Top 4 GoCardless alternatives for UK businesses

Late payments aren’t just frustrating, their impact on cashflow can create serious issues across supply chains and even livelihoods.

Helping businesses get paid is serious (and valuable) business. It’s why companies like GoCardless were founded and have become so successful. They’re just one option in a sea of payment processors, though. If you’re trying to get a handle on your accounts receivable, you need the best possible partner – whether that’s down to costs, flexibility, APIs, or another reason.

By the end of this article, you will know:

• Five alternatives to GoCardless

• The pros, cons, and costs of all these options

• How to choose the best payment processor for your business

What is GoCardless and where does it work best?

GoCardless is a payment processor and gateway specialising in account-to-account (A2A) bank payments. Their self-stated mission is “to take the pain out of getting paid for businesses with recurring revenue.”

They do this by facilitating Direct Debits, as well as one-off payments using Pay by Bank. GoCardless also provides working capital loans through a partnership with Pipe.

The company itself is headquartered in London, employing close to 800 staff ¹ across offices in Australia, France, Latvia and the United States.

GoCardless’ pricing starts from 1% + £0.20 per transaction (capped at £4) with an additional charge of 0.3% for transactions above £2,000. There are no monthly subscription or account fees.

The ideal application for GoCardless is a service-based business with local customers on recurring billing cycles.

Why consider alternatives to GoCardless?

GoCardless is focused on one thing and does it very well. The reality, however, is that many businesses need a more dynamic payment processor. A2A is a useful payment method, but not being able to accept card or digital wallet payments, for example, can make it harder to get paid.

It’s also worth noting that GoCardless’ international payments are powered by Wise. There’s nothing wrong with Wise, but there are limitations to having international payments handled by a third party. If you were using Wise directly, you could hold funds in separate currency accounts and exchange them on-demand or programmatically, according to exchange rates.

GoCardless’ international scope isn’t the widest, either. You can accept payments from 30+ countries, a number that pales in comparison to some of the alternatives.

It’s not that GoCardless is a poor choice, but that other options can do certain things better.

The top alternatives to GoCardless

GoCardless is a strong choice for A2A payments, but it’s not your only option. In fact, you might need a platform that allows you to accept payments in more ways than bank-only. No matter how you’re handling billing, there are other processors to consider that might do more of what you need.

Airwallex

The global payments and financial platform for growing businesses, providing the tools you need to take on the global market – and win. Features include processing for over 160 payment methods, along with spend management, global accounts and FX, and embedded finance.

Payoneer

A global payments specialist providing accounts, payment processing, and even workforce management tools for businesses worldwide. They market to both freelancers and businesses, offering flexibility within their product range.

PayPal

Has been a trusted name worldwide for over 20 years. Much of its usage has been among peer-to-peer and consumer businesses, but it is capable of processing B2B payments from credit cards, debit cards, and bank transfers.

Stripe

Creating economic infrastructure for the internet’s businesses. As well as its payment processing tools, it also offers powerful API connections and a huge range of features and flexible applications.

Adfin

A UK payment processing startup serving service-based businesses (accountancy and law firms, for example). Along with direct debits, Adfin can also process card and digital wallet payments and handle the full credit control process. At present, it only processes GBP payments, so best for businesses with a local footprint.

How to choose the right provider

This really starts with identifying the nature of your accounts receivable – historically, today, and in the future. Once you understand the value, volume, and variety of your revenue, you can chart a course for getting more of it into your bank account.

Audit your accounts receivable (overall and on a customer-by-customer basis) for:

• The average value of payments

• The location of your customers

• Your average billing cycle

• Payment methods used

With that information, you can start assessing providers. Good questions to start with include:

1. What pricing model do you use – tiered, per-transaction, monthly?

2. What fees would I pay for my smallest, largest, and average customer?

3. Does this processor integrate with my existing technologies? (e.g. accounting tools)

4. Does this platform have a recurring billing function or is it one-off payments only?

5. What are the customer service SLAs?

6. How many currencies and payment methods does this platform accept?

7. What other products and services does this company offer that we can use?

Airwallex vs GoCardless: The key differences

Let’s not be obtuse here: We’ve got a vested interest in the GoCardless debate. We’d love for anyone looking at alternatives to GoCardless to consider Airwallex. Well, this is our blog and we can make our case – we’ll leave it up to you to decide if we’re a good fit.

Disclaimer: We updated this article in Q3 2025. 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].

FAQs

Can I use GoCardless and another provider together?

Yes, you can use more than one payment processor for your business. You should just be mindful of the costs involved. GoCardless only charges per-transaction, so you won’t incur any monthly costs for having it and not using it. Some providers may charge a monthly fee, on top of/instead of transaction fees.

Which payment processor is best for subscription SaaS?

Every SaaS is different, so the best choice for your business might be different from another’s.

There are some common features that almost every subscription SaaS will need from a payment processor, though. Look for a provider that can handle recurring billing in multiple currencies, with strong fraud protection and quick settlement times.

What payment processor has the lowest FX costs?

Out of the providers listed in this article, Airwallex has the lowest FX costs. This isn’t an exhaustive list, however, so other providers not listed may have lower FX fees.

Final thoughts on alternatives to GoCardless

GoCardless is a smart choice for largely domestic businesses with customers on repeat billing. Beyond that, it can struggle to deliver the flexibility, affordability, and real financial muscle that many businesses require.

Other providers – like Airwallex – can offer a far more flexible, cost-effective solution for businesses trading across borders or in need of a more holistic financial platform.

There are so many options for payment processors, it’d be foolish to settle for second-best or ‘just about okay’. The market is competitive enough that you can set the bar high for providers, asking them to do everything you need and more.

As we mentioned at the start of this article, the ability to accept payments is what keeps the lights on, wages paid, and your business solvent. This is not an area in which you should ever settle for less.

When you take payments seriously, a lot of the downstream problems start to fade. It’s worth investing in the right provider.

Sources

1. https://gocardless.com/blog/sharing-details-of-our-cost-reduction-plans/

2. https://www.payoneer.com/en-in/get-paid-by-clients/

3. https://www.paypal.com/uk/enterprise/payment-methods

4. https://www.paypal.com/uk/webapps/mpp/merchant-fees

5. https://stripe.com/gb/pricing

6. https://www.adfin.com/pricing

7. https://support.adfin.com/en/articles/10192978-faqs