PSP Fee Comparison
Compare processing fees across Stripe, Adyen, Checkout.com and Airwallex to find the best rate for your business
How this PSP fee comparison works
Compare public payment processing fees across Stripe, Adyen, Checkout.com, and Airwallex for common card scenarios. This page is designed as a reference layer for merchants, payment teams, and developers who want to understand how provider pricing changes across card brands, card types, merchant regions, and issuer relationships.
The output is answer-first: it identifies the lowest estimated fee for the selected scenario, then shows the fee components that caused the difference. It is intended for research and planning, not as a replacement for provider quotes.
Methodology and assumptions
- Results are estimated using publicly available pricing and documented card/network assumptions rather than merchant-specific contract terms.
- The tool compares fixed fees, base variable fees, cross-border uplifts, brand surcharges, card type adjustments, and FX-related components where applicable.
- Fees shown here are most useful for scenario planning and directional comparison, not as a substitute for a provider quote or a negotiated pricing schedule.
Best use cases for this tool
- Comparing providers for cross-border card acceptance
- Checking Amex or debit-heavy transaction mixes
- Estimating monthly savings before requesting pricing quotes
- Creating an internal shortlist before PSP outreach
Which fee components are compared?
A useful PSP comparison separates fixed costs, percentage costs, regional uplifts, brand adjustments, and FX assumptions instead of reducing everything to a single headline rate.
| Component | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Fixed fee | A per-transaction amount that can matter more for low-value payments. |
| Base percentage fee | The main variable fee applied to the transaction amount. |
| Cross-border fee | An uplift that may apply when merchant and issuer regions differ. |
| Brand surcharge | Additional cost that can vary by card brand, especially for premium or Amex-like scenarios. |
| FX fee | Currency conversion or international settlement cost where applicable. |
Stripe vs Adyen vs Checkout.com vs Airwallex: when to compare
Stripe
Useful baseline for flat-rate public pricing and fast developer adoption.
Adyen
Useful when evaluating enterprise, interchange-plus, regional, or global acquiring scenarios.
Checkout.com
Useful when comparing blended pricing, European coverage, and response-code oriented payment operations.
Airwallex
Useful when cross-border acceptance, FX exposure, and APAC coverage are central to the payment flow.
Public source links
Use these official pages to validate assumptions or escalate to direct provider conversations for exact quotes.
Updated: 2026-03-28
PSP fee comparison FAQ
Which PSP is cheapest for card payments?
There is no universally cheapest PSP. The best option depends on transaction amount, merchant region, issuer region, card brand, debit versus credit mix, FX exposure, and negotiated contract terms.
Are the fee comparison results exact quotes?
No. Results are estimates based on public pricing and documented assumptions. Actual merchant pricing may differ because of volume discounts, interchange-plus contracts, regional terms, and custom agreements.
When is cross-border pricing important?
Cross-border pricing matters when the card issuer and merchant are in different regions or when currency conversion is involved. In those scenarios, provider differences can change the effective rate materially.
How should merchants use this comparison?
Use it for scenario planning, shortlisting PSPs, and preparing provider questions. For final decisions, validate public assumptions with official pricing pages and direct provider quotes.