CheckoutCom vs Adyen
Why people compare these: Both target enterprises with IC+ pricing and global acquiring, but differ in minimum volume requirements and implementation complexity
The real trade-off: Lower volume minimums ($50K vs $500K) vs larger enterprise proven at massive scale
Common mistake: Choosing based on brand recognition (Adyen's enterprise clients) while ignoring minimum volume requirements
At-a-glance comparison
CheckoutCom ↗
Checkout.com is an enterprise payment platform optimized for high-volume merchants with custom interchange-plus pricing, global acquiring, and payment optimization tools. Competes directly with…
- ✓ Interchange-plus pricing available at lower volumes than Stripe (from $50K/month vs $250K)
- ✓ Payment optimization engine reduces failed transactions by 3-8% boosting revenue
- ✓ Direct acquiring in 47 countries with local currency settlement
Adyen ↗
Adyen is a global payments platform offering all major payment methods through one integration with Interchange++ pricing transparency. Known for enterprise-grade infrastructure and multi-currency…
- ✓ Interchange++ pricing model provides transaction-level cost visibility
- ✓ Fixed $0.13 processing fee is transparent and predictable
- ✓ Costs calculated BEFORE payment completion - no surprises
Where each product pulls ahead
These are the distinctive advantages that matter most in this comparison.
CheckoutCom advantages
- ✓ Accessible minimums ($50K/month vs Adyen's $500K+)
- ✓ Payment optimization engine reduces failed transactions 3-8%
- ✓ Faster implementation (4-8 weeks vs 3-6 months)
Adyen advantages
- ✓ Proven at massive scale (Uber, eBay process billions)
- ✓ Unified commerce connecting online and in-store POS
- ✓ Larger global coverage (80+ countries vs 47)
Pros & Cons
CheckoutCom
Pros
- + You process $50K-$5M/month - below Adyen's minimums
- + You need enterprise payment features without enterprise volume
- + Failed transaction optimization is priority (3-8% revenue boost)
- + You want faster implementation (4-8 weeks vs 3-6 months)
- + You're cost-conscious mid-market merchant seeking IC+ pricing
- + You don't need unified POS + online commerce infrastructure
Cons
- − Minimum volume requirements ($50K-$100K/month) exclude small businesses
- − Developer experience inferior to Stripe - documentation less comprehensive
- − Fewer pre-built integrations than Stripe ecosystem
- − Implementation requires technical expertise - not plug-and-play like PayPal
- − Enterprise sales process - pricing not transparent, requires negotiations
- − Smaller community and third-party developer ecosystem
- − Advanced features (payment optimization, routing) require Premium tier
- − Setup complexity higher - multi-week integration vs Stripe's same-day
Adyen
Pros
- + You process $10M+/month requiring proven enterprise scale
- + You need unified commerce (online + in-store POS integration)
- + You require 80+ countries with local acquiring (vs 47)
- + Brand reputation matters - Adyen's enterprise client roster
- + You have complex multi-region, multi-currency requirements
- + Your business justifies 3-6 month implementation investment
Cons
- − American Express transactions are expensive (~3.95% payment method fee)
- − Interchange++ variability means costs fluctuate by card type and issuer
- − Currency conversion costs vary by merchant country (not transparent)
- − Cross-border transactions add fees on top of base rates
- − Custom enterprise pricing requires sales engagement (not self-serve)
- − Some payment methods have geographic restrictions
- − Certain business types prohibited (see restricted businesses list)
Which one tends to fit which buyer?
These are conditional guidelines only — not rankings. Your specific situation determines fit.
- → Pick Checkout.com if: Mid-market merchant ($50K-$5M/month) needing enterprise payment features at accessible minimums
- → Pick Adyen if: Large enterprise ($10M+/month) requiring proven massive scale and unified commerce infrastructure
- → Checkout.com's payment optimization can add 3-8% revenue; Adyen's scale and reliability reduce payment downtime risk
- → The trade-off: Accessibility and optimization vs proven enterprise scale and unified commerce—volume determines fit