PayPal vs Stripe Fees

Stripe costs less for a standard card payment. On $100, PayPal Checkout takes $3.98 and Stripe $3.20 in the US; in the UK it is £3.20 against £1.70 for a standard UK card. Stripe saves you $0.78 on $100. The exception is PayPal’s goods and services rate, 2.99% with no fixed fee, which costs less than Stripe on payments up to about $333.

Fees checked 7 October 2026 on PayPal’s and Stripe’s own pages. See the sources.

Stripe leaves you $0.78 more

on this sale, after fees: PayPal $96.02, Stripe $96.80.

PayPal

You receive $96.02

Fees: $3.98
Profit: $96.02
Margin: 96.0%

PayPal Checkout (3.49% + $0.49)	$3.98
Total fees	$3.98

Nothing added to your buyer’s price.

Stripe

You receive $96.80

Fees: $3.20
Profit: $96.80
Margin: 96.8%

Card payment (2.9% + $0.30)	$3.20
Total fees	$3.20

Nothing added to your buyer’s price.

Not in these totals

Stripe: Dispute fees, if a buyer disputes a payment
Stripe: Instant Payouts, if you use them

Remember my choices on this device (where you sell, seller type, tax rate and how you are paid; never a price; untick to delete)

PayPal and Stripe fees at common prices

United States: Online payment from a buyer in your country
Item price	You keep on PayPal	You keep on Stripe	Keeps more
$10.00	$9.16 fees $0.84	$9.41 fees $0.59	Stripe, +$0.25
$25.00	$23.64 fees $1.36	$23.97 fees $1.03	Stripe, +$0.33
$50.00	$47.76 fees $2.24	$48.25 fees $1.75	Stripe, +$0.49
$100.00	$96.02 fees $3.98	$96.80 fees $3.20	Stripe, +$0.78
$250.00	$240.78 fees $9.22	$242.45 fees $7.55	Stripe, +$1.67
$500.00	$482.06 fees $17.94	$485.20 fees $14.80	Stripe, +$3.14
$1,000.00	$964.61 fees $35.39	$970.70 fees $29.30	Stripe, +$6.09

United States: Online payment from a buyer abroad
Item price	You keep on PayPal	You keep on Stripe	Keeps more
$10.00	$9.01 fees $0.99	$9.26 fees $0.74	Stripe, +$0.25
$25.00	$23.26 fees $1.74	$23.59 fees $1.41	Stripe, +$0.33
$50.00	$47.01 fees $2.99	$47.50 fees $2.50	Stripe, +$0.49
$100.00	$94.52 fees $5.48	$95.30 fees $4.70	Stripe, +$0.78
$250.00	$237.03 fees $12.97	$238.70 fees $11.30	Stripe, +$1.67
$500.00	$474.56 fees $25.44	$477.70 fees $22.30	Stripe, +$3.14
$1,000.00	$949.61 fees $50.39	$955.70 fees $44.30	Stripe, +$6.09

United Kingdom: Online payment from a buyer in your country
Item price	You keep on PayPal	You keep on Stripe	Keeps more
£10.00	£9.41 fees £0.59	£9.65 fees £0.35	Stripe, +£0.24
£25.00	£23.97 fees £1.03	£24.42 fees £0.58	Stripe, +£0.45
£50.00	£48.25 fees £1.75	£49.05 fees £0.95	Stripe, +£0.80
£100.00	£96.80 fees £3.20	£98.30 fees £1.70	Stripe, +£1.50
£250.00	£242.45 fees £7.55	£246.05 fees £3.95	Stripe, +£3.60
£500.00	£485.20 fees £14.80	£492.30 fees £7.70	Stripe, +£7.10
£1,000.00	£970.70 fees £29.30	£984.80 fees £15.20	Stripe, +£14.10

United Kingdom: Online payment from a buyer abroad
Item price	You keep on PayPal	You keep on Stripe	Keeps more
£10.00	£9.21 fees £0.79	£9.48 fees £0.52	Stripe, +£0.27
£25.00	£23.47 fees £1.53	£24.01 fees £0.99	Stripe, +£0.54
£50.00	£47.25 fees £2.75	£48.22 fees £1.78	Stripe, +£0.97
£100.00	£94.81 fees £5.19	£96.65 fees £3.35	Stripe, +£1.84
£250.00	£237.47 fees £12.53	£241.92 fees £8.08	Stripe, +£4.45
£500.00	£475.25 fees £24.75	£484.05 fees £15.95	Stripe, +£8.80
£1,000.00	£950.80 fees £49.20	£968.30 fees £31.70	Stripe, +£17.50

The item price only: no postage, no sales tax, a private seller, worked out with the fees checked on 7 October 2026. Postage and tax change the fees on some platforms: put yours in the calculator above.

What differs between PayPal and Stripe

United States
Fee	PayPal	Stripe
Main fees	PayPal Checkout 3.49% + $0.49; a goods and services payment 2.99%; cards 2.99% + $0.49; 1.5% more from a buyer abroad	2.9% + $0.30 per card payment; 1.5% more for a card from abroad, 0.5% more for a card typed in
Charged on	The whole payment	The whole payment
Payment processing	This fee is the processing	This fee is the processing
Listing an item	Not a marketplace: nothing to list	Not a marketplace: nothing to list
Added to the buyer’s price	No PayPal fee added to a sale	No Stripe fee added
Getting paid	No fee in our records	Standard payouts: no fee in our records. Instant Payouts 1.5%, at least $0.50
Sources	PayPal US: Merchant fees, checked 7 Oct 2026 ; PayPal US: Consumer fees (personal payments), checked 7 Oct 2026	Stripe US: Pricing, checked 8 Oct 2026 ; Stripe US: Invoicing pricing, checked 8 Oct 2026

United Kingdom
Fee	PayPal	Stripe
Main fees	2.9% + £0.30 at the standard rate; 1.29% more from a buyer in the EEA, 1.99% from anywhere else	1.5% + £0.20 for a standard UK card; 2.8% for a premium UK card, 2.5% for an EEA card, 3.15% for any other
Charged on	The whole payment	The whole payment
Payment processing	This fee is the processing	This fee is the processing
Listing an item	Not a marketplace: nothing to list	Not a marketplace: nothing to list
Added to the buyer’s price	No PayPal fee added to a sale	No Stripe fee added
Getting paid	No fee in our records	No fee in our records
Sources	PayPal UK: Merchant fees, checked 7 Oct 2026 ; PayPal UK: Consumer fees (personal payments), checked 7 Oct 2026	Stripe UK: Pricing, checked 7 Oct 2026 ; Stripe UK: Invoicing pricing, checked 7 Oct 2026

Each platform’s full fee list, with every source, is on its own calculator page below. Every change we record is on the fee changes page.

US rates side by side

PayPal Checkout, the button on your own site or invoice, charges 3.49% + $0.49. Stripe charges 2.9% + $0.30 for a US card. Stripe is lower on both parts, so it costs less at every amount: $0.59 against $0.84 on $10, $1.75 against $2.24 on $50, $14.80 against $17.94 on $500.

UK: the gap is wider

PayPal’s UK standard rate is 2.9% + £0.30. Stripe charges 1.5% + £0.20 for a standard UK card, about half as much: £0.35 against £0.59 on £10, £0.95 against £1.75 on £50, £7.70 against £14.80 on £500. A premium UK card (a rewards or business card) costs more on Stripe, 2.8% + £0.20: £3.00 on £100, still under PayPal’s £3.20.

Buyers in other countries

In the US both add 1.5% for a buyer abroad, so Stripe stays cheaper: $4.70 against $5.48 on $100. In the UK, PayPal adds 1.29% for a buyer in the EEA and 1.99% for anywhere else, while Stripe charges 2.5% for an EEA card and 3.15% for any other in place of its UK rate. From outside the EEA, £100 costs £3.35 on Stripe and £5.19 on PayPal.

Small payments and goods and services

A goods and services payment sent to your PayPal account (not through a checkout) costs 2.99% with no fixed fee. On small amounts that beats Stripe’s fixed $0.30: $20 costs $0.60 that way against $0.88 on Stripe. The two meet at about $333; above that Stripe is cheaper again. Pick the payment type on our PayPal fee calculator to see each one.