Worldpay vs Adyen: products, pricing and markets (2026)

Worldpay and Adyen are both merchant acquirers, but Worldpay (part of Global Payments since January 2026) serves a very wide base from UK small shops on published card-machine rates up to global enterprises, while Adyen runs a single in-house platform aimed mainly at large merchants and prices it on Interchange++. In Europe, Worldpay acquires through FCA-authorised UK entities and a Dutch payment institution, and Adyen through a Dutch bank licence.

Side-by-side

Sources: company, investor and regulator pages listed below, opened on 3 November 2026. For how acquirers fit into the payment chain, see gateways, PSPs and acquirers.

Ownership and structure

Global Payments announced on 12 January 2026 that it had completed its purchase of Worldpay from FIS and GTCR and had sold its own Issuer Solutions business to FIS. The Global Payments deal page says the definitive agreements were announced on 17 April 2025, that the business now operates under the Global Payments brand, and that timelines for the brand transition will be shared later. The Worldpay name is still used on its UK merchant pages, and a March 2026 press release refers to "Worldpay, now Global Payments".

Adyen is an independent listed company. It was founded in Amsterdam in 2006, according to its about page, and listed on Euronext Amsterdam in June 2018.

Licences and regulation

The DNB register shows Worldpay B.V.'s payment services licence in force from 19 February 2019, covering acquiring, card-based payments, credit transfers, direct debits and issuing payment instruments. Adyen's DNB entry lists a full bank licence, including deposit taking and lending, with activities recorded from 25 April 2017. Worldpay's US licences were not reviewed for this page.

The practical difference: Adyen's bank licence covers deposit taking and lending as well as payment services. Worldpay's EU entity holds a payment institution licence, which covers payment services such as acquiring but not deposit taking. Our guide on how to check a financial licence shows how to read these register entries.

Products

Worldpay

Worldpay sells to three groups, according to the Global Payments deal page: enterprise, SMB, and integrated and platforms clients. For UK small businesses it markets countertop card machines and an online payment gateway, among other products. For larger merchants it offers online and in-store acceptance across more than 175 countries. Global Payments says Worldpay clients can now adopt its Genius point-of-sale platform, and Global Payments clients gain access to Worldpay's enterprise and ecommerce capabilities. In March 2026 Worldpay joined the European Payments Initiative as a principal member so that merchants can accept Wero, a pan-European instant payment method that runs on SEPA Instant Credit Transfer; see our open banking payments explainer.

Adyen

Adyen sells one platform: unified payments, risk management, authentication and issuing, plus Adyen for Platforms (launched 2016) and a Terminal API for in-store hardware (2018), according to its about page. Its Q3 2026 update reported net revenue in three segments: Digital (€387.4m), Unified Commerce (€250.5m) and Platforms (€100.2m). In the same update Adyen said it had joined the European Central Bank's digital euro pilot as an acquiring payment service provider.

Pricing

Worldpay publishes rates for UK small businesses; Adyen publishes indicative rates for all merchants on a per-transaction model.

All figures from the Worldpay UK and Adyen pricing pages as displayed on 3 November 2026. Worldpay notes that other charges may apply and that quotes are subject to contract. Adyen describes its listed fees as indicative. Worldpay does not publish enterprise rates on the pages we opened.

Blended rates such as Worldpay's 1.5% make monthly costs easy to estimate for a small shop. Interchange++, Adyen's default, separates the card scheme's costs from the provider's margin, which large merchants often prefer when negotiating. Our guide on how card payments work explains interchange and scheme fees.

Scale

Global Payments' figures cover the whole combined group, not Worldpay alone, so they are not a like-for-like comparison with Adyen.

Integration and platform

Global Payments says it is offering clients that want newer technology guided migration paths to cloud-based systems. Merchants already on a Worldpay gateway should ask which platform they will be on after the integration and whether any migration is planned.

Adyen runs online, mobile and in-store payments, risk management and reporting on a single platform. That design suits merchants who want one integration and one data set across channels, but it also means Adyen is less likely to fit a small shop that just wants a card machine on a fixed rate.

Which is the better fit for what

• UK independent shop, café or trades business: Worldpay publishes card-machine and online rates for UK small businesses. Adyen's minimum invoice and Interchange++ model are built for larger volumes.
• Large retailer that wants online, app and stores on one contract: Adyen's single platform is built for this. Worldpay also serves large enterprises; the question is which platform and integration path it would put you on.
• Software company embedding payments for its own merchants: both have platform offers (Worldpay's integrated and platforms segment, Adyen for Platforms). Compare onboarding, payouts and revenue share.
• Merchant wanting to accept Wero or the digital euro early: Worldpay has joined EPI for Wero; Adyen is in the ECB digital euro pilot. Neither guarantees a launch date for your market.
• Existing Worldpay enterprise client: worth asking for the post-merger product roadmap before renewing.

What to check before signing

• Which legal entity contracts with you and its register entry.
• Contract length, early termination fees and terminal hire terms.
• Blended vs Interchange++ quotes on your real card mix.
• Settlement timing and payout currencies.
• Any planned platform migration (Worldpay) or minimum invoice (Adyen).

Related reading: Adyen vs Stripe, Stripe vs Checkout.com, and the Worldpay and Adyen profiles. Card scheme background is in our Visa and Mastercard profiles, and more providers are in the acquiring hub.

Information only, not financial or investment advice. Fees and licences change; check each provider's own pages and the regulator's register before signing a contract.