Stripe Payment Processing Review and Pricing

Why We Chose Stripe for E-Commerce Businesses

Stripe stood out to us because it gives online businesses multiple ways to accept credit card payments and digital payment methods while maintaining control over the checkout experience. Businesses can start with Stripe’s prebuilt checkout tools and payment links and create more customized experiences as their needs become more complex. We also like that Stripe supports more than 100 payment methods and over 135 currencies, making it easier to sell to customers around the world from a single platform.

Another reason Stripe earned our top spot for e-commerce is its focus on helping online businesses increase sales. Features like Stripe Checkout, Link and Stripe Radar go beyond basic payment processing by helping merchants streamline checkout, reduce fraud and support customers’ preferred payment methods. For e-commerce businesses, those capabilities can have a direct impact on conversion rates and revenue.

We also appreciate Stripe’s straightforward pricing. The company charges flat-rate processing fees, doesn’t require long-term contracts and doesn’t charge monthly fees for standard payment processing. As businesses grow, they can add tools for subscriptions, tax collection and other commerce functions without switching providers.

Ease of Use

Stripe is surprisingly approachable for businesses that stick with its prebuilt payment tools. During our evaluation, we found it easy to create payment links, customize a Stripe-hosted checkout page and navigate the dashboard without technical expertise. The dashboard organizes payments, customers, disputes, reports and payouts into clearly labeled sections, making it easy to find information quickly.

Businesses that want a custom checkout experience should expect more work. Stripe gives developers a huge amount of control, but many advanced customizations require writing code or working with someone who can. We had no trouble finding documentation for what we wanted to do, though some features clearly assume a technical audience.

If all you need is a way to accept payments online, Stripe is much easier. We were able to create payment links and test checkout experiences quickly without having to deal with code. The more you move beyond Stripe’s prebuilt tools, the more time you’ll spend configuring and maintaining the platform.

Stripe Features

Whether you want a simple hosted checkout page, a payment link you can share anywhere or a fully customized checkout experience, Stripe offers tools that can scale with your business. Here are some of the features that stood out during our evaluation.

Flexible Online Payment Options

Stripe gives businesses three primary ways to accept online payments, ranging from no-code solutions to fully customized checkout experiences:

• Checkout: A Stripe-hosted payment page that can be customized with your branding and embedded into your website.
• Stripe Elements: A collection of customizable checkout components that help businesses create embedded payment experiences with support for digital wallets, buy now, pay later services and localized payment methods.
• Stripe.js and APIs: Developer tools that provide complete control over the checkout experience and payment flow.

Payment Links round out the lineup for businesses that don’t have a website. You can generate a payment link in minutes, share it through email, text or social media and begin accepting payments immediately.

One thing we particularly liked is how Stripe adapts checkout experiences for different customers and markets. The platform supports more than 100 payment methods worldwide, including cards, digital wallets, bank transfers and buy now, pay later options such as Affirm, Klarna and Afterpay. Stripe can also automatically surface relevant payment methods based on a customer’s location and display prices in local currencies. Interestingly, the company says its AI models help determine which payment methods to show and how to present them to increase the chances of successful lead conversions. 

Accelerated Checkout (Link)

Link is Stripe’s saved-payment-details product, and it’s the most meaningful addition to the platform since our last review. When a returning customer recognizes Link at checkout, their saved payment and address information autofill, which cuts the number of fields they have to complete.

Stripe says Link reaches more than 300 million consumers worldwide and helps businesses speed up checkout by up to three times for returning customers. The company also reports that vendors that enjoy a lot of repeat business see an average returning-user conversion increase of 14 percent.

We like that Link is included with Stripe’s standard payment processing tools rather than sold as a separate add-on. For subscription businesses, online retailers and other companies that rely on repeat purchases, it’s an easy way to streamline checkout without requiring customers to reenter their payment information every time they make a purchase.

Subscription and Recurring Billing (Stripe Billing)

Stripe Billing helps businesses automate recurring payments and subscription billing while supporting a variety of pricing models, including:

• Flexible pricing options: Charge customers a flat recurring fee, bill by seat, create tiered pricing or charge based on product usage.
• Custom billing schedules: Set billing frequencies, offer discounts and free trials, and schedule future subscription changes.
• Usage-based billing: Track customer usage and automatically bill for metered services through Stripe’s integrated Metronome technology.

Stripe has simplified Billing pricing since our last review. Instead of choosing between Starter and Scale plans, businesses now pay 0.7 percent of billing volume. Basic usage-based billing features are included, while companies with more complex pricing models can use Metronome to support metered or hybrid billing.

Marketplace and Platform Solutions (Stripe Connect)

Stripe Connect helps marketplaces and software platforms accept payments, onboard users and move money between multiple parties. Stripe handles many of the behind-the-scenes tasks, including identity verification, compliance requirements, tax reporting and payout management, making it easier to build and scale a multi-sided platform.

Businesses can use Connect to accept payments online, in person and through recurring billing models while automatically routing funds to sellers, contractors or service providers. We like that Stripe bundles these capabilities into a single platform instead of requiring separate providers for payment processing, onboarding and payouts.

Merchant of Record Services (Managed Payments)

Managed Payments is a newer feature that’s worth a look if you sell digital products internationally. Stripe becomes the merchant of record, which means it takes on indirect tax compliance and remittance in more than 75 countries, along with fraud, disputes, invoicing and customer support.

The trade-off is cost: Managed Payments adds 3.5 percent per transaction on top of standard payment processing fees. That’s steep, but so is registering for tax collection in dozens of jurisdictions. We like that businesses can apply Managed Payments to specific products or markets instead of their entire catalog.

In-Person Payments (Stripe Terminal)

Stripe Terminal extends Stripe’s payment platform to in-person sales. Businesses can integrate Terminal into an existing checkout flow or build a custom point-of-sale experience using Stripe’s SDKs. The platform supports chip cards, contactless cards and mobile wallets, including Apple Pay and Google Pay.

Stripe offers several certified payment devices and Tap to Pay options. The most common Stripe-branded options include:

• Stripe Reader M2 ($59): A compact mobile card reader that connects to smartphones and tablets via Bluetooth.
• Stripe Reader S700 ($299): A smart countertop reader with a built-in touchscreen.
• Stripe Reader S710 ($299): A smart reader designed for countertop and mobile checkout environments.

Businesses can also use Tap to Pay on compatible iPhone and Android devices to accept contactless payments without dedicated hardware. All Terminal transactions are encrypted, and Stripe offers optional point-to-point encryption for businesses with additional security requirements. (Stripe also supports in-app payments for businesses that sell through iOS and Android apps.)

Note that there are some additional costs to plan for: Tap to Pay adds 10 cents per authorization, while optional point-to-point encryption adds 5 cents per authorization. Businesses using cellular-enabled readers also pay $10 per reader per month for data connectivity.

International Currency Support

For businesses with customers outside the U.S., Stripe supports payments in more than 135 currencies and can process transactions from customers in more than 195 countries. Customers can pay in their local currency while Stripe converts the funds and deposits them in yours.

Two features stand out. First, Adaptive Pricing automatically displays prices in a customer’s local currency. Under Stripe’s standard pricing, the currency conversion fee is passed on to the customer rather than the merchant. Second, Stripe supports stablecoin payments at 1.5 percent per transaction, with fiat conversion, wallet screening and fraud prevention included. For some cross-border transactions, that can be a lower-cost alternative to traditional international card payments.

Integrations

Stripe offers hundreds of integrations across multiple categories, making it easy to accept payments and sync transaction data with the other business software you use. We found integrations with many of the best accounting software solutions and best CRM software platforms especially valuable because they reduce manual data entry and help keep customer and financial records up to date. Plugins for many third-party services are also available.

Stripe has also added Workflows, a no-code automation builder that lets businesses create automated actions based on Stripe events. The first 10,000 workflow steps each month are included, after which pricing starts at 1.8 cents per step. We like that small teams can automate routine processes without building custom integrations or relying on a developer.

Payment Optimization Tools

Stripe includes several payment optimization tools at no additional cost for businesses on standard pricing. One of the most valuable is Authorization Boost, which uses AI and machine learning to improve approval rates by retrying eligible declined transactions and optimizing payment requests behind the scenes. It also includes Adaptive Acceptance, card account updater and network tokens.

Stripe also includes 3D Secure authentication at no extra charge on standard pricing. Businesses on custom pricing pay separately for both features, which creates an unusual situation where smaller merchants may receive more built-in value than larger companies on negotiated plans.

Dashboard, Reporting and Analytics

Stripe’s Dashboard gives businesses a centralized place to monitor payments, issue refunds, manage customers and track performance. The Stripe Dashboard app for iOS and Android extends many of these capabilities to mobile devices, allowing users to view reports, receive alerts, issue refunds and manage customer activity while away from their desks.

Stripe gives businesses visibility into a wide range of payment and customer data. Here are a few of the metrics we found most useful:

• Sales data
• Balance history
• Payment activity and trends
• Customer and subscription information

Businesses that need more advanced reporting can add Stripe Sigma, which is essentially Stripe’s custom reporting tool. It gives users direct access to Stripe data so they can build reports beyond what’s available in the standard dashboard. Sigma supports natural-language prompts alongside SQL queries, making it much easier to generate reports. Instead of writing database queries, users can ask questions in plain English and receive usable reports. At $15 per month, Sigma is one of Stripe’s more affordable add-ons.

Security and PCI Compliance

Stripe takes in-person and online payment security seriously and includes multiple tools designed to help businesses protect customer payment data and reduce fraud. Key security features include:

• Data security: Stripe uses tokenization to replace sensitive card data with secure tokens, helping reduce the risk of exposing customer payment information.
• Fraud prevention: Stripe Radar uses machine learning to identify potentially fraudulent transactions (including online payment fraud and credit card fraud) and block suspicious activity before payments are processed.
• PCI compliance: Stripe is PCI Service Provider Level 1 certified, the highest level of PCI compliance. Most businesses can simplify their own compliance requirements by completing an annual self-assessment questionnaire.
• Dispute prevention: Stripe includes dispute deflection tools powered by Verifi and Ethoca that can help merchants resolve customer issues to help prevent chargebacks. Stripe doesn’t charge to access these services, although fees apply when a dispute is successfully resolved through them.

Stripe Pricing

Stripe uses straightforward flat-rate pricing with no setup fees, monthly fees or long-term contracts. We appreciate that the company publishes its rates, surcharges and add-on pricing online instead of requiring a sales call. 

Here’s a look at Stripe’s standard pricing.

Optional Add-Ons

Many of Stripe’s advanced products carry separate fees:

• Stripe Billing: 0.7 percent of billing volume on the pay-as-you-go plan
• Stripe Connect: Included with Payments, with additional fees depending on platform configuration
• Radar for Fraud Teams: Starts at $0.05 per screened transaction
• Stripe Sigma: $15 per month
• Stripe Atlas: $500 one-time fee
• Stripe Tax: 0.5 percent per transaction where you’re registered to collect tax

Additional Pricing Considerations

There are a few other costs and policies to keep in mind when considering Stripe:

• No monthly fees: Stripe doesn’t charge monthly account fees, setup fees, PCI compliance fees or cancellation fees, which helps keep costs predictable.
• International transactions cost more: Transactions made with international cards add 1.5 percent to the standard processing rate. If currency conversion is required, Stripe charges an additional 1 percent.
• Keyed transactions carry a surcharge: Manually entered card payments add 0.5 percent to Stripe’s standard online processing rate.
• Disputes can get expensive: Stripe charges a $15 dispute-received fee for every dispute. If you manually contest a dispute, you’ll also pay a $15 dispute-countered fee, although that fee is refunded if you win.
• Refunds aren’t completely free: Stripe doesn’t charge a separate refund fee, but it doesn’t return the original processing fee when you issue a refund.
• Hardware costs extra: Stripe Terminal hardware starts at $59 for the Reader M2, while the S700 and S710 smart readers cost $299. Cellular-enabled readers add $10 per device per month.
• Instant Payouts cost extra: Standard payouts are free and typically arrive within two business days after funds become available. Eligible businesses can receive funds within minutes with Instant Payouts, though Stripe charges a 1.5 percent fee for the service.
• Custom pricing is available: Businesses with high processing volumes, unique payment needs or international operations may qualify for custom pricing, volume discounts or interchange-plus rates. Eligible nonprofits may also receive discounted pricing, though Stripe requires organizations to apply directly and generally expects most payment volume to come from tax-deductible donations.

Implementation and Onboarding

Getting started with Stripe is relatively straightforward. We created an account in minutes using only an email address and password and were able to explore the Dashboard before submitting business information. To activate a live account, Stripe requires standard details such as your business name, tax ID number, business address and bank account information.

Getting started can be surprisingly quick. Payment Links and Stripe Checkout require very little setup, while custom integrations built on Stripe’s APIs naturally take more time and technical expertise. Stripe doesn’t charge setup or implementation fees on its standard plans, and businesses that need extra help can purchase professional services.

We appreciated Stripe’s sandbox environment, which lets businesses test transactions before going live. During our evaluation, we were able to simulate successful payments, declined transactions and other payment scenarios without moving real money.

Businesses that want additional assistance can purchase professional services or work with a Stripe implementation partner. Employee onboarding is also relatively simple because users can be invited by email and assigned role-based permissions directly from the Dashboard.

Customer Support

Stripe offers 24/7 support via phone, email and live chat. We spent a lot of time in the company’s support center during our review and rarely had trouble finding what we needed, whether that was a setup guide, troubleshooting article or API documentation.

We also like that Stripe maintains an official Discord community for developers. While most business owners will likely rely on Stripe’s help center and support team, developers working on custom integrations have another place to ask questions and troubleshoot issues.

Businesses that need additional assistance can purchase premium support plans. These plans include benefits such as technical account managers, integration guidance, proactive monitoring and faster response times. However, most small businesses will likely find the standard support offering sufficient.

Limitations

Stripe is one of the most flexible payment processors on the market, but that flexibility won’t appeal to every business. Depending on your needs, you may find that a simpler processor or a traditional merchant account provider is a better fit. 

Here are the biggest drawbacks we identified during our review:

• Not as beginner-friendly as some competitors: Stripe offers extensive customization options, but businesses that want a more plug-and-play payment processor may find the platform overwhelming. If ease of setup is your top priority, see our Square review.
• International costs can add up: Stripe’s standard pricing is straightforward, but fees for international cards, currency conversion and other cross-border transactions can increase your processing costs. Businesses with significant international sales volume may want to compare Stripe’s rates with a processor that offers interchange-plus pricing, such as Helcim (see our Helcim review to learn more).
• Account stability can be less predictable than with a dedicated merchant account: Because Stripe is a payment aggregator, businesses operate as submerchants under Stripe’s master merchant account. As with other aggregators, accounts may be subject to holds, reserves or additional reviews if Stripe identifies elevated risk. Businesses that prefer a dedicated merchant account may want to check out our Merchant One review.
• Some businesses aren’t eligible: Stripe prohibits certain industries and business models, including many high-risk businesses. If your company operates in a high-risk category, check out our review of pmtbox (formerly National Processing).
• First payouts can take longer: New Stripe accounts typically wait seven to 14 days for their first payout, although established accounts generally receive funds much faster. If rapid access to funds is critical, consider a provider with faster funding options, as we discussed in our Chase Payment Solutions review.

Methodology

We researched and analyzed the best credit card processors to identify the top options for small businesses. Our evaluation included hands-on testing, product demos, user reviews and conversations with vendor support teams. We compared each provider’s pricing, payment options, contract terms, software tools, hardware offerings, integrations, security features and customer support experience.

To determine the best credit card processor for e-commerce businesses, we placed the greatest emphasis on online payment capabilities. We looked closely at each provider’s checkout tools, payment methods, international selling features, recurring billing options and developer resources. We also evaluated how easily businesses can integrate the platform with accounting software, e-commerce platforms and other business applications.

Stripe earned our recommendation because it gives businesses multiple ways to accept payments online, from simple payment links and hosted checkout pages to highly customized payment experiences. Its broad integration library, support for more than 100 payment methods and strong international commerce tools helped it stand out from the competition.

You can read more about how we evaluate products and services on our editorial process page.

Bottom Line

We recommend Stripe for…

• E-commerce businesses that want flexible checkout options and support for more than 100 payment methods.
• Subscription businesses that need recurring billing, customer self-service tools and usage-based pricing options.
• Businesses that want more control over their checkout experience and have the technical resources to customize it.

We don’t recommend Stripe for…

• Businesses that want a plug-and-play payment processor with minimal technical setup.
• Companies in high-risk industries that may not meet Stripe’s eligibility requirements.
• Brick-and-mortar businesses looking for a full-featured POS system with advanced inventory and staff management tools.
• Merchants with significant international card volume that may save money with an interchange-plus processor like Helcim.