Online payment provider for SMEs: Mollie, Stripe, Adyen or PayPal?
The right payment provider for an SME webshop depends on payment methods, transaction costs, GDPR compliance and technical integration. A comparison of four providers with PSD2/SCA requirements and selection criteria.
- For Dutch-first SME webshops, Mollie is the most common choice: iDEAL (70%+ of Dutch online payments), no mandatory monthly subscription for the basic tier, Dutch support, and a GDPR Art. 28 Data Processing Agreement available on EU servers. Stripe is the better choice for international payments or API-intensive integrations (Stripe Connect for marketplaces). Adyen is enterprise-grade, suited to high-volume retailers needing omnichannel (online + POS). PayPal offers recognised B2C trust for marketplaces and freelancers but has a lower conversion rate for B2B transactions. All transaction costs are indicative; check current rates with the provider.
- PSD2/SCA requirement: payment providers must apply Strong Customer Authentication (3DS2) to payments above €30 unless an exemption applies (low value, trusted beneficiary, TRA). All four listed providers are PSD2/SCA compliant.
- GDPR Art. 28: payment providers process your customers' personal data (name, email, IBAN, transaction data) on your behalf. A Data Processing Agreement (DPA) is legally required. All four providers offer a DPA. EU AI Act Art. 4 applies to commercial use of AI fraud detection such as Stripe Radar.
Which payment provider does a Dutch SME choose?
For a Dutch SME webshop, choosing a payment provider starts with iDEAL: over 70% of all Dutch online payments flow through iDEAL, meaning a provider without iDEAL support immediately costs sales. Mollie (Amsterdam) is the Dutch market leader for SMEs, offering iDEAL, Bancontact, Klarna, Apple Pay, Google Pay, SEPA Direct Debit and credit cards in a dashboard with no mandatory monthly subscription for the basic tier. Stripe (Dublin, EU entity) is the preferred choice for international webshops and API-intensive integrations, including Stripe Connect for platform and marketplace payments. Adyen (Amsterdam) targets enterprise retailers with high transaction volumes and omnichannel needs (online, POS, in-app). PayPal (Luxembourg, EU entity) offers recognised B2C trust that converts well for marketplaces and international B2C sales, but has a lower conversion rate for B2B transactions. PSD2/SCA, the GDPR Data Processing Agreement and fraud detection are selection criteria alongside price.
Payment providers for SMEs: features and costs 2026
Transaction costs are indicative (excl. VAT). The exact price depends on transaction volume, payment method and any contractual terms. Check current rates at mollie.com, stripe.com, adyen.com and paypal.com.
Mollie
Mollie (Amsterdam, Netherlands) is the Dutch market leader for SME webshops. Payment methods: iDEAL, Bancontact, Klarna, Apple Pay, Google Pay, SEPA Direct Debit, Visa, Mastercard and Amex. No mandatory monthly subscription for the basic tier. Indicative transaction costs: iDEAL indicatively €0.29 per transaction; credit card indicatively 1.8% + €0.25 per transaction (check mollie.com for current rates). Free sandbox environment available; WooCommerce and Shopify plugins available. Mollie processes data on EU servers (Netherlands); GDPR Art. 28 DPA available. PSD2/SCA/3DS2 compliant. EU AI Act Art. 4 applies when using AI fraud detection. Best choice for Dutch-first SME webshops that prioritise iDEAL.
Stripe
Stripe (Dublin, Ireland; EU entity: Stripe Payments Europe Ltd.) is the international API-first payment provider. Payment methods: iDEAL, Bancontact, SEPA Direct Debit, Klarna, Visa, Mastercard and Amex. Indicative transaction costs: EU cards indicatively 1.5% + €0.25 per transaction; iDEAL indicatively €0.29 per transaction; non-EU cards higher (check stripe.com). Stripe Radar provides built-in ML fraud detection; Stripe Connect facilitates platform and marketplace payments. GDPR Art. 28 DPA available (Stripe Payments Europe Ltd., Dublin). PSD2/SCA/3DS2 compliant. EU AI Act Art. 4 applies to commercial use of Stripe Radar (AI fraud detection). Best choice for international webshops, API-intensive integrations and marketplaces.
Adyen
Adyen (Amsterdam, Netherlands) is the enterprise omnichannel payment platform for high-volume retailers. Payment methods: all major payment methods (iDEAL, Bancontact, Visa, Mastercard, Amex, WeChat Pay, Alipay). Pricing model: interchange++ plus indicatively €0.10 processing fee per transaction; indicative minimum monthly amount approximately €120 (check adyen.com for current rates). No monthly subscription; revenue-share model based on actual interchange. GDPR Art. 28 DPA available; EU servers (Netherlands). PSD2/SCA/3DS2 compliant. EU AI Act Art. 4 applies to commercial use of AI risk models. Best choice for enterprise retailers with 50,000+ transactions per month and omnichannel (online + POS + in-app).
PayPal
PayPal (Luxembourg; EU entity: PayPal (Europe) S.à r.l. et Cie, S.C.A.) offers globally recognised B2C trust. Payment methods: PayPal wallet, iDEAL (via Braintree), credit cards. Indicative transaction costs: 3.4% + €0.35 per transaction (standard); lower rates available at high volume (check paypal.com). GDPR Art. 28 DPA available; data may be partially processed in the US via Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC). PSD2/SCA compliant. EU AI Act Art. 4 applies to commercial use of AI risk detection. Lower conversion rate for B2B transactions compared to Mollie and Stripe. Best choice for marketplaces, freelance and B2C platforms where PayPal brand recognition converts.
Payment providers and the law: PSD2/SCA, GDPR Art. 28 and EU AI Act
PSD2 (Payment Services Directive, 2015/2366/EU) requires Strong Customer Authentication (SCA/3DS2) for online payments above €30, unless an exemption applies such as the low-value exemption (under €30), trusted beneficiary (whitelisted merchant) or transaction risk analysis (TRA). All four listed providers implement 3DS2 automatically. Verify that your payment integration correctly triggers the SCA flow; a misconfigured 3DS2 flow leads to higher decline rates. GDPR Art. 28 is mandatory: payment providers process your customers' personal data on your behalf, including name, email address, IBAN or card details and transaction data. This makes the payment provider a processor (GDPR Art. 4 para. 8); a Data Processing Agreement (DPA) is legally required. All four providers offer a DPA. Also check whether the provider processes data outside the EU: for PayPal, Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) apply to any US-side processing. EU AI Act Art. 4 (applicable from 2 February 2025): when commercially using AI fraud detection (Stripe Radar, Adyen RevenueProtect), role-specific AI literacy measures are required for staff who deploy or monitor those AI systems.
Frequently asked questions about payment providers for SMEs
Which payment provider is best for a Dutch SME webshop?
Do I need to conclude a Data Processing Agreement with my payment provider?
What is PSD2/SCA and does my webshop need to comply?
What does Mollie cost compared to Stripe?
Does the EU AI Act apply to fraud detection by payment providers?
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