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Payment processor (API-first) · by Stripe

Stripe Payments

API-first card and local payment processing with pay-as-you-go pricing, 100+ payment methods and an ecosystem of add-ons for billing, tax, fraud and marketplaces.

Visit stripe.com ↗ Alternatives Paid EU region
Stripe Payments homepage
§1

Overview

Stripe Payments handles online card and wallet payments plus a long list of local methods such as iDEAL, SEPA Direct Debit and buy-now-pay-later, all through a single API. You can use the hosted Checkout page, Payment Links with no code, or build your own form with Elements.

Pricing is pay as you go with no monthly fee. In the US a domestic card costs 2.9% + 30¢. Accounts based in the EEA pay much less for EEA consumer cards (1.5% + €0.25 on the Irish page) and more for premium and non-EEA cards. Large businesses can negotiate custom or interchange-based pricing.

Stripe is a processor, not a merchant of record: you are the seller, so you register for and file sales tax and VAT yourself. Stripe Tax can calculate it, and since 2026 Managed Payments can make Stripe the merchant of record for digital products for an extra 3.5% per transaction.

Stripe accounts can be opened in the 46 countries and regions on its global availability page. Businesses elsewhere usually reach Stripe through a merchant of record such as Paddle, Polar or Dodo Payments.

§2

Pricing and plans

Plan Price What you get
Standard (US) 2.9% + 30¢ Per successful domestic card or wallet payment; no setup or monthly fee
Standard (Ireland/EEA) 1.5% + €0.25 Standard EEA cards; premium EEA cards 2.8% + €0.25; international cards 2.5% to 3.15% + €0.25
Custom Custom Volume pricing and interchange-based packages for large processors

Rates depend on the country your Stripe account is in; the US and Ireland pages were read. US disputes cost $15 received plus $15 if countered (refunded if you win); EEA disputes €20. Instant Payouts cost 1.5% (min 50¢ US). Adaptive Pricing shows local-currency prices with a conversion fee from 2% paid by the customer. Stablecoin payments are 1.5%. Billing, Tax, Radar extras and Connect are priced separately.

Source: stripe.com/pricing · prices as published, excluding tax.

§3

What it does

100+ payment methods
Cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Link, bank debits, BNPL and local methods through one integration, with 135+ presentment currencies.
Checkout and Elements
A Stripe-hosted checkout page, embeddable UI components, and no-code Payment Links.
Radar fraud screening
Machine-learning fraud detection included on standard pricing, with paid rules and review features on top.
Authorization Boost
Adaptive acceptance, card account updater and network tokens included at no extra charge on standard pricing.
Connect
Onboarding, payouts and risk tools for platforms and marketplaces that route payments to other sellers.
Payout options
Rolling, weekly or monthly payouts, with instant payouts to eligible cards for 1.5%.
§4

Strengths and limitations

Strengths

  • No monthly fee and a published rate you can start on the same day
  • Very low rates for EEA consumer cards when your account is in Europe
  • Documentation, SDKs and test mode that most payment integrations are measured against
  • Billing, Tax, Connect and Managed Payments share one account and one API

Limitations

  • You are the merchant of record: sales tax and VAT registration and filing are your job unless you add Managed Payments
  • Accounts are only available to businesses in the listed countries
  • Subscriptions (Billing), tax calculation (Tax) and some fraud tools add their own percentage fees
  • Dispute fees ($15 or €20) are charged on every dispute you receive
§5

Who it suits

Good for

  • Developers who want full control of checkout and payment flows
  • SaaS and e-commerce businesses in a Stripe-supported country
  • Marketplaces and platforms paying out to many sellers (Connect)

Look elsewhere if

  • Solo sellers of digital products who do not want to handle global VAT and sales tax (use a merchant of record)
  • Businesses based outside Stripe's supported countries
§6

Alternatives to Stripe Payments

Tool From Free option Stages
Razorpay Payment gateway (India, plus US, Singapore, Malaysia)
Usage-based Paid
PayPal Checkout Payment processor and wallet
Usage-based Paid
Stripe Billing Subscription billing
Usage-based Paid
Polar Merchant of record with usage billing
Usage-based Paid
Dodo Payments Merchant of record with usage billing
Usage-based Paid
Square Payments Payment processor (in-person and online)
Usage-based Paid

All payments and billing →

§7

Questions

How much does Stripe charge per transaction?

On standard US pricing, 2.9% + 30¢ per successful domestic card payment. An Ireland-based account pays 1.5% + €0.25 for standard EEA cards.

Is Stripe a merchant of record?

Not by default: you are the seller and handle tax compliance. Stripe Managed Payments makes Stripe the merchant of record for eligible digital products for an extra 3.5%.

Does Stripe have a monthly fee?

No. Stripe says there are no setup, monthly or closure fees on standard pricing; you pay per transaction.

Which countries can use Stripe?

Businesses in the 46 countries and regions on stripe.com/global can open an account; they can sell to customers anywhere.

Sources read for this page