8 Best European Payment Gateways

Selecting the best international payment gateway provider is crucial for business expansion in the rapidly changing payment processing sector.

Small business owners in Europe require reliable, affordable, and secure solutions that facilitate international transactions, a variety of local payment options, and flexible billing.

The following 8 European payment gateways enable merchants to run their online businesses with confidence.

1. Unicorn Group

Unicorn Group offers a full-service, high-performing global payment gateway that provides everything serious, growing companies need to succeed.

This merchant services provider stands out due to its focus on strong infrastructure, security, and a feature-rich centralised dashboard that merchants can access from anywhere and any device.

Features

• Recurring billing (subscription services) and invoicing
• Advanced fraud protection and PCI Level 1 compliance
• Integration-friendly APIs, hosted payment pages, and customisable payment links
• Merchant accounts and acquiring bank orchestration

Payment Methods

• Major credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Amex)
• Local European methods (e.g., SEPA Direct Debit, iDEAL, Bancontact)
• Support for international payments and cross-border transactions

Pricing

• No setup or monthly fees for standard plans
• Competitive transaction fees
• Benefits of tiered volume pricing for larger retailers

Pros

• Widespread support for European payment methods
• Clear pricing and volume-based discounts
• Robust fraud protection and analytics tools
• Full-featured, scalable, comprehensive payment solution for significant business growth

Cons

• Low public profile compared to industry titans like Stripe or Ayden (fewer user reviews available)

Best for

Unicorn Group is best for aspiring small businesses and mid-sized merchants in Europe seeking a robust, secure, and scalable global payment processing solution. Options for enterprise-grade providers are also available on request.

2. Square

Serving several European markets in addition to the U.S, Square offers simplicity of use and clear pricing for small businesses that sell online, in-person, or both.

Features

• Invoicing, online checkout, and point of sale integrated into a single account
• Payment buttons, hosted checkout links, and a free online store builder
• PCI compliance and integrated fraud detection

Payment Methods

• Visa, Mastercard, and other major credit/debit cards
• Google Pay and Apple Pay

Pricing

• 1.75% for each in-person transaction in EU countries
• Online transactions incur a fixed fee of approximately 2.5 to 2.9%.

Pros

• Easy to set up, no monthly fees, and clear flat-rate pricing
• Online payments and unified point of sale under a single brand
• Free basic e-commerce tools included

Cons

• Fewer sophisticated developer APIs than some other payment gateways
• Local payment methods still not widely available in certain EU markets

Best for

Square is ideal for small European businesses seeking a unified, user-friendly platform with fixed prices and no long-term commitments for both online and in-person payments.

3. Adyen

Fast-growing and enterprise-level businesses favour Adyen, a premium, unified payment platform with local and global reach.

Features

• Omnichannel support for mobile, POS, online, and in-app
• More than 150 currencies, wallets, BNPL (Klarna), and local EU methods (SEPA, iDEAL, and Bancontact)
• PCI DSS compliance, fraud detection, real-time reports, and sophisticated developer tools with adaptable user interfaces, APIs, and plugins

Payment Methods

• Local European methods (SEPA, Direct Debit, iDeal, Bancontact)

Pricing

• There are no monthly fees or volume-based discounts. However, community feedback has highlighted the complexity and the minimum fees associated with small businesses.

Pros

• Excellent local and global coverage and scalability
• Strong analytics, security, and compliance
• Flexible integrations and omnichannel experience

Cons

• Complicated pricing and setup
• Potentially costly for small merchants if minimum fees are applicable

Best for

Adyen is ideal for medium-to-large European businesses with complex needs, global transactions, local credibility, and full omnichannel reach.

4. Mollie

Mollie is a payment service provider (PSP) that originated in the Netherlands. It is perfect for small-to-medium-sized businesses (SMBs) because of its ease of use, transparency, and wide local payment reach.

Features

• Simple integrations (WooCommerce, Magento, Shopify)
• Intuitive dashboards
• Tools for subscriptions
• Fraud prevention

Payment Methods

• SEPA, iDEAL, Bancontact, Sofort
• Apple Pay
• PayPal
• Cards

Pricing

• €0.29-0.25 per EU transaction
• No monthly fees

Pros

• Clear, affordable pricing with no lock-in or hidden fees
• Best-in-class ease of use and quick setup
• Excellent for local EU payment preferences

Cons

• Some other payment gateways are more sophisticated as far as fraud and analytics tools go.

Best for

Mollie is an interesting option for European small-to-medium e-commerce companies seeking a simple, fast, and local payment setup.

5. Worldpay

Worldpay, a legacy mainstay, has enterprise-level advantages but also some disadvantages for SMBs. It offers a wide global reach, reliable methods, and omnichannel capabilities.

Features

• Recurring billing
• POS
• Online payment flows
• Mobile payments
• Bank transfers
• Cards
• Fraud detection
• Dashboards

Payment Methods

• Mobile payments
• Local European cards (iDEAL)
• International cards
• Others

Pricing

• Custom quotes, typically beginning at approximately 1.5% plus a fixed fee (somewhat variable and unclear)

Pros

• Reputable brand, global reach, and multi-channel flexibility
• Good for large-scale operations

Cons

• Variable pricing with little transparency
• Slower customer support response times

Best for

Worldpay is best suited to larger merchants or those expecting rapid growth who require sophisticated, multi-channel payment infrastructures.

6. Braintree

PayPal-owned Braintree provides a full-service gateway that is particularly well-suited for companies that prioritise digital and mobile technologies.

Features

• Recurring billing
• Fraud tools
• Customisable checkout

Payment Methods

• Cards and major wallets via the PayPal ecosystem

Pricing

• 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction (USD); comparable for Europe
• No monthly fee

Pros

• No monthly fees
• Variety of payment types
• Robust mobile and app support

Cons

• Requires a merchant account
• Higher transaction fees
• Complex setup
• Limited developer community compared to Stripe

Best for

Braintree is good for medium-to-large e-commerce businesses looking for payment options and invoicing under PayPal’s umbrella.

7. Stripe

Stripe is widely used, developer-first, highly scalable, and provides robust tools for SaaS, startups, and international merchants, along with transparent pricing.

Features

• Supports over 135 currencies
• Advanced invoicing
• Recurring billing
• Analytics
• Fraud protection (Radar)

Payment Methods

• Bank debits
• Apple Pay and Google Pay
• Credit and debit cards
• Extensive worldwide coverage

Pricing

• 1.4% + €0.25 for EU cards
• No setup costs or monthly fees

Pros

• Easy setup
• Helpful tools and automation
• Reasonable prices
• Worldwide reach

Cons

• Complaints from community users about the manner of customer service representatives

Best for

Stripe is ideal for new and growing digital enterprises that require flexibility, subscriptions, worldwide reach, and developer-friendly tools.

8. BlueSnap

Often disregarded, BlueSnap is a global payments platform that offers multi-currency support, wide international coverage, and convenient one-stop shopping.

Features

• Fraud protection
• Hosted checkout
• Subscriptions
• Marketplace tools

Payment Methods

• Mobile payments
• Cards
• A variety of regional payment methods

Pricing

• Custom quotes usually include a fixed fee plus a percentage.

Pros

• Robust worldwide features and a holistic platform

Cons

• Less transparent pricing

Best for

BlueSnap is ideal for European SMBs looking for a comprehensive international payment solution with a growing international clientele.

What to Look for in a European Payment Gateway

Prioritise the following characteristics in a payment gateway for selling to customers in Europe:

1. Extensive Payment Method Support

You want coverage of major credit cards and debit cards, mobile payments (including Apple Pay and Google Pay), cross-border options, and local payment methods (SEPA, iDEAL, Bancontact, etc.).

2. Transparent & Affordable Pricing

Keep an eye out for volume discounts and low or no setup or monthly fees.

3. Multiple Currency & International Transaction Support

Support for cross-border payments and multiple currencies is critical, given that 28 different currencies are used across the 50 European countries that are members of the UN. This will set you up for cross-border sales and regional expansion.

4. Recurring Billing & Subscription Capabilities

Select providers with native recurring payment features if your company uses a subscription business model.

5. Security & Fraud Protection

PCI-DSS compliance and sophisticated fraud tools offer peace of mind and protect your business. Particularly noteworthy are Level 1 PCI compliance (Unicorn Group), Stripe’s Radar, and Adyen’s powerful fraud tools.

6. Easy Integration & Developer Tools

Seek out reliable hosted checkout options, Shopify and WooCommerce plugins, and APIs.

7. Customer Support & Onboarding

Responsive support makes or breaks your experience. Unicorn Group is commended for its seamless onboarding process, whereas Adyen and Worldpay might be slower to get up and running for smaller merchants.

8. Scalability & Business Fit

Make sure your gateway is set up to grow with your company, managing expansions in complexity, volume, and geography.

Know the Difference

A payment gateway is not the same as a merchant account. While a payment gateway securely processes and authorises transactions, the merchant account collects and temporarily retains customer funds until they are cleared. Knowing exactly which services you need will help you choose the right provider.

The Right Payment Gateway for Your Business

Each of the eight gateways we’ve covered has advantages. However, a few of these solutions stand out from the crowd:

• Unicorn Group is the best all-inclusive payment solution if you’re managing a serious, expansion-focused company in Europe. It combines scalable features, strong security, and transparent pricing with local and international capabilities.
• Adyen excels in global enterprise features.
• Stripe is still a market favourite for flexible, developer-focused infrastructure.
• Mollie is a great option for ease of setup and local popularity.

Choose a payment gateway provider based on the exact features you need and your budget requirements, prioritising security, growth potential, and robust customer support.