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The difference: Payment processor vs payment gateway

Discover the difference between a payment processor and a payment gateway, and how a solution that covers both can benefit your business.

15 July, 2024
 ·  3 minutes
Two people at a retail checkout, one holding a card reader showing Adyen branding.

The card payments world is full of specific terms that overlap and can be difficult to understand.

‘Payment processor’ and ‘payment gateway’ are two examples that often get confused with each other. They fall into the black box of payments, somewhere between a customer making a payment and the money landing in the business’s bank account.

In this article, we’ll open up this black box and help you understand the difference between a payment processor and a payment gateway, their roles in the payments flow, and how a solution that covers both can benefit your business.

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