dLocal

Adyen

dLocal vs Adyen: Which Is Better? (2026)

dLocal vs Adyen — The Verdict

dLocal specializes in emerging markets — Latin America, Africa, and Asia — offering unmatched depth of local payment methods, local acquiring, and cross-border payout capabilities in these regions. Adyen is a global payment platform that covers emerging markets as part of its worldwide footprint but with less depth in local methods. Choose dLocal for deep emerging market expertise; choose Adyen for a unified global platform.

Rating Comparison

dLocal

4.0

Overall

Adyen

4.5

3.5

Pricing

4.0

4.2

Features

4.8

3.8

Ease of Use

3.8

Support

4.2

4.5

Global Coverage

4.9

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	dLocal	Adyen
Transaction Fee	Custom (typically 3-5% depending on market)	Interchange++ (€0.11 processing + scheme fee + interchange)
Monthly Fee	Custom	$0
Setup Fee	Custom	$0
Payout Schedule	Varies by country (typically T+2 to T+14)	Next business day (configurable)
Pricing Model	Custom	Interchange+
Founded	2016	2006
Headquarters	Montevideo, Uruguay	Amsterdam, Netherlands
Countries	40 countries	172 countries
Currencies	40 currencies	145 currencies
Payment Methods	17 methods	19 methods
Features	15 features	20 features

Category Breakdown

Emerging Market Coverage

dLocal

dLocal operates as a single API for 40+ emerging market countries across Latin America, Africa, and Asia with deep local payment method support (PIX, Boleto, OXXO, M-Pesa, UPI, and hundreds more). Adyen covers some of these markets but dLocal's local acquiring and method coverage in emerging economies is significantly deeper.

Global Developed Market Coverage

Adyen

Adyen processes payments in 200+ countries with local acquiring in 40+ markets including all major developed economies (US, EU, UK, Japan, Australia). dLocal focuses exclusively on emerging markets and does not process payments in developed markets.

Cross-Border Payouts to Emerging Markets

dLocal

dLocal provides cross-border payout capabilities to recipients in emerging markets in local currencies — critical for marketplaces, gig platforms, and remittance businesses. Adyen offers payouts but dLocal's emerging market payout network is more extensive and supports more local disbursement methods.

Unified Commerce

Adyen

Adyen offers unified online, in-app, and in-store payment processing with its own POS terminals. dLocal is focused on online payment collection and payouts — it does not offer point-of-sale solutions.

Local Tax & Regulatory Compliance

dLocal

dLocal handles complex emerging market regulatory requirements as a core competency — currency controls in Argentina, PIX instant payment rules in Brazil, tax withholding in Colombia, and similar complexities. They abstract away regulatory burden for global merchants entering these markets.

Enterprise Platform & Data

Adyen

Adyen's enterprise platform offers advanced authorization optimization, network tokenization, RevenueAccelerate, and sophisticated data analytics. Its reporting and business intelligence tools are more mature and comprehensive than dLocal's dashboards.

Which Should You Choose?

Choose dLocal if...

Global companies expanding into Latin America — dLocal's deep coverage of LATAM payment methods (PIX, Boleto, OXXO, PSE, Webpay, and dozens more), local acquiring in every major LATAM market, and regulatory expertise make it the specialist choice for entering Latin American markets.
Marketplace paying out to emerging market sellers — dLocal's cross-border payout network covers 40+ emerging markets with local disbursement in local currencies via bank transfer, mobile money, and wallets. For platforms like gig economy apps or marketplaces paying sellers in Brazil, Mexico, Nigeria, or India, dLocal is purpose-built.
Streaming services entering Africa — dLocal supports M-Pesa, Airtel Money, and other mobile money methods across multiple African countries — essential for reaching consumers in markets where card penetration is low. Its single integration covers multiple African markets simultaneously.

Choose Adyen if...

Enterprise needing a single global PSP — Adyen provides a single platform covering developed and emerging markets alike. For enterprises that want one payment partner worldwide — including Europe, North America, and Asia-Pacific alongside emerging markets — Adyen offers the most unified global solution.
Omnichannel retail — Adyen's unified commerce platform with integrated POS terminals is the right choice for retailers needing connected online and in-store payment experiences. dLocal does not offer point-of-sale solutions.

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Related Resources

dLocal

Adyen

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Boleto Bancário

UPI

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is dLocal and how does it differ from Adyen?

dLocal is a payment platform specialized in emerging markets (Latin America, Africa, Asia). It provides a single API to accept payments and make payouts in 40+ countries using hundreds of local payment methods. Adyen is a global payment platform serving all markets. The key difference is depth vs breadth: dLocal goes deeper in emerging markets while Adyen covers the entire world.

Can I use dLocal for payments in the US or Europe?

No. dLocal focuses exclusively on emerging markets. If you need to process payments in developed markets like the US, EU, or UK, you would need Adyen or another global PSP. Many businesses use dLocal specifically for emerging markets alongside a global PSP for developed markets.

Does Adyen support PIX and other LATAM payment methods?

Adyen does support major LATAM payment methods including PIX in Brazil and OXXO in Mexico. However, dLocal typically offers broader coverage of local methods in each market, faster activation of new methods, and deeper regulatory integration — especially in smaller or more complex emerging markets.

Which handles currency controls better in markets like Argentina?

dLocal specializes in navigating complex currency controls, capital restrictions, and regulatory requirements in markets like Argentina, Nigeria, and Egypt. This is a core part of their value proposition. Adyen addresses these challenges too but dLocal's specialized focus means they often adapt faster to regulatory changes.

Can I use both dLocal and Adyen together?

Yes, and this is a common strategy. Many global businesses use Adyen as their primary PSP for developed markets and route emerging market transactions through dLocal for better local payment coverage and success rates. This hybrid approach leverages each provider's strengths.