If you run a growing business, you’ll need a payment platform that will allow you to open local accounts in several currencies, seamlessly accept payments from international customers, and send money across borders without excessive fees.
Whilst Adyen may be one of your options, you may like to consider its alternatives to see which one suits your needs best.
What is Adyen?
Adyen is a Dutch financial technology company that helps businesses accept payments from customers. The platform facilitates online, mobile and point-of-sale (POS) transactions.
Since it was established in 2006, Adyen has evolved into an end-to-end financial platform and now integrates payments, data analytics and funds management services.
It’s used by major global enterprises like Spotify, eBay and Uber, offers global payouts to 190+ countries, and can handle large payment volumes in-store and digitally.
For UK businesses, Adyen offers two options: either interchange++ model or a fixed processing fee + payment method fee. Cost varies by volume, currency and transaction type, but can become less competitive and opaque1.
The top alternatives to Adyen
Here are the top alternatives to Adyen.
Airwallex is a global financial technology company that offers a range of financial services, including international payments, multi-currency accounts, and Borderless Cards. It aims to empower businesses of all sizes to drive their global growth through easy-to-use transaction solutions.
Braintree is a payment platform that enables businesses to accept, process, and split payments in multiple currencies. It supports a variety of payment methods including a credit or debit card, PayPal, and several digital wallets.
Payoneer is a global fintech company that offers digital payment solutions. It enables businesses and professionals to send and receive funds, manage finances, and operate internationally. With Payoneer, users can handle cross-border payments and access global markets.
PayPal is a leading payment gateway that's been serving customers worldwide for 20 years. It enables eCommerce brands to facilitate payments from credit cards, debit cards, and bank transfers.
Stripe is a technology company that creates the economic infrastructure for the internet. It equips businesses with a comprehensive suite of payment processing tools and APIs to facilitate payment acceptance, payouts, and financial management online.
Compare the top 5 alternatives to Adyen
| Best for | Payment methods | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
Airwallex | Growing international companies looking for competitive FX rates | 160+ payment methods available, accepted in 180+ countries
| Pricing varies by transaction type. 1.3% + 20p for UK card transactions. Currency conversions at interbank rate + 0.5% - 1% |
Braintree | eCommerce businesses that value flexible payment options | Supports PayPal, Venmo (US), Visa, MasterCard and AMEX cards, direct banking, popular wallets and some local payment methods2 | Becomes complicated but basic transaction fee is 1.9% + 20p per transaction3. 2% currency conversion fee4 |
Payoneer | Marketplace sellers and freelancers who benefit from cost-effective transactions within the Payoneer network | Accepts Visa, MasterCard and AMEX cards, bank transfers (varies by region), 27 marketplace payments including eBay, Amazon and Fiverr, and Payoneer balances5 | Pricing varies by transaction type. Free Payoneer to Payoneer payments, 3-5% for UK card transactions. Currency conversions at 0.5 – 3%6 |
PayPal | SMEs looking for a simple payment process and integrations | Varies on size of business; enterprises can accept card payments, PayPal and 10+ local payment methods from 200+ countries7 | Complicated fee structure that varies by transaction type. 2.9% + 30p per commercial transaction within the UK. Currency conversion at 3% above the base exchange rate8 |
Stripe | eCommerce stores looking for simplicity and flexibility; integrates easily with all popular business tools | 100+ payment methods, including Buy Now, Pay Later and cryptocurrencies9. Payments accepted from 44 countries10 | Pricing varies by transaction type. 1.5% + 20p for standard UK card transactions, plus 2% currency conversion fee11 |
Find out for yourself how Airwallex compares to Adyen.
Why choose Airwallex over Adyen?
Airwallex | Adyen | |
|---|---|---|
eCommerce payment gateway and processor | ✅ | ✅ |
In-person PoS | ❌ | ✅ |
Domestic card payment fees (major schemes) | 1.3% + 0.20GBP | Interchange fee + £0.11 processing fee + 0.60% (3.95% for Amex) |
EEA card payment fees (major schemes) | 2.4% + 0.20GBP | Interchange + £0.11 processing fee + 0.60% (3.95% for Amex) |
International card payment fees (major schemes) | 3.15% + 0.20GBP | Interchange + £0.11 processing fee + 0.60% (3.95% for Amex) |
FX markup | 0.5 - 1% | Not stated |
Multi-currency account with local bank details | ✅ 23+ currencies | Unclear |
Make payments globally | ✅ to 150+ countries | ❌ only via API |
Online payments | ✅ | ✅ |
FX capabilities | 180+ transaction currencies | 190+ transaction currencies |
Card issuing | ✅ (via webapp or API) | ✅ ( only API) |
Expense management | ✅ | ❌ |
Bill payments | ✅ | ❌ |
Company debit cards | ✅ | ❌ |
Risk management | ✅ | ✅ |
Embedded finance: End-to-end payments for platforms | ✅ | ✅ |
Embedded finance: Global treasury | ✅ | ✅ |
Embedded finance: banking as a service | ✅ | ✅ |
Embedded finance: business financing | ❌ | ✅ |
Global licences | 60+ globally | Across Australia, US, EU & UK, Canada, India |
What questions should I ask alternative providers of Adyen?
To find out if Adyen is right for your business, or if there’s a better option out there, use these 10 questions to guide your research.
What is your pricing model?
Do you offer local acquiring?
What are your FX rates?
What countries can I payout to?
What payment methods do you support?
How long does it take for payments to settle?
How scalable is your payment solution as my business grows?
What integration capabilities do you offer?
How do you protect sensitive financial information?
What customer support do you offer?
Final thoughts on alternatives to Adyen
Like Airwallex, Adyen supports companies around the world to move money globally and streamline financial operations.
Both providers offer additional services to help ambitious businesses unlock opportunities, including corporate and employee cards, FX capabilities, expense management and data analytics.
But if you’re a small or medium size business eyeing global expansion, Adyen’s complex pricing model and minimum invoice requirements may not be the best fit for you. Its products are mostly designed for large global enterprises with a high volume of payments.
Airwallex offers more a flexible, transparent and affordable cross-border financial solution.
Our costs are simple and transparent: we use a simple blended pricing model or interchange++ for card acceptance. Our coverage extends to 180+ countries and we charge a flat 1% fee per foreign transaction.
Find out for yourself how Airwallex compares to Adyen.
Sources
For more information on Airwallex, visit Airwallex Business Account and Airwallex pricing.
1 https://www.adyen.com/en_GB/pricing
2 https://www.braintreepayments.com/gb/braintree-pricing
3 https://www.braintreepayments.com/gb/braintree-pricing
4 https://wise.com/gb/blog/braintree-vs-stripe-uk
5 https://www.payoneer.com/get-paid-by-clients/#:~:text=Payment%20request%20%E2%80%93%20sent%20payment%20requests,bank%20debit%2C%20direct%20bank%20payment
6 https://www.payoneer.com/about/pricing/#pay-your-supplier
7 https://www.paypal.com/uk/enterprise/payment-methods
8 https://www.paypal.com/uk/webapps/mpp/merchant-fees
9 https://stripe.com/payments/payment-methods
10 https://wise.com/us/blog/stripe-international
11 https://stripe.com/gb/pricing
12 https://www.braintreepayments.com/bg
13 https://www.braintreepayments.com/bg/features/global
Disclaimer: We wrote this article in Q3 2024. The information was based on our own online research and we were not able to manually test each tool or provider. The information is provided for educational purposes only and a reader should consider the specific requirements of their business when evaluating providers. If you would like to request an update, feel free to contact us at [email protected].
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David Beach
Senior Editor | Payments, banking, financial technology, and global commerce - EMEA
David manages the content for Airwallex. He specialises in content that helps EMEA businesses navigate global and local payments and banking.
