Stripe competitors are payment companies that help businesses accept online and in-person payments, similar to Stripe. The biggest Stripe competitors are PayPal (and its Braintree platform), Adyen, Square, and Checkout.com, while Paddle, Helcim, and Authorize.net serve specific needs like SaaS billing, lower fees, and legacy gateways.
Stripe is one of the largest payment companies in the world, but it is not the cheapest or simplest option for every business. This guide compares 10 Stripe competitors by online card rates, monthly fees, and best use case, so you can choose the right processor for an online store, SaaS product, marketplace, or physical shop.
Key Takeaways
- Businesses on Stripe processed $1.9 trillion in total payment volume in 2025, up 34%, according to Stripe’s annual letter.
- Stripe charges 2.9% + 30¢ per online card payment in the US, plus 1.5% for international cards.
- PayPal is Stripe’s biggest competitor overall, processing $1.79 trillion in 2025 with $33.2 billion in revenue.
- Adyen is Stripe’s main rival for large enterprises, while Paddle competes for SaaS companies that want tax handled for them.
- Helcim and Stax use interchange-plus pricing, which can cost less than Stripe for high-volume businesses.
What Is Stripe?
Stripe is a financial technology company founded in 2010 by Irish brothers Patrick Collison and John Collison. It is based in South San Francisco and Dublin, and it is known for developer-friendly tools that let businesses add payments to a website or app with a few lines of code.
| Stripe at a Glance | Details |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2010 by Patrick and John Collison |
| Headquarters | South San Francisco, California, and Dublin, Ireland |
| Total payment volume | $1.9 trillion (2025), up 34% |
| Valuation | $159 billion (February 2026 tender offer) |
| Businesses served | 5+ million, directly or through platforms |
| Notable customers | 90% of Dow Jones and 80% of Nasdaq 100 companies |
| US online card rate | 2.9% + 30¢ |
Stripe’s figures come from its 2025 annual letter. Beyond card payments, Stripe offers billing, tax, fraud tools, marketplace payouts through Stripe Connect, and stablecoin payments through Bridge, which it bought in 2024.
Is Elon Musk invested in Stripe? Yes. Elon Musk and Peter Thiel, who co-founded PayPal, were among Stripe’s earliest investors in its first funding round in 2011, along with Sequoia Capital and Andreessen Horowitz.
What Does Stripe Cost?
Here are Stripe’s main US fees, according to its pricing page:
| Stripe Fee | Cost |
|---|---|
| Online card payment | 2.9% + 30¢ |
| International cards | +1.5% |
| Currency conversion | +1% |
| In-person (Stripe Terminal) | 2.7% + 5¢ |
| ACH Direct Debit | 0.8%, capped at $5 |
| Disputes | $15, plus $15 more if you contest it (refunded if you win) |
| Stripe Billing | 0.7% of billing volume |
Why do businesses look for Stripe alternatives? The most common reasons are flat-rate fees that do not drop as sales grow, extra charges for international cards, account holds or freezes, and limited phone support for smaller accounts.
Who Are Stripe’s Biggest Competitors?
Who is Stripe’s biggest competitor? PayPal is Stripe’s biggest competitor overall, because it competes for both small businesses and large companies through PayPal Checkout and Braintree. For large global enterprises, Adyen is Stripe’s closest rival.
| # | Competitor | Best for | Online card rate | Monthly fee | Merchant of record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PayPal | Buyer trust at checkout | 3.49% + 49¢ | $0 | No |
| 2 | Braintree | Custom checkouts with PayPal and Venmo | 2.89% + 29¢ | $0 | No |
| 3 | Adyen | Large global enterprises | Interchange++ + 0.60% + 13¢ | $0 | No |
| 4 | Square | Online + in-person small businesses | 2.9% to 3.3% + 30¢ | $0 to $149 | No |
| 5 | Checkout.com | Enterprise and high-risk industries | Custom | $0 | No |
| 6 | Paddle | SaaS and software sellers | 5% + 50¢ (all-in) | $0 | Yes |
| 7 | Authorize.net | Businesses needing a classic gateway | 2.9% + 30¢ | $25 | No |
| 8 | Helcim | Lower fees as volume grows | Interchange + 0.50% + 25¢ | $0 | No |
| 9 | Shopify Payments | Shopify stores | 2.5% to 2.9% + 30¢ | From $39 (Shopify plan) | No |
| 10 | GoCardless | Recurring bank payments | 0.5% + 5¢ (ACH, capped) | $0 | No |
Rates are US standard rates from official pricing pages, checked in October 2026.
What Are the Best Stripe Alternatives?
1. PayPal
PayPal is the most recognized name in online payments, and many shoppers trust its checkout button more than an unfamiliar card form. Standard PayPal Checkout costs 3.49% + 49¢ per transaction, which is higher than Stripe, but it can lift conversion rates because buyers can pay without typing card details.
Who is bigger, Stripe or PayPal? By payment volume, Stripe is now slightly bigger, with $1.9 trillion in 2025 compared with PayPal’s $1.79 trillion. PayPal earns far more revenue, though, with $33.2 billion in 2025, because it also runs consumer products like Venmo.
Best for: small businesses and ecommerce stores that want a trusted checkout option.
2. Braintree
Braintree is PayPal’s developer-focused payment platform and Stripe’s most direct like-for-like rival. It charges 2.89% + 29¢ for cards and digital wallets, slightly less than Stripe, and lets you accept PayPal and Venmo in the same checkout.
Best for: apps and online businesses that want custom checkouts with PayPal and Venmo built in.
3. Adyen
Adyen is a Dutch payment company that serves large global brands. It processed €1.39 trillion in 2025, according to its financial results. Adyen uses interchange-plus pricing, with a 13¢ processing fee plus a payment-method fee, such as interchange++ + 0.60% for Visa and Mastercard.
Is Adyen better than Stripe? For very large companies selling in many countries, often yes, because Adyen offers deep control over payment routing and in-store and online payments in one system. For startups, Stripe is usually easier to set up.
Best for: enterprises with high global volume.
4. Square
Square, owned by Block, is the best Stripe alternative for businesses that sell both in person and online. Its online rate is 3.3% + 30¢ on the free plan or 2.9% + 30¢ on paid plans, and it includes a free POS app. Stripe is stronger for custom online checkouts, while Square is easier for shops and restaurants.
See our full guide to Square competitors to compare Square with other POS systems.
Best for: retail stores, cafés, and service businesses.
5. Checkout.com
Checkout.com is a London-based processor that competes with Stripe and Adyen for large online businesses. It does not publish standard rates. Instead, it offers custom flat-rate or interchange++ pricing with no account maintenance or setup fees. It is popular with fintech, gaming, travel, and crypto companies.
Best for: large and high-risk online businesses that need custom pricing.
6. Paddle
Paddle is a merchant of record, which means it sells your product on your behalf and handles global sales tax, VAT, and compliance. It charges an all-in fee of 5% + 50¢ per transaction. That costs more than Stripe’s card rate, but it can save SaaS companies the time and expense of managing tax in dozens of countries.
What about Lemon Squeezy? Lemon Squeezy was a popular merchant of record for digital products, but Stripe acquired it in July 2024, so it is no longer an independent Stripe competitor. FastSpring is another merchant of record option for software companies.
Best for: SaaS and digital product sellers who sell worldwide.
7. Authorize.net
Authorize.net is one of the oldest payment gateways in the US. Its all-in-one plan costs $25 per month plus 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction, and its gateway-only plan works with an existing merchant account. It lacks Stripe’s modern developer tools but connects with many shopping carts and accounting systems.
Best for: established businesses that already use a bank merchant account.
8. Helcim
Helcim uses interchange-plus pricing, where you pay the card network’s base cost plus a small markup. Online payments start at interchange + 0.50% + 25¢, with automatic discounts as volume grows. There is no monthly fee and no contract, which makes it a strong option for businesses that have outgrown Stripe’s flat rate.
Best for: growing US businesses that want lower, transparent fees.
9. Shopify Payments
Shopify Payments is the built-in processor for Shopify stores. Online rates range from 2.9% + 30¢ on the Basic plan to 2.5% + 30¢ on the Advanced plan. If a Shopify store uses an outside processor like Stripe instead, Shopify adds an extra fee of up to 2% per sale, so most Shopify merchants stick with Shopify Payments.
Best for: businesses that run their store on Shopify.
10. GoCardless
GoCardless focuses on bank payments instead of cards. In the US, its standard ACH rate is 0.5% + 5¢, capped at $5 per payment. That is cheaper than card fees for recurring bills such as memberships, subscriptions, and invoices.
Best for: subscription and invoice-based businesses that bill customers every month.
Other Stripe competitors to know: Stax offers interchange at cost for a monthly fee starting at $99, and Tipalti competes with Stripe Connect for marketplace and business payouts.
How Do You Choose the Right Stripe Alternative?
What are the top 5 payment processors? By size and reach, the top five are Stripe, PayPal (including Braintree), Adyen, Square, and Checkout.com. The right one for you depends on how you sell:
| If you are… | Best Stripe alternative |
|---|---|
| A small online store | PayPal or Square |
| A developer building a custom checkout | Braintree |
| A large global enterprise | Adyen or Checkout.com |
| A SaaS company selling worldwide | Paddle or FastSpring |
| A high-volume US business | Helcim or Stax |
| A Shopify merchant | Shopify Payments |
| A subscription business billing by bank | GoCardless |
For a side-by-side look at the three most popular options, see our Stripe vs Square vs PayPal comparison.
Before switching, compare your total cost, not just the headline rate. Add monthly fees, international card fees, dispute fees, and any tax or compliance tools you need. Also think about market positioning: Stripe positions itself as the developer’s choice, while PayPal sells consumer trust and Paddle sells peace of mind on tax.
Bottom Line
In 14 years of working online, I have watched Stripe go from a startup tool to a company that processes about 1.6% of global GDP. That scale is a strength, but it also means Stripe’s flat 2.9% + 30¢ is not built to be the cheapest option for everyone. If you sell SaaS worldwide, Paddle can save you tax headaches. If your volume is high, Helcim or Adyen can lower your costs. For most new online businesses, though, Stripe is still the easiest place to start.
Frequently Asked Questions
PayPal is Stripe’s biggest competitor overall. It processed $1.79 trillion in payments in 2025 and owns Braintree, a developer platform that competes directly with Stripe. For large global enterprises, Adyen is Stripe’s closest rival, while Square competes with Stripe for small businesses that sell both online and in person. Paddle competes with Stripe for SaaS companies.
Stripe processed more payment volume in 2025, with $1.9 trillion compared with PayPal’s $1.79 trillion. PayPal is bigger by revenue, earning $33.2 billion in 2025, because it also runs consumer products like Venmo and PayPal wallets. PayPal is a public company, while Stripe is private and was valued at $159 billion in February 2026.
Yes. Braintree charges 2.89% + 29¢ for cards, slightly less than Stripe’s 2.9% + 30¢. Helcim and Stax use interchange-plus pricing, which often costs less for businesses with high volume. For recurring bank payments, GoCardless charges 0.5% + 5¢ per ACH payment, capped at $5, which is much cheaper than card fees.
Yes. Elon Musk was one of Stripe’s earliest investors. He and Peter Thiel, both co-founders of PayPal, invested in Stripe’s first funding round in 2011, along with venture firms Sequoia Capital and Andreessen Horowitz. Their early support helped Stripe grow from a small startup into one of the world’s most valuable private companies.
Paddle is the best Stripe alternative for most SaaS companies that sell internationally. As a merchant of record, it handles sales tax, VAT, invoicing, and compliance in every country for an all-in fee of 5% + 50¢. FastSpring is another merchant of record for software. Lemon Squeezy is no longer independent, since Stripe acquired it in 2024.
Stripe is built for businesses of all sizes, with simple flat-rate pricing and developer tools that are easy to start with. Adyen focuses on large enterprises and uses interchange-plus pricing with deep control over global payment routing. Adyen processed €1.39 trillion in 2025, while Stripe processed $1.9 trillion across more than 5 million businesses.
No. Stripe’s standard plan has no setup fees, monthly fees, or minimums. You pay per transaction, such as 2.9% + 30¢ for each US online card payment. Extra products cost more, including Stripe Billing at 0.7% of billing volume and Stripe Tax, which charges per transaction where you are registered to collect tax.
