Merchant services
Stripe vs Adyen: pricing compared for UK businesses.
Stripe and Adyen price card payments in different ways. We explain both and show what each costs at different sizes, on published prices read 27 October 2026.
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Stripe and Adyen price card payments in different ways. We explain both and show what each costs at different sizes, on published prices read 27 October 2026.
Published online rates from the major processors serving UK businesses, plus the quoted rates that only come on request. You see them side by side, on your own sales.
The short answer
Stripe charges a blended 1.5% + 20p on standard UK cards with no monthly fee. Adyen charges £0.11 per payment plus the card's interchange and scheme fees plus 0.60%. On a £50 UK consumer debit payment, that is about 51p plus scheme fees at Adyen against 95p at Stripe. Stripe is quicker to start; Adyen rewards volume. Prices read 27 October 2026.
Published prices read on 27 October 2026 from each provider's own pricing page. Quote only or not published means the provider gives rates on request; we obtain those for you.
| Provider | Standard UK card rate | European and international cards | Monthly fee | Payouts | Contract |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stripe Source | 1.5% + 20p standard UK cards; 2.8% + 20p premium UK cards | 2.5% + 20p EEA; 3.15% + 20p international; +2% if converted | £0 | Standard free; instant 1% (min 40p); first payout 7 to 14 days | Pay as you go |
| Adyen Source | £0.11 + interchange++ + 0.60% | Same structure; interchange is higher | £0, no setup fee | Flexible, you choose | Not stated |
Rates are for online card payments taken by UK businesses, before VAT where the provider states it. Premium, business and non-UK cards usually cost more. Our service is free to you. We may receive a fee from the provider you choose; it never changes the price you pay.
Tell us about your business. We compare the whole market, including the processors that only quote on request, and come back with the lowest total cost for your online sales and the right set-up. You keep a named account manager after setup.
Our service is free to you. We may receive a fee from the provider you choose; it never changes the price you pay.
Stripe uses blended pricing: one published rate per card group that covers everything. For UK businesses it is 1.5% + 20p on standard UK cards, 2.8% + 20p on premium UK cards, 2.5% + 20p on EEA cards and 3.15% + 20p on international cards, plus 2% when currency conversion is needed. There are no setup or monthly fees.
Adyen uses interchange plus plus. You pay a processing fee of £0.11 per payment, plus the interchange fee that goes to the customer's bank, plus the Visa or Mastercard scheme fee, plus Adyen's margin of 0.60%. Interchange and scheme fees are passed on at cost and vary by card. Adyen also publishes no setup or monthly fees.
Interchange on UK consumer cards used with UK businesses is low: 0.20% for debit and 0.30% for credit, as Viva.com's UK price list states. That is why interchange plus plus tends to cost less when most of your customers use UK consumer cards.
A £50 payment on a UK consumer debit card: at Stripe, 1.5% is 75p plus 20p, so 95p. At Adyen, interchange at 0.20% is 10p, the margin at 0.60% is 30p and the processing fee is 11p, so 51p plus a small scheme fee.
A £50 payment on a UK consumer credit card: Stripe is still 95p. Adyen is 15p interchange plus 30p plus 11p, so 56p plus scheme fees.
A £10 payment on a UK debit card: Stripe charges 15p plus 20p, so 35p. Adyen charges 2p plus 6p plus 11p, so 19p plus scheme fees.
A premium, business or foreign card narrows the gap, because its interchange is higher. Stripe's premium UK card rate is 2.8% + 20p, or £1.60 on £50; at Adyen the cost depends on that card's interchange. Adyen does not list interchange by card, so ask for a quote modelled on your own card mix.
At £20,000 a month in 400 payments of £50, all UK consumer debit: Stripe costs £300 plus £80, or £380. Adyen costs £44 in processing fees, £120 margin and £40 interchange: £204 plus scheme fees.
At £100,000 a month in 2,000 payments of £50, all UK consumer debit: Stripe costs £1,500 plus £400, or £1,900, on its standard rate. Adyen costs £220 plus £600 plus £200: £1,020 plus scheme fees. If they were all UK consumer credit cards, Adyen's interchange would be £300 and its total £1,120 plus scheme fees.
At that size, Stripe offers custom packages with IC+ pricing, volume discounts and country-specific rates. So the fair comparison for a large business is Adyen's published price against a Stripe custom quote, not Stripe's standard rate.
Stripe suits businesses that want to start quickly and grow without changing provider. You can sign up online, use prebuilt checkout pages and plugins for most website platforms, and pay a predictable rate. Its product range covers billing, invoicing, payment links, in-person payments and a merchant of record service, Managed Payments, at 3.5% on top of payment fees.
Adyen suits businesses with steady volume, many payment methods or several countries, which value lower and more transparent card costs. Its pricing page lists payment methods worldwide, each with its own fee, on one integration, and it lets you choose when and in which currency you settle.
Both support a wide range of payment methods. The deciding question for most UK businesses is volume: for a small or new business, Stripe's simplicity usually matters more; as volume grows, Adyen's lower margin, or a custom Stripe quote, makes a measurable difference.
Stripe charges £20 for each dispute received and £20 for each dispute you counter manually, refunded if you win. It offers dispute prevention tools powered by Verifi from Visa and Ethoca from Mastercard, and an AI tool, Smart Disputes, that prepares evidence for you for a fee on disputes you win.
Stripe's standard payouts are free. The first payout typically completes within 7 to 14 days, then follows the standard schedule; Instant Payouts cost 1% with a 40p minimum. Adyen offers flexible payouts, letting you choose when and in which currency you settle. Its pricing page does not list a dispute fee.
Adyen's American Express pricing is shown as more information on request. Stripe includes American Express in its card pricing. Ask both for the full fee schedule, including refunds, disputes and currency conversion, before you decide.
We compare the whole online payments market for you, including the processors that only quote on request, such as Worldpay, Checkout.com, takepayments and Elavon. We look at your real card mix, average sale and the countries you sell to, and work out the total monthly cost with each one, including monthly charges, dispute fees and payout costs, not just the headline rate.
We then negotiate the rate and terms, handle the application and the switch from your current processor, and give you a named account manager who stays with you after you go live and reviews your costs as your sales grow. Our service is free to you. We may receive a fee from the provider you choose; it never changes the price you pay.
Usually, for businesses with steady volume and mostly UK consumer cards. On a £50 UK debit payment, Adyen costs about 51p plus scheme fees against 95p at Stripe. Stripe offers custom IC+ pricing for large volumes, so compare Adyen with a Stripe quote at that size.
Adyen's UK pricing page, read 27 October 2026, shows a £0.11 processing fee per payment plus interchange plus plus and 0.60% for Visa, Mastercard and Maestro, with no setup or monthly fees. American Express pricing is given on request.
Stripe charges 1.5% + 20p for standard UK cards, 2.8% + 20p for premium UK cards, 2.5% + 20p for EEA cards and 3.15% + 20p for international cards, plus 2% for currency conversion. There are no setup or monthly fees.
Stripe uses blended pricing: one rate per card group covering all costs. Adyen uses interchange plus plus: the card's interchange and scheme fees at cost, plus a £0.11 processing fee and a 0.60% margin. Adyen costs vary with your card mix.
Adyen publishes no setup or monthly fees, but its interchange plus plus pricing and integration suit businesses with steady volume best. For small or new businesses, Stripe, Mollie or Square Online are usually simpler. We can tell you which fits your figures.
Tell us what you need and where you operate.