Comparison · Updated September 30, 2026
Tabby vs Tamara for merchants
Tabby
B-
Tabby is a buy now, pay later provider for businesses in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Hosam Arab and Daniil Barkalov founded it in Dubai in 2019, and it is now headquartered in Riyadh. Shoppers split a purchase into four interest-free monthly payments, or into 6, 8 or 12 payments for bigger baskets. The merchant is paid the full amount less Tabby's fee and does not carry the shopper's credit or fraud risk. Tabby says it has been profitable since 2023. In its September 2026 funding announcement ($233 million at a $6.5 billion valuation, led by Blue Pool Capital and still subject to regulatory approval), it reported more than $18 billion in annualised transaction volume, 25 million registered users and 70,000 business partners. The Saudi Central Bank licensed Tabby Finance as a buy now, pay later company in November 2025 and granted it consumer and SME finance licences in June 2026. In the UAE, its Pay Later credit is provided by Tabby LLC and its Tabby Cash wallet runs under a Central Bank of the UAE Stored Value Facilities licence. Tabby publishes how its pricing works but not the rates. Each merchant gets a percentage commission set by industry and business profile, plus a fixed fee per successful order, both written into its contract. Payouts go out weekly on Mondays, with a payout fee of AED/SAR 6, or AED/SAR 25 on payouts under 2,500. The published UAE Merchant Terms (v2.0.0, 17 July 2026) let Tabby impose a reserve held for 180 days or longer and withhold settlements. Either side can walk away on 30 days' notice.
Tamara
B-
Tamara is a buy now, pay later provider based in Riyadh. It serves businesses in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and holds a licence in Bahrain. Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Al Babtain founded it in 2020. Shoppers can pay in full, split a purchase into three or four interest-free payments, or take longer plans of up to 24 months that may carry a profit charge. The merchant is paid the full order value less Tamara's fee, and Tamara takes the shopper's credit and fraud risk on approved orders. In August 2026 Tamara reported more than 25 million customers and over 130,000 partner merchants. The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) licensed its Saudi company, Tamara Finance, for consumer finance and buy now, pay later in early 2025 (the licence is dated February and SAMA announced it in March). That company's audited 2025 accounts show a net profit of SAR 193 million, after a loss in 2024. Tamara does not publish its merchant rates. Each merchant's fixed and variable fee is set in its onboarding form. Payouts go out weekly on Tuesdays. According to Tamara's merchant help docs, on the default plan they wait until your balance reaches SAR/AED 2,500, and on the weekly plan a payout under that amount costs SAR/AED 25. The published Merchant Terms let Tamara hold up to 75% of each weekly payout and release it monthly, raise fees on 10 days' notice, and end the agreement for any reason it deems necessary. Either side can leave on 60 days' notice.
VS
Overview
Tabby and Tamara are the two big buy now, pay later providers in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and many large retailers, including SHEIN, IKEA, Jarir and noon, offer both. They work the same way for a merchant: you are paid the order value less a fee, weekly, and the provider carries the shopper's credit and fraud risk. Neither publishes its merchant rate; both quote a percentage plus a fixed fee per order in your contract. The differences are in the terms. Tabby's published merchant terms are kinder when things go wrong: on a refund it keeps the fixed fee and 2% of its percentage fee and returns the rest, it charges no dispute fee, it gives 30 days' notice of fee changes, and you can leave on 30 days' notice. Tamara can keep all its fees on a refund, charges USD 5 or USD 10 for each dispute you lose, can raise fees on 10 days' notice, and needs 60 days' notice to leave. Tamara is ahead on reach and payout cost: it reports over 130,000 partner merchants to Tabby's 70,000, operates in Bahrain as well, offers plans of up to 24 months in Saudi Arabia, and its help centre sets no fee on payouts above SAR/AED 2,500, where Tabby charges SAR/AED 6. Both are graded B- on Payment Review, and the right choice depends on your market and how often your orders are refunded or disputed.
Key Takeaways
- ✓There is no overall winner. Tabby's published terms are more merchant-friendly on refunds, disputes, fee changes and exit; Tamara reports more merchants, reaches Bahrain, offers longer plans in Saudi Arabia and charges less for payouts.
- ✓Neither publishes a merchant rate. Both set a percentage fee plus a fixed fee per order in each merchant's contract, so get both quotes in writing before choosing.
- ✓On a refunded order Tabby keeps its fixed fee and 2% of its percentage fee and returns the rest. Tamara's terms let it keep all of its fees, and it also charges USD 5 (USD 10 at high dispute levels) for each dispute you lose. Tabby's published terms set no dispute fee.
- ✓Both pay weekly (Tabby on Mondays, Tamara on Tuesdays) and both charge SAR/AED 25 on a weekly payout under SAR/AED 2,500. Above that, Tabby charges SAR/AED 6 per payout and Tamara's help centre sets no fee.
- ✓Tabby can change fees on 30 days' notice and either side can leave on 30 days' notice. Tamara can raise fees on 10 days' notice and exit takes 60 days' notice.
Tabby
Tabby suits Saudi and UAE merchants with meaningful refund or dispute volumes, UAE stores that want longer plans of up to 12 months or in-store BNPL on an existing Visa terminal, and merchants who want the shorter 30-day exit and 30 days' warning of fee changes.
Tamara
Tamara suits Saudi merchants selling bigger-ticket goods or services that benefit from plans of up to 24 months, merchants in Bahrain, stores on Geidea terminals, and smaller sellers who want payouts without a per-payout fee once their balance reaches SAR/AED 2,500.
The Verdict
It Depends on Your Needs
Why?
Neither is better for every merchant, which matches the site's grades (B- for both). Choose Tabby if refunds and disputes are a real part of your business, if you sell in the UAE and want plans longer than four payments or in-store BNPL on your existing Visa terminal, or if you want 30 days' warning of fee changes and a 30-day exit: its published terms return most of its percentage fee on refunds and set no dispute fee. Choose Tamara if you sell bigger-ticket goods or services in Saudi Arabia and want plans of up to 24 months, if you sell in Bahrain or use Geidea terminals, or if you want payouts without a per-payout fee above SAR/AED 2,500. Its terms are tougher on refunds, disputes and fee changes. Neither publishes its rate, so the quote you get may decide it, and many large Gulf retailers offer both.
Feature by feature
Detailed Comparison
Filter Options
Merchant fees and terms (published merchant terms, September 2026)
| Feature | Tabby | Tamara |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction fee | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Neither publishes a rate. Tabby's help centre says its pricing is a variable commission that differs by industry and business profile plus a small fixed fee per successful order, both set in your contract and both including payment-gateway charges. Tamara's merchant terms define its fee as a fixed fee and a variable fee set in each merchant's onboarding form, and its audited 2025 accounts describe the merchant fee as fixed and variable rates. Tabby's terms quote the fee exclusive of tax, transfer charges and foreign-exchange fees; Tamara's make taxes on its fee the merchant's to pay. Tamara's Geidea page was offering new sign-ups 8% off its fees for the first three months when checked on 30 September 2026. | ||
| Fees on a refunded order | Keeps the fixed fee and 2% of the percentage fee; returns the rest Winner | May keep all of its fees |
| Tabby's 'Refund Fees' are defined in its merchant terms (v2.0.0, 17 July 2026, identical in the Saudi and UAE versions) and apply only to the refunded part of a partial refund. Tamara's merchant terms (clause 3.9, same in the Saudi and UAE versions) entitle it to charge or retain all of its fees on a refunded order, and its 2025 audited accounts also record refund fees charged to merchants for processing returns, which it does not price publicly. | ||
| Fee for a lost dispute | None in published terms Winner | USD 5 per lost dispute; USD 10 at 1.6%+ of orders or 100+ disputes |
| Tamara charges the fee in the order's currency only when a dispute under its Buyer Protection programme is decided for the shopper, not on disputes you accept, the shopper withdraws or you win. Its fee schedule starts at a dispute rate of 0.1% of the previous month's orders and does not say what applies below that. Tabby charges no separate dispute fee, but when it decides a dispute for the shopper it recovers the refund plus its Refund Fees from your settlements. Response windows are short on both: Tamara's Buyer Protection terms give you 3 business days; Tabby's help centre says 14 days, but its merchant terms give 10 business days to resolve a validated dispute and 3 business days to send documents Tabby asks for. | ||
| Notice before fees or terms change | 30 days, by email Winner | 10 days; no objection counts as acceptance |
| Both let you terminate if you reject the change. Tabby can make changes immediately where a law or regulator requires it. Tamara can also re-price on 7 days' notice if information you gave it proves inaccurate. | ||
Transaction fee
Tabby
Not disclosed
Tamara
Not disclosed
Neither publishes a rate. Tabby's help centre says its pricing is a variable commission that differs by industry and business profile plus a small fixed fee per successful order, both set in your contract and both including payment-gateway charges. Tamara's merchant terms define its fee as a fixed fee and a variable fee set in each merchant's onboarding form, and its audited 2025 accounts describe the merchant fee as fixed and variable rates. Tabby's terms quote the fee exclusive of tax, transfer charges and foreign-exchange fees; Tamara's make taxes on its fee the merchant's to pay. Tamara's Geidea page was offering new sign-ups 8% off its fees for the first three months when checked on 30 September 2026.
Fees on a refunded order
Tabby
Keeps the fixed fee and 2% of the percentage fee; returns the rest
Winner
Tamara
May keep all of its fees
Tabby's 'Refund Fees' are defined in its merchant terms (v2.0.0, 17 July 2026, identical in the Saudi and UAE versions) and apply only to the refunded part of a partial refund. Tamara's merchant terms (clause 3.9, same in the Saudi and UAE versions) entitle it to charge or retain all of its fees on a refunded order, and its 2025 audited accounts also record refund fees charged to merchants for processing returns, which it does not price publicly.
Fee for a lost dispute
Tabby
None in published terms
Winner
Tamara
USD 5 per lost dispute; USD 10 at 1.6%+ of orders or 100+ disputes
Tamara charges the fee in the order's currency only when a dispute under its Buyer Protection programme is decided for the shopper, not on disputes you accept, the shopper withdraws or you win. Its fee schedule starts at a dispute rate of 0.1% of the previous month's orders and does not say what applies below that. Tabby charges no separate dispute fee, but when it decides a dispute for the shopper it recovers the refund plus its Refund Fees from your settlements. Response windows are short on both: Tamara's Buyer Protection terms give you 3 business days; Tabby's help centre says 14 days, but its merchant terms give 10 business days to resolve a validated dispute and 3 business days to send documents Tabby asks for.
Notice before fees or terms change
Tabby
30 days, by email
Winner
Tamara
10 days; no objection counts as acceptance
Both let you terminate if you reject the change. Tabby can make changes immediately where a law or regulator requires it. Tamara can also re-price on 7 days' notice if information you gave it proves inaccurate.
Best For Your Business
Recommendations based on your business type
Saudi or UAE retailer that wants the widest reach at checkout
Both. Each reports about 25 million shoppers, and retailers including SHEIN, IKEA and noon offer both. Neither published agreement requires exclusivity, but each charges its own fees and holds its own reserves, so compare the two quotes.
Store with frequent returns or disputes (fashion, electronics)
Recommended
Tabby
On a refund Tabby keeps its fixed fee and 2% of its percentage fee and returns the rest, and its published terms set no dispute fee. Tamara can keep all of its fees on a refund and charges USD 5 to USD 10 for each dispute you lose.
UAE store selling higher-ticket goods
Recommended
Tabby
Tabby offers 6, 8 or 12 monthly payments in the UAE on purchases from AED 100. Tamara's UAE site offers splits of up to 4 payments and Pay in Full.
Saudi business selling big-ticket goods or services such as education, furniture or travel
Recommended
Tamara
Tamara offers plans of up to 24 months in Saudi Arabia against Tabby's 12, with both capped at SAR 50,000. Longer plans can carry a cost for the shopper at either provider.
Merchant in Bahrain
Recommended
Tamara
Tamara holds a Central Bank of Bahrain BNPL licence and lists Bahrain as a market. Tabby signs merchants in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Physical shop that wants BNPL on its existing terminal
Both. It depends on the terminal and the country. In the UAE, Tabby Card works on any terminal that accepts Visa, with no new hardware. In Saudi Arabia, Tamara can be switched on for existing Geidea terminals. Both also offer payment links at the till.
Tabby: Best for 2 use cases
Tamara: Best for 2 use cases
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this comparison
Neither publishes its rate. Both charge a percentage of each order plus a fixed fee per order, set in your contract after you apply. Tabby says its fee includes payment-gateway charges. On top of that, both charge SAR/AED 25 on a weekly payout under SAR/AED 2,500, and Tabby charges SAR/AED 6 on larger payouts. Ask each for its rate in writing.
Neither is better for everyone. Tabby's published terms are easier on refunds and disputes, give 30 days' notice of fee changes and let you leave on 30 days' notice. Tamara reports more merchants, operates in Bahrain as well, offers plans of up to 24 months in Saudi Arabia and its help centre sets no payout fee above SAR/AED 2,500. Both are graded B- on Payment Review.
Yes. Neither provider's published merchant terms require exclusivity (check the onboarding form or principal terms you sign), and retailers such as SHEIN, IKEA and noon offer both. You sign a separate contract with each, and each pays out, charges fees and can hold reserves under its own terms.
Both pay weekly by bank transfer: Tabby on working Mondays and Tamara on working Tuesdays, for orders captured the week before. Each also offers a threshold option that waits until your balance reaches SAR/AED 2,500, which is Tamara's default. Neither publishes a price for faster payouts.
Not on the shortest splits: Pay in 3 is free with both in Saudi Arabia, and Tabby's Pay in 4 is free in the UAE. In Saudi Arabia, Tabby's Pay in 4 may carry a 1% processing fee plus VAT. Longer plans can carry a Murabaha profit or APR with either. Neither charges late fees in Saudi Arabia; Tabby may charge collection fees in the UAE, and Tamara says it charges no late fees in either country.
Both say their products are Sharia-compliant. Tabby's Saudi plans are approved by its Shariah committee, and Tamara says its products are certified by the Shariyah Review Bureau. Both are licensed by the Saudi Central Bank, which announced Tamara's licence in March 2025 and Tabby's in November 2025. In the UAE, Tamara holds a restricted finance licence and Tabby a Stored Value Facilities licence for its wallet.