Adyen vs GoCardless
Last verified Nov 12, 2026
At a glance
- Adyen scores 2.8/5 and GoCardless scores 2.5/5 in Benchmark Grid's independent payment processing platforms benchmark, both assessed on the same 10 criteria.
- The widest gaps are reporting & reconciliation (Adyen 4.4, GoCardless 2.8) and currency & cross-border support (Adyen 4.6, GoCardless 3.0); they are within 0.3 on 2 of 10 criteria.
- Adyen is built for enterprise publishers; GoCardless for small and mid-market.
- On total cost of ownership Adyen scores 2.2 and GoCardless 3.4 (higher means better value, not a lower price).
- Scores last verified 12 Nov 2026. Vendors cannot pay for a score or a position.
Where they differ
Adyen is stronger on reporting & Reconciliation (4.4 vs 2.8), currency & Cross-Border Support (4.6 vs 3.0), payout & Settlement Speed (4.0 vs 2.5) and support & Chargeback Handling (3.5 vs 2.2).
Which one fits
Choose Adyen if…
- You publish at enterprise scale.
- You weight reporting & Reconciliation, currency & Cross-Border Support and payout & Settlement Speed heavily — Adyen leads on those in this benchmark.
Choose GoCardless if…
- You publish at small and mid-market scale.
- You weight transaction Pricing & Fees heavily — GoCardless leads on it in this benchmark.
Also weighing these
The nearest-scored tools to Adyen and GoCardless in this benchmark, listed A to Z.
- 2.5BraintreeBraintree is now PayPal Enterprise Payments.Read review
- 2.5MollieEuropean payments with straightforward pricingRead review
- 2.5NuveiGlobal payments with local acquiring reachRead review
- 2.3WorldpayGlobal acquirer for high-volume merchantsRead review
All 9 scored tools are in Best Payment Processing Platforms for Publishers.
Head to head
| Criterion | Adyen | GoCardless |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction Pricing & Fees16% of capability | 3.2 | 4.5 |
| Global Payment Method Coverage14% of capability | 4.8 | 3.8 |
| Authorisation & Uptime Reliability12% of capability | 4.7 | 4.0 |
| Fraud & Risk Management12% of capability | 4.2 | 3.2 |
| Currency & Cross-Border Support10% of capability | 4.6 | 3.0 |
| Integration & Developer Experience10% of capability | 3.8 | 3.5 |
| Payout & Settlement Speed10% of capability | 4.0 | 2.5 |
| Regulatory Compliance & Licensing8% of capability | 4.5 | 4.2 |
| Reporting & Reconciliation5% of capability | 4.4 | 2.8 |
| Support & Chargeback Handling3% of capability | 3.5 | 2.2 |
| Capability45% of composite | 4.2 | 3.6 |
| Publisher fit40% of composite | 1.5 | 1.0 |
| Total cost of ownership15% of composite | 2.2 | 3.4 |
Cost of ownership
| Sub-score | Adyen | GoCardless |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing transparency | 1.0 | 4.0 |
| Entry cost | 1.0 | 4.5 |
| Implementation cost | 0.5 | 3.5 |
| Hidden-fee risk | 3.5 | 3.0 |
| Ongoing cost | 4.9 | 2.0 |
Adyen pricing
Interchange-plus, custom enterprise
GoCardless pricing
From 1% + fee, capped
What users say
Adyen
14 positive · 44 neutral · 12 negative
GoCardless
4 positive · 27 neutral · 11 negative
Mentions we could not tie to a real user, and those flagged as promotional, are excluded. Sentiment is opinion, and is independent of the verified publisher adoptions above.
Adyen scores 2.8 and GoCardless scores 2.5 in Benchmark Grid's independent Best Payment Processing Platforms for Publishers benchmark (benchmarkgrid.com/vs/adyen/gocardless, verified Nov 12, 2026)
Common questions
How do Adyen and GoCardless differ?
Adyen is stronger on reporting & Reconciliation (4.4 vs 2.8), currency & Cross-Border Support (4.6 vs 3.0), payout & Settlement Speed (4.0 vs 2.5) and support & Chargeback Handling (3.5 vs 2.2). Neither is better in the abstract — which one suits you depends on which of those dimensions carries the most weight in your operation.
Which is cheaper, Adyen or GoCardless?
On total cost of ownership — pricing transparency, entry cost, implementation, hidden-fee risk and ongoing cost — Adyen scores 2.2/5 and GoCardless scores 3.4/5. A higher score means better value, not a lower sticker price.
How are these scores calculated?
Each tool is assessed against its category's published criteria (10 in this benchmark), which make up Capability (45% of the composite), Publisher fit (40%) and Total cost of ownership (15%). Assessment is carried out by SODP's editorial team against a published methodology. Vendors cannot pay for inclusion, scores or positions.
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Both tools are scored in Best Payment Processing Platforms for Publishers. See alternatives to Adyen or alternatives to GoCardless.
Weighing a third option? Add a tool to this comparison.
Where to next
Four questions, and a scored stack across every benchmark — not just Best Payment Processing Platforms for Publishers
Every scored tool in Best Payment Processing Platforms for Publishers, with the criteria behind each number
Every category, independently scored
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Other head-to-heads publishers look at in Best Payment Processing Platforms for Publishers.
