12 Best Zuora Alternatives & Competitors (2026)

Stripe is a full-stack payments platform offering cards, ACH, Bacs and international transfers alongside powerful subscription billing tools. It provides broader global card acceptance than GoCardless but typically charges higher fees for bank payments. Teams that need one dashboard for both cards and Direct Debit often run Stripe next to or instead of GoCardless.

PayPal supports one-off and recurring payments via cards, bank accounts and PayPal balance with a large existing user base. Compared with GoCardless it offers easier global checkout but higher transaction costs for bank transfers and less emphasis on automated Direct Debit recovery features.

Stripe is a full-stack payments platform offering cards, ACH, Bacs and international transfers alongside powerful subscription billing tools. It provides broader global card acceptance than GoCardless but typically charges higher fees for bank payments. Teams that need one dashboard for both cards and Direct Debit often run Stripe next to or instead of GoCardless.

Adyen provides enterprise-grade global acquiring with local bank payment methods across many countries. It is stronger than GoCardless for large international merchants needing unified reporting and card processing, yet usually requires more setup and has higher minimum volumes.

Chargebee provides a full subscription lifecycle platform with advanced metering, revenue recognition and strong CRM integrations. It supports complex billing scenarios similar to Billforward yet often emphasizes its own hosted checkout and add-on marketplace, whereas Billforward prioritizes headless API flexibility and any-gateway freedom for enterprises avoiding processor lock-in.

Paddle combines subscription billing with merchant-of-record services, handling taxes and payouts globally. This contrasts with Billforward's pure billing focus and gateway neutrality; Paddle suits SaaS companies wanting reduced compliance overhead while Billforward better serves teams that already manage their own payment relationships and need flexible product evolution.

Recurly focuses on enterprise-grade subscription management with intelligent dunning and retention tools. It handles upgrades, downgrades and pauses well but typically requires deeper commitment to its payment orchestration layer compared with Billforward's payment-gateway-agnostic design and rapid implementation for mid-market teams.

Braintree, a PayPal service, focuses on developer-friendly card and PayPal payments with some ACH support. It lacks GoCardless's depth in automated Direct Debit retries and UK Bacs mandate management, making it better for marketplaces prioritising global card checkout.

Mollie is a European payments provider popular with SMEs for its simple pricing and support of iDEAL, Bacs and Direct Debit. It serves as a lighter GoCardless alternative for businesses that also want card payments and quick onboarding without complex enterprise features.

Chargify offers straightforward recurring billing with component-based pricing and solid reporting. It lacks the breadth of integrations and automated migration tooling found in Billforward, making it a lighter alternative for smaller teams that do not require headless commerce or advanced multi-currency contract handling.

Worldpay provides broad acquiring services including cards and direct debits for mid-market and enterprise clients. It offers more physical terminal options than GoCardless but generally involves higher setup complexity and less transparent pricing for pure recurring bank payments.