Cielo vs PayPal
Cielo vs PayPal, compared side by side on 15 data points: what each one does, how big it is, what it has raised, the tech running each site, and what users report. We score both out of 100 on traction, team and visibility: Cielo is on 20/100 and PayPal on 77/100.
Where each one leads
Cielo
Leads on none of the measures we hold for both companies.
PayPal
- our overall score: 77/100 against 20/100
- agent readiness: 57/100 against 48/100
- domain rating: 95/100 against 75/100
- headcount: 36,810 against 9,875
- LinkedIn following: 1,680,583 against 999,897
At a glance
| Measure | Cielo | PayPal |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A leading payment solutions provider in Brazil. | A global leader in digital payments, enabling individuals and businesses to send, receive, and manage money online. |
| Category | Fintech, Payments, Digital Payments, Embedded Finance | Fintech, Payments, Digital Payments, Embedded Finance |
| Sells toBusiness model | B2B | B2C |
| Offering | Platform | Platform |
| Founded | 1995 | 1998 |
| Headquarters | Barueri, Brazil | San Jose, United States |
| Status | Active | Active |
Size, funding and growth
| Measure | Cielo | PayPal |
|---|---|---|
| Employees | 9,875 | 36,810 |
| Total funding | Not published | $9.9B |
| Latest round | Not published | Series D |
| LinkedIn followers | 999,897 | 1,680,583 |
StartupHub scores
Our own 0-100 ratings. They measure company strength and site quality, not which product suits you.
| Measure | Cielo | PayPal |
|---|---|---|
| StartupHub scoreOur 0-100 rating | 20/100 | 77/100 |
| Traction | 20/100 | 60/100 |
| Team | Not published | 70/100 |
| Community | Not published | 8/100 |
| Search visibility | 22/100 | 58/100 |
| Quality | Not published | 90/100 |
| Agent readinessHow well an AI agent can read and act on the site | D (48/100) | D (57/100) |
| Domain ratingLink authority, 0-100 | 75/100 | 95/100 |
Technology
Detected on each public site, so it reflects the marketing stack as well as the product.
| Measure | Cielo | PayPal |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting | Azure | Not detected |
| Frameworks | Nuxt | Tailwind CSS, Bootstrap |
| Payments | Not detected | PayPal |
| Analytics | Google Tag Manager | Not detected |
Cielo vs PayPal: common questions
Which is better, Cielo or PayPal?
On our 0-100 score PayPal rates higher (77/100 against 20/100). The score weights traction, team, visibility and profile completeness, so it reflects company strength rather than which product suits you. We compare the two on 15 data points above: read the rows that match what you are buying for.
How do Cielo and PayPal compare on the numbers?
PayPal leads on our overall score (77/100 against 20/100), agent readiness (57/100 against 48/100), domain rating (95/100 against 75/100), headcount (36,810 against 9,875), LinkedIn following (1,680,583 against 999,897).
Read the full Cielo review and pricing or the PayPal review and pricing. You can also browse other Cielo alternatives we track.

