7 Best European Alternatives to Stripe (2026), Compared

The best European alternative to Stripe is Mollie (Netherlands): self-serve sign-up, a clean API, subscriptions, payment links and 35+ payment methods, with no monthly fee and published rates from 1.80% + €0.25 for EEA consumer cards. If you are a large business with high volume, pick Adyen – the Amsterdam-listed processor behind Meta, Uber and H&M, priced at interchange++ plus 0.60%.

This ranking is for online shops, SaaS companies and platforms that like how Stripe works but want their payments with a European company. Stripe is less American than many think: it calls San Francisco and Dublin its dual headquarters, and EEA accounts contract with Irish Stripe entities under Irish law. But the website footer names Stripe, LLC, and stripe.com runs on Amazon Web Services. I compared 16 payment providers with a European connection and kept seven, from the Netherlands, Greece, Germany and – clearly flagged – the UK.

What are the best European alternatives to Stripe?

1. Mollie (Netherlands) – self-serve payments API with published rates and no monthly fee. Best for most shops and SMEs leaving Stripe.
2. Adyen (Netherlands) – one global platform with its own acquiring, priced at interchange++. Best for enterprises.
3. Viva.com (Greece) – a European bank for online and in-store payments in 29 countries. Best for omnichannel SMEs.
4. Paddle (UK, outside the EU) – merchant of record that files sales tax for you. Best for SaaS and software sellers.
5. Unzer (Germany) – invoice and instalment payments with German shop plugins. Best for the DACH market.
6. Payone (Germany) – Worldline and savings-bank provider with fixed e-commerce packages. Best for German businesses wanting a local contract.
7. Checkout.com (UK, outside the EU) – enterprise acquiring in 50+ countries. Best for high-volume global merchants.

Stripe alternatives compared

Prices from public pricing pages. Affiliate links and sponsored placements are labelled.

“Data hosted in” is based on a DNS and ASN lookup of each provider’s website or payment API (25 Oct 2026), plus the provider’s own statements about its cloud. Many payment APIs sit behind a global CDN, so the origin country is not always visible.

How I compared the Stripe alternatives

The order is driven by how much of Stripe you keep after switching, then by sovereignty, then by price. I weighed five things:

• Feature match with Stripe – self-serve sign-up, API, hosted checkout, subscriptions, payment links and payment methods.
• Jurisdiction and ownership – where the licensed entity is, who owns it, and whether it runs on a US cloud.
• Transaction fees – the published rate for a standard EEA consumer card, plus monthly fees, setup fees and minimum terms.
• Who it is built for – small businesses that sign up online, or enterprises that negotiate.
• What users say – Trustpilot ratings, read with the number of reviews and who writes them.

I left out Lemon Squeezy, which Stripe bought in 2024, and PayPal, which is American. Klarna is a payment method you add through any provider below, not a full replacement. SumUp (UK) is mainly a card-reader business, GoCardless (UK) only does bank payments and agreed in 2025 to be bought by Mollie, and Revolut Business (UK) publishes online rates only for UK cards in pounds. Worldline (France) and Nexi (Italy) sell mainly through enterprise contracts; Worldline appears here through Payone. Payrexx (Switzerland) works only as a gateway outside Switzerland. All data comes from the providers’ own pricing, about, legal and security pages and from Trustpilot, checked on 25 October 2026.

The best European alternatives to Stripe, reviewed

Each provider gets the same treatment: who is behind it, what users say, what it replaces from Stripe and who should switch to it.

1. Mollie

The closest European match for Stripe – sign up online, plug in the API, pay per transaction

Mollie B.V. was founded in Amsterdam in 2004 and is licensed as an electronic money institution by the Dutch central bank (DNB). It says it serves more than 350,000 businesses with about 1,000 staff, and in December 2025 it agreed to buy GoCardless for €1.05 billion. Mollie runs on Google Cloud: its website and API resolve to a Google load balancer (AS396982).

What users say. On Trustpilot Mollie has 4.3/5 from 12,950 reviews – the best score here with real volume. Reviewers praise fast onboarding and named support agents; complaints are about payouts paused during risk reviews. Stripe scores 1.6/5 from 17,549 reviews.

What it replaces from Stripe – and what it doesn’t. You keep what most shops use: a Payments API, hosted checkout, payment links, refunds, subscriptions and Mollie Connect for platforms. Mollie lists 35+ payment methods, including iDEAL | Wero, Bancontact, SEPA Direct Debit and Klarna. What you lose: it does not list a tax engine like Stripe Tax, it is built for Europe rather than 46 acquiring markets, and your data sits with a US cloud provider.

Facts: HQ Netherlands (Amsterdam) · founded 2004 · EEA consumer cards 1.80% + €0.25 · EEA business cards 2.90% + €0.25 · non-EEA cards 3.25% + €0.25 · SEPA Direct Debit €0.35 · no monthly fee or lock-in · PCI DSS Level 1.

Switching from Stripe: moderate – plugins make it quick for a webshop; custom integrations need a rewrite.

My take: Mollie feels most like Stripe: sign up online, clear docs, a published rate and no monthly fee. It is Dutch, DNB-licensed and its customers are far happier than Stripe’s. You pay about 0.3 points more per EEA card, and it runs on Google Cloud – a European company, not European infrastructure. Best for: European shops, SaaS and platforms that want Stripe-style self-service. Not for: companies that need global acquiring or tax automation.

Visit mollie.com →

2. Adyen

The European enterprise heavyweight – own acquiring and interchange++ pricing

Adyen N.V. was founded in Amsterdam in 2006 and has been listed on Euronext Amsterdam since June 2018. It has more than 4,000 employees and processed €970.1 billion in 2023. It holds its own European acquiring licence, and its payment API runs on Adyen’s own network (AS200596, Netherlands) behind Cloudflare.

What users say. Adyen has 1.3/5 from 444 reviews on Trustpilot and does not reply to negative reviews. Many reviewers are sellers on marketplaces that use Adyen, not its direct customers.

What it replaces from Stripe – and what it doesn’t. Adyen matches Stripe’s breadth: online and in-store payments, own acquiring in Europe and the US, and methods from SEPA and iDEAL to Alipay and Pix. Interchange++ pricing shows the real cost of each card. What you lose: self-service. Adyen applies an unpublished minimum invoice depending on your industry, and its customers are names like Meta, Uber and Microsoft.

Facts: HQ Netherlands (Amsterdam) · founded 2006 · listed on Euronext Amsterdam · Visa and Mastercard: $0.13 + interchange++ + 0.60% · SEPA Direct Debit: $0.13 + €0.27 · no setup or monthly fees · minimum invoice by business type.

Switching from Stripe: hard – a sales process, a contract and an integration project.

My take: For a business processing tens of millions a year, Adyen is the European answer to Stripe: own acquiring, interchange++ and its own servers. It is second only because you cannot sign up and start like with Stripe or Mollie. Best for: enterprises and scale-ups with high card volume. Not for: small shops that want to start today.

Visit adyen.com →

3. Viva.com

A Greek neobank for online and in-store payments, with published rates

Viva.com (formerly Viva Wallet) was founded in Athens in 2011. Payments run through VIVABANK BANKING S.A., a credit institution licensed by the Bank of Greece, and Viva is present in 29 European countries. The US bank JPMorgan Chase owns 48.5% of the holding company, and Viva says its platform is “entirely built on Microsoft Azure”.

What users say. On Trustpilot Viva.com has 3.9/5 from 2,105 reviews. Users praise friendly onboarding help; complaints are about frozen accounts and fees charged while restricted.

What it replaces from Stripe – and what it doesn’t. Viva gives you online card acceptance, local methods such as iDEAL, Wero, Klarna and Trustly, card terminals and an account with an IBAN – closer to Stripe plus a bank. What you lose: it is not developer-first, pricing splits into acquiring fees and monthly account plans, and a US bank and US cloud sit behind it.

Facts: HQ Greece (Athens) · founded 2011 · Bank of Greece licence · German price list: EEA consumer cards 2.19% + €0.10 online · account plans €0 (minimum charge €4.99) to €19.99/month · refunds +€0.30.

Switching from Stripe: moderate – easy with plugins and terminals, slower for custom checkouts.

My take: Viva suits you if you sell both online and over the counter and want a European bank behind it. It is third because a US bank owns almost half of it and it runs on Azure. Best for: businesses selling online and in person. Not for: developer teams who want Stripe's API depth.

Visit viva.com →

4. Paddle

A merchant of record for software – Paddle sells your product and handles the tax

Paddle.com Market Limited is registered in London (company number 08172165), outside the EU; its footer dates the business to 2012. For many non-US sales Paddle’s terms name Paddle Payments Limited in Dublin. Paddle says 10,000+ digital businesses use it.

What users say. Paddle has 3.9/5 from 11,233 reviews on Trustpilot, mostly from buyers of software sold through Paddle, not sellers. They praise fast refunds and dislike auto-renewals.

What it replaces from Stripe – and what it doesn’t. Paddle replaces Stripe Payments, Billing and Tax at once. As merchant of record it is legally the seller: it collects and files sales tax in 100+ jurisdictions, handles chargebacks and fraud, and adds a subscription portal with proration and dunning. What you lose: it only fits digital products, Paddle may set prices as the seller, and the fee is far above plain card processing.

Facts: HQ UK (London) · registered 2012 · 5% + 50¢ per transaction, tax and chargebacks included · no monthly fees · custom pricing for high volume or products under $10.

Switching from Stripe: moderate – existing subscriptions need a planned migration.

My take: If you use Stripe with Billing and Tax for a SaaS product, Paddle replaces all three and takes over the tax filing. It is fourth because it is British and because 5% + 50¢ only pays off if you value that compliance work. Best for: SaaS companies selling worldwide without a tax team. Not for: shops selling physical goods.

Visit paddle.com →

5. Unzer

A Berlin payment provider built for German shops – invoice, instalments and plugins

Unzer Group GmbH is based in Berlin; its payment institution, Unzer E-Com GmbH in Heidelberg, is supervised by BaFin. Unzer is the former heidelpay, in which US investor KKR bought a majority stake in 2019. It says 90,000+ merchants use it, and its payment API runs on AWS in Frankfurt.

What users say. Unzer has 4.6/5 from 13,525 reviews on Trustpilot, but many praise delivery and packaging – they seem to come from shoppers. Merchant reviews complain about withheld payouts.

What it replaces from Stripe – and what it doesn’t. Unzer covers cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, SEPA Direct Debit, Wero and its own invoice and instalment payments. It offers a payment page, an API with PHP and Java SDKs, plugins for Shopify, Shopware, WooCommerce, Magento and OXID, and POS terminals. What you lose: published prices and Stripe’s range of SDKs.

Facts: HQ Germany (Berlin) · BaFin-supervised payment institution · price: all-in rate or quote, not published · payment API on AWS Frankfurt.

Switching from Stripe: moderate – quick with a shop plugin.

My take: Unzer is solid for a German webshop that wants pay-on-invoice without a separate contract. It sits below Paddle because you cannot see the price until you ask. Best for: German and Austrian shops that want invoice payments. Not for: developers who want self-serve pricing.

Visit unzer.com →

6. Payone

The savings-bank payment provider – fixed e-commerce packages from Frankfurt

PAYONE GmbH in Frankfurt am Main is a BaFin-licensed e-money institution and calls itself “a company of Worldline and the DSV Group” – the French payments group and the German savings banks’ publisher. Its payment API runs on Payone’s own network (AS212603) in Germany.

What users say. Payone has a claimed profile on Trustpilot but no reviews yet.

What it replaces from Stripe – and what it doesn’t. Payone sells fixed packages – E-Com Starter, Pro and Individual – plus payment links, MOTO, card readers and POS systems. What you lose: Stripe’s developer experience and pay-as-you-go simplicity. Starter has a high fixed fee per payment; Pro has a monthly fee and a 12-month term; both have a setup fee.

Facts: HQ Germany (Frankfurt) · BaFin e-money licence · E-Com Starter: €0/month, €49 setup, 2.49% + €0.99 per payment · E-Com Pro: €19/month, €99 setup, 1.09–1.49% + from €0.09, 12-month term.

Switching from Stripe: moderate – plugins exist, but you sign a contract.

My take: Payone is the most German option here, from licence to servers to owners. It is sixth because it is priced like a bank contract: setup fees, minimum terms and a €0.99 fee on Starter that hurts small orders. Best for: German businesses that want a local, bank-linked contract. Not for: start-ups with small baskets.

Visit payone.com →

7. Checkout.com

Enterprise acquiring from London – 50+ countries, tailored pricing

Checkout.com was founded in 2009 by Guillaume Pousaz and is headquartered in London, outside the EU. EEA merchants contract with Checkout SAS in France, an e-money institution authorised by the ACPR. It processed about $300 billion of e-commerce volume in 2025, and its API runs on AWS in Ireland.

What users say. Checkout.com has 1.9/5 from 103 reviews on Trustpilot. Reviewers praise reliability and account managers; complaints are about slow onboarding and unanswered emails.

What it replaces from Stripe – and what it doesn’t. Checkout.com covers what large merchants use Stripe for: a unified API, hosted payment page, payment links, fraud detection, network tokens, payouts and FX, with local acquiring in 50+ countries. What you lose: published prices, self-service and a subscription billing product on its product list.

Facts: HQ UK (London) · founded 2009 · EEA entity Checkout SAS (France) · flat or interchange++ pricing on request · no setup or maintenance fees.

Switching from Stripe: hard – sales process, risk review and a new integration.

My take: Checkout.com is a serious option for big merchants and has an EU-licensed entity in France. It is last because it is British, runs on AWS and only works for you if you have the volume to negotiate. Best for: global enterprises adding a second acquirer. Not for: small businesses.

Visit checkout.com →

What European payment providers cost compared with Stripe

For a standard EEA consumer card, Stripe is hard to beat on list price. On a €50 order it charges €1.00, Mollie €1.15, Viva about €1.20, Payone Starter €2.24 and Paddle 5% + 50¢ – but Paddle also files your tax. Adyen and Checkout.com pass on real interchange, which can be cheaper at high volume.

Prices as shown on each provider’s pricing page on 25 October 2026: Stripe’s Irish page, Mollie’s EUR list, Adyen’s global list (in US dollars), Viva’s German list effective 16 September 2026, Paddle’s standard plan and Payone’s German e-commerce packages. In-person card fees differ.

How to switch from Stripe to a European payment provider

1. List what you use in Stripe. Payments only, or also Billing, Tax and Connect? That decides between Mollie, Paddle and Adyen.
2. Pass onboarding. Have your company register extract and ID documents ready; enterprise risk reviews take longer.
3. Migrate saved cards. Stripe sends an encrypted card-data export to a new processor that is PCI DSS Level 1 compliant, such as Mollie. Subscriptions and payment history are not exported.
4. Run both in parallel. Send new customers to the new provider and keep Stripe for refunds on old payments.
5. Close Stripe after the dispute window. Keep the account until chargebacks on old payments are no longer possible.

Stripe alternatives: FAQ

My verdict: which European payment provider to switch to

Most online businesses leaving Stripe should go to Mollie: it works the same way – sign up online, a good API, a published rate and no monthly fee – and its customers rate it far better than Stripe’s. Large companies with serious volume should look at Adyen, with own acquiring and interchange++. Selling online and in person? Try Viva.com. Selling software worldwide? Paddle saves you the tax work, even if it is British.

Be clear about what you gain: Mollie runs on Google Cloud, Viva on Azure, Unzer and Checkout.com on AWS. For the most European stack from licence to servers, Adyen and Payone run on their own networks.