Adyen vs Checkout.com
Adyen and Checkout.com both sell card acquiring and payment processing to larger merchants, with no self-serve sign-up. Adyen N.V. is a Dutch company with a public price page showing a fixed USD 0.13 fee plus a method fee per transaction. Checkout Ltd is a UK electronic money institution that quotes pricing per business, as flat-rate or interchange++.
Choose Adyen if
you want to see per-method fees on a public price page before talking to sales, and prefer a contracting entity inside the EU (Adyen N.V., Amsterdam).
Read the Adyen reviewChoose Checkout.com if
you want a quote built around your own risk profile, a choice between flat-rate and interchange++, and free processing as a registered charity, and a UK contracting entity is acceptable.
Read the Checkout.com reviewAdyen and Checkout.com side by side
| Adyen | Checkout.com | |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Adyen N.V. | Checkout Ltd |
| Headquarters | Amsterdam, Netherlands | London, United Kingdom |
| Founded | 2006 | 2012 |
| Jurisdiction | EU (Netherlands) | United Kingdom (adequacy decision, outside the EEA) |
| Where the data sits | EU data centres | UK/EU |
| Pricing | Interchange-plus; fixed processing fee (USD 0.13 on the published price list) + payment method fee per transaction | Custom flat-rate or interchange-plus pricing quoted per merchant; no setup, monthly or account fee; free processing for registered charities |
| Entry-level list price (vendor site, checked 20 October 2026) | Fixed USD 0.13 per transaction plus a payment-method fee that varies by country and method; no setup or monthly fees (vendor price page, not a single entry price) | Not published: tailored flat-rate or interchange++ pricing quoted per business; no setup fees |
| Free tier or trial | Sales process, no self-serve trial | Sales process, no self-serve trial |
| Certifications and checks | PCI DSS Level 1 | FCA e-money institution (ref. 900816); PCI DSS Level 1 |
| Source code | Closed source | Closed source |
| Usually replaces | Stripe, Braintree | Stripe, Adyen, Braintree |
| Position in our Payment Processing guide | #2 of 12 | #8 of 12 |
Both are listed in our European Payment Processing guide. The table is built from the same directory data as those entries, except the list price, which is quoted from each vendor's own pricing page (see Sources below); how we check it is described in the editorial process.
Where Adyen and Checkout.com differ
Across the five points below, Adyen has the edge on 2 points, Checkout.com on 2 points and one is a tie. A count like that is a summary, not a verdict: the point that matters to you may be the one the other product wins.
Published pricing
Adyen's pricing page lists fees by payment method and country, each as a fixed USD 0.13 processing fee plus a method fee, for example SEPA-style and card rows with interchange++ pass-through. Checkout.com's page gives no figures: it says pricing is tailored and asks you to contact the team. You can estimate Adyen's costs before a call; Checkout.com you cannot.
Edge: Adyen
Pricing structure choices
Checkout.com's page names two structures, fully flat-rate and interchange++, and says it prices on business profile and risk category. Adyen's page describes one model, a fixed fee plus a method fee, with card rows showing interchange++ plus a markup. If you want flat-rate certainty rather than variable interchange, only Checkout.com's page offers that option.
Edge: Checkout.com
Legal entity and jurisdiction
Adyen's terms name Adyen N.V., registered in Amsterdam under number 34259528, so a contract is governed from inside the EU. Checkout.com's site terms name Checkout Ltd, a London company regulated by the UK FCA as an electronic money institution (number 900816). The UK has an EU adequacy decision, but it sits outside the EEA, which matters if your policy is EU-only.
Edge: Adyen
Fees besides processing
Both pages say there are no setup fees. Adyen adds that there are no monthly fees and that other Adyen products are priced separately; Checkout.com lists no account maintenance fees and no surprise fees and says risk and fraud tools are included. Read each contract for the extras, as neither page lists every add-on.
No clear winner on this point.
Special terms and coverage
Checkout.com says it processes for registered charities for free in the countries where it operates, and claims 150+ currencies and domestic coverage in 45+ countries. Adyen's pricing page covers a long list of countries and methods, including regional options in Asia and Latin America, but states no charity offer. For a charity, Checkout.com is the only one of the two to mention it.
Edge: Checkout.com
When neither Adyen nor Checkout.com fits
If you are a smaller shop, look at Mollie, which publishes per-method rates and has no enterprise sales step. For card and terminal processing across Europe, Worldline and Nexi are also on the site.
Adyen vs Checkout.com: questions
Adyen N.V. is registered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, according to its terms. Checkout.com's site is run by Checkout Ltd in London, regulated by the UK FCA, so it is European in the wider sense but outside the EU and the EEA.
Adyen does: its pricing page lists a fixed USD 0.13 fee plus a payment-method fee for each country and method. Checkout.com asks you to contact its team for a tailored plan and shows no fee table.
Neither pricing page offers self-serve sign-up. Both route you to a sales conversation, so a small business with low volumes may do better with a tool that lists rates openly, such as Mollie.
Its pricing page says it provides free payment processing for registered charities in the countries where it currently operates. Adyen's pricing page does not mention such an offer.
Sources
Facts, prices and plan details on this page were checked on the vendors' own websites on . Prices and plans change; the vendor's current page is authoritative.
- Adyen pricing page: Fixed USD 0.13 fee plus payment-method fee, no setup or monthly fees, interchange++ wording (checked 20 October 2026)
- Adyen legal terms: Adyen N.V., Amsterdam, registration number 34259528 (checked 20 October 2026)
- Checkout.com pricing page: Flat-rate or interchange++ structures, charity offer, no setup fees, 150+ currencies, 45+ countries (checked 20 October 2026)
- Checkout.com terms of use: Checkout Ltd, London, FCA electronic money institution number 900816 (checked 20 October 2026)