How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Ratings come from G2, Capterra or Trustpilot, with the date we checked them.
Key takeaways
- Stripe baseline in the US runs 2.9 percent plus 30 cents per online transaction, with 1.5 percent extra for international cards and 1 percent for currency conversion.
- PayPal standard card payments run 2.99 percent plus 49 cents, while PayPal Checkout runs 3.49 percent plus 49 cents, so the product you pick changes the fee.
- Paddle at 5 percent plus 50 cents suits SaaS sellers because it acts as merchant of record and handles global sales tax liability.
- This article is general information, not financial advice: processing fees change often, so confirm the current rate on each processor pricing page before switching.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 PayPal | Consumer trust and reach | 2.99% + $0.49 | No monthly fee |
 Square | Omnichannel small business | 2.9% + $0.30 | Free plan |
 Adyen | Enterprise and marketplaces | Interchange-plus | No monthly fee |
 Braintree | Mobile apps and wallets | See website | No monthly fee |
 Checkout.com | Authorization optimization | Interchange-plus | No monthly fee |
 Authorize.net | Stable gateway needs | $25 per month | No |
 Paddle | SaaS merchant of record | 5% + $0.50 | No monthly fee |
 Helcim | Transparent volume pricing | Interchange-plus | No monthly fee |
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The best alternatives to stripe for online payments
#1PayPal
Best for: Consumer trust and reach4.4/5 on
G2 (2,751 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit paypal.com
Starting price2.99% + $0.49
Free planNo monthly fee
PayPal is the trusted global checkout option, with more than 400 million active accounts, buyer protection, and availability in over 200 countries. Standard card payments run 2.99 percent plus 49 cents, while PayPal Checkout runs 3.49 percent plus 49 cents, with 1.50 percent extra for international transactions in one 2026 fee comparison. No monthly fee applies for standard commercial accounts, and setup is easy for first-time sellers with no volume minimums.
International fees run expensive, reaching 4.4 percent plus for cross-border in one guide, and PayPal offers no merchant-of-record services, so you handle taxes yourself. PayPal fits sellers who value consumer trust and reach above the lowest rate, especially where buyers already hold PayPal accounts.
What we like- 400 million-plus active accounts
- Buyer protection
- 200-plus countries
- Easy setup
- Fast 1 to 2 day payouts
Watch out for- Expensive international fees
- Checkout rate higher than card rate
- No merchant-of-record tax handling
#2Square
Best for: Omnichannel small business4.6/5 on
G2 (1,208 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit squareup.com
Starting price2.9% + $0.30
Free planFree plan
Square is the omnichannel small business processor, combining point-of-sale hardware and software with online payments in one ecosystem. Online payments run 2.9 percent plus 30 cents on Plus and Premium plans, but 3.3 percent plus 30 cents on the Free plan, while in-person runs 2.6 percent plus 15 cents on Free. Plus costs 49 dollars and Premium 149 dollars per location per month in one verified 2026 comparison, with ACH through invoices at 1 percent with a 1 dollar minimum on Free.
International support is limited compared with Stripe and Adyen, and per-location pricing adds up for multi-site businesses. Square fits businesses with both online and in-person sales that want simple flat-rate pricing and one ecosystem for POS and online.
What we like- Flat-rate pricing
- POS plus online in one
- No monthly fee on Free
- Fast payouts
- Real-time analytics
Watch out for- Online rate 3.3 percent on Free plan
- Limited international support
- Per-location Plus and Premium pricing
#3Adyen
Best for: Enterprise and marketplaces4.0/5 on
G2 (44 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit adyen.com
Starting priceInterchange-plus
Free planNo monthly fee
Adyen is the enterprise and marketplace processor with interchange-plus pricing, 250-plus payment methods, and local acquiring in more than 30 countries, unifying in-store, online, and mobile payments on a single platform. Pricing runs interchange-plus at about 11 euro cents plus interchange per transaction in one comparison, with no fixed monthly fee, and advanced anti-fraud tools built in. Enterprise merchants benefit from direct card network connections and local acquiring that improves authorization rates.
Adyen requires significant volume to get started, and no fixed published rate means budgeting needs a sales conversation. Adyen fits enterprise merchants and marketplaces that need global methods and local acquiring at scale, rather than small sellers seeking a flat rate.
What we like- Interchange-plus pricing
- 250-plus payment methods
- Local acquiring in 30-plus countries
- Unified platform
Watch out for- Enterprise focus
- Requires significant volume
- No fixed published rate
- Complex onboarding
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo monthly fee
Braintree, owned by PayPal, is the mobile app processor offering PayPal plus Venmo in one integration, with a developer API that many developers prefer over PayPal standard integration. It supports 130-plus currencies and suits in-app and mobile payments, with settlement in 1 to 3 days. Fee guides conflict: one source cites 2.59 percent plus 49 cents domestically, while another cites 2.89 percent plus 29 cents for cards and digital wallets, with 1 percent extra for non-USD and cards issued outside the US.
That conflict is why the table shows "See website" for Braintree: confirm the current rate on the PayPal Braintree fees page before budgeting. Braintree fits mobile-first businesses that want PayPal and Venmo together with a strong developer API, rather than sellers who need a single published rate.
What we like- PayPal plus Venmo in one integration
- Strong mobile API
- 130-plus currencies
- Developer-friendly
Watch out for- Fee guides conflict
- International surcharges
- Owned by PayPal, so ecosystem overlap
#5Checkout.com
Best for: Authorization optimization4.6/5 on
G2 (71 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit checkout.com
Starting priceInterchange-plus
Free planNo monthly fee
Checkout.com is the authorization optimization processor with interchange-plus custom pricing, intelligent routing, and strength in MENA and APAC markets. It suits businesses where authorization rates directly affect revenue, since intelligent routing sends transactions through the path most likely to approve. Settlement runs 1 to 3 days, and the platform covers global methods for scaling merchants.
Pricing is custom, so small sellers get no published rate to compare. Checkout.com fits scaling merchants and enterprises that want authorization optimization and APAC or MENA strength, rather than small sellers seeking flat-rate simplicity.
What we like- Interchange-plus custom pricing
- Intelligent routing
- Strong in MENA and APAC
- Authorization optimization
Watch out for- Custom pricing only
- Enterprise focus
- Less small-business tooling than Square
#6Authorize.net
Best for: Stable gateway needs4.2/5 on
G2 (221 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit authorize.net
Starting price$25 per month
Free planNo
Authorize.net is the stable gateway for businesses that need reliable payment acceptance with broad platform integrations and recurring billing. Online pricing runs 2.9 percent plus 30 cents plus a 25 dollar monthly gateway fee in 2026 comparisons, which suits established businesses that value stability over the newest features. It has served merchants for decades, with wide e-commerce platform support.
The monthly gateway fee and older interface deter startups that want modern dashboards and no monthly cost. Authorize.net fits established businesses with stable gateway needs and existing platform integrations, rather than new sellers seeking the lowest startup cost.
What we like- Stable, long-running gateway
- 2.9 percent plus 30 cents online
- Broad platform integrations
- Recurring billing
Watch out for- 25 dollar monthly gateway fee
- Older interface
- Fewer modern SaaS features than Stripe
#7Paddle
Best for: SaaS merchant of record4.5/5 on
G2 (240 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit paddle.com
Starting price5% + $0.50
Free planNo monthly fee
Paddle is the original SaaS merchant of record, charging 5 percent plus 50 cents per transaction while handling all global tax liability, subscription billing, and compliance for software sellers. That merchant-of-record model removes sales tax registration, collection, and remittance work across countries, which is the main reason SaaS sellers accept the higher rate. Paddle has operated longest among SaaS merchant-of-record providers, though monthly payouts run slower than weekly-payout competitors.
The 5 percent rate is high for low-margin products, and the model fits SaaS and digital products rather than physical goods. Paddle fits SaaS sellers who want tax compliance handled end to end, rather than sellers who only need card processing.
What we like- Merchant of record
- Handles global sales tax liability
- SaaS billing
- Subscription management
Watch out for- 5 percent plus 50 cents is high for low-margin sales
- Monthly payouts slower than competitors
- SaaS-only fit
#8Helcim
Best for: Transparent volume pricing3.9/5 on
G2 (19 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit helcim.com
Starting priceInterchange-plus
Free planNo monthly fee
Helcim is the transparent volume-pricing processor, charging interchange-plus at 0.40 percent plus 25 cents online, with automatic volume discounts, no monthly fees, and a free virtual terminal plus recurring billing. It suits cost-conscious sellers processing 5,000 dollars or more per month, since volume discounts lower rates automatically as sales rise. One guide cites Helcim online at interchange-plus 0.5 percent plus 25 cents, close to the 0.40 percent figure, so confirm the current markup.
Coverage runs US and Canada only, and interchange-plus pricing needs more understanding than flat rates. Helcim fits growing US and Canadian sellers that want transparent, scalable pricing without monthly fees or contracts.
What we like- Interchange-plus at 0.40 percent plus 25 cents
- Automatic volume discounts
- No monthly fees
- Free virtual terminal
Watch out for- US and Canada only
- Interchange-plus complexity
- Less global coverage than Stripe
How we chose
We compared these processors on online fees, monthly fees, international surcharges, currency support, settlement speed, merchant-of-record coverage, and developer experience, using 2026 fee comparisons verified against processor pricing pages. We flagged every fee conflict between guides, since PayPal, Square, and Braintree figures vary by product and date: Square online runs 2.9 percent on paid plans but 3.3 percent on Free, and Braintree guides cite two different rates. We favored processors with published rates where they exist, and flagged quote-based enterprise pricing honestly.
We also separated three buyer types. Small omnichannel sellers should shortlist Square and PayPal, SaaS sellers should shortlist Paddle, and enterprise or global sellers should shortlist Adyen and Checkout.com. Volume sellers in the US and Canada should shortlist Helcim, while mobile sellers should shortlist Braintree. The right pick follows sales channel, geography, and tax needs, not headline rate alone.
What to check before you switch payment processors
Calculate total cost on your real transaction mix
Headline rates mislead when your mix includes international cards, currency conversion, keyed transactions, and ACH. Stripe adds 1.5 percent for international cards and 1 percent for currency conversion, PayPal adds 1.50 percent internationally, and Braintree adds 1 percent for non-USD and cards issued outside the US. Model your real mix of domestic, international, keyed, and ACH transactions before comparing, since the cheapest domestic rate can lose on international volume.
Check payout timing, reserves, and account stability
Payout timing ranges from 1 to 2 days for PayPal and Square to 1 to 7 days for Paddle, and reserves or holds can delay funds further for new or high-risk sellers. Confirm payout schedule, reserve policy, and account termination rules before migrating, since a processor hold during a sales peak costs more than a small rate difference. Keep the old processor live during migration as a fallback.
Confirm tax, subscription, and marketplace needs separately
Merchant-of-record coverage matters most for SaaS sellers: Paddle handles global sales tax liability, while PayPal and Stripe leave tax handling to you unless you add a tax product. Subscription billing, marketplace payouts, and recurring billing depth also vary, so confirm each need separately rather than assuming a card processor covers it. Marketplace sellers should check split-payment and payout tooling specifically.
Frequently asked questions
Is Stripe still a good payment processor?
Yes. Stripe remains the developer-flexible standard at 2.9 percent plus 30 cents online, with 135-plus currencies, strong APIs, and no monthly fee. Switching usually rests on consumer trust, POS needs, enterprise acquiring, SaaS tax handling, or volume pricing rather than Stripe disappearing.
What is the cheapest Stripe alternative?
Helcim is cheapest for US and Canadian volume sellers at interchange-plus 0.40 percent plus 25 cents with no monthly fee, while Square and PayPal match Stripe headline rates for small sellers. The cheapest option depends on your transaction mix, since international and keyed rates change the ranking.
Which alternative is best for SaaS?
Paddle is best for SaaS at 5 percent plus 50 cents, because it acts as merchant of record and handles global sales tax liability. That rate costs more than Stripe card processing, but it removes tax registration and compliance work that SaaS sellers otherwise handle themselves.
Which alternative is best for in-person plus online sales?
Square is best for omnichannel sellers, combining POS hardware and software with online payments in one ecosystem, at 2.6 percent plus 15 cents in person and 2.9 percent plus 30 cents online on paid plans. PayPal Zettle also covers in-person at 2.29 percent plus 9 cents for small sellers.
How long does a payment processor migration take?
Small migrations take days to weeks, while enterprise migrations with subscriptions, saved cards, and marketplace payouts take months. Tokenized card migration needs coordination between old and new processors, so plan the cutover around a low-volume period and keep the old processor live as a fallback.
Sources we checked (12)
- https://www.paypal.com
- https://squareup.com
- https://www.adyen.com
- https://www.braintreepayments.com
- https://checkout.com
- https://authorize.net
- https://www.paddle.com
- https://www.helcim.com
- https://albato.com/blog/publications/best-payment-processing-software-ecommerce
- https://paymentproviders.io/blog/best-stripe-alternatives
- https://paymentsandrisk.com/docs/payments/processor-comparison/
- https://millennialmagazine.com/2026/02/16/online-payment-solutions/
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has 5+ years in B2B and SaaS SEO. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.