellent | Very good |
Developer Tools | CLI, Visual Studio Code, live event monitoring, advanced SDKs, API, libraries | API Explorer, server-side libraries, test card numbers |
Developer Support | Documentation, YouTube tutorials, newsletter, live chat with developers, 24/7 support | Examples, documentation, community |
Stripe takes the lead for integrations because of its variety and the power of its API and SDK. Given that it’s developer-friendly, it offers several programming languages and tools for building your API. Stripe developers even provide extensive documentation and videos to walk you through tasks.
Stripe makes it easy to narrow your choices down. Here, we looked for shopping cart software for a health store in the US.
(Source: Stripe)
When to Use Adyen
Adyen offers fewer integrations, but they concentrate on commerce and are easily searchable by type and region. It has more products specifically listed for Africa, while Stripe does not list that region at all.
If you have Oracle POS registers, then Adyen is the better choice as it offers the Oracle Payment Interface (OPI) for creating payment integration. We did not find this with Stripe.
Best for Ease of Use: Stripe
Onboarding help | Automated, certified developers (fee) | Account onboarding; training in-person |
Online help articles | ✓ | ✓ |
Customize checkout | ✓ | ✓ |
Video tutorials | ✓ | ✕ |
Customer support | 24/7 | Ticket |
Frozen accounts complaints | Low | Very low |
Reserves account | ✓ | ✓ |
User ease of use score (2021–2022)* | 4.64 out of 5 | 4.16 out of 5 |
*We looked to third-party user review sites like Capterra, taking into account only the scores in the ease of use category.
When comparing Stripe vs Adyen for ease of use, Stripe comes out ahead. Getting an account only takes minutes, and setting up your tools is easy. There are plenty of resources to assist you, including illustrated help articles, video tutorials, and 24/7 customer and developer support.
Additionally, if you need help with developing an app or integration, it can recommend Stripe-certified developers. Users agree it’s easy to use, and it has an average of 4.64 out of 5 stars on third-party sites.
Is Adyen Hard to Use?
No, Adyen is nonetheless an easy platform, with an ease of use score of 4.16 out of 5 stars averaged over multiple review sites. It assists you with account onboarding, which is a more involved process since you are qualifying for your own merchant account. The individual merchant account makes it easier to access funds, which is why it has fewer complaints about frozen accounts. (Stripe’s complaints are reasonably low for the size of its customer base.)
Bottom Line
When comparing Stripe vs Adyen, it comes down to details of price and use. Both are excellent payment processors with comprehensive tools for online sales plus terminals for in-person checkout. Stripe, however, has a broader global reach and integrations but requires you to be more tech-savvy. Its non-credit card rates are also cheaper. Adyen, meanwhile, has cheaper credit card rates, independent merchant accounts, and more analytics. Regardless of which solution you choose, you’ll get an affordable and easy-to-use payment processor.
You May Also Like…
- Read more in our full Stripe review
- Learn about merchant accounts and how payment processing works for businesses