Software · head to head
Adyen vs Paddle
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Adyen there is a minimum monthly invoice, set by industry and business model and only disclosed through the sales team, so small volumes are not economic; Paddle paddle charges 5% plus 50 cents on every checkout transaction, which is well above a bare payment processor rate
- They diverge on capability: Adyen covers Risk management, Paddle covers Sales tax handling.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Adyen and Paddle actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price ($29/month), pricing model (usage-based), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Adyen
- Risk management
- Unified commerce
- Issuing
- Platform payments
- SAP
- Salesforce
- Oracle
- PCI DSS Level 1
Only in Paddle
- Sales tax handling
- Subscription management
- Checkout
- Revenue metrics
- Stripe
- PayPal
- Various
- PCI DSS
Both cover
- Payment processing
- SOC 2
- Web support
- Api support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Adyen
- Card acquiring with interchange plus pricing for larger merchantsnot Paddle
- Accepting local payment methods across multiple countriesnot Paddle
- Settling in several currencies through linked bank accountsnot Paddle
- Unified online and in-person paymentsnot Paddle
Paddle
- Selling SaaS or digital products with a merchant of record handling taxnot Adyen
- Global subscription billing and checkoutnot Adyen
- Offloading sales tax and VAT compliance for cross border salesnot Adyen
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Adyen
- There is a minimum monthly invoice, set by industry and business model and only disclosed through the sales team, so small volumes are not economic
- Published fees are indicative rather than a rate card, with real pricing negotiated
- Interchange++ means the card cost varies per transaction rather than being a single predictable percentage
- Alternative payment methods carry their own rates on top, such as 3.3 percent plus $0.10 for American Express in North America
Paddle
- Paddle charges 5% plus 50 cents on every checkout transaction, which is well above a bare payment processor rate
- The 50 cent fixed component falls heavily on low value sales, and products under $10 require custom pricing agreed with sales
- Invoicing is not covered by the published rate and requires custom pricing
- As a merchant of record Paddle sits between the seller and the customer, so payouts and tax handling run through Paddle rather than the seller's own processor
Pricing, plan by plan
Adyen
$29/month- CustomFree
- Payment processing
- Risk management
- Unified commerce
Paddle
$29/month- Standard$5/transaction
- Payment processing
- Tax compliance
- Billing
Which should you pick?
Choose Adyen if
- You need risk management.
- You work on Web, Api, Pos.
- You also want unified commerce.
Choose Paddle if
- You need sales tax handling.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want subscription management.
Questions people ask
- Is Adyen or Paddle better?
- Neither clearly leads. Adyen starts at $29/month and Paddle at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Adyen or Paddle?
- Adyen starts at $29/month and Paddle at $29/month.
- Does Adyen or Paddle run on more platforms?
- Adyen runs on Web, Api, Pos. Paddle runs on Web, Api.
- What is Adyen best used for?
- Adyen is most often used for card acquiring with interchange plus pricing for larger merchants, accepting local payment methods across multiple countries, settling in several currencies through linked bank accounts, unified online and in-person payments. Of those, card acquiring with interchange plus pricing for larger merchants and accepting local payment methods across multiple countries are not what Paddle is typically brought in for.
- What can Adyen do that Paddle cannot?
- Adyen covers Risk management, Unified commerce, Issuing, Platform payments. Paddle covers Sales tax handling, Subscription management, Checkout, Revenue metrics. Both handle Payment processing, SOC 2, Web support, Api support.