Adyen vs. Authorize.net: A Comprehensive Comparison

Choosing the Right Payment Strategy for Your Business

When selecting a payment processing solution, the choice between Adyen and Authorize.net represents two fundamentally different approaches to payment infrastructure. Adyen offers a modern, unified commerce platform built on a single technology stack for enterprise and large mid-market businesses, while Authorize.net provides a proven payment gateway that integrates with separate merchant accounts—a traditional architecture that has served SMBs for nearly three decades. Adyen processed €1.29 trillion in payment volume during 2024 serving major global brands, while Authorize.net is trusted by 430,000+ merchants and handles more than $149 billion in payments every year (Visa has also cited the platform processing roughly $200 billion in annual total payment volume).

Key Takeaways

Platform Architecture: Adyen provides end-to-end payment processing on a single platform, while Authorize.net functions as a gateway that connects to separate merchant accounts
Target Market: Adyen focuses on enterprise and large mid-market businesses with volume minimums, while Authorize.net serves SMBs with accessible pricing
Pricing Model: Adyen uses Interchange++ pricing starting at 0.60% + $0.13 per transaction, while Authorize.net charges $25/month plus 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction for its all-in-one processing plan
Ownership: Adyen is an independent publicly-traded company (AMS: ADYEN), while Authorize.net is part of Visa’s CyberSource portfolio (CyberSource acquired Authorize.net in 2007; Visa acquired CyberSource in 2010)
Innovation Status: Adyen continuously invests in unified commerce and AI optimization, while Authorize.net began rolling out a major “new experience (2.0)” update starting in April 2025 after years of limited visible platform modernization

Payment Solution Type Overview

Modern payment infrastructure can be categorized into two distinct architectural approaches that reflect different philosophies about payment system design.

Unified Commerce Platforms build their entire payment infrastructure on a single technology stack, owning every component from gateway to acquiring to settlement. This approach prioritizes data consistency, omnichannel experiences, and the ability to optimize across the entire payment flow.

Payment Gateways serve as intermediaries that securely transmit payment data between merchants and separate acquiring banks or processors. This traditional architecture offers flexibility in choosing merchant account providers but requires managing multiple vendor relationships.

Adyen Overview

Adyen is a global financial technology platform founded in 2006 in Amsterdam, providing end-to-end payment capabilities for leading businesses worldwide. In 2024, Adyen’s net revenue reached €2.0 billion, representing 23% year-over-year growth, with an EBITDA margin of 50%.

What Is Adyen?

Adyen revolutionized enterprise payments by building a single platform that handles every aspect of payment processing—from the moment a customer initiates a transaction to final settlement. Unlike traditional payment stacks that combine multiple vendors, Adyen owns its entire technology infrastructure, enabling seamless data flow and optimization across all payment channels. The platform serves major global brands including Uber, Spotify, Microsoft, eBay, and H&M.

How Does Adyen Work?

Adyen operates through a unified platform architecture that processes online, in-app, and in-person payments on the same technology stack. When transactions occur, Adyen’s system handles authentication, authorization, fraud screening, and settlement through its proprietary infrastructure with direct connections to card networks and local payment methods worldwide.

The platform’s single-stack approach means every transaction generates consistent data regardless of channel, enabling sophisticated features like network tokenization, intelligent retry logic, and cross-channel customer recognition.

Adyen Features and Pricing

Adyen’s Features

Single platform for online, mobile, and in-person payments with proprietary POS terminals
250+ payment methods across 187 currencies
RevenueProtect fraud prevention with machine learning
RevenueAccelerate for authorization optimization
Unified Customer Area dashboard for cross-channel analytics
Embedded financial products including issuing and capital

Adyen’s Pricing

No monthly fees, setup fees, or integration fees
Minimum monthly invoice requirements based on industry
Volume-based custom pricing available for enterprise merchants

Adyen’s Transaction Fees

Visa/Mastercard: Interchange + scheme fees + 0.60% + $0.13 per transaction (example; varies by region and payment method)
Chargeback fee: often cited around €25 per dispute (varies by contract/region)
Custom rates negotiable for high-volume merchants

Adyen’s Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths of Adyen

Single Platform Architecture: End-to-end ownership enables superior optimization and data insights
Unified Commerce Leader: Seamless integration of online and in-person payments
Enterprise Scale: Processes over €1 trillion annually with proven reliability
Transparent Pricing: Interchange++ model provides complete cost visibility
Global Direct Acquiring: Own licenses reduce third-party dependency
Continuous Innovation: Regular platform updates and new product launches

Weaknesses of Adyen

Enterprise Focus: Minimum volume requirements exclude smaller businesses
Complex Reporting: Interchange++ statements require more interpretation
Higher Entry Barrier: Implementation requires significant technical resources
Not Gateway-Only: Cannot use as simple gateway with existing merchant account

Who Benefits the Most From Adyen?

Adyen Is Best For

Enterprise Retailers: Large businesses requiring unified commerce
Global E-commerce: Companies needing local acquiring and currency support
Platform Businesses: Marketplaces requiring split payments and embedded finance
High-Volume Merchants: Organizations benefiting from Interchange++ and volume discounts
Omnichannel Operators: Businesses prioritizing cross-channel customer recognition

Ideal Use Cases For Adyen

Global retailers with e-commerce and physical store presence
Subscription businesses with sophisticated recurring billing needs
Marketplaces onboarding and paying out to global sellers
Hospitality and travel companies with complex authorization flows
Enterprise brands requiring custom payment experiences

Authorize.net Overview

Authorize.net is a United States-based payment gateway service provider founded in 1996 and now part of Visa Inc.’s CyberSource portfolio. The platform allows merchants to accept credit card and electronic check payments through websites, mobile apps, and in-person terminals.

What Is Authorize.net?

Authorize.net is one of the oldest and most widely-used payment gateways in North America, serving over 430,000 merchants. The platform functions as a secure connection between merchants and payment processors, enabling businesses to accept credit cards, debit cards, eChecks, and digital wallets. Visa launched a reimagined Authorize.net “new experience (2.0)” beginning in April 2025, featuring a streamlined interface, new assistance tooling, and improved dashboards (with rollout occurring in phases).

How Does Authorize.net Work?

Authorize.net operates as a payment gateway—an intermediary that securely transmits payment data between merchants and acquiring banks. When a customer makes a payment, Authorize.net encrypts the card data, sends it to the appropriate processor for authorization, and returns the response to the merchant.

The gateway can work with Authorize.net’s own merchant account services or integrate with third-party merchant accounts. Unlike full-stack processors, Authorize.net focuses primarily on the gateway layer, giving merchants flexibility to choose their acquiring relationships while relying on Authorize.net for secure transaction routing.

Authorize.net Features and Pricing

Authorize.net’s Features

Payment gateway for online, mobile, and in-person transactions
Support for credit/debit cards, eChecks, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and PayPal
Advanced Fraud Detection Suite (AFDS) with customizable filters
Automated Recurring Billing (ARB) for subscriptions
Customer Information Manager (CIM) for tokenized storage
Virtual assistant “Ask Anet” and improved dashboards in the new experience (2.0)
Virtual terminal for phone/mail orders

Authorize.net’s Pricing

All-in-One Plan: $25/month + 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
Gateway-Only Plan: $25/month + $0.10/transaction + $0.10 daily batch fee
Gateway + eCheck: $25/month + 0.75%/eCheck + $0.10/transaction + $0.10 daily batch fee
Custom interchange-plus pricing available for high-volume merchants

Authorize.net’s Transaction Fees

All-in-One: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
Gateway-only: $0.10 per transaction + $0.10 daily batch fee
Volume discounts available (as low as $0.05/transaction for high volume)
Additional fees for AFDS, ARB, and other add-on services

Authorize.net’s Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths of Authorize.net

Established Reputation: Nearly 30 years of operation with 430,000+ merchants
Visa Backing: Part of Visa/CyberSource, providing stability and network access
Gateway Flexibility: Can integrate with existing merchant accounts
Wide Integration Support: Works with 300+ shopping carts and business software
Accessible Pricing: No enterprise minimums, suitable for small businesses
Recent Modernization: New experience (2.0) rollout brings new UX and support tooling

Weaknesses of Authorize.net

Legacy Technology: Fell behind competitors in features and capabilities for years
Monthly Fee: $25/month regardless of volume can be costly for low-volume merchants
Gateway-Only Architecture: Requires separate merchant account for optimal pricing
Limited Global Reach: Primarily North American focus, limited international capabilities
Complex Add-on Pricing: Additional services like fraud protection and recurring billing cost extra
Interface Complaints: Users report dashboard can be convoluted and difficult to navigate

Who Benefits the Most From Authorize.net?

Authorize.net Is Best For

SMBs: Small to medium businesses needing reliable gateway services
Existing Merchant Accounts: Businesses with established processor relationships
E-commerce Sellers: Online stores requiring broad shopping cart integration
Subscription Businesses: Companies needing automated recurring billing
Traditional Retailers: Brick-and-mortar stores adding online payment acceptance

Ideal Use Cases For Authorize.net

Small businesses adding online payment acceptance to existing operations
E-commerce stores using popular platforms like WooCommerce, Magento, or BigCommerce
Professional services firms processing client payments online
Subscription-based businesses with moderate recurring billing needs
Retailers wanting virtual terminal capabilities for phone orders

Financial & Market Insights

Market Position: Adyen processed €1.29 trillion in payment volume during 2024, serving major enterprise clients globally. The company’s net revenue reached €2.0 billion with 23% year-over-year growth and an EBITDA margin of 50%.

Authorize.net is utilized by 430,000+ merchants and handles $149 billion+ in payments annually (Visa has also cited roughly $200 billion in annual total payment volume for the platform), primarily serving the SMB market in North America. As a subsidiary within Visa’s CyberSource business, specific revenue figures for Authorize.net are not separately disclosed.

Growth Trajectories: Adyen continues expanding its unified commerce offering with new proprietary POS terminals and new acquiring licenses in markets like India and Mexico. The company maintains net revenue guidance of low-to-high twenties percent annually through 2026.

Authorize.net received significant investment through Visa’s April 2025 new experience (2.0) rollout, featuring improved dashboards and new assistance tooling, with phased availability continuing into 2026 for certain account configurations.

Investment and Innovation: Adyen operates as an independent public company (AMS: ADYEN) with market capitalization fluctuating around the mid-€30 billions as of February 2026. The company invests heavily in R&D for unified commerce, AI optimization, and embedded financial products.

Authorize.net benefits from Visa’s resources and ecosystem integration, with the 2.0 update representing renewed commitment to the platform after years of relative stagnation compared to modern competitors.

Feature Comparison

Feature	Adyen	Authorize.net
Billing & Invoicing	✅	✅
Currency Support	✅ (187 currencies)	⚠️ (Limited international)
Customizable Branding/White Label	✅	⚠️ (Limited)
Deployment Options	✅	✅
Fraud Prevention Tools	✅	✅
Integration Capabilities	✅	✅ (300+ integrations)
Management Tools	✅	✅
Payment Types Support	✅ (250+)	✅
Reconciliation Tools	✅	✅
Reporting & Data Analysis	✅	✅
Security/Compliance	✅	✅
Smart Routing	✅	❌
Split Payments	✅	⚠️ (Basic)
Supported Payment Methods	✅	✅
Tokenization	✅	✅
Vaulting	✅	✅
In-Person Payments/POS	✅	⚠️ (Via Virtual Terminal)
Unified Commerce	✅	❌
Gateway-Only Option	❌	✅

Final Summary & Recommendation

Key Reasons to Choose Adyen

Your business requires unified commerce with seamless online and in-person experiences
You process sufficient volume to benefit from Interchange++ pricing
You need global acquiring with local payment methods across multiple markets
You want a single-platform approach with end-to-end ownership of the payment stack
You’re an enterprise brand requiring sophisticated features like embedded issuing
You prioritize continuous innovation and AI-powered optimization

Key Reasons to Choose Authorize.net

Your business is an SMB that doesn’t meet enterprise volume requirements
You already have a merchant account relationship you want to maintain
You primarily operate in North America with limited international needs
You want a proven gateway with extensive e-commerce platform integrations
You prefer straightforward flat-rate pricing over complex Interchange++ models
You need virtual terminal capabilities for phone/mail order processing

The Bottom Line: Adyen and Authorize.net serve fundamentally different market segments with different architectural approaches. Adyen is designed for enterprise and large mid-market businesses seeking unified commerce capabilities, global reach, and sophisticated optimization—but comes with volume minimums and implementation complexity. Authorize.net serves SMBs needing a reliable, well-integrated gateway with accessible pricing and flexibility to work with existing merchant accounts.

The choice largely depends on your business scale: growing enterprises seeking competitive rates and unified commerce should evaluate Adyen, while SMBs prioritizing simplicity and broad platform compatibility will find Authorize.net’s updated new experience (2.0) platform a solid choice. Businesses in the middle ground should carefully evaluate whether they’ve outgrown gateway-based architecture or if Authorize.net’s modernization addresses their needs.

This comparison is based on publicly available information as of February 2026. Pricing and features may vary based on specific business requirements and negotiations with each provider.