Stripe vs Adyen
Why people compare these: Both serve global enterprise merchants but differ in pricing transparency (flat-rate vs Interchange++) and target market (developer-first vs enterprise-first)
The real trade-off: Developer experience and ecosystem depth vs enterprise-grade cost transparency and customization
Common mistake: Assuming Interchange++ always saves money without considering management overhead and cost variability
At-a-glance comparison
Stripe ↗
Stripe is a developer-first payments platform offering comprehensive payment processing, billing automation, fraud prevention, and financial tools. Known for best-in-class developer experience with…
- ✓ Industry-leading developer experience with extensive APIs and SDKs
- ✓ Transparent, pay-as-you-go pricing with no setup or monthly fees
- ✓ Comprehensive fraud prevention with machine learning (Radar)
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.
Stripe advantages
- ✓ Extensive API ecosystem and best-in-class documentation
- ✓ Self-service onboarding without sales engagement
- ✓ Rich product suite (Billing, Connect, Terminal, Issuing)
Adyen advantages
- ✓ Interchange++ pricing with transaction-level cost visibility
- ✓ Pre-payment cost calculation (no surprises)
- ✓ Custom enterprise packages for unique business models
Pros & Cons
Stripe
Pros
- + You need rich API ecosystem and extensive documentation
- + You want subscription billing, marketplace features, or issuing
- + You prefer predictable flat-rate pricing vs cost variability
- + You value self-service onboarding without sales engagement
- + Your team prioritizes developer experience
Cons
- − International cards add 1.5% surcharge making global scaling expensive
- − Currency conversion adds another 1% on top of base rates
- − Manually keyed transactions penalized with extra 0.5%
- − Buy Now Pay Later options jump dramatically to 5.99% + 30¢
- − Add-on products (Radar for Fraud Teams, custom domains) increase costs
- − Chargeback and dispute fees ($15-$29) can accumulate for high-risk businesses
- − Enterprise pricing (IC+) requires significant volume commitment
Adyen
Pros
- + You process high volumes and want Interchange++ cost visibility
- + You need custom enterprise pricing packages
- + You handle complex multi-currency settlement regularly
- + You prefer pre-payment cost calculation
- + You have financial sophistication to manage cost variability
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 Stripe if: You need rich APIs, subscription billing, marketplace features, or value developer experience over cost transparency
- → Pick Adyen if: You process high volumes, need Interchange++ visibility, require custom enterprise pricing, or handle complex multi-currency flows
- → Stripe targets startups to mid-market with self-service; Adyen targets enterprises with sales-led onboarding
- → The trade-off: Flat-rate predictability vs Interchange++ transparency—not feature parity