Payment Gateway / PSP
Stripe and Adyen both show up under the payment gateway category, but they solve slightly different jobs. Stripe uses usage-based from 2.9% + $0.30/transaction with free tier, while Adyen runs on pricing that starts at EUR 0.11 + scheme fee. Both sit at moderate lock-in. Transparency lands at 5/5 versus 3/5. Stripe fits teams working on SaaS with global customers needing fast integration, while Adyen is a closer match when the job is enterprise with $10M+ TPV needing global coverage. Worth noting: Stripe is explicitly not for offline projects; Adyen is explicitly not for solo projects. The honest trade-off: Stripe trades off on need Merchant of Record (MoR) for tax compliance; Adyen trades off on startup with <$1M TPV — minimum fees are high. On the plus side, Stripe highlights SaaS with global customers needing fast integration, while Adyen points to enterprise with $10M+ TPV needing global coverage. Stripe's documentation also calls out marketplaces using Stripe Connect. Adyen similarly notes unified online + in-store (POS) payments.
Quick take
Stripe is for SaaS with global customers needing fast; Adyen is for enterprise with $10M+ TPV needing global; decide on pricing model.
| |  Adyen | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Payment Gateway / PSP | Payment Gateway / PSP |
| Pricing Model | usage | hybrid |
| Entry Price | 2.9% + $0.30/transaction | EUR 0.11 + scheme fee |
| Free Tier | Yes | No |
| Billing Complexity | low | medium |
| Developer Experience | 5/5 | 5/5 |
| Pricing Transparency | 5/5 | 3/5 |
| Lock-in Level | medium | medium |
| Migration Complexity | medium | medium |
| Data Portability | PCI Data Export (pm_/card_ to), CSV export | CSV import/export recurring payment details |
| Enterprise | Available | Available |
| GitHub Stars | — | 245 |
| License | — | MIT |
Medium — proprietary tokens in vault, but PCI-to-PCI export available
Migration difficulty: medium
Data you keep: PCI Data Export (pm_/card_ to), CSV export
API standard: Proprietary, but de facto standard
Risk notes: Medium — proprietary tokens in vault, but PCI-to-PCI export available
💡 Moderate effort required. Export data before canceling
Medium — proprietary tokens, but CSV import/export under
Migration difficulty: medium
Data you keep: CSV import/export recurring payment details
API standard: Proprietary
Risk notes: Medium — proprietary tokens, but CSV import/export under
💡 Moderate effort required. Export data before canceling
Choose Stripe if your project is SaaS with global customers needing fast integration, usage-based billing at 2.9% + $0.30/transaction matches your volume, medium lock-in is an acceptable trade-off.
Not for: Offline projects
Choose Adyen if your project is enterprise with $10M+ TPV needing global coverage, medium lock-in is an acceptable trade-off.
Not for: Solo projects
Check each tool's dedicated page for deeper reviews, setup notes, and pros/cons.
Stripe uses usage-based from 2.9% + $0.30/transaction with free tier, and Adyen uses pricing that starts at EUR 0.11 + scheme fee. The pricing models are different, so a direct cheaper-than comparison depends on your volume and usage pattern. Stripe offers a free tier; Adyen does not.
Our data puts Stripe at medium lock-in (proprietary tokens in vault, but pci-to-pci export available), and Adyen at medium lock-in (proprietary tokens, but csv import/export under). Migration is feasible but not trivial — budget time for re-integration, data export, and parallel running before cutover.
Both score 5/5 on developer experience in our data, so there's no clear winner on that axis. Stripe does edge ahead on pricing/docs transparency (5/5 vs 3/5), which can make evaluation faster.
Adyen is a reasonable alternative to Stripe when your workload leans more toward enterprise than SaaS, Companies. The pricing model shifts too — Stripe is usage-based from 2.9% + $0.30/transaction with free tier, Adyen is pricing that starts at EUR 0.11 + scheme fee — so expect the cost profile to change as well. One caveat: Adyen is explicitly not for solo projects, so check that constraint against your use-case before switching.
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