Instantly see your net payout after Stripe fees — online, in-person, and international. 2026 rates.
Live results · 2026 official rates
✓ Verified against Stripe official pricing · June 2026
Stripe has become the default payment processor for thousands of online businesses, from solo developers building their first product to established e-commerce brands processing millions in monthly volume. Unlike PayPal, Stripe doesn't have its own consumer brand that buyers recognize at checkout — instead, it works quietly in the background, powering payment forms on websites built with Shopify, WooCommerce, and countless custom platforms. That invisibility is part of its appeal: customers simply see your brand, not Stripe's.
Understanding exactly how Stripe prices its services helps you decide whether it's the right fit for your specific business model, and how to structure your pricing to account for the real cost of accepting payments.
Stripe's standard online rate of 2.9% + $0.30 applies to the vast majority of card transactions processed through a typical online store. What makes Stripe distinct from many competitors is the transparency of its pricing — there are no hidden monthly minimums, no early termination fees, and no long-term contracts. You simply pay the listed percentage on whatever you process, whether that's $50 a month or $50,000.
This pay-as-you-go structure is particularly valuable for seasonal businesses or new ventures still finding their footing — you're never penalized for a slow month the way you might be with a processor that charges a flat monthly fee regardless of volume.
Consider a small online store processing $8,000 in sales across 200 transactions per month, averaging $40 per order. At Stripe's standard rate, total fees would be approximately $8,000 × 2.9% + (200 × $0.30) = $232 + $60 = $292 for the month — about 3.65% of total revenue once you factor in the fixed per-transaction cost spread across smaller orders.
Compare that to the same volume on PayPal Goods & Services, which would cost roughly $279 + $98 = $377 for the same period — a difference of $85/month, or just over $1,000 per year. At scale, that gap becomes a meaningful line item worth optimizing.
One area where Stripe costs can surprise new users is international transactions. A card issued outside the seller's home country triggers an additional 1.5% fee, and if currency conversion is also needed, another 1% applies on top of that — pushing the effective rate as high as 4.4% + $0.30 for some cross-border sales. If a meaningful portion of your customer base is international, it's worth factoring this into your pricing strategy from the start rather than discovering it after your first international sale.
Neither processor is universally "better" — the right choice depends on your specific business. Stripe wins on raw cost efficiency and technical flexibility; PayPal wins on consumer trust and ease of setup for non-technical sellers. Many growing businesses end up offering both, letting Stripe handle the majority of transactions at a lower cost while keeping PayPal available for customers who specifically prefer it. For the complete side-by-side breakdown with real numbers at every price point, see our Stripe vs PayPal comparison guide.
| Payment Type | Rate | Fixed | On $100 | You Keep |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Link (Stripe native checkout) | 2.5% | $0.10 | $2.60 | $97.40 |
| In-person (card present) | 2.7% | $0.05 | $2.75 | $97.25 |
| Online domestic card | 2.9% | $0.30 | $3.20 | $96.80 |
| Amex | 3.5% | $0.30 | $3.80 | $96.20 |
| International card | 4.4% | $0.30 | $4.70 | $95.30 |
| Currency conversion | +1.5% | — | +$1.50 | — |