What is the difference between PayPal and Adyen?

PayPal is best for Businesses wanting universal payment acceptance, while Adyen is best for Enterprise and large businesses that process high volumes internationally. PayPal starts at 2.9% + $0.30 and Adyen starts at Custom pricing.

Is PayPal or Adyen cheaper?

PayPal starts at 2.9% + $0.30 with a free tier. Adyen starts at Custom pricing.

Is there a free alternative to Adyen?

Yes, PayPal offers a free tier (No monthly fees).

PayPal vs Adyen

PayPal is global payment platform for online and in-person payments, invoicing, and transfers, while Adyen is enterprise payment platform processing for global businesses with unified commerce. PayPal is built for businesses wanting universal payment acceptance, whereas Adyen targets enterprise and large businesses that process high volumes internationally.

At a glance

	PayPal	Adyen
Best for	Businesses wanting universal payment acceptance	Enterprise and large businesses that process high volumes internationally
Starting price	2.9% + $0.30	Custom pricing
Free tier	✓	—
Open source	—	—
Free tier available	✓	—
Open source	—	—
Checkout	✓	—
Fraud prevention	—	✓
Global	✓	—
Global payments	—	✓
In-store payments	—	✓
Invoicing	✓	—
Payment processing	—	✓
Payments	✓	—
Unified commerce	—	✓

PayPal

Strengths

Includes Payments as a core feature, purpose-built for payment processing workflows
Includes Invoicing as a core feature, purpose-built for payment processing workflows
No monthly fees — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done
Established product with 28+ years on the market and a mature ecosystem

Weaknesses

Free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Ecosystem of third-party integrations is smaller than the market leaders in payment processing
Mobile experience lags behind the desktop version in features and polish

Try PayPal → Full review

Adyen

Strengths

Single platform for online, in-app, and in-store payments
Supports 250+ payment methods across 200+ countries
Enterprise-grade fraud prevention with machine learning
Direct acquiring in major markets eliminates third-party processors

Weaknesses

Not suitable for small businesses — enterprise focus
Complex setup requiring significant developer resources
Non-transparent pricing — must contact sales
Minimum processing volumes may apply

Try Adyen → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Both PayPal and Adyen are free. You can try both without spending a dollar.

Feature gaps: PayPal offers Checkout, Global and Invoicing that Adyen lacks. Adyen brings Fraud prevention, Global payments and In-store payments that PayPal does not have.

Where each tool shines: PayPal's biggest strengths are: includes payments as a core feature, purpose-built for payment processing workflows. includes invoicing as a core feature, purpose-built for payment processing workflows. Adyen's biggest strengths are: single platform for online, in-app, and in-store payments. supports 250+ payment methods across 200+ countries.

Watch out for: With PayPal, users commonly note that free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade. With Adyen, the main complaint is that not suitable for small businesses — enterprise focus.

Choose PayPal if...

Your profile matches its sweet spot: businesses wanting universal payment acceptance
You specifically need Checkout and Global
You care about includes invoicing as a core feature, purpose-built for payment processing workflows
The free tier works for you: no monthly fees

Choose Adyen if...

You need a tool built for enterprise and large businesses that process high volumes internationally
You specifically need Fraud prevention and Global payments
You care about supports 250+ payment methods across 200+ countries