Stripe vs. Adyen: Comparing their performance in 2024

In the competitive world of payment services, two giants stand out for their innovation and growth: Stripe and Adyen. For anyone operating or scaling a digital payment business, understanding how these industry leaders perform can offer critical strategic insights. Both companies have demonstrated different but successful approaches in 2024, offering valuable lessons for Payment Service Providers (PSPs) and money transmitters looking to optimize their operations and strategies.

Growth and profitability: Two paths to success

In 2024, Stripe and Adyen reported impressive total payment volumes. Stripe reached $1.4 trillion, representing a 38% year-over-year growth and processing roughly 1.3% of the global GDP. Meanwhile, Adyen processed €1.29 trillion, a 33% increase from the previous year.

In terms of profitability, Adyen maintained a 50% EBITDA margin, with €992.3 million in pre-tax earnings, exceeding market expectations. While Stripe, as a private company, doesn’t disclose detailed figures, it achieved full-year profitability and heavily reinvested in R&D.

Geographic coverage and local adaptations

Both Stripe and Adyen have built strong global footprints in the world’s main financial markets. Stripe operates in over 40 countries, with a strong presence in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America. It has integrated local systems such as SPEI (Mexico), PIX (Brazil), FedNow (US), and UPI (India), enabling faster and more efficient payment processing.

Adyen also maintains global coverage with direct operations and licenses in over 30 countries. It has built localized integrations such as Faster Payments in the UK, SEPA in Europe, and PIX in Brazil, which allow for real-time payments and improved payment conversion across multiple regions. Its proprietary local infrastructure ensures greater customization and operational control in each market.

These integrations are critical for transnational companies, ensuring regulatory compliance, optimized user experience, and lower friction in international payment flows.

 
GTechnological innovation and market adaptability

The 2024 comparison between Stripe and Adyen reveals that there is no single formula for success in the payments sector. Stripe emphasizes software agility and cutting-edge technology, while Adyen focuses on payment integration and infrastructure expansion. For PSPs and money transmitters, these strategies offer valuable insights on how to adapt and thrive in an ever-evolving market.

Understanding how global leaders like Stripe and Adyen operate helps you make more strategic decisions when selecting or designing your payment infrastructure. It enables you to identify essential features, optimize operational costs, and ensure scalability across markets like Latin America. Benchmarking these practices is key to anticipating trends, avoiding common pitfalls, and finding tech partners that can truly scale your global operations.

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