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Stripe and Stax are two of the best credit card processors for small businesses. Here is how they compare and contrast.
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Stripe and Stax are two of our top choices for the best credit card processors. To help you decide between these two credit card processing vendors, we performed a deep dive into each service, focusing on pricing, payment methods, hardware options, integrations and customer service. Here is how Stripe and Stax compare in each of these categories.
Stripe and Stax are payment processors that allow businesses to accept credit and debit cards, along with digital wallets such as Apple Pay. They both ensure that you follow credit card processing rules and laws like Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance and use modern software. Nevertheless, they each offer unique features and capabilities, making them suitable for different businesses.
Criteria | Stripe | Stax |
|---|---|---|
Best for | E-commerce businesses and web developers | High-volume businesses |
Pricing |
2.9% plus 30 cents (online); 2.7% plus 5 cents (in-person) |
$99 to $199 per month; 8 cents to 15 cents per transaction |
Payment methods | 100+ payment methods, including cards, digital wallets, bank payments and buy now, pay later options | Online checkout, virtual terminal and Apple/Google Pay |
Hardware | Stripe Reader M2, Stripe Reader S700, Stripe Reader S710 and Tap to Pay on compatible iOS and Android devices | Dejavoo QD2 and QD4, Clover products, SwipeSimple B350 Reader |
Third-party integrations | Hundreds of integrations, including QuickBooks, NetSuite and Amazon Web Services | Open application programming interface (API), plus built-in integrations, such as QuickBooks, Salesforce and HubSpot |
Customer service | 24/7 phone, email and live chat support, plus extensive documentation and API references | Phone, chat, email and online knowledgebase |
Stripe is best for e-commerce businesses that want flexible online payment processing, extensive integration options and customizable checkout experiences. Learn about the processor in detail in our full Stripe review.
Stax works well for high-volume businesses because of the vendor’s flat-rate pricing. Check out our full review of Stax for more information.
Stripe plans and pricing
Stripe uses flat-rate pricing with no monthly fees, setup fees or long-term contracts. Businesses pay a fixed transaction fee based on the payment type, with additional charges applying for certain international transactions and optional products. Unlike Stax’s subscription-based pricing model, Stripe charges transaction fees on a pay-as-you-go basis.
Payment method | Cost |
|---|---|
Online card payments | 2.9% plus 30 cents |
In-person card payments | 2.7% plus 5 cents |
ACH Direct Debit | 0.8%, capped at $5 |
Tap to Pay | Additional 10 cents per authorization |
Buy now, pay later | Varies by provider |
Stripe also offers invoicing and recurring billing tools for businesses that need to manage subscriptions or collect payments outside of a traditional checkout flow. Online invoices incur an additional fee of 0.4% of the invoice amount.
Stax plans and pricing
Stax offers flat-rate pricing, which is completely different from Stripe’s pricing model. Instead of taking a percentage of the transaction, Stax charges a monthly subscription fee, plus a small per-transaction fee.
Stax currently offers three service plans based on transaction volume.
Service plan | Monthly cost | Features |
|---|---|---|
Processing volume of up to $150,000 per year | $99 |
|
Processing volume between $150,000-$250,000 per year | $139 | All features in the above plan, plus:
|
Processing volume of $250,000-plus per year | $199+ | All features in the above plan, plus:
|
Stax also charges a per-transaction fee of 8 cents for EMV credit card terminals and 15 cents for all other payment methods, including mobile card readers and online transactions.
Expect these fees:
Stripe processing
Stripe provides multiple ways for businesses to accept payments online, in person and through recurring billing:
Stax processing
Stax offers a slate of payment methods that are standard among credit card processors:
Stax allows you to send invoices through email or text message for easy payment. Source: Stax
Stripe hardware
Stripe offers several payment devices for businesses that need to accept in-person payments. Its current hardware options include:
Stax hardware
We like that Stax’s credit card processing software works with a variety of systems. You can use it on different devices available at affordable prices, such as:
Stax is the winner for hardware because it offers a greater variety of options than Stripe. We like that Stax's software is available on Clover’s hardware, as Clover provides one of the best POS systems for small businesses. Most companies can find something that suits their unique needs and budget with Stax.
We appreciate that Stripe offers proprietary hardware, but its options are limited to mobile readers and handheld terminals, which might be insufficient for businesses that require more specialized hardware solutions.
Stripe integrations
Stripe integrates with hundreds of business applications and services, helping companies connect payment data with the software they already use. Popular integrations span accounting, e-commerce, CRM and business management platforms.
Examples include:
Businesses that need more flexibility can also use Stripe’s APIs and developer tools to build custom integrations and automate payment workflows.
Stax offers around a dozen third-party integrations, far fewer than the hundreds offered by Stripe. On the plus side, Stax does have an open API, so developers can integrate the credit card processing software easily with third-party apps. Built-in integrations include:
Stripe support
Stripe provides customers with:
Stax support
Stax offers customer service via:
Consider choosing Stripe if:
Consider choosing Stax if:
Anna Baluch contributed to this article.
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