Payment fee comparison

Stripe vs PayPal vs Wise fees: compare the use case first.

A single $100-fee calculator is not enough. The real winner depends on card mix, average charge size, international customers, refunds, conversion lift, and whether you are solving checkout or money movement.

Audit my actual Stripe CSVStart with a quick estimate

Before you switch

Find the driver in your existing Stripe data.

If your issue is small charges, international cards, refunds, or card-funded B2B invoices, the fix may be payment mix rather than a full processor migration.

Processing rate

Use your Balance CSV

All-in cost

Use your Balance CSV

Fee drivers

Use your Balance CSV

Which payment option fits which problem?

Stripe

Best for

SaaS checkout, subscriptions, marketplaces, custom payment flows

Watch

International cards, fixed per-charge fees, refunds, disputes, Billing/Radar/add-on fee lines

Is your actual all-in Stripe cost higher than the published card rate?

PayPal

Best for

Wallet checkout, buyers who prefer PayPal, markets where PayPal trust can lift conversion

Watch

Cross-border rules, currency conversion, product-specific fees, checkout mix

Will PayPal lift conversion enough to justify any fee difference?

Wise

Best for

International bank transfers, supplier payments, multi-currency business operations

Watch

Transfer fees, conversion fees, payout workflow, not a direct card-checkout replacement

Are you solving payment processing, or international money movement?

Compare by real payment scenario

Use case
Stripe
PayPal
Wise
SaaS card subscriptions
Usually the default because subscriptions, invoices, and developer control are strong.
Useful as an extra wallet option if customers ask for it.
Not usually a card-subscription checkout replacement.
Low-ticket products
Fixed per-charge fees can dominate $5-20 transactions.
Fixed fees can also dominate low-ticket transactions.
May fit invoices or transfers, not impulse card checkout.
International customers
Card country and FX mix can push the effective rate above the headline rate.
Can help where buyers trust PayPal, but cross-border pricing still matters.
Strong fit for international transfers and currency conversion workflows.
B2B invoices
Cards can be expensive for large invoices; ACH/bank methods may help.
Can work, but measure buyer preference against fees.
Often relevant for bank transfers and international vendor/customer payments.

Pricing varies by country, payment method, product, and negotiated plan. Treat this as decision guidance, then verify current official rates before changing checkout.

Pre-switch checklist

Do this before moving payment volume.

Switching processors is expensive when the real issue is your transaction mix. Audit the current baseline first, then compare alternatives against the specific driver.

  1. 1Export 3-6 months of Stripe Balance data.
  2. 2Separate card processing rate from all-in Stripe cost.
  3. 3Check whether international cards, refunds, disputes, and small charges are the real driver.
  4. 4Estimate whether a payment-method change fixes the driver before migrating platforms.
  5. 5Compare official pricing pages for your country and product before changing checkout.

CSV audit before migration

Know your real Stripe baseline before comparing providers.

Upload the itemized Stripe Balance CSV and see your actual processing rate, all-in cost, monthly drift, high-fee charges, and savings ideas.

Analyze my CSV

Official pricing sources

Confirm current pricing for your country and product before changing payment strategy.

Stripe pricing->PayPal merchant fees->Wise Business pricing->

Related guides

Stripe fee calculator->Stripe vs PayPal fees->Stripe alternatives in 2026->ACH vs credit card fees->