Stripe vs PayPal fees
Two processors with near-identical jobs and visibly different prices. The headline gap is smaller than it looks on small orders and larger than it looks on cross-border ones, because the surcharges differ more than the base rates do.
On a $50.00 sale, Stripe leaves you $0.49 more — 0.98% of what the buyer paid. Over 100 sales like this one that is $49.00.
| Buyer pays | item + shipping | $50.00 |
Card processing | 2.9% of $50.00 | −$1.45 |
Per-transaction fee | $0.30 flat | −$0.30 |
| Total fees | −$1.75 | |
| Reaches your account | $48.25 | |
| Buyer pays | item + shipping | $50.00 |
Commercial transaction rate | 3.49% of $50.00 | −$1.75 |
Fixed fee | $0.49 flat | −$0.49 |
| Total fees | −$2.24 | |
| Reaches your account | $47.76 | |
Which is actually cheaper?
At default settings, there is no crossover price. Stripe keeps you more at every price from $1 to $20,000, so unlike most comparisons this one is not a question of order size. Articles that answer it with a single worked example happen to be right here — but only for the setup they assumed, which is the part they do not say.
Nothing in the schedules reverses it
Every option either platform publishes was tried against a $50.00 sale, one at a time. None of them put PayPal ahead. That is a stronger statement than a worked example, and it is the reason to trust this one.
- International buyerStripe+$0.49
- Payout currency differsStripe+$1.99
- Both at onceStripe+$1.99
- Stripe: ACH direct debitStripe+$1.84
- PayPal: PayPal InvoicingStripe+$0.49
- PayPal: MicropaymentsStripe+$0.84
Cheaper is not the same as better
This page prices a transaction. It cannot price the thing that usually matters more: the feature set, the payout timing, the dispute handling and the checkout your customers will actually complete. A platform that takes more and sells more of your stock is the better platform, and no arithmetic here can tell you whether that is the case for you.
So treat the figures as one input. Saufee states what each one charges; where to sell is your call.
What this calculator does not cover
- A disputed charge costs a further $15.00, whether or not you win it. Disputes are not part of a per-sale figure, so they are excluded here.
- Custom and volume pricing exists and is negotiated privately. These are the published standard rates.
What this calculator does not cover
- PayPal publishes a lower rate for Advanced Credit and Debit Card payments than for PayPal Checkout. This calculator uses the PayPal Checkout rate, which is the one most sellers are actually on.
- The fixed fee shown is the one for receiving US dollars. Receiving another currency changes it.
Other comparisons
These calculators are free, and they stay free
There is no account, no email wall and nothing for sale here, which is deliberate — it is what lets the site publish what platforms actually charge and link to where each rate came from. Re-reading ten fee schedules every week is the unglamorous part, and it is what keeps the numbers worth trusting. If that saved you a bad listing decision, you are welcome to put a little toward the domain and the hosting. If it did not, please do not.
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