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9 Best Stripe Competitors for Small Businesses of April 2024

There are a variety of Stripe alternatives, from full-service merchant account providers to simple payment gateways.
By Tina Orem, Karrin Sehmbi
Last updated on April 21, 2023
Edited bySally Lauckner
Fact checked and reviewed

⏰ Estimated read time: 6 minutes

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Stripe is a payment processor for online sales, but it’s not necessarily right for every small business. Although Stripe has a simple pricing structure, accepts many types of payments and is customizable, it can be expensive, complicated and overly focused on online payments for some merchants. Stripe alternatives range from full-service merchant account providers to simple payment gateway providers. Here are nine Stripe competitors that may be a better fit for your business.

Best Stripe Competitors for Small Businesses

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Estimates assume an average interchange fee of 1.81% + $0.10, based on our latest available data. Estimates provided reflect online and in-person transactions, but exclude any keyed transactions. Estimates are based on the lowest monthly plan and processing fees for each provider.

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Square Payments Processing

Learn more

on Square Payments Processing's secure website

Get an estimated monthly cost for your business.

Best for In-person transactions

In-person: 2.6% + $0.10

Online: 2.9% + $0.30

$0.00

Get an estimated monthly cost for your business.
Learn more

on Square Payments Processing's secure website

Stax by Fattmerchant

Learn more

on Stax by Fattmerchant's secure website

4.0/5

Best for Businesses with high transaction volumes

In-person: 0% + $0.08

Online: 0% + $0.15

Plus interchange

$99.00

and up.

Learn more

on Stax by Fattmerchant's secure website

PayPal Zettle

4.0/5

Best for Brick-and-mortar businesses expanding online

In-person: 2.29% + $0.09

Online: 2.89% + $0.49

$0.00

Adyen

4.0/5

Best for Large omnichannel businesses

0% + $0.13

Plus interchange for Visa and Mastercard; 3.3% + $0.23 for AmEx.

$0.00

Verifone

Best for Online-only businesses that sell around the world

N/A

online with 2Sell plan; 4.5% + 45¢ online with 2Subscribe plan.

$0.00

WePay

Best for Chase business account holders

N/A

online with WePay Link; 2.9% + 30¢ online for merchant platforms without set processing fees.

$0.00

Authorize.net

Best for Payment gateway only

2.9% + $0.30

for All-in-One option.

$25.00

PayPal Braintree

4.0/5

Best for Payment gateway plus merchant account

2.59% + $0.49

credit & debit cards and digital wallets; 3.49% + 49¢ Venmo (U.S. only).

$0.00

PayJunction

Best for Businesses ready to go paperless

N/A

for credit cards.

$0.00

if you process $10K+ per month; otherwise, $35 per month.

Our pick for

In-person transactions

Square Payments Processing

Learn more

on Square Payments Processing's secure website

Monthly fee
$0.00

Our pick for

Businesses with high transaction volumes

Stax by Fattmerchant

Learn more

on Stax by Fattmerchant's secure website

Monthly fee
$99.00

and up.

Our pick for

Brick-and-mortar businesses expanding online

PayPal Zettle

Monthly fee
$0.00

Our pick for

Large omnichannel businesses

Payment processing fees
0% + $0.13

Plus interchange for Visa and Mastercard; 3.3% + $0.23 for AmEx.

Monthly fee
$0.00

Our pick for

Online-only businesses that sell around the world

Verifone

Payment processing fees
N/A

online with 2Sell plan; 4.5% + 45¢ online with 2Subscribe plan.

Monthly fee
$0.00

Our pick for

Chase business account holders

WePay

Payment processing fees
N/A

online with WePay Link; 2.9% + 30¢ online for merchant platforms without set processing fees.

Monthly fee
$0.00

Our pick for

Payment gateway only

Authorize.net

Payment processing fees
2.9% + $0.30

for All-in-One option.

Monthly fee
$25.00

Our pick for

Payment gateway plus merchant account

PayPal Braintree

Payment processing fees
2.59% + $0.49

credit & debit cards and digital wallets; 3.49% + 49¢ Venmo (U.S. only).

Monthly fee
$0.00

Our pick for

Businesses ready to go paperless

PayJunction

Payment processing fees
N/A

for credit cards.

Monthly fee
$0.00

if you process $10K+ per month; otherwise, $35 per month.

Square: Best for in-person transactions

Payment processing fees:
  • 2.6% plus 10 cents for in-person transactions.
  • 2.9% plus 30 cents for online transactions.
  • 3.5% plus 15 cents for manually keyed transactions.
  • 3.3% plus 30 cents for invoices.
Why we like it: Square provides payment processing as well as point-of-sale, or POS, system options that can accommodate a variety of small businesses. It offers free POS software, a free magstripe reader and multiple hardware options. Plus, its in-person transaction fees are lower than Stripe’s. Square also offers Tap to Pay on iPhone, which lets merchants accept card payments using only an iPhone with the Square POS app. Square has a vast product suite that extends beyond POS and into e-commerce, online payments, invoicing and more. Read our full Square review.

PayPal Zettle: Best for brick-and-mortar businesses expanding online

Payment processing fees:
  • 2.29% plus 9 cents for in-person and QR code transactions.
  • 3.49% plus 9 cents for manual-entry card transactions.
  • 2.89% plus 49 cents for online card payments.
  • 2.99% plus 49 cents for invoicing (payment made with card).
  • 3.49% plus 49 cents for invoicing (payment made with PayPal).
Why we like it: For accepting in-person payments, PayPal Zettle is more approachable and simpler to implement than Stripe. But for online payments, PayPal also offers a simple payment gateway service that gives you the ability to create a hosted checkout page. If you already have a dedicated merchant account and want to use it for online payments, PayPal could be a good choice compared with Stripe. Read our full PayPal Zettle review.

Adyen: Best for large omnichannel businesses

Payment processing fees:
  • Interchange plus 13 cents per transaction for Visa and Mastercard.
  • 3.3% plus 23 cents for American Express.
  • 3%-12% plus 13 cents for other payment methods, depending on transaction type.
  • 40 cents per transaction for ACH direct payment.
Why we like it: Adyen is a payments platform that enables payment processing in store, online and within marketplaces (like Etsy), so it may be a better fit for larger businesses with an online presence. Unlike Stripe, it also acts as a merchant account provider, which will require some extra steps in the application process but will likely pay off in the level of service and attention that comes with such an account. Also unlike Stripe, Adyen uses an interchange-plus pricing system, which is often the most affordable pricing structure for credit card processing fees, especially if you have a higher transaction volume. Read our full Adyen review.

Verifone: Best for online-only businesses that sell around the world

Payment processing fees:
  • Starts at 3.5% + 35 cents for online payments with 2Sell plan.
  • 4.5% + 45 cents for online payments with 2Subscribe plan.
  • Does not offer processing for in-person payments.
Why we like it: Verifone, formerly 2Checkout, excels in international payments. It has coverage in over 200 countries and territories (Stripe is in only 47), accepts over 45 payment methods, is available in more than 30 languages and offers 100 billing currencies. You can also customize your payments solution. Read our full Verifone review.

WePay: Best for Chase business account holders

Payment processing fees:
  • 2.9% plus 25 cents per online transaction for credit card payments with WePay Link. Valid for new U.S. businesses only.
  • 2.9% plus 30 cents per online transaction for merchant platforms without set processing fees.
  • 2.6% plus 10 cents for in-person and manually keyed transactions.
Why we like it: WePay is an online payments solution affiliated with Chase Payment Solutions. It works with business owners who want to allow their customers to send and receive payments (largely software-as-a-service businesses and similar companies). If you have a Chase business bank account, you can get same-day deposits instead of having to wait days to transfer funds from your merchant account to your business bank account. Read more about WePay versus Stripe.

Authorize.net: Best for a payment gateway only

Payment processing fees:
  • 2.9% plus 30 cents per transaction for a merchant account plus a gateway.
  • 10 cents per transaction plus 10 cent daily batch fee for a payment gateway only.
Why we like it: Authorize.net is a payment gateway provider rather than a merchant account or payment service provider, which means it facilitates the payment but doesn’t provide the merchant account to receive funds. Therefore, unlike Stripe, you’ll need to use Authorize.net in conjunction with a third-party merchant account. You can integrate Authorize.net with your existing merchant account or get one through an Authorize.net reseller. If you’re primarily an online-based business but want to accept payments in person (or over the phone) once in a while, Authorize.net’s virtual terminal allows you to do so. Authorize.net also has 13 configurable fraud filters you can change. Read our full Authorize.net review.

Braintree: Best for a payment gateway plus merchant account

Payment processing fees:
  • 2.59% plus 49 cents per transaction for credit cards, debit cards and digital wallets.
  • 3.49% plus 49 cents for Venmo (U.S. only).
  • 0.75% for ACH (maximum fee of $5). Discounts available for enterprise businesses.
Why we like it: Braintree, owned by PayPal, includes a dedicated merchant account. You can add a full-featured checkout to your app or website or use the custom user interface, or UI, to build your own checkout page. All of Braintree’s solutions include PayPal acceptance and support. If you accept in-person payments, you can integrate your Braintree account with PayPal Zettle. Read our full Braintree review.

PayJunction: Best for businesses ready to go paperless

Payment processing fees: Interchange-plus pricing with markup of 0.75% plus 7 cents for all credit card transactions; $35 monthly fee if you process under $10,000.
Why we like it: PayJunction can accept payments through its POS terminal, payment gateway and mobile app, as well as through ACH. Interchange-plus pricing means the fees may end up being cheaper than Stripe for higher-volume businesses that can avoid the monthly fee. Its unique smart terminal takes all types of in-person payments — and without paper receipts (it sends digital receipts and stores receipt information in the cloud). You may be eligible for a free terminal if your business processes an average of $25,000 or more per month. Read our full PayJunction review.

Stax: Best for businesses with high transaction volumes

Payment processing fees:
  • Interchange plus 8 cents for in-person transactions.
  • Interchange plus 15 cents for manually keyed transactions.
Why we like it: Stax, formerly Fattmerchant, is one of the most affordable options in terms of transaction fees (0% markup on direct-cost interchange) — as long as you can afford the subscription fee. Customers get a merchant account and can accept payments in a variety of ways: mobile, virtual terminal, e-commerce shopping cart, etc. Read our full Stax review.
Last updated on April 21, 2023

Methodology

NerdWallet’s ratings of payment processing providers reward companies whose products and services are priced well and work in a variety of payment scenarios, among other criteria. Ratings are based on weighted averages of scores in several categories, including overall cost, hardware and software options, system capabilities, customer service, contract requirements and integrations. Learn more about how we rate payment processing providers.
These ratings are a guide, but fees, hardware, software and contract requirements can vary widely from business to business and provider to provider. We encourage you to shop around and compare several providers.
NerdWallet does not receive compensation for any reviews. Read our editorial guidelines.
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