Stripe dominates in developer experience and startup adoption with lower fees for most merchants (2.9% + 30¢ vs 2.6% + fixed), while Adyen excels in global enterprise payments with direct bank connections and better rates for high-volume merchants processing over $10M annually.
Stripe vs Adyen — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Developer-friendly payment platform with 135+ integrations, 99.99% uptime, and transparent pricing.
Enterprise payment platform with global acquiring in 180+ countries and advanced fraud prevention.
Transaction Fee Structure. Global Payment Methods Supported. Developer Documentation Quality (GitHub Stars). Enterprise Clients (Global 500). Settlement Time (Standard). Setup Time for SMBs. Pricing Transparency for Enterprise
Choose Stripe if you're a startup, SaaS company, or developer-first business needing fast setup, excellent documentation, and transparent pricing under $10M annual volume. Choose Adyen if you're a large enterprise with $10M+ annual transaction volume, need direct bank connectivity, operate globally with complex payment requirements, or can negotiate better rates through volume discounts.
Stripe: Standard rates apply | Adyen: N/A
Stripe: Highly Customizable | Adyen: N/A
Stripe: Terminal API (custom builds) | Adyen: N/A
Stripe: Complex (requires developers) | Adyen: N/A
Stripe: $159 billion | Adyen: $33.8 billion
Stripe: Online-focused only | Adyen: Online + offline integrated
Stripe: Mid-market optimized | Adyen: Enterprise optimized
Stripe: Excellent API documentation | Adyen: Comprehensive enterprise APIs
Stripe: Industry standard compliance | Adyen: Enterprise-grade compliance
Stripe: Excellent, comprehensive, interactive | Adyen: N/A
Stripe: Advanced with usage-based billing | Adyen: N/A
Stripe: 4-6 weeks (developer-required) | Adyen: N/A
Stripe: Manual per-region (limited native support) | Adyen: N/A
Stripe: Available via Billing product (separate setup) | Adyen: N/A
Stripe: Merchant handles compliance | Adyen: N/A
Stripe: 1000+ via App Marketplace | Adyen: N/A
Stripe: Email + community documentation | Adyen: N/A
Stripe: $0 (pay-per-transaction) | Adyen: N/A
Stripe: 4.8/5 (Developer-first design) | Adyen: N/A
Stripe: Manual/Third-party integration required | Adyen: N/A
Stripe: 1-2 (email, webhook) | Adyen: N/A
Stripe: 65-70% (with custom logic) | Adyen: N/A
Subscription Management Features (Native)
Stripe: 20-30 (requires Billing API integration) | Adyen: N/A
Stripe: 195 countries, 150+ methods | Adyen: N/A
Standard Transaction Fee (Card Payments)
Stripe: 2.9% + $0.30 | Adyen: 2.6% + custom (negotiable)
Stripe: 135+ methods | Adyen: 250+ methods
Stripe: 195+ countries | Adyen: 190+ countries
Stripe: 1-2 days | Adyen: Same-day or next-day
API Documentation Quality (GitHub Stars)
Stripe: Manual; requires third-party integration | Adyen: N/A
Stripe: Requires Stripe Billing addon | Adyen: N/A
Stripe: Steep; requires advanced developer knowledge | Adyen: N/A
Stripe: 3D Secure 2.0, Radar machine learning | Adyen: N/A
Stripe: $1.2 trillion | Adyen: $1.45 trillion
Stripe: 30+ countries | Adyen: 50+ countries
Stripe: 7,000+ apps | Adyen: 1,200+ apps
Stripe: N/A | Adyen: 500+ million (via partners)
Stripe: N/A | Adyen: Real-time available
Stripe: N/A | Adyen: 2-4 weeks enterprise
Stripe: N/A | Adyen: Included in percentage
Stripe: N/A | Adyen: 7M+ merchants (2024)
Stripe: N/A | Adyen: 100% (eligible transactions)
Stripe vs Adyen — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Stripe vs Adyen. Contains 91 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Stripe vs Adyen — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Stripe vs Adyen.
Adyen and Stripe have different pricing structures. Stripe charges a flat rate of 2.9% plus 30 cents per transaction, making it predictable for small businesses. Adyen uses interchange-plus pricing, where you pay the interchange fee plus a small markup, which can be significantly cheaper at high volumes. Adyen also requires a minimum monthly invoice of around $120. For startups and low-volume merchants, Stripe is typically more cost-effective. For enterprise businesses processing millions monthly, Adyen usually delivers better value through lower per-transaction costs.
Is Adyen better than Stripe for enterprise businesses?
Adyen is generally considered better than Stripe for large enterprise businesses. Adyen offers a unified commerce platform handling online, in-store, and mobile payments through a single system, giving enterprises a consolidated data view. It supports complex use cases like marketplace payouts and global acquiring in 40+ countries. Stripe, however, excels in developer flexibility and ecosystem integrations, making it competitive for enterprises heavily reliant on custom-built solutions. Ultimately, enterprises prioritizing operational simplicity and global acquiring tend to prefer Adyen, while tech-driven enterprises often favor Stripe.
Which payment processor is better for international e-commerce, Adyen or Stripe?
Both platforms support international e-commerce, but Adyen holds an edge for truly global operations. Adyen acts as a direct acquirer in over 40 countries, reducing cross-border fees and improving authorization rates through local processing. It supports 250+ payment methods and 150+ currencies natively. Stripe is available in 46+ countries and offers excellent multi-currency support, but relies on third-party acquirers in some markets, which can increase costs. For businesses selling across Asia, Europe, and emerging markets simultaneously, Adyen typically provides stronger local payment optimization and higher approval rates.
What are the key differences between Adyen and Stripe in 2026?
In 2026, both platforms have continued expanding their capabilities. Adyen has strengthened its embedded finance and Banking-as-a-Service offerings, allowing platforms to issue cards and accounts directly. Stripe has deepened its AI-powered fraud detection through Radar and expanded Stripe Terminal hardware globally. Adyen now serves more mid-market businesses after historically focusing on enterprise clients, while Stripe has scaled its revenue and finance automation tools for larger companies. Both platforms have enhanced real-time payment support, but Adyen maintains its advantage in unified in-person and online commerce infrastructure globally.
Can small businesses use Adyen instead of Stripe?
Small businesses can technically use Adyen, but it is primarily designed for larger merchants. Adyen requires a minimum monthly billing fee of approximately $120 and often involves a more complex onboarding process with sales team involvement. For small businesses with lower transaction volumes, Stripe is far more accessible, offering instant sign-up, no monthly minimums, and extensive documentation for developers. Stripe's app ecosystem and plug-and-play integrations with platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce also make it a more practical choice for small businesses with limited technical resources.
Transaction Fee Structure: Stripe has 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction, while Adyen has 2.6% + fixed fee (varies by volume).
Consider: Global Payment Methods Supported
Global Payment Methods Supported: Stripe has 135+ payment methods across 195+ countries, while Adyen has 250+ payment methods across 196 countries.
Consider: Developer Documentation Quality (GitHub Stars)
Developer Documentation Quality (GitHub Stars): Stripe has 12,400+ stars on Stripe repos, while Adyen has 3,200+ stars on Adyen repos.
Consider: Enterprise Clients (Global 500)
Enterprise Clients (Global 500): Stripe has ~200 Fortune 500 companies, while Adyen has ~280 Fortune 500 companies.
Settlement Time (Standard): Stripe has 1-2 business days, while Adyen has Next business day or same day.
Setup Time for SMBs: Stripe has 15-30 minutes with API integration, while Adyen has 2-4 weeks with underwriting.
Consider: Pricing Transparency for Enterprise
Pricing Transparency for Enterprise: Stripe has Fixed public rates (no negotiation), while Adyen has Custom negotiated rates (opaque).