Payment processor head-to-head
Stripe vs PayPal
Stripe is a payments platform you build on; PayPal is a wallet your customers already have. That shows in the fees: the PayPal button costs more per sale, PayPal's card rate costs slightly less than Stripe's, and for some stores the button earns its premium in sales.
Updated October 2026. Figures from each company's published US pricing; where a figure is not published, we say so.
Stripe
$3.20
2.9% + 30¢
PayPal
$3.98
3.49% + 49¢
Anytime Capital
$3.05
2.75% + 30¢
Stripe costs less at every sale size.
Quick answer
Is Stripe or PayPal cheaper?
It depends which PayPal product. PayPal Checkout, the PayPal button, is 3.49% + 49¢, so a $100 sale costs $3.98 against $3.20 on Stripe's 2.9% + 30¢. PayPal's card processing on Expanded Checkout is 2.89% + 29¢, $3.18 on $100, slightly below Stripe at every sale size (published US rates, October 2026).
Stripe against the PayPal button: what a $100 sale costs
Percentage plus fixed fee, as a share of a $100 sale, at each published US rate
- Anytime Capital
- Stripe
- PayPal
Published US rates as of October 2026. Anytime Capital: 2.75% + 30¢, or 2.5% + 30¢ for the first 90 days with the launch offer. Excludes international, currency-conversion, dispute and payout fees, and any monthly plan.
Published fees
Stripe vs PayPal fees, line by line
| Fee | Stripe | PayPal | Anytime Capital |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online card rate | 2.9% + 30¢ | 3.49% + 49¢ for PayPal Checkout; cards 2.89% + 29¢ to 2.99% + a fixed fee, by product | 2.75% + 30¢ (2.5% + 30¢ for your first 90 days with the launch offer) |
| In person | 2.7% + 5¢ on Stripe Terminal; Tap to Pay adds 10¢ per authorization | 2.29% + 9¢ for QR code and card payments in person | Customers scan and tap to pay on their own phone; no terminal to buy or rent |
| ACH bank payments | 0.8%, capped at $5 | Not published separately | ACH bank debit on payment links and invoices; current rate on the pricing page |
| International cards | +1.5% on international cards | +1.5% on international commercial transactions | May carry an extra fee, shown in your dashboard before you accept the payment |
| Currency conversion | +1% when currency conversion is needed | 3% spread on currency conversion (4% on some conversions) | May carry an extra fee, shown in your dashboard before you accept the payment |
| Instant payout | 1.5% of the payout, 50¢ minimum (US) | Not published for business accounts | Instant, 24/7, to your Anytime Capital business account |
| Disputes | $15 per dispute, plus a counter fee to contest one (refunded if you win) | $20 per chargeback | Shown in your dashboard; pre-dispute alerts can refund small payments automatically |
| Monthly fee | $0 on standard pricing | $0 | $0: no monthly, setup or PCI fees |
US pricing as of October 2026. “Not published” means no official figure was found, not that the fee is zero.
Sale by sale
What each one costs, at every sale size
01Stripe against the PayPal button
| Sale | Stripe2.9% + 30¢ | PayPal3.49% + 49¢ | Anytime Capital2.75% + 30¢ |
|---|---|---|---|
| $10 | $0.59 | $0.84 | $0.58 |
| $25 | $1.03 | $1.36 | $0.99 |
| $50 | $1.75 | $2.24 | $1.68 |
| $100 | $3.20 | $3.98 | $3.05 |
| $250 | $7.55 | $9.22 | $7.18 |
| $1,000 | $29.30 | $35.39 | $27.80 |
Stripe costs less at every sale size.
PayPal Checkout: the customer pays from a PayPal balance, Venmo or Pay Later.
02Online card payment
| Sale | Stripe2.9% + 30¢ | PayPal2.89% + 29¢ | Anytime Capital2.75% + 30¢ |
|---|---|---|---|
| $10 | $0.59 | $0.58 | $0.58 |
| $25 | $1.03 | $1.01 | $0.99 |
| $50 | $1.75 | $1.74 | $1.68 |
| $100 | $3.20 | $3.18 | $3.05 |
| $250 | $7.55 | $7.52 | $7.18 |
| $1,000 | $29.30 | $29.19 | $27.80 |
PayPal costs less at every sale size.
PayPal's Expanded Checkout card rate. Other PayPal card products run up to 2.99% plus a fixed fee.
03In-person card payment
| Sale | Stripe2.7% + 5¢ | PayPal2.29% + 9¢ |
|---|---|---|
| $10 | $0.32 | $0.32 |
| $25 | $0.73 | $0.66 |
| $50 | $1.40 | $1.24 |
| $100 | $2.75 | $2.38 |
| $250 | $6.80 | $5.82 |
| $1,000 | $27.05 | $22.99 |
Below about $10 a sale, Stripe costs less; above it, PayPal does.
Stripe Terminal readers. PayPal's rate covers QR code and card payments in person, including Tap to Pay in the PayPal app.
The short version
Which to choose
Choose Stripe if
- You want one API for cards, wallets, subscriptions and payouts to sellers, built by your own developers.
- You sell internationally and want local payment methods and presentment currencies through one integration.
- You would rather not pay PayPal Checkout's 3.49% + 49¢ on every wallet sale.
Choose PayPal if
- Your buyers are consumers who trust a PayPal or Venmo button and convert better when they see one.
- You want Venmo and PayPal Pay Later at checkout without building anything.
- You process cards through PayPal's Expanded Checkout, whose 2.89% + 29¢ is slightly below Stripe's standard rate.
Two products, two prices
PayPal charges for the button. PayPal Checkout, where the customer pays from a PayPal balance, Venmo or Pay Later, is 3.49% + 49¢ per US payment. Card payments processed through PayPal cost less: 2.89% + 29¢ on Expanded Checkout, and up to 2.99% plus a fixed fee on other card products.
Stripe charges one standard rate, 2.9% + 30¢, for US cards and wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay, and also offers Link, Klarna, Affirm, ACH Direct Debit, a long list of local payment methods and stablecoin payments in the US. The trade is simple: PayPal's wallet and Pay Later reach buyers who prefer them, at a higher rate per sale.
Selling abroad
Both add a surcharge for buyers abroad. Stripe adds 1.5% on international cards and 1% when currency conversion is needed. PayPal adds 1.5% on international commercial transactions and takes a 3% spread on currency conversion, 4% on some conversions.
For a business selling in several currencies, the conversion cost often matters more than the headline rate, so price a typical international order on both before choosing.
Payouts and disputes
Stripe pays out on a two-day standard schedule for many lower-risk US businesses, after a seven-day wait for a new account's first payout; Instant Payouts cost 1.5% (50¢ minimum) and usually land within 30 minutes. PayPal sales land in your PayPal balance first, and you transfer them to your bank from there. PayPal does not publish a separate instant transfer rate for business accounts.
Disputes cost $15 at Stripe, plus a counter fee to contest one that is refunded if you win, and $20 per chargeback at PayPal.
At a glance
The two side by side
| Stripe | PayPal | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Developer-first online payments platform with the broadest API | Wallet checkout with PayPal, Venmo and Pay Later |
| Background | Founded 2010; headquartered in San Francisco and Dublin. | Founded 1998 and launched 1999; headquartered in San Jose, California. Owns Venmo and Braintree. |
| Payout speed | A 2-day standard schedule for many lower-risk US businesses (up to 14 days for higher-risk ones), after a 7-day wait for a new account's first payout. Instant Payouts usually land within 30 minutes, up to 10 a day. | Sales land in your PayPal balance, then transfer to your bank. PayPal does not publish a separate instant transfer rate for business accounts; its consumer fee page lists 1.75% (25¢ minimum, $25 maximum). |
| Payment methods | Cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Link, Klarna, Affirm, ACH Direct Debit, a long list of local payment methods, and stablecoin payments in the US | PayPal wallet, Venmo, PayPal Pay Later, cards, and Pay with Crypto for US merchants (100+ cryptocurrencies through wallets such as Coinbase and MetaMask) |
| Fraud tools | Radar machine-learning screening included; Radar for Fraud Teams adds custom rules and manual review for 2¢ per screened transaction on standard pricing; 3D Secure supported | Not priced on the fee pages we reviewed; Braintree's Chargeback Protection (from 0.4%) is PayPal's paid add-on for its gateway |
| Point of sale | Stripe Terminal card readers and Tap to Pay on phones | QR code and card payments in person at 2.29% + 9¢; Tap to Pay in the PayPal app with no hardware cost |
| Support | Free 24/7 email, chat and phone support; Premium Support with a dedicated manager, priced on request | Not published with pricing |
The third option
Where Anytime Capital fits
If your customers pay by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay rather than a PayPal balance, Anytime Capital Payments is worth pricing beside both: 2.75% + 30¢ per US card or wallet payment (2.5% + 30¢ for your first 90 days), no monthly, setup or PCI fees, and checkout, invoices and receipts carrying your own logo on your own domain.
Sales sweep instantly into an Anytime Capital business account, nights and weekends included, instead of waiting in a processor balance. PayPal's wallet and Pay Later reach buyers we do not, and Stripe's platform tools go further. Anytime Capital is a fintech company, not a bank.
Launch offer
Try Anytime Capital Payments: 2.5% + 30¢ for your first 90 days
Then 2.75% + 30¢ per card or wallet payment, with no monthly, setup or PCI fees. Links, invoices and in-person payments from day one, payouts to your bank (instant where eligible), and QuickBooks Online or Xero sync.
- 2.75% + 30¢ online, 2.5% + 30¢ for 90 days
- No monthly, setup or PCI fees
- Payouts to your bank, instant where eligible
- Live US business team
Questions
Stripe vs PayPal: FAQ
Other head-to-heads
Where to go next
Important Disclosures
- Information about Stripe and PayPal is drawn from their own published US pricing and pages (stripe.com/pricing, stripe.com/terminal, stripe.com/radar/fraud-teams, stripe.com/support-plans, docs.stripe.com/payouts and Stripe's Sessions 2026 announcements; paypal.com/us/business/paypal-business-fees, paypal.com/us/business/fees, PayPal's consumer fee page and user agreement, and PayPal's July 2025 Pay with Crypto announcement) as of October 2026. Prices and features change; where a figure was not published, this page says so rather than giving a number. Check current pricing before you decide.
- Anytime Capital, Stripe and PayPal are independent companies. This page is not endorsed by, affiliated with or sponsored by Stripe or PayPal. Third-party names, logos and trademarks belong to their owners and are used only to identify the companies compared.
- This comparison is for information only and is not financial, tax or legal advice.
- Anytime Capital is a fintech company, not a bank. Payment processing, banking and payout services are provided by Anytime Capital's licensed partners. Rates shown are for US card payments; international cards, currency conversion and disputes may carry additional fees shown in your dashboard before you accept a payment.