GoCardless and Mollie are both European payment companies with pay-as-you-go pricing, but they cover different parts of the payment stack. GoCardless,…
Best for GoCardless: Businesses collecting recurring subscription or invoice payments via bank debit across SEPA countries, the UK, or Sweden, that want a dedicated add-on to automatically recover up to 70% of failed payments (Success+), and that value 350+ named integrations with accounting tools like Xero, QuickBooks, and Zuora.
Best for Mollie: Businesses that need to accept a wide range of payment methods — cards, PayPal, iDEAL, Klarna, Apple Pay, Google Pay — for both online and in-person (POS terminal) transactions, and that want prebuilt developer libraries in JavaScript, PHP, .NET, and Python.
At a Glance
GoCardless
Mollie
Primary category
Payments
Payments
Rating
Not documented
Not documented
Pricing model
Usage-based
Subscription
Starting price
1% + 20p per transaction (Standard plan, capped)
Free to start; transaction fees from around 0.25 EUR + 1.8% for card payments
Free plan
Yes
Not documented
Free trial
Not documented
Not documented
Platforms
Web
Web
Team collaboration
Not documented
Not documented
AI features
Not documented
Not documented
Public API
Yes
Yes
Key Differences
Payment method scope
GoCardless: GoCardless's documented methods are bank-to-bank Direct Debit schemes: SEPA, UK Direct Debit, and Swedish Autogiro. Card payments are not documented.
Mollie: Mollie accepts cards, PayPal, SEPA, iDEAL, Klarna, Apple Pay, and Google Pay for online payments.
A business that needs card acceptance alongside Direct Debit would need to look beyond GoCardless's documented feature set, while Mollie documents both bank-debit and card methods.
In-person payment acceptance
GoCardless: GoCardless's facts do not document any in-person or point-of-sale payment capability.
Mollie: Mollie offers in-person payments via POS card terminals, on either a Pay-as-you-Go (€0/month) or Pro (€20/month, 1-year contract) plan.
In-person acceptance is a distinct product surface from online-only payment collection.
Failed-payment recovery
GoCardless: GoCardless's Success+ add-on automatically recovers up to 70% of failed payments.
Mollie: Mollie's facts do not document an equivalent failed-payment recovery feature.
Recurring-billing businesses lose revenue to failed Direct Debit collections; an automated recovery feature directly addresses that specific risk.
Named accounting integrations vs. developer libraries
GoCardless: GoCardless documents 350+ integrations, including named accounting platforms Xero, QuickBooks, and Zuora.
Mollie: Mollie documents prebuilt e-commerce integrations and developer libraries for JavaScript, PHP, .NET, and Python, without a specific named integration count.
A large named integration catalog benefits finance teams connecting to existing accounting software, while language-specific libraries benefit engineering teams building custom checkout flows.
Headquarters disclosure
GoCardless: GoCardless SAS is documented as headquartered in Paris, France.
Mollie: Mollie's headquarters is not documented in the facts available.
A disclosed legal headquarters can matter for procurement and contractual due diligence.
Feature-by-Feature
Payment Methods
Feature
GoCardless
Mollie
Card payments
Not documented
Available
SEPA / bank Direct Debit
Available
Available
In-person / POS terminal payments
Unavailable
Available
Buy-now-pay-later (Klarna)
Not documented
Available
Risk & Recovery
Feature
GoCardless
Mollie
Failed-payment recovery add-on
Available
Not documented
Fraud protection
Available
Available
Chargeback challenge assistance
Available
Not documented
Pricing & Reach
Feature
GoCardless
Mollie
Published base transaction rate
Available
Available
Capped domestic fee
Available
Not documented
No-contract standard tier
Available
Available
Named accounting integrations
Available
Not documented
Pricing Compared
Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.
GoCardless
Standard — 1% + 20p per transaction (capped at GBP 4) Per transaction
Advanced — 1.25% + 20p per transaction (capped at GBP 5) Per transaction
Pro — 1.4% + 20p per transaction (capped at GBP 5.60) Per transaction
Custom — Custom pricing Negotiated
Mollie
Standard (Pay-as-you-go) — No monthly fee; per-transaction fees from around 0.25 EUR + 1.8% Per transaction
In-Person Pro — EUR 20/month Monthly (1-year commitment)
Volume/Enterprise — Custom Custom
Pros & Cons
GoCardless
Pros
Lower failure and chargeback rates than card payments for recurring billing
Broad coverage across 40-plus countries through one integration
Automated payment recovery (Success+) can meaningfully reduce failed-payment revenue loss
No setup or monthly fees on standard plans
Large library of pre-built accounting and CRM integrations
Cons
Transaction fees scale with plan tier, and advanced fraud and recovery features cost more
International transaction fees are notably higher than domestic ones
Custom checkout and bank-statement branding cost extra on top of transaction fees
Direct debit payments settle more slowly than card payments in some markets
Pending acquisition by Mollie introduces uncertainty around future branding and roadmap
Mollie
Pros
Transparent, pay-per-transaction pricing with no monthly fees on the base online plan
Broad support for local European payment methods that boost conversion, like iDEAL
No lock-in contracts and fast onboarding for new merchants
Covers both online and in-person payments from one platform
Backed by strong funding and a large customer base across Europe
Cons
Primarily focused on Europe, with less depth in some non-European markets compared to Stripe or Adyen
Transaction fees vary meaningfully by payment method and card type, which can complicate cost forecasting
Some advanced enterprise features require custom/volume pricing negotiations
Use Cases
Choose GoCardless: Businesses collecting recurring subscription or invoice payments via bank debit across SEPA countries, the UK, or Sweden, that want a dedicated add-on to automatically recover up to 70% of failed payments (Success+), and that value 350+ named integrations with accounting tools like Xero, QuickBooks, and Zuora.
Choose Mollie: Businesses that need to accept a wide range of payment methods — cards, PayPal, iDEAL, Klarna, Apple Pay, Google Pay — for both online and in-person (POS terminal) transactions, and that want prebuilt developer libraries in JavaScript, PHP, .NET, and Python.
Need both: A subscription business with European customers could reasonably use GoCardless for its documented specialty — automated recurring bank-debit collection with Success+ failed-payment recovery — while using Mollie for one-off card, wallet, or in-person payments, since neither tool's documented feature set covers the other's core use case.
GoCardless
Subscription and SaaS billing — Software companies collect recurring subscription payments via direct debit to reduce card-failure churn.
Membership and subscription-box billing — Membership organizations and subscription-box services automate recurring dues collection across multiple countries.
B2B invoicing and instalment billing — B2B billing platforms collect one-off invoices and instalment payments directly from customer bank accounts.
Mollie
European e-commerce checkout — Online retailers integrate Mollie to accept local and international payment methods with high conversion in European markets.
Marketplace and platform payments — Multi-vendor marketplaces use Mollie's payment splitting to route funds to different sellers automatically.
Retail point-of-sale payments — Physical retailers use Mollie's in-person card terminals alongside their online store for unified reporting.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does GoCardless charge per transaction?
The Standard plan charges 1% + 20p per transaction, capped at £4 for domestic UK payments.
Does Mollie charge a monthly fee?
Standard online payment pricing has no monthly fee — you only pay per successful transaction.
Does GoCardless offer failed payment recovery?
Yes. Its Success+ add-on automatically recovers up to 70% of failed payments.
Does Mollie support in-person payments?
Yes, via a Pay-as-You-Go plan (€0/month) or a Pro plan (€20/month with a 1-year contract) using card terminals.
What payment schemes does GoCardless support?
SEPA Direct Debit, UK Direct Debit, and Swedish Autogiro, across 34 SEPA countries plus the UK.