Stripe Alternatives in 2026

Square is the best alternative for sellers who sell in person as well as online. Its free plan charges 2.6 percent plus 15 cents in person and 3.3 percent plus 30 cents online in recent US pricing, with paid Plus and Premium plans lowering those rates. Hardware, POS, invoicing, and online store tools live in one account.

Square is less ideal for a pure online SaaS with no in person sales, since its online rate on the free plan is higher than Stripe. For shops, restaurants, salons, and service businesses that need a counter, a card reader, and an online checkout, Square is the most complete Stripe alternative.

PayPal offers a familiar checkout button that many buyers trust, plus Pay Later options that can lift conversion for higher priced items. US pricing in recent comparisons is 3.49 percent plus 49 cents for PayPal Checkout and 2.99 percent plus 49 cents for standard card payments, with no monthly fee for standard business accounts.

Those fees are higher than Stripe for many order sizes, especially small orders where the fixed fee matters most. PayPal still earns its place when buyer trust, global reach, and fast setup matter more than the lowest processing cost, or when many of your buyers already have PayPal accounts.

Adyen is an enterprise processor used by large multi country businesses, with interchange plus pricing and a transaction fee around 0.60 percent plus interchange on Visa and Mastercard in recent comparisons, plus a per transaction charge. It supports many local payment methods, currencies, and channels, from online to in store to app.

Adyen is not built for a small store. Onboarding is through sales, and minimums and integration work suit high volume sellers. For a large business that sells in many countries and needs one platform for online and in person payments, Adyen is a leading Stripe alternative.

Paddle acts as merchant of record for SaaS and digital sellers, which means it handles global sales tax, compliance, and payouts while you sell through its checkout. Its headline fee is 5 percent plus 50 cents per transaction in recent comparisons, tax included, with no monthly fee. That fee looks high next to Stripe, but it replaces separate tax, invoicing, and compliance work.

Paddle suits small and mid size SaaS teams that sell globally and do not want to manage tax in dozens of countries. Larger SaaS firms with high volume may negotiate better rates with Stripe plus a tax tool, or with a direct processor, so compare total cost, not just the headline fee.

Helcim offers interchange plus pricing, where you pay the card network cost plus a markup, with no monthly fee on its standard plan. Recent comparisons list around 2.27 percent plus 25 cents for many cards, with higher rates for American Express. That transparency helps sellers who want to see what they actually pay, rather than a flat rate that hides interchange.

Helcim suits growing small businesses that process enough volume for interchange plus to beat a flat rate, and that want invoicing and online payments in one place. It has less brand recognition at checkout than PayPal, and a smaller developer ecosystem than Stripe, so check integration needs before you switch.

Authorize.net is a payment gateway, not a full processor on its own, and it connects your store to a merchant account. Pricing in recent comparisons is $25 per month plus 2.9 percent plus 30 cents for many card payments, with fraud detection and recurring billing tools included. That gateway model gives merchants more control over their processor choice.

The monthly fee and older interface make Authorize.net less appealing for a tiny store that only needs a simple checkout. For established merchants who want gateway control, separate processor negotiation, and a long standing fraud toolset, Authorize.net remains a practical alternative.

Checkout.com is a global online payment platform for larger businesses, with multi currency support, smart payment routing, and detailed reporting. Pricing is custom, based on volume, methods, and regions, so small sellers will not get a simple shelf price. That custom model suits companies with complex global needs.

For a small or mid size store, Square, PayPal, or Helcim will be simpler and cheaper to start. For a large online business that needs routing, local methods, and granular reporting across countries, Checkout.com is a strong enterprise alternative to Stripe.

Shopify Payments is the built in processor for Shopify stores, with US online rates from 2.9 percent plus 30 cents on the Basic plan in recent pricing, and lower rates on higher plans. Using Shopify Payments avoids the extra third party gateway fee that Shopify charges when you use an outside processor, which can save 1 to 2 percent per order depending on plan.

Shopify Payments only makes sense inside Shopify. If you sell on Shopify, it is usually the simplest and cheapest processor choice. If you sell outside Shopify, or need a standalone gateway, another alternative on this list will fit better.

Braintree, owned by PayPal, offers a developer friendly gateway for online card payments, PayPal, and digital wallets. US pricing in recent comparisons is 2.89 percent plus 29 cents for cards and wallets, with extra fees for international cards and currency conversion. That rate is close to Stripe, with the added benefit of native PayPal checkout.

Braintree suits developers who want Stripe like APIs plus PayPal acceptance without managing two integrations. It is less suited to in person selling, where Square leads, or to SaaS tax handling, where Paddle leads. For an online store or app that wants both cards and PayPal, Braintree is a clean choice.