Best Stripe alternatives for online merchants (2026)

The main Stripe alternatives for online merchants are Adyen, Checkout.com, Mollie, Nuvei, PayPal and Airwallex. Which one fits depends on size and mix of sales: enterprise merchants tend to look at interchange-based acquirers, smaller European sellers at Mollie, and businesses that hold money in several currencies at Airwallex.

Stripe alternatives compared

Listed alphabetically. Licence details are summarised here and set out in full further down. Pricing was checked on each company's own website on 3 November 2026.

For head-to-head detail on two enterprise options, see Adyen vs Stripe and Stripe vs Checkout.com.

Why merchants look beyond Stripe

Stripe publishes a blended price list. On its UK pricing page, checked on 3 November 2026, each card type carries one percentage plus a fixed 20p, whatever the underlying interchange cost.

That model is simple to forecast. It also explains why some merchants later compare other providers:

• Card mix. A seller with many cross-border or premium cards pays the higher blended tiers on a large share of volume. Interchange++ pricing, used by Adyen and offered on request by others, passes the actual interchange and scheme fees through and adds a separate processing margin.
• Currency conversion. Stripe adds 2% where conversion is needed. Merchants that settle in several currencies sometimes prefer a provider with multi-currency accounts.
• Local payment methods. Stripe's UK page lists Klarna from 4.99% + 35p and Bacs Direct Debit at 1% (minimum 20p, capped at £4). Merchants focused on one region may find a local specialist offers that region's methods on different terms.
• Redundancy. Some large merchants run two processors so a single outage or account review does not stop sales.

None of this means Stripe is costlier for every business. At low volumes, mostly domestic standard cards, the blended rate may be competitive. The only reliable test is to model your own transaction data against written quotes.

Adyen

Adyen holds a Dutch banking licence. De Nederlandsche Bank's public register lists Adyen N.V. (relation number F0001) as a bank with payment services, e-money issuing and foreign exchange among its activities, all dated 25 April 2017. In the UK it operates as a branch of an EEA credit institution with Part 4A permission, according to its own licence page.

Its homepage lists more than 150 currencies, more than 200 local payment methods and €1.4 trillion processed annually (figures as shown on 3 November 2026). Products include online and in-person acceptance, Adyen for Platforms, card issuing, capital and payouts.

Pricing is published. Adyen's global pricing page shows a fixed processing fee of $0.13 per transaction plus a payment method fee. For Visa and Mastercard, that method fee is Interchange++ plus 0.60%. Adyen also applies a minimum monthly invoice that depends on industry and business model, and the amount is not published. That minimum is one reason Adyen tends to suit merchants with meaningful volume rather than early-stage sellers.

Airwallex

Airwallex starts from the treasury side: business accounts that hold and convert multiple currencies, with online checkout, payment links and plugins added on top. Its US homepage, checked on 3 November 2026, states 160+ local payment methods for online acceptance, 20+ currencies to send and receive, and transfers to 200+ countries.

The regulatory footer on that page names Airwallex US, LLC as a licensed money transmitter (NMLS #1928093) in the US states it lists. We did not verify Airwallex's UK or EU authorisations for this article, so check the relevant register before signing. Pricing was not published on the page we checked. Airwallex may suit merchants who want acceptance and multi-currency balances with one provider.

Checkout.com

Checkout.com lists its licences on a single legal page. Checkout Ltd is an FCA-authorised electronic money institution (reference 900816) and Checkout SAS is authorised by the French ACPR (reference 17208), with that licence passported across the EEA. It also lists a MAS Major Payment Institution licence in Singapore and a Central Bank of the UAE retail payment services licence.

The homepage, checked on 3 November 2026, cites local acquiring in more than 50 countries, more than 150 processing currencies and $300 billion of e-commerce payments processed in 2025 for enterprise merchants. Products cover acquiring, payment methods, issuing, payouts, fraud detection, authentication, network tokens and treasury and FX. Industries named include retail, gaming, marketplaces, travel, fintech and crypto exchanges.

No standard rate card appeared on the pages we checked, so expect a quote. Checkout.com is commonly used by large online merchants; see our Stripe vs Checkout.com comparison for detail.

Mollie

Mollie is a Dutch provider serving businesses across Europe and the UK. Its homepage describes the platform as built for high-volume businesses but open to everyone. Its Impressum names Mollie B.V. as supervised by De Nederlandsche Bank as a payment service provider and electronic money institution (relationship number F0038), and Mollie UK Ltd as an FCA payment institution (FRN 977968).

The homepage, checked on 3 November 2026, says merchants can accept 38 payment methods through one integration, and lists online payments, in-person payments, recurring billing, business accounts and capital. It states that merchants pay only for what they use, with no minimum costs and no lock-in contracts. Per-method rates were not shown on the homepage.

Mollie may suit European SMEs that want many local methods under a single contract without volume commitments. Larger merchants are invited to contact its sales team for custom rates, per the homepage.

Nuvei

Nuvei is a global processor with a long licence list. Its licences page names Nuvei Financial Services Limited as an FCA e-money institution (firm reference 994233), Nuvei Limited as a Central Bank of Cyprus EMI, Nuvei UAB as a Bank of Lithuania EMI (licence 54) and Nuvei Global Services B.V. as a payment service provider supervised by DNB. In the US, Nuvei US, LLC is registered with FinCEN as a money services business and holds state money transmitter licences. The page also states principal Visa and Mastercard membership for processing in Europe.

The homepage cites over 720 alternative payment methods and 150 currencies (checked 3 November 2026). It gives local acquiring as both "50+ countries" and 53 markets in different places, so treat the exact figure with care. Verticals named include online retail, travel, marketplaces, online gaming, financial services and crypto platforms.

Nuvei tends to be considered by merchants in sectors where many mainstream processors apply tighter onboarding, such as regulated online gaming and trading platforms. Pricing is not published as a rate card.

PayPal

PayPal is often added next to a card processor rather than replacing one. Its UK business page cites up to 400 million active accounts globally (checked 3 November 2026). UK merchants contract with PayPal UK Ltd, an FCA-authorised electronic money institution (FRN 994790), according to the UK user agreement checked on 3 November 2026.

PayPal publishes UK fees. As of the page last updated on 1 October 2026, standard commercial transactions cost 2.9% + £0.30, card payments from shoppers without a PayPal account cost 1.2% + £0.30, and international payments carry an extra 1.29% (EEA) or 1.99% (elsewhere). Currency conversion on balances is 3% above the base rate.

PayPal may suit merchants who want a wallet button that many shoppers already recognise. For a full breakdown, see our PayPal alternatives page and the PayPal profile.

Licence details we checked

You can confirm any of these on the regulator's public register, such as the Central Bank of Ireland registers, the DNB public register or the FCA Financial Services Register. Our guide on how to check a financial licence walks through each step.

Which alternative may suit which merchant

• Enterprise merchant with high cross-border card volume: Adyen or Checkout.com, where Interchange++ pricing can be compared directly with Stripe's blended tiers.
• European SME selling mainly in the EU and UK: Mollie, for local methods under one contract.
• Merchant in gaming, trading or other sectors with stricter onboarding: Nuvei is worth checking, alongside the options on our Rapyd alternatives page.
• Seller whose customers expect a wallet button: PayPal, usually alongside a card processor.
• Business holding revenue in several currencies: Airwallex, which combines accounts and acceptance.

If you are still deciding which layer of the stack you need, our explainer on gateways, PSPs and acquirers sets out the differences. More providers are listed in the payment gateways category.

What to check before switching

• Ask each provider for a written quote modelled on your last 3 to 6 months of transactions, split by card type and region.
• Confirm whether the quote is blended or Interchange++, and whether there is a monthly minimum.
• Check the contracting entity and its licence on the regulator's register, not only on the provider's website.
• Ask how stored card data and tokens can be migrated from Stripe, and how long the transfer takes.
• Read the restricted and prohibited business lists for your sector before onboarding.
• Check payout timing, reserves and chargeback fees, which are often outside the headline rate.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best alternatives to Stripe?

The main Stripe alternatives for online merchants are Adyen, Checkout.com, Mollie, Nuvei, PayPal and Airwallex. Which one fits depends on size and mix of sales: enterprise merchants tend to look at interchange-based acquirers, smaller European sellers at Mollie, and businesses that hold money in several currencies at Airwallex.

Is Adyen cheaper than Stripe?

It depends on volume and card mix. Adyen's global pricing page shows a fixed processing fee of $0.13 per transaction plus Interchange++ plus 0.60% for Visa and Mastercard, with a minimum monthly invoice whose amount is not published, while Stripe's blended rate may be competitive at low volumes of mostly domestic standard cards. The only reliable test is to model your own transaction data against written quotes; see Adyen vs Stripe.

Why do merchants look for Stripe alternatives?

Common reasons are card mix, currency conversion, local payment methods and redundancy. A seller with many cross-border or premium cards pays Stripe's higher blended tiers on a large share of volume, and Stripe adds 2% where currency conversion is needed. Some large merchants also run two processors so a single outage or account review does not stop sales.

What is a good Stripe alternative for European small businesses?

Mollie may suit European SMEs that want many local methods under a single contract without volume commitments. Its homepage, checked on 3 November 2026, says merchants can accept 38 payment methods through one integration, with no minimum costs and no lock-in contracts.

Is PayPal a Stripe alternative?

PayPal is often added next to a card processor rather than replacing one, and may suit merchants who want a wallet button that many shoppers already recognise. On its UK fees page, last updated on 1 October 2026, standard commercial transactions cost 2.9% + £0.30.

What should I check before switching from Stripe?

Ask each provider for a written quote modelled on your last 3 to 6 months of transactions, and confirm whether it is blended or Interchange++ and whether there is a monthly minimum. Check the contracting entity's licence on the regulator's register, and ask how stored card data and tokens can be migrated from Stripe.