Stripe

Stripe is a financial infrastructure platform that lets businesses accept payments online and in person, run subscriptions, pay out to third parties and automate finance tasks. Developers integrate through Stripe's APIs and SDKs, and non-developers can use no-code tools such as Payment Links and invoices.

Stripe takes care of card networks, local payment methods, fraud screening and compliance. According to its payments page it supports 125+ payment methods and 135+ currencies, so a small team can sell internationally without building separate payment integrations.

Key features

• Checkout and Elements. A prebuilt hosted payment page, or customisable UI components embedded in your own checkout.
• Link and Payment Links. One-click checkout for returning customers, and no-code links you can share by email, SMS or QR code.
• Billing and Invoicing. Subscription and usage-based billing, plus one-off and recurring invoices.
• Connect. Payments and payouts for platforms and marketplaces with many sellers.
• Radar. Machine-learning fraud prevention, included with standard payments pricing.
• Terminal. Card readers and Tap to Pay for in-person payments, managed from the same account.
• Tax. Sales tax and VAT calculation, with Tax Complete adding registrations and filings.
• Developer tooling. Sandboxes, the Stripe CLI, SDKs and detailed documentation.

Who it is for

Stripe suits developers and startups building their own checkout, SaaS companies selling subscriptions, marketplaces paying out to sellers, and larger businesses that want one provider across many countries. Teams without developers can still use Payment Links and invoicing.

Pricing at a glance

Standard pricing is pay-as-you-go with no setup or monthly fees. US rates when checked:

• Domestic cards: 2.9% + 30¢ per successful transaction; +1.5% for international cards and +1% if currency conversion is required.
• ACH Direct Debit: 0.8%, capped at $5.00.
• In person (Terminal): 2.7% + 5¢ for domestic cards.
• Disputes: $15.00 for each dispute received.
• Billing: 0.7% of billing volume (pay as you go). Invoicing: 0.4% per paid invoice. Tax Complete: from $90.00 per month on a 1-year contract.
• Custom pricing: available for businesses with large payment volumes or unusual business models.

Rates differ by country. For example, Stripe's India page lists 2% for domestic Mastercard and Visa cards and 3% for cards issued outside India.

Prices as checked on 7 October 2026; confirm on the vendor's pricing page.

Things to consider

• Businesses can sign up directly in about 50 countries and regions. India is listed as a preview, and Stripe's India pricing page asks businesses to request an invite.
• Fees for international cards, currency conversion and add-on products stack up; model your real mix before committing.
• Making the most of Stripe usually needs developer time, although no-code options exist.
• Billing, Invoicing and Tax charge on top of payment processing.

Getting started

1. Create an account, or use a sandbox to build without registering.
2. Get your API keys and install the Stripe CLI and an SDK.
3. Follow the get started guide to choose Payment Links, Checkout or Elements.
4. Test with test cards, then activate your account and go live.
5. Check your country's rates on the pricing page.