PayPal vs Stripe fees are not one number. For a $100 US domestic online payment, Stripe’s standard card rate produces a $3.20 fee. PayPal’s listed Expanded Checkout card rate produces $3.18, its standard card rate produces $3.48, and the PayPal Checkout / Guest Checkout / Venmo route produces $3.98. Stripe is therefore cheaper than that PayPal checkout route on processing cost alone, but it is not automatically cheaper than every PayPal product.
The right choice depends on the merchant account country, payment route, card origin, currency conversion, refunds, disputes, subscriptions, and the checkout experience your customers need. This comparison names the exact route behind every rate so that unlike products are not presented as equivalent.
Last verified: August 29, 2026, against PayPal and Stripe’s official US and UK pricing pages. Examples use published standard pricing and exclude taxes on fees, negotiated rates, platform charges, and optional products unless stated.
PayPal vs Stripe: the quick answer
| Business need | Best starting point | Why |
|---|---|---|
| US domestic card processing | Compare Stripe with PayPal Expanded Checkout | The published rates are almost identical: 2.90% + $0.30 versus 2.89% + $0.29. PayPal eligibility and service terms apply. |
| US PayPal, Guest Checkout, or Venmo payments | PayPal for those checkout choices; Stripe for lower listed processing cost | PayPal lists these routes at 3.49% + $0.49, while Stripe’s standard domestic card rate is 2.90% + $0.30. They provide different checkout experiences. |
| UK standard domestic cards | Depends on the PayPal route and order value | Stripe lists 1.50% + 20p; PayPal lists 1.20% + 30p for a qualifying card-funded payment without a PayPal account. |
| Custom checkout, marketplace, or API-led product | Stripe | Stripe is designed around programmable payments, Connect, and modular payment infrastructure. |
| Customers actively want the PayPal wallet | PayPal | A familiar PayPal button can be offered without asking the merchant to replace every other payment method. |
| Subscriptions and usage-based billing | Stripe is usually the stronger starting point | Stripe Billing provides deeper subscription tooling, but its published pay-as-you-go price is an additional 0.7% of Billing volume. |
| International sales | Model the actual transaction mix | Both providers can add international and currency-conversion costs; the cheaper choice changes by merchant country, card origin, and settlement currency. |
| Mixed customer preferences | Consider offering both | Stripe can process the primary card checkout while PayPal remains available as a separate wallet choice. |
Compare equivalent payment routes first
The most common comparison mistake is treating “PayPal” as one rate. PayPal publishes separate rows for PayPal Checkout, Guest Checkout, Venmo, standard cards, Expanded Checkout cards, direct Goods and Services payments, Pay Later, invoices, QR codes, and point of sale. Stripe also separates online cards, manually entered cards, international cards, currency conversion, Billing, Invoicing, Connect, Terminal, and other products.
- Closest US card comparison: Stripe standard online domestic card versus PayPal Expanded Checkout card processing.
- Checkout comparison: PayPal Checkout and Pay with Venmo are wallet routes; Guest Checkout is a separate no-account route. PayPal currently lists all three at 3.49% + $0.49 in the US.
- Direct payment comparison: PayPal’s US Send/Receive Money for Goods and Services row is 2.99% without a fixed fee, but it is not the same product as an embedded ecommerce card checkout. See the focused PayPal Goods and Services fee guide.
If a comparison does not name the merchant country and product route, its headline winner may be meaningless.
PayPal vs Stripe fees in the US
The table below assumes a US-registered merchant, a domestic customer, USD received, an online payment, and no currency conversion or optional service.
| US online route | Published rate | Fee on $100 | Merchant receives | Scope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stripe standard domestic card | 2.90% + $0.30 | $3.20 | $96.80 | Standard online card pricing. |
| PayPal Expanded Checkout card | 2.89% + $0.29 | $3.18 | $96.82 | Subject to eligibility, application, approval, and service terms. |
| PayPal standard credit or debit card | 2.99% + $0.49 | $3.48 | $96.52 | PayPal’s standard card-payment row. |
| PayPal Checkout / Guest Checkout / Venmo | 3.49% + $0.49 | $3.98 | $96.02 | PayPal publishes these as separate payment types at the same rate. |
Fees on $10, $100, and $1,000
| US route | Fee on $10 | Fee on $100 | Fee on $1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stripe standard domestic card | $0.59 | $3.20 | $29.30 |
| PayPal Expanded Checkout card | $0.58 | $3.18 | $29.19 |
| PayPal standard card | $0.79 | $3.48 | $30.39 |
| PayPal Checkout / Guest Checkout / Venmo | $0.84 | $3.98 | $35.39 |
On a $100 payment, Stripe saves $0.78 compared with the PayPal Checkout / Guest Checkout / Venmo rate, but PayPal Expanded Checkout is $0.02 lower than Stripe’s standard card rate. Those two cents should not decide the platform by themselves: approval, checkout design, fraud tooling, extra products, conversion, and customer payment preference can matter more.
Official US sources: Stripe US Pricing, PayPal US Merchant Fees, and PayPal US Business Pricing.
Calculate the PayPal side of the comparison
The calculator below estimates PayPal fees only. Select the merchant market and the actual PayPal product route. To compare a standard US domestic Stripe card manually, calculate amount × 2.90% + $0.30. Stripe products and custom pricing can use different rates. PayPal Expanded Checkout is not currently a calculator option, so use the verified table above and PayPal’s live quote for that eligible product.
Estimate the fee, net amount, or the minimum amount to request. Choose the merchant market and the way the customer pays for a more relevant result.
- Payment amount
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- Percentage fee
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- International add-on
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- Fixed fee
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- Estimated total fee
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- Effective fee rate
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For the formula behind forward and reverse estimates, read how to calculate PayPal fees. For a complete PayPal product matrix, use the PayPal business fees for sellers guide.
PayPal vs Stripe fees in the UK
UK prices differ sharply from US prices. The examples below assume a UK-registered merchant, a domestic £100 online payment, GBP received, and no optional service.
| UK online route | Published rate | Fee on £100 | Merchant receives | Scope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stripe standard UK card | 1.50% + £0.20 | £1.70 | £98.30 | Standard domestic UK card. |
| PayPal qualifying card-funded payment without a PayPal account | 1.20% + £0.30 | £1.50 | £98.50 | The payment must meet PayPal’s stated classification; do not apply it to every card payment. |
| PayPal All Other Commercial Transactions | 2.90% + £0.30 | £3.20 | £96.80 | Representative PayPal wallet or general commercial route. |
For the two named domestic card rows, the fixed fee creates a crossover. Stripe costs less below about £33.33; the qualifying PayPal route costs less above that amount. This does not mean every PayPal transaction receives the 1.20% rate. If the payment is classified as “All Other Commercial Transactions,” Stripe’s listed standard UK card rate is lower at every positive amount.
Official UK sources: Stripe UK Pricing and PayPal UK Merchant Fees. PayPal has announced UK fee changes effective October 1, 2026, including an optional tiered plan and other product-specific adjustments; check its Policy Updates before pricing later transactions.
International, conversion, refund, and dispute costs
The base transaction rate is only the first layer. Use the actual merchant country and transaction path before forecasting total cost.
| Cost layer | Stripe | PayPal | Planning implication |
|---|---|---|---|
| US international payment | +1.50% for an international card; +1.00% if currency conversion is required | +1.50 percentage points for an international commercial transaction; currency conversion is separate | An international payment with no conversion is different from one that also requires FX. |
| UK international payment | 2.50% + 20p for EEA cards; 3.15% + 20p for other international cards; +2.00% if currency conversion is required | Applicable domestic commercial rate plus 1.29 points from EEA or 1.99 from other markets; conversion is separate. A further 1.29% EEA service fee may apply only to merchants with a separate agreement. | Compare the full route and account agreement, not only the standard international add-on. |
| Currency conversion | Published additions are 1% for US accounts and 2% for UK accounts when Stripe conversion is required | The US page lists a 4% spread for specified conversions and 3% for other listed conversions; the UK page lists 3% for specified receiver conversions | PayPal describes FX as a spread in its transaction exchange rate, so do not treat it as the same thing as a processing percentage. |
| Refunds | Standard card refunds generally have no separate refund action fee, but original processing, Connect, and conversion fees are not returned | No fee to issue a commercial refund, but the original receiving fee is not returned | High-refund businesses should budget the retained original processing cost. |
| US disputes | $15 when a dispute is received, plus $15 for a manual response; the response fee is returned if the dispute is won | $15 standard dispute fee or $30 high-volume dispute fee; a separate $20 chargeback fee applies to specified card chargebacks | “Chargeback fee” and “dispute fee” are not interchangeable labels. |
| UK disputes | £20 when received, plus £20 for a manual response; the response fee is returned if won | £12 standard or £24 high-volume dispute fee; specified card chargebacks are £14 | Eligibility, Seller Protection, and dispute outcome can affect PayPal treatment. |
| Standard account fee | No setup or monthly fee for standard Payments pricing | No monthly maintenance fee for the standard US Business account | Optional products, hardware, advanced services, and platform fees can still add cost. |
| Subscriptions | Stripe Billing pay-as-you-go is 0.70% of Billing volume in addition to payment processing | PayPal supports recurring payments; processing and optional-service pricing depend on the selected product and market | Compare the payment fee and subscription-management fee separately. |
For detailed cross-border examples, use our guide to PayPal international transaction fees. To compare PayPal markets without duplicating this page, see PayPal fees by country.
PayPal vs Stripe features that affect the decision
| Area | PayPal | Stripe |
|---|---|---|
| Core experience | Recognizable PayPal wallet plus guest and card options, depending on product and market | Payments infrastructure for cards, wallets, bank methods, hosted checkout, and custom integrations |
| Setup without a developer | Payment buttons, links, invoices, and common ecommerce integrations | Payment Links and hosted Checkout can work with little or no custom code |
| Customization | Developer tools and eligible advanced checkout products are available | Strong APIs, SDKs, Checkout, Elements, and platform tools |
| Subscriptions | Recurring-payment options for eligible business accounts | Billing supports subscriptions, usage-based models, customer portals, and recovery tools at additional pricing |
| Marketplaces and platforms | Commerce-platform and partner products are available, subject to market and approval | Connect is built for platforms, split payments, and connected accounts, with separate pricing |
| Fraud and disputes | Buyer and Seller Protection may apply to eligible transactions; exclusions and evidence rules matter | Radar, 3D Secure support, and card-network dispute workflows; advanced products can add cost |
| In-person sales | PayPal Point of Sale rates and hardware vary by country | Stripe Terminal combines online and in-person payment infrastructure |
| Reporting and data | Business dashboard, transaction reporting, invoicing, and commerce tools | Detailed payment data, developer events, reports, and optional analytics products |
Stripe is no longer only for teams building a checkout from scratch, and PayPal is not limited to a redirect button. Compare the specific implementation your business will actually deploy.
Which is better for your business?
Choose PayPal first when
- Your customers actively ask to pay from a PayPal balance or PayPal wallet.
- You want to add a familiar wallet option alongside an existing card checkout.
- You need a quick button, payment link, invoice, or supported ecommerce integration.
- An eligible PayPal card-processing product is approved and its complete pricing is competitive for your transaction mix.
Choose Stripe first when
- Your product needs a deeply integrated or highly customized card checkout.
- You are building SaaS subscriptions, usage-based billing, a marketplace, or a platform.
- Your team wants granular APIs, webhooks, developer tools, and unified online and in-person infrastructure.
- Your customers mainly use cards and Stripe’s full route cost is lower after international, FX, dispute, and add-on fees.
Use both when
Your buyers have mixed preferences. A common architecture is Stripe for the primary card checkout and PayPal as an additional wallet button. Stripe also documents PayPal as a payment method for certain eligible European businesses, but availability and settlement restrictions apply. Test whether the additional payment choice raises completed checkouts enough to justify the operational cost of maintaining two payment paths.
A practical five-step comparison
- Map your payment mix: country, currency, domestic versus international cards, wallet demand, average order value, refunds, and disputes.
- Name the products: for example, Stripe standard cards versus PayPal Expanded Checkout—not “Stripe versus PayPal” in the abstract.
- Add optional costs: Billing, Invoicing, Connect, advanced fraud tools, instant payouts, POS hardware, or PayPal optional services.
- Model real amounts: calculate low, average, and high orders plus a typical month. A lower percentage can lose on small orders when its fixed fee is higher.
- Run a checkout test: compare approval, implementation effort, customer completion, refunds, reconciliation, and support—not only the fee line.
PayPal vs Stripe FAQs
Is Stripe cheaper than PayPal?
Stripe is cheaper than the US PayPal Checkout / Guest Checkout / Venmo rate on the same domestic amount. It is not cheaper than every PayPal route: PayPal’s listed US Expanded Checkout card rate is slightly below Stripe’s standard domestic card rate, subject to PayPal eligibility and terms. UK results also change by route and order value.
How much do PayPal and Stripe charge on $100?
For a US domestic online payment with USD received, Stripe’s standard card fee is $3.20. PayPal’s published examples are $3.18 for an eligible Expanded Checkout card, $3.48 for a standard card payment, and $3.98 for PayPal Checkout, Guest Checkout, or Venmo.
Which is better for a small business?
PayPal can be the simpler wallet addition when customers request it. Stripe can be the stronger core card platform when the business needs custom checkout, subscriptions, or detailed integrations. A small business can also offer both and review the transaction mix after collecting real data.
Do PayPal and Stripe charge monthly fees?
Stripe’s standard Payments pricing has no setup or monthly fee, and PayPal states that its standard US Business account has no monthly maintenance fee. Optional products can add recurring or usage-based charges; Stripe Billing, for example, is separately priced.
Which is better for international payments?
Neither provider wins every international route. Compare the merchant account country, buyer or card country, payment product, received currency, conversion party, and settlement currency. An international payment without conversion should not be priced like one that also requires FX.
Does PayPal or Stripe return the processing fee after a refund?
Generally, no. Both providers state that original processing fees are not returned. Standard card refunds generally do not add a separate refund action fee, but Stripe notes exceptions for bank transfers and custom pricing.
Can I use PayPal and Stripe together?
Yes. A merchant can offer Stripe-powered card methods and a separate PayPal option. Measure whether the additional choice improves completed sales enough to justify implementation, reconciliation, support, and dispute workflows across two providers.
Official sources and methodology
- PayPal US Merchant Fees — merchant rate, fixed-fee, international, conversion, dispute, chargeback, and refund tables; updated July 15, 2026.
- PayPal US Business Pricing — current Checkout, Expanded Checkout, Pay Later, and POS pricing.
- PayPal UK Merchant Fees — UK commercial, international, conversion, dispute, chargeback, and refund tables; updated July 15, 2026.
- Stripe US Pricing — online cards, international cards, currency conversion, disputes, refunds, and standard-plan terms.
- Stripe UK Pricing — UK, EEA, international cards, conversion, and disputes.
- Stripe Billing Pricing — subscription-management pricing.
- Stripe documentation for PayPal payments — eligibility and regional availability when PayPal is offered through Stripe.
Forward examples use fee = amount × percentage + fixed fee, rounded to the nearest cent. The provider’s completed transaction, account classification, custom agreement, and live pricing control.
PayFeeCalc is an independent fee-estimation resource and is not affiliated with or endorsed by PayPal or Stripe. This page is informational and is not legal, tax, accounting, or financial advice.