Adyen Review 2024: Features, Pricing, Alternatives

Adyen stands out for its global payment processing, but features for brick-and-mortar businesses are limited.
Lisa Anthony
Randa Kriss
By Randa Kriss and  Lisa Anthony 
Updated
Edited by Sally Lauckner

Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. This influences which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money.

4.0

NerdWallet rating 

What is Adyen?

Adyen is a Dutch payment processing company that accepts popular payment methods in North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa. Security and optimization tools, plus zero monthly and setup fees, make Adyen appealing for small businesses that want to accept payments across multiple sales channels.

However, Adyen may not be the best option for low-volume merchants or brick-and-mortar businesses because of its minimum invoice amount and lack of features for physical storefronts. Clients include Spotify, Uber and Etsy.

Pros

Cons

  • Payments accepted across online, in-store and app payment channels.

  • Global payment options available.

  • No monthly, setup, integration or closure fees.

  • 24/7 customer support.

  • Test account available.

  • Complex pricing model.

  • Minimum invoice amount required.

Deciding factors

Payment processing cost

  • Interchange plus 13 cents per transaction for Visa and Mastercard.

  • 3.3% plus 23 cents for American Express.

  • 3%-12% plus 13 cents for other payment methods, depending on transaction type.

  • 40 cents per transaction for ACH direct payment.

Monthly fee

$0.

Hardware cost

Undisclosed/quote only. Verifone and house brand card readers and mobile POS devices available.

Contract length

The contract is continuous unless you or Adyen terminate it by giving a minimum of two months' written notice. Early termination is possible when certain contract conditions aren’t met by either party.

Live support

24/7 phone support on local numbers with trained engineers and specialists. Online knowledgebase also available.

How does Adyen payment processing work?

Adyen is an omnichannel payment processing company that provides merchants with multiple ways to accept payments on a single platform. Its payment services include a payment gateway for online payments, point-of-sale systems for in-person transactions and integration for in-app or mobile payments. The company also provides merchant accounts necessary to receive payments.

  • Merchants get access to software that allows them to accept credit cards and other payments. When a customer uses a card to pay, Adyen processes the payment, deducts its fees and sends the remaining funds to your merchant account. It can take up to two business days for the payout funds to be deposited in your account.

  • Adyen allows small businesses to accept a full range of payment methods, including credit cards, debit cards, digital wallets and direct debits.

  • Its payment solutions work in over 30 currencies and in countries such as the U.S., Mexico, Canada, Brazil, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, United Arab Emirates and more.

  • The company will help set up a test account to explore the platform and make a test payment before applying for a live account. Once approved, you get a contract and “go-live checklists” to help you set up your account.

Advertisement
NerdWallet rating 

5.0

/5
NerdWallet rating 

5.0

/5
NerdWallet rating 

5.0

/5

Payment processing fees 

0.40% + 8¢

plus interchange, in-person; 0.50% + 25¢ plus interchange, online.

Payment processing fees 

2.6% + 10¢

in-person; 2.9% + 30¢ online.

Payment processing fees 

2.7% + 5¢

in-person; 2.9% + 30¢ online.

Monthly fee 

$0

Monthly fee 

$0

Starts at $0/month for unlimited devices and locations.

Monthly fee 

$0

Adyen cost

Adyen charges a processing fee plus a payment method fee per transaction in North America.

  • Credit card fees: Adyen uses an “interchange plus” pricing model for Mastercard and Visa transactions. It’s a combination of the interchange fee charged by the bank that issued the credit card, the fee from the card network and the applicable acquirer markup.

  • Digital wallet payments: Fees are specific to the respective payment method.

  • Other fees: The company doesn’t charge merchants monthly fees, setup fees, integration fees or closure fees, but it does require invoice minimums determined by business model and industry.

Payment Method

Processing Fee

Payment Method Fee in U.S. (Prices Vary Outside of U.S.)

ACH Direct Debit

$0.12

$0.25 (Refunds $0.20)

Affirm, PayPal

$0.12

Depends on contract with Affirm or PayPal

Afterpay, Zip

$0.12

4.99% + $0.30

American Express

$0.12

3.3% + $0.10

Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay

$0.12

Depends on card used.

Diners Club, Discover

$0.12

3.95%

Google Pay

$0.12

3.95%

JCB

$0.12

3.75%

Klarna

$0.12

4.29% + $0.30

Maestro, Mastercard, V-pay, Visa

$0.12

Interchange++

Paysafecard

$0.12

10%-12%

UnionPay

$0.12

3.00%

Sales channels

Adyen payment services allow business owners to accept payments online and in person. Merchants that operate platforms or marketplaces can also use Adyen.

Online

  • You can create checkout experiences for your website, in app and mobile devices.

  • Adyen is PCI DSS Level 1 PCI-compliant and offers a number of online payment APIs for integration with your preferred device.

  • There are options to build a branded experience, customize payment flows, apply discounts and set up recurring subscription payments.

  • Adyen also provides an artificial intelligence-powered risk system that can help avoid common fraud attacks.

Point-of-sale

  • For brick-and-mortar businesses, Adyen offers a point-of-sale solution that allows merchants to accept payments in person.

  • Merchants can take payments at cash registers, from mobile devices and from web browsers with the use of API.

  • You can choose from a wide range of POS terminals including mobile, countertop and portable devices — all PCI compliant and encrypted.

Platforms

  • Adyen for Platforms is for marketplace businesses, such as Etsy and Vinted.

  • It provides payouts in all major currencies.

  • Users of your marketplace can sign up, sell their products and get paid.

  • You can allocate payouts in users’ preferred currencies and directly to their bank accounts.

  • The platform also has an automated onboarding and verification process for submerchants.

Additional features

Global acquiring

Adyen enables businesses all over the world to accept payments and allows processing locally, as well as across borders, which can improve authorization rates and lower transaction fees. Because Adyen has full ownership over the payment flow, you connect to a single platform and don’t have to manage multiple providers.

Risk management

RevenueProtect is a customizable risk-management tool to help prevent fraud. Risk templates and rules can create a customized fraud setting that checks each transaction. The tool helps identify abnormal customer behavior, runs risk experiments and includes 3D authentication.

Revenue optimization

RevenueAccelerate can minimize the risk of failed transactions, reduce customer drop-off rates and lower payment costs. You can send the right payment data in the format the issuing bank prefers and automatically recover revenue from declined payments.

Reporting and customer insights

Adyen’s Customer Area displays payment data from all sales channels to help businesses understand sales channel performance, identify frequent purchasers, study payment methods and test loyalty programs. You can also add new payment methods, create local accounts and access support.

Unified Commerce

With Adyen’s Unified Commerce, merchants connect online and offline payment channels into one system so customers can enjoy the flexibility of purchasing across both.

Integrations

Adyen offers a number of integrations for Adobe Commerce (formerly Magento), SAP Commerce Cloud, Shopware 6 and various Oracle and Salesforce products. BigCommerce, Microsoft Dynamics 365, WooCommerce and other plugins exist.

Adyen benefits

Omnichannel payments platform

Adyen’s all-in-one payments platform can process payments from in-store, online and app customers as well as from a marketplace.

Global operations

  • The company has global reach, offering services for North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa in over 30 currencies.

  • Payments can be processed both locally and internationally.

Lack of additional fees

  • There’s no monthly fee to use the software, and you can skip setup fees, integration and closure fees. Adyen charges fees per transaction — a processing fee plus a payment method fee.

  • Multiple bank accounts, 24/7 support and access to platform tools are all free of charge.

Adyen drawbacks

Pricing complexity

  • Although Adyen’s interchange-plus pricing model is transparent and often cost effective, it’s more complex than the flat-rate model some competitors use.

  • The specific transaction cost depends not only on the geographic location, but also on the payment method.

  • Because merchants must meet a monthly invoice minimum, it may not be the most affordable solution for low-volume merchants.

Lack of features for brick-and-mortar operations

  • Although Adyen offers great functionality for online businesses, it may not be the best fit for businesses whose sales are primarily in a physical location.

  • POS terminals are offered on the website, but pricing isn’t available and multi-device kits aren’t listed.

  • You also won’t find built-in features for inventory and staff management, although you may be able to achieve this through an app integration.

Alternatives to Adyen

Braintree

Pricing:

  • 2.59% plus 49 cents per transaction for credit cards, debit cards and digital wallets.

  • 3.49% plus 49 cents for Venmo (U.S. only).

  • 0.75% for ACH (maximum fee of $5). Discounts available for enterprise businesses.

Why we like it: Braintree Payments is a PayPal service. It offers many of the same benefits as Adyen, using a less complex pricing model with no minimums or monthly fees. Like Adyen, you will have your own dedicated merchant account and be able to accept credit and debit cards as well as digital wallet payments. It supports merchants in over 40 countries and regions and more than 130 currency types. Braintree also includes fraud tools, data security and scalable options for marketplace businesses.

Read our full Braintree review.

Square

Pricing:

  • 2.6% plus 10 cents for in-person transactions.

  • 2.9% plus 30 cents for online transactions.

  • 3.5% plus 15 cents for manually keyed transactions.

  • 3.3% plus 30 cents for invoices.

Why we like it: Square is a payment processor with a simple pricing model, features for brick-and-mortar businesses and the flexibility to process in-person, in-app and online payments. It provides free point-of-sale software with a variety of hardware, including card readers and registers. You’ll also get free inventory and team management features. Square’s global reach is smaller than Adyen's, with payment acceptance available in the U.S., Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, Japan, France, Spain and Ireland.

Read our full Square POS review.

A version of this article was first published on Fundera, a subsidiary of NerdWallet.

Best Payment Processing Companies
ProductPayment processing feesMonthly feeLearn more
Helcim

Helcim

NerdWallet Rating 
5.0
Learn more

on Helcim's website

0.40% + 8¢ 

plus interchange, in-person; 0.50% + 25¢ plus interchange, online.

$0 
Learn more

on Helcim's website

Square

Square

NerdWallet Rating 
5.0
Learn more

on Square's website

2.6% + 10¢ 

in-person; 2.9% + 30¢ online.

$0 

Starts at $0/month for unlimited devices and locations.

Learn more

on Square's website

Stripe

Stripe Payments

NerdWallet Rating 
5.0
Learn more

on Stripe's website

2.7% + 5¢ 

in-person; 2.9% + 30¢ online.

$0 
Learn more

on Stripe's website

Stax by Fattmerchant

Stax by Fattmerchant

NerdWallet Rating 
4.0
Learn more

on Stax by Fattmerchant's website

0% + $0.08 

Plus interchange

$99 

and up.

Learn more

on Stax by Fattmerchant's website