tech from europe
PayPal

The best alternatives to PayPal

5 European alternatives · updated 13 October 2026 · How we select

PayPal’s default US data hosting and currency conversion fees drive EU businesses to seek alternatives. Adyen and Mollie provide EU-hosted payment processing with local methods and PCI-DSS compliance. GoCardless focuses on direct debit and open banking, sidestepping PayPal’s cross-border costs. Payrexx adds a free plan and Swiss-based subscriptions to the mix.

In short

PayPal covers payment processing, recurring billing, fraud protection, multi-currency support and developer tools. European alternatives: Mollie, GoCardless, Adyen, Payrexx and Klarna. By area: Mollie, Adyen and Payrexx for payment processing; Mollie, GoCardless and Adyen for recurring billing; Mollie and Adyen for fraud protection; Mollie, GoCardless and Adyen for multi-currency support; Mollie, Adyen and Payrexx for developer tools.

European alternatives to PayPal

Mollie🇳🇱 NL

Dutch payment gateway with local EU methods and PCI DSS Level 1 compliance

Replaces PayPal for online and in-person payments with local EU methods and subscriptions.

Covers all of PayPal★ 4.4 (10307 reviews)
EU hostingGDPRPCI DSS Level 1
Mollie vs PayPal →
What users praise and criticise
  • Fast onboarding with minimal paperwork and near-instant account activation for European businesses
  • Intuitive, clean dashboard for non-technical users to manage payments, refunds, and performance
  • Supports 35+ payment methods, including global and local options
  • Inconsistent onboarding experience with slow responses and incorrect information from support
  • Mixed customer support quality, ranging from clear guidance to poor communication
  • Pricing perceived as unclear or expensive by some users
GoCardless🇬🇧 GB

UK-based payment gateway for recurring and one-off bank debit and open banking payments

Handles recurring bank debit and open banking payments but not card payments.

Recurring billingMulti-currency supportFrom £4★ 2.7 (2903 reviews)
EU hostingGDPRISO 27001
GoCardless vs PayPal →
What users praise and criticise
  • Easy setup with a user-friendly dashboard and straightforward interface
  • Automated recurring payments reduce administrative workload
  • Seamless integrations with Xero, QuickBooks, and Salesforce with automatic reconciliation
  • Slower payment processing times, up to 7 working days for first collections
  • No support for credit/debit cards, digital wallets, or buy-now-pay-later options
  • Customer service issues, including slow responses and unresolved account suspensions
Adyen🇳🇱 NL

Global payment gateway with EU-hosted processing and PCI-DSS Level 1 compliance

Full payment suite with global methods, subscriptions, and fraud tools for large businesses.

Covers all of PayPal★ 2.1 (538 reviews)Import from PayPal: ✓ via CSV export · source
EU hostingGDPROpen SourcePCI-DSS Level 1
Adyen vs PayPal →
What users praise and criticise
  • Intuitive and user-friendly interface for payment processing and account management
  • Omnichannel payment support across online, in-store, and mobile channels
  • Global coverage with support for multiple payment methods and currencies
  • Support response times can exceed the 24-hour SLA, with agents occasionally lacking product knowledge
  • Documentation is sometimes out of sync or lacks depth
  • Slow rollout of platform changes and limited native data visualization capabilities
Payrexx🇨🇭 CH

Swiss payment gateway with subscriptions, QR-bill and POS terminals

Covers online, QR, and POS payments with subscriptions and developer tools.

Payment processingRecurring billingMulti-currency supportDeveloper toolsFrom 12.00 CHF/mo★ 2.9 (35 reviews)
EU hostingGDPRFree planPCI DSS Level 1
Payrexx vs PayPal →
What users praise and criticise
  • Extremely quick and easy setup without programming skills, often completed in minutes
  • Supports over 200 payment methods across 20+ providers, including local options like TWINT
  • Transparent pricing with a free plan, discounts for startups (30%) and nonprofits (50%)
  • Feature set optimized primarily for Swiss and DACH markets, with fewer local options for Southern/Eastern Europe
  • Limited advanced features for large enterprises (e.g., revenue recognition, complex tax handling)
  • Pricing in Swiss francs introduces currency risk for EU-based businesses
Klarna🇸🇪 SE

Swedish payment gateway with BNPL, installments and EU-regulated banking

Offers BNPL and installments but lacks card payments and global reach.

Payment processingRecurring billing★ 3.4 (3515659 reviews)
EU hostingGDPR
Klarna vs PayPal →
What users praise and criticise
  • Flexible payment options like Buy Now, Pay Later and installment plans
  • Intuitive app with clear payment schedules and spending overviews
  • Simplified checkout process reducing cart abandonment
  • Higher transaction fees compared to competitors
  • Delays in transaction processing and fund disbursement
  • Limited merchant acceptance

All PayPal alternatives at a glance

Which part of PayPal each alternative covers.

ProviderPayment processingRecurring billingFraud protectionMulti-currency supportDeveloper toolsFromRatingImport from PayPal
PayPal 🇺🇸 (the tool you are replacing)✓✓✓✓✓$0.30★ 4.3–
Mollie 🇳🇱✓✓✓✓✓On request★ 4.4 (10307)–
GoCardless 🇬🇧✓✓£4★ 2.7 (2903)–
Adyen 🇳🇱✓✓✓✓✓On request★ 2.1 (538)✓ via file
Payrexx 🇨🇭✓✓✓✓12.00 CHF/mo★ 2.9 (35)–
Klarna 🇸🇪✓✓On request★ 3.4 (3515659)–

Prices per user and month in the cheapest paid plan. Ratings are weighted across G2, Capterra, OMR and other portals, with the review count in brackets.

PayPal: the facts

What to know about the tool you are replacing, with sources.

Headquarters
🇺🇸 US · since 1998
Where your data is stored
EU region only on some plansEU data residency available on request for certain enterprise plans.
Transfers to the US based on
Standard Contractual Clauses
Contracts
DPA · Sub-processors
Price
from $0.30
Rating
★ 4.3 (2,121 reviews)

What users value in PayPal

  • Widely recognized and trusted by consumers
  • Easy to set up and use
  • Supports a broad range of payment methods

What they criticise

  • High transaction fees for small businesses
  • Account holds and freezes can be frustrating
  • Customer support can be slow

Sources: paypal.com · paypalobjects.com · g2.com · capterra.com · researched 5 October 2026

Moving away from PayPal

PayPal exports your data as CSV and PDF, and its API can read everything out. Via the export files: Adyen. Every import above links its source on the product card.

Frequently asked questions

Why do businesses switch from PayPal to a European alternative?

Businesses switch to regain control over data residency and compliance. PayPal is US-based and only offers EU data residency on request for certain enterprise plans. European providers like Mollie, Adyen and Payrexx host data in the EU by default.

Which European PayPal alternatives are GDPR-compliant?

Mollie, Adyen, GoCardless, Klarna and Payrexx are all EU-based and comply with GDPR. Payrexx and Mollie also host customer data exclusively in the EU.

Can I migrate existing PayPal customers to a new provider?

Adyen supports direct migration from PayPal via CSV export. For other providers, check the import options of the tool you shortlist.

What is the best European alternative to PayPal for online stores?

Mollie is a strong fit for online stores with its broad EU payment method support and integrations for Shopify, WooCommerce and Magento. Payrexx also works well for stores and offers a free plan.

Which European PayPal alternatives offer a free plan?

Payrexx offers a free plan. Adyen is open source and free to use.

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