Adyen Overview: How It Works, Features and Reviews
A practical look at Adyen for Indian exporters, freelancers, and agencies. We cover what Adyen actually is, who can and cannot use it in India, what a $10,000 international card payment really costs on interchange++, where it stands on RBI licensing, and how Skydo compares.
RBI's PA-CB framework
AICPA SOC2 certified
ISO: 2022 CertifiedWhat Is Adyen?
Adyen is a Dutch payments company founded in 2006 and listed on Euronext Amsterdam. It processed €1.39 trillion in 2025 for enterprises like Uber, Spotify and Microsoft, and has built its reputation on running online, in-app and in-store payments through one platform.
For India, Adyen holds an RBI online Payment Aggregator licence (July 2024) and runs direct local acquiring for Visa, Mastercard, RuPay and UPI — for businesses with an Indian entity selling to Indian customers. Its cross-border authorisation covers outward (import) flows only, so it cannot collect export payments into India.
In India, Adyen is used by global enterprise brands collecting payments from Indian consumers. Indian freelancers and SMB exporters are outside its model: there is no self-serve signup, and no inward export-collection flow to sign up for.
How Does Adyen Work?
Adyen is one integration for accepting payments online, in-app and in-store. Merchants sign a contract; Adyen acquires, processes and settles.
Sales-led onboarding
Contact sales, sign a contract, complete enterprise KYC; a developer test account is the only self-serve entry.
Unified acquiring
Accept 200+ payment methods in 150+ currencies through one integration; in India, cards, RuPay, UPI and netbanking.
Customer Area dashboard
Real-time payments data, risk settings, reports, disputes and payout configuration in one place.
Payouts run in T+1/T+2 batches with a default delay of 2–3 business days (3 for accounts not settling primarily in EUR, GBP or USD — the bucket INR falls in), on a daily to monthly schedule. Indian merchants settle in INR only, to a local bank account — foreign-currency balances cannot be held (RBI requirement).
Adyen provides no FIRA or e-FIRC, and no eBRC assistance. Because its Indian cross-border licence covers import flows only, export proceeds never move through Adyen — the documentation an exporter needs simply doesn't arise here.
Adyen Key Features
A quick look at what Adyen actually offers, and how much of it Indian exporters can use.
Unified commerce
Online, in-app and in-store payments through one platform with single reporting.
Interchange++ pricing
Wholesale card costs passed through at cost, plus a 0.60% + $0.13 markup.
Customer Area dashboard
Real-time reporting, dispute management, payout control and user roles.
Global acquiring
Direct acquiring across 14 listed markets and regions including India; 150+ processing currencies.
200+ payment methods
Cards, wallets and local methods; UPI, RuPay and netbanking for Indian domestic sales.
RevenueProtect risk engine
Configurable fraud rules and machine-learning risk scoring built into the platform.
Adyen for Platforms
Split payments, sub-merchant onboarding and embedded payouts for marketplaces.
Developer-first APIs
Test environment, webhooks, and plugins for Adobe Commerce, Salesforce, Shopify and more.
Bank-grade infrastructure
Banking licences in the EU, UK and US; 99.999% historical uptime claim.
Adyen Pricing and Fees
Adyen is transparent in an enterprise way: interchange++ plus 0.60% and $0.13 per transaction, with the real numbers living in your contract. International card payments still land around 3.5% all-in (est.). Here's the full breakdown for Indian businesses, with a worked example and a side-by-side calculator versus Skydo.
On a $10,000 invoice, an international card payment through Adyen costs roughly $350 (est.) once interchange, cross-border scheme fees, the 0.60% + $0.13 markup and 18% GST stack up. Skydo charges a flat $29 with zero FX markup. That's a difference of over $315 on a single payment.
Adyen Pros and Cons
- Single platform for online, in-app and in-store payments with unified reporting
- Interchange++ transparency — wholesale costs passed through at cost
- 200+ payment methods and 150+ currencies through one integration
- RBI-authorised online Payment Aggregator with direct India acquiring (Visa, Mastercard, RuPay, UPI)
- Enterprise-grade risk engine and a 99.999% historical uptime claim
- Banking licences in the EU, UK and US
- Trusted by Uber, Spotify, Microsoft and McDonald's
- Real-time Customer Area reporting and payout control
- Cannot collect export payments into India — cross-border licence is import-side only
- Sales-led onboarding with a minimum monthly invoice; no self-serve signup
- Built for enterprises — Indian freelancers and SMB exporters are outside the model
- Interchange++ means the final cost moves invoice to invoice
- No FIRA, no eBRC, no GST-compliant invoicing
- INR-only settlement; no foreign-currency holding in India
- Support is ticket-first; account managers only at enterprise scale
- FX, chargeback and minimum-invoice figures all unpublished, contract-specific
Adyen for Indian Freelancers and Exporters
Adyen is exceptional at what it is built for — and what it is built for is not Indian exporters.
When Adyen makes sense.
You run an enterprise with an Indian entity selling to Indian consumers at scale. You want online and in-store acquiring unified on one platform. You process enough volume to clear the minimum invoice and negotiate interchange++ terms. You have developer teams to integrate APIs.
When Adyen stops making sense.
You are an Indian freelancer, agency or SMB exporter collecting from clients abroad — Adyen's Indian cross-border licence covers import flows only. You need FIRA, eBRC or GST-compliant invoices. You want self-serve onboarding this week, flat fees, and support that knows Indian export compliance.
Adyen User Reviews: What Customers Say
Quotes from public Trustpilot, G2, TrustRadius and Capterra reviews by Adyen's business users worldwide — Indian merchant reviews of Adyen are scarce.
"Adyen will not work with vendors selling less than 10 million USD per year. This information is not made public… If you're a small eCommerce vendor then don't bother."
"Entry requirements are opaque, onboarding is selectively granted, and small or medium businesses are effectively filtered out."
"Sometimes the dashboard can feel a bit overwhelming, especially since we have different merchant portals for different markets when you are new."
"We use Adyen for processing payments worldwide on our e-commerce website and in our physical stores, where we use Adyen's POS terminals."
"Adyen have not accepted or approved my verification and have not given me any rationale… it's my business that has gone unpaid even when I have provided the products."
"Worldwide payment support for credit card and online payments… invoicing features aren't that user friendly."
Reviews paraphrased from publicly available sources. They reflect individual experiences, not Skydo's endorsement.
How Does Skydo Compare to Adyen?
Here's a side-by-side look at Adyen and Skydo across the things that actually matter for Indian exporters.
Transaction fee structure
~3.5% est. on intl cards
Flat $19 / $29 / 0.3%
FIRA
Not offered
Free, instant, per transaction
eBRC for Amazon sellers
Not supported
eBRC closure assistance
GST-compliant invoicing
Not available
Available on the dashboard
Settlement time
2 to 3 business days
Within 24 hours
Hold foreign currency (India)
Not available — INR-only settlement for Indian merchants; RBI prevents holding foreign currency
RBI prevents holding foreign currency
India-based support
Mumbai and Bengaluru offices; account management for enterprise contracts, no SMB support channel
Chat, Call and WhatsApp
RBI authorisation
PA + import-side PA-CB only
Full PA-CB licence
Best for
Enterprise omnichannel acquiring; global brands entering India
Recurring B2B exports, $500-$100K invoices
Frequently Asked Questions About Adyen
Is Adyen available for businesses in India?
Yes, but only for a narrow slice. Adyen holds an RBI online Payment Aggregator licence (July 2024) and serves enterprises with an Indian entity selling to Indian customers — onboarding is sales-led with a minimum invoice. It does not offer export collections: its cross-border authorisation covers outward (import) flows only. Indian freelancers and SMB exporters can't sign up to receive money from abroad.
How much does Adyen charge in India?
Adyen prices on interchange++: wholesale card costs passed through, plus 0.60% and a $0.13 fixed fee per transaction. UPI and RuPay rates aren't published — India pricing is effectively quote-based. On international cards, expect roughly 3–4% all-in once interchange, cross-border scheme fees and 18% GST stack up. There are no setup or monthly fees, but a minimum monthly invoice applies.
Can I hold USD in my Adyen account in India?
No. Adyen settles Indian merchants in INR only, to a local Indian bank account — SWIFT payouts aren't supported for INR, and foreign-currency holding isn't available in India. Adyen's like-for-like settlement (getting paid in the currency of sale) exists for other regions, not India. RBI rules point the same way: export proceeds must convert to INR. Skydo settles at the live mid-market rate with zero FX markup.
Does Adyen provide FIRA?
No. Adyen's documentation has no FIRA, e-FIRC or eBRC provision — and the flow where you'd need one doesn't exist on Adyen, since its Indian cross-border licence covers import-side transactions only. If you're collecting export payments, you need a platform that issues FIRA: Skydo provides a free digital FIRA for every payment, instantly, and automates eBRC.
Is Adyen safe to use in India?
Yes — safety isn't the issue. Adyen is a listed company on Euronext Amsterdam, holds banking licences in the EU, UK and US, and is RBI-authorised as an online Payment Aggregator in India, with a 99.999% historical uptime claim. The issue is access and fit: enterprise-only onboarding, and no export-collection flow for Indian businesses. For collecting money from abroad, an inward-licensed platform like Skydo is the relevant kind of safe.
What's the best Adyen alternative for Indian freelancers?
Skydo. Adyen doesn't onboard Indian freelancers at all — it's enterprise, sales-led, and licensed for import-side flows. Skydo is built for exactly this job: flat $19–$29 pricing per invoice, zero FX markup at the live mid-market rate, free instant FIRA, automated eBRC, and full RBI PA-CB authorisation (inward January 2026, outward May 2026). Onboarding takes about five minutes with PAN and Aadhaar.
Can I send money out of India with Adyen?
Not as an individual or small business. Adyen's outward-side PA-CB authorisation exists to let global merchants collect payments from Indian customers — a European brand charging an Indian shopper — not to offer remittance services. It has no consumer product for sending money abroad and no LRS remittance tool. For business payments out of India, you'd use your bank or a remittance provider.
Should I use Adyen or Skydo?
Different jobs. If you're an enterprise with an Indian entity acquiring payments from Indian consumers — online and in-store — Adyen is world-class. If you're an Indian exporter, freelancer or agency collecting payments from clients abroad, Adyen isn't available to you; Skydo is built for it: flat fees, mid-market FX, instant FIRA, automated eBRC, and full inward-outward PA-CB authorisation. Many enterprises could sensibly run both.
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