Adyen vs Clearent

A feature-by-feature comparison for ISVs integrating payments.

By Marcus Reed·Updated October 13, 2026

Adyen Review →Clearent Review →Adyen Pricing →Clearent Pricing →

Note: Clearent rebranded to Xplor Pay on July 8, 2025. Press release →

Adyen is a Dutch company that acts as gateway, processor and acquirer at once, with local acquiring licences in 30+ markets and its own terminals. Clearent, now sold as Xplor Pay, serves the US mid-market from a single offering that combines processing with partner tools, plus an embedded program under which a platform can facilitate payments without a full registration.

Feature Comparison

Adyen6.5Winner

vs13 criteria

Clearent5.5

Feature	Adyen	Clearent	Notes
Integration Architecture	8	6	Adyen has an edge (8 vs 6). Single-platform architecture connecting acquiring, processing, and risk management under one contract. Clearent: Mid-market payment platform combining processing and ISV tools in a single offering
API & Developer Experience	7	5	Adyen has an edge (7 vs 5). Solid API documentation though less developer-community focus than Stripe; integration requires more upfront effort. Clearent: Decent APIs for mid-market ISVs with integration support but limited developer community
White-Label Capabilities	4	6	Clearent has an edge (6 vs 4). Offers some white-label options for ISV partners including branded payment flows. Adyen: Co-branded checkout experience with Adyen branding present in most merchant-facing flows
Processor Flexibility	2	3	Clearent scores slightly higher (3 vs 2). Processes on own network with limited routing to external acquirers. Adyen: Adyen acts as both gateway and acquirer — no option to route to third-party processors
Pricing & Fee Structure	7	7	Both score 7/10. Adyen: Interchange-plus pricing with acquiring markups; favorable economics at high volumes. Clearent: Transparent interchange-plus pricing with ISV-friendly volume economics.
Omnichannel & In-Person Payments	9	6	Adyen has an edge (9 vs 6). Purpose-built terminal fleet with unified online and in-store transaction data. Clearent: Solid mid-market terminal support with EMV and contactless capabilities
Fraud & Security	9	6	Adyen has an edge (9 vs 6). RevenueProtect ML engine with custom risk rules, network tokenization, and 3DS2 optimization. Clearent: Standard PCI compliance and fraud tools appropriate for mid-market processing volumes
Revenue Sharing	6	6	Both score 6/10. Adyen: Adyen for Platforms includes rev-share but economics favor high-volume ISVs. Clearent: ISV revenue sharing program with margin control over interchange spread.
Merchant Onboarding	5	7	Clearent has an edge (7 vs 5). Streamlined onboarding with fast merchant activation for ISV sub-merchants. Adyen: Longer onboarding cycles with higher minimum volume expectations; not suited for SMB activation
Global Reach	10	3	Adyen leads significantly (10 vs 3). Local acquiring licenses in 30+ markets reducing decline rates and cross-border fees. Clearent: US-only processing — no international acquiring capabilities
Recurring Billing	6	5	Adyen scores slightly higher (6 vs 5). Subscription management available but not the platform's primary focus; better at one-time payments. Clearent: Basic recurring payment features through gateway tokenization
Customer Support	5	6	Clearent scores slightly higher (6 vs 5). Responsive mid-market support team with dedicated ISV partner managers. Adyen: Dedicated account management for enterprise clients; limited self-service options for smaller partners
PayFac Options	6	5	Adyen scores slightly higher (6 vs 5). Adyen for Platforms provides embedded payments with managed compliance, but requires revenue commitment. Clearent: Embedded payments program allows ISVs to facilitate payments without full PayFac setup

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Best for

Adyen

Best for enterprise ISVs processing high volumes internationally who need direct acquiring, local payment methods, and interchange-plus economics. Not ideal for early-stage ISVs due to minimum volume expectations.

Visit adyen.com ↗

Best for

Clearent

Best for ISVs in healthcare, B2B, and professional services verticals wanting a payment partner with deep vertical expertise. Now offers expanded capabilities through the Xplor Technologies platform.

Visit xplorpay.com ↗

Adyen vs Clearent: What ISVs Need to Know

Choosing between Adyen and Clearent for embedded payments is a decision that directly impacts your ISV’s revenue model, merchant experience, and technical architecture. This comparison breaks down where each platform excels from an ISV integration perspective.

Key Differences for ISVs

The most important distinction between Adyen and Clearent comes down to how each platform approaches ISV payment facilitation. Adyen and Clearent take fundamentally different approaches to merchant onboarding, revenue sharing, and platform integration — and those differences matter when you’re building payments into your software.

Integration architecture varies significantly between the two. ISVs evaluating Adyen vs Clearent should consider how each platform handles sub-merchant onboarding, payment splitting, and settlement timing. The right choice depends on your specific vertical, transaction volumes, and how much control you need over the merchant payment experience.

Pricing and revenue economics also differ. ISVs earn money from embedded payments through the spread between what they charge merchants and what the processor charges them. The pricing model each platform uses — flat-rate, interchange-plus, or custom — directly affects your payment revenue per transaction.

Which Platform Fits Your ISV?

The best choice between Adyen and Clearent depends on your ISV’s specific requirements:

Transaction volume: Higher-volume ISVs may benefit from interchange-plus pricing, while lower-volume platforms often prefer flat-rate simplicity
Merchant type: B2B merchants have different payment needs than consumer-facing businesses
Geographic scope: International payment support varies significantly between providers
Integration depth: Some ISVs need white-label checkout while others are fine with co-branded experiences
Revenue model: How much of the payment margin you want to capture determines which platform’s economics work better

The ISV Payment Integration Perspective

For ISVs evaluating Adyen vs Clearent, the comparison shouldn’t stop at processing fees. Consider the total cost of integration, ongoing maintenance, and the revenue opportunity from embedded payments. The platform that generates the most payment revenue for your ISV while providing the best merchant experience is the right choice — and that calculation is different for every software company.

Evaluate both platforms against your specific use case. Request ISV-specific pricing from each, and compare the total economics including setup costs, per-transaction revenue, and the engineering investment required to integrate and maintain each platform.