Tabby vs Tamara: Which BNPL Should Your GCC Store Offer?

Adding buy now, pay later to your store? In the Gulf, that means one of two names. Shoppers already look for them at checkout.

Tabby is the bigger app by users, founded in the UAE and now run from Riyadh. Tamara is the Saudi-born challenger, with more stores signed up and a slightly wider map.

My verdict: they're closer than their fans think. Both pay you upfront, take the credit risk and plug into Shopify for free.

Tabby brings a few more shoppers. Tamara is clearer about when you get paid.

Below, I compare fees, reach, payouts and setup for a store new to BNPL. Notes for Shopify, UAE and high-ticket sellers come at the end.

Tabby vs Tamara at a glance

	Tabby	Tamara
Countries	Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait	Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain
Shoppers (company-reported)	25 million registered users (2026)	About 20 million customers (2025)
Merchants (company-reported)	About 70,000	More than 87,000
Merchant fee	Contract: % by category plus a small fixed fee per order	Contract: % deducted when you're paid
Estimated fee (seller and vendor reports)	About 3–5%	About 4–6%
When you're paid	Set in your contract	Weekly, every Tuesday
You carry the credit risk
Free Shopify app
Late fees for shoppers	None on Saudi Pay in 4; collection fees elsewhere	None

Who is Tabby best for?

Tabby is the safe first pick for most stores:

• Stores that want the biggest pool of shoppers who already have a BNPL limit.
• UAE-first brands, where Tabby started and is the best-known name.
• Stores watching every point of fee, since Tabby's reported range starts a point lower.
• Merchants who value a stable partner. Tabby says it has been profitable since 2023.

Who is Tamara best for?

Tamara is a strong pick, and often the second app you add:

• Saudi-first stores that want a Saudi-born brand at checkout.
• Stores selling into Bahrain, which Tabby doesn't cover.
• Merchants who plan cash flow weekly and want a fixed payout day.
• Stores whose shoppers hate surprises, since Tamara charges no late fees anywhere.

1. Fees: Tabby, by a small margin

Neither provider publishes a merchant rate. You get a quote based on your category, your volume and your risk profile.

The structures differ a little:

• Tabby. A percentage commission plus a small fixed fee per successful order. Both include payment-gateway costs, so there's no separate card fee.
• Tamara. A percentage taken from each order before it pays you.

Sellers and payment vendors report about 3–5% for Tabby and 4–6% for Tamara this year. Salla merchants report a similar 2–5%. Small stores and higher-risk categories land at the top of the range.

Worked example: a SAR 600 order on a Saudi Shopify store

Let's take a SAR 600 abaya on a Shopify Basic store in Saudi Arabia. We'll use the middle of each reported range.

That's more than a mada card payment. So why do stores pay it?

Because the shopper doesn't pay later at your risk. You get the full SAR 600, minus fees, even if they miss an instalment.

Compare that with cash on delivery (COD). When a quarter of COD parcels come back, each delivered COD order often costs you more than a 4–6% BNPL fee. Return shipping is what tips it.

Our guide to cash on delivery in the GCC shows that sum.

For how to compare quotes and negotiate them down, see Tabby and Tamara merchant fees explained.

2. Shopper reach: Tabby

Tabby has the larger shopper base, but the two overlap heavily.

Tabby reports 25 million users and more than US$18 billion in yearly transactions. Tamara reports about 20 million customers. Many Gulf shoppers have both apps.

Here's why that matters. Shoppers tend to stick with whichever app holds their spending limit.

If your checkout only shows the other one, some of them won't switch. They'll leave.

Tamara has signed up more stores, though. More than 87,000 merchants offer it, against about 70,000 for Tabby. So plenty of your shoppers already use Tamara elsewhere.

If you can only add one app this year, reach is the strongest reason to pick Tabby.

3. Country coverage: Tamara

Both cover Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait. Tamara also covers Bahrain.

If you only sell in Saudi Arabia or the UAE, this is a tie. If Bahrain is on your list, Tamara is the only one of the two that gets you there.

Neither lists Qatar or Oman as a main market. For Oman, look at Cashew. Our Saudi payments guide shows where BNPL fits next to mada, Apple Pay and COD.

4. Getting paid: Tamara is clearer

Both pay you the full order value, minus the fee. Neither asks you to wait until the shopper finishes paying.

Tamara publishes its payout rules:

• Weekly payout every Tuesday, guaranteed even if the shopper hasn't paid.
• A Saturday payout option once your balance reaches SAR/AED 2,500.
• A SAR/AED 25 bank charge on weekly payouts under 2,500.

That last one matters for small stores. If you make SAR 2,000 a week through Tamara, the charge works out at about 1.25% on top of your fee.

Tabby sets your payout schedule in your merchant contract. Ask for the payout day, any payout fee and the minimum balance before you sign.

5. Shopper terms: Tamara

Your shoppers' experience affects your conversion. On that front, Tamara is a little simpler.

Tamara has charged no late fees since December 2023, in every country. Shoppers can split a basket into two to four payments, and longer plans are on offer too.

Tabby removed late fees on Saudi Pay in 4 at the same time, and SAMA has suspended the small admin fee its rules once allowed. Tabby still charges collection fees in the UAE and Kuwait, and a missed payment blocks new purchases.

For most shoppers, this never comes up. They pay on time and both apps feel free.

If your buyers are price-sensitive, put "no late fees" in your Tamara widget copy. It answers the worry before they ask.

6. Setup: a tie

Both have free apps on Shopify and native options on Salla and Zid. You'll need a merchant account with each before you install anything.

1

Apply to each provider

Sign up on the Tabby and Tamara partner pages. Have your trade licence or CR, business bank details and store URL ready.

2

Agree your terms

Negotiate the fee, the payout cycle and how fees work on refunds before you sign.

3

Install the app or switch it on

On Shopify, install Tabby Pay Later or Tamara Split Payments. On Salla or Zid, activate it under payment methods.

4

Add the instalment widget

Show “4 payments of SAR X” next to the price on product and cart pages. That message is what lifts conversion.

5

Test a real order and refund

Place a small live order, then refund it, and check the refund syncs to the provider.

Step-by-step setup guides are in Tabby on Shopify and Tamara on Shopify.

The rules are the same for both

Both providers are licensed, so the same rules apply whichever you choose. In Saudi Arabia, SAMA (the Saudi Central Bank) sets them. In the UAE, the Central Bank does.

Shopper limits are capped too:

• Saudi Arabia. SAR 10,000 of total BNPL debt per shopper, across all providers, over at most 12 instalments. The cap rose from SAR 5,000 in December 2025.
• UAE. AED 20,000 or three months' income per shopper, over at most 12 months.

The full rulebook, in plain English, is in Saudi BNPL rules for merchants.

Pros and cons of each

Which should you choose?

So which one first? For most stores new to BNPL, here's my simple rule.

Start with Tabby if you sell mainly in the UAE or want the widest reach. Start with Tamara if you're Saudi-first, sell into Bahrain or want a fixed payout day.

Then add the other within a few months. The fees are close, the apps are free, and shoppers stay loyal to the app that holds their limit. Offering both catches the shoppers you'd otherwise lose.

Notes for Shopify stores

• Count Shopify's own fee. Shopify Payments is live only in the UAE. Saudi stores pay Shopify's third-party fee on top of the BNPL fee. It runs from 2% on Basic down to 0.2% on Plus.
• Tamara has no test mode. Leave "Enable test mode" unchecked, then run a small live order and refund.
• Know Tabby's limits. Order edits don't sync to Tabby, and some checkout styling is Plus-only. Set up the webhooks it asks for, or order numbers won't match.
• Match currency. Tabby on Shopify works in SAR and AED, matched to the shopper's billing address.

Our Shopify in Saudi Arabia guide covers the full payment stack.

Notes for Salla and Zid stores

• Salla. Tabby and Tamara come built in on the Plus plan and above. The free Basic plan can't take online payments.
• Zid. Tabby, Tamara, MISpay, Emkan and Madfu are available, and Zid says it adds no charge of its own.
• You still sign with each provider. The platform connects you, but your rate comes from Tabby or Tamara.

Notes for UAE merchants

• Both are licensed here. Tamara got its Central Bank finance licence in October 2025, so you can offer it with confidence next to Tabby.
• There's no legal minimum basket. You can set your own threshold with your provider.
• Shopper fees are capped. Total fees, including late fees, can't pass 30% of the amount borrowed.
• Shopify Payments is available. Check Settings > Payments to see what Shopify charges on BNPL orders. Our UAE payments guide compares gateways.

Notes for high-ticket sellers

• Mind the Saudi cap. A shopper can owe SAR 10,000 in total across every BNPL app. Most personal limits are lower.
• Ask about longer plans. Tamara advertises plans of up to 24 months, but Saudi and UAE rules cap BNPL at 12. Ask each provider what your shoppers will actually see.
• Add a specialist in the UAE. For furniture, medical or electronics above about AED 3,000–5,000, Cashew offers monthly plans of up to 12 months.

Notes for cross-border sellers

• You'll need local currency checkout. Saudi BNPL needs SAR, and both providers must approve your entity.
• Most foreign brands go local first. They use a GCC company, a marketplace like noon or Amazon.sa, or a local merchant of record.
• Marketplaces are the quick route. Selling on noon or Amazon.sa reaches BNPL shoppers through the marketplace's own checkout.

Other BNPL providers to know

Tabby and Tamara cover most shoppers, but a local third app can lift approvals. The providers below were independently researched. Compare them all in our BNPL providers directory.

Back to the BNPL hub for every BNPL guide.