Stripe Alternatives 2026: 7 Free Options

Stripe today: Free (no setup or monthly fee; 2.9% + 30¢ per successful domestic card transaction) (Stripe pricing, checked 2026-10-22).

Why people look for Stripe alternatives

Stripe's headline rate of 2.9% plus 30¢ per domestic card payment grows with extras: international cards add 1.5%, currency conversion 1%, manually entered cards 0.5%, and instant payouts cost 1.5% with a 50¢ minimum. Each dispute adds a $15 fee that is refunded only if you win a countered one. Billing is 0.7% of volume on pay-as-you-go, and Tax Basic is 0.5% per transaction where you collect tax.

PayPal

Compared with Stripe: PayPal charges 2.99% + $0.49 for standard US card payments against Stripe's 2.9% + 30¢, so it costs a little more per sale. You gain the PayPal wallet buyers already trust, and lose Stripe's cleaner developer API and docs.

Price: Free (no monthly fee for standard checkout; 3.49% + $0.49 for PayPal Checkout, 2.99% + $0.49 for standard card payments (US domestic)) (PayPal pricing, checked 2026-10-22).

Platforms and license: Web. Proprietary.

Best for: Shops where buyers expect a PayPal button.

Square

Compared with Stripe: Square's online rate is 3.3% + 30¢, higher than Stripe's 2.9% + 30¢, with no monthly fee on the Free plan. You gain one account for in-person and online sales, but give up Stripe's wider API and billing tools.

Price: Free (Free plan with no monthly fee; in-person 2.6% + 15¢, online 3.3% + 30¢, keyed-in 3.5% + 15¢) (Square pricing, checked 2026-10-22).

Platforms and license: Web, iOS, Android. Proprietary.

Best for: Businesses selling both in person and online.

Paddle

Compared with Stripe: Paddle takes 5% + 50¢ per transaction against Stripe's 2.9% + 30¢, but acts as merchant of record and handles sales tax and VAT for you. You lose control of the checkout relationship; you gain the tax paperwork off your desk.

Price: Free (no monthly fee; 5% + 50¢ per Checkout transaction) (Paddle pricing, checked 2026-10-22).

Platforms and license: Web API. Proprietary.

Best for: SaaS sellers who want tax handled for them.

Worth knowing: Merchant of record, so it handles sales tax and VAT. Products under $10 need bespoke pricing.

Lemon Squeezy

Compared with Stripe: Lemon Squeezy charges 5% + 50¢ with tax and VAT filing included as merchant of record. That is more per sale than Stripe, but you skip registering for foreign VAT. It has a narrower feature set than Stripe Billing.

Price: Free (no monthly fee; 5% + 50¢ per transaction) (Lemon Squeezy pricing, checked 2026-10-22).

Platforms and license: Web API. Proprietary.

Best for: Solo makers selling digital products worldwide.

Worth knowing: Merchant of record; sales tax and VAT are included in the base fee.

Polar

Compared with Stripe: Polar is a merchant of record aimed at developers: 5% + 50¢ on the free Starter plan, dropping to 3.8% + 40¢ on a $20 monthly plan. Cheaper at volume than Paddle, but far less complete than Stripe's payment-method coverage.

Price: Free (Starter plan: no monthly fee, 5% + 50¢ per transaction); paid from $20 per month (Pro plan, 3.8% + 40¢ per transaction) (Polar pricing, checked 2026-10-22).

Platforms and license: Web API. Proprietary.

Best for: Open-source and developer-tool sellers.

Worth knowing: Merchant of record. Adds 1.5% on international cards and $15 per dispute.

Mollie

Compared with Stripe: Mollie has no monthly fee and lists 1.80% + €0.25 for EEA consumer cards, plus iDEAL at €0.32, which can undercut Stripe in Europe. It is Europe-focused, so US-only sellers lose Stripe's reach and ecosystem.

Price: Free (no monthly fee for online payments; EEA consumer Visa/Mastercard 1.80% + €0.25) (Mollie pricing, checked 2026-10-22).

Platforms and license: Web API. Proprietary.

Best for: European merchants taking iDEAL and local methods.

Worth knowing: Europe-focused; fees vary by payment method and country.

Helcim

Compared with Stripe: Helcim uses interchange-plus pricing: 0.50% + 25¢ markup online at the lowest volume tier, with no monthly or PCI fees. At higher volume it can beat Stripe's flat 2.9% + 30¢. You lose Stripe's developer tooling and global reach.

Price: Free (no monthly, PCI or statement fees; interchange plus 0.40% + 8¢ in person and 0.50% + 25¢ online at $0-$50K monthly volume) (Helcim pricing, checked 2026-10-22).

Platforms and license: Web, iOS, Android. Proprietary.

Best for: US and Canada merchants with growing card volume.

Worth knowing: US and Canada merchants.

Other popular options (paid)

Adyen

Compared with Stripe: Charges a fixed $0.13 per transaction plus a payment-method fee, with cards passed through at Interchange++ and a 0.60% markup in the examples shown. No monthly or setup fees, but pricing is indicative and sales-led.

Price: Paid from $0.13 per fixed fee per transaction plus a payment-method fee (cards: Interchange++ plus a percentage); no monthly or setup fees (Adyen pricing, checked 2026-10-25).

Authorize.net

Compared with Stripe: Gateway costs $25 per month on every plan, and All-in-one adds 2.9% plus 30¢ per online card transaction, the same headline rate as Stripe. The page lists a $0 credit card chargeback fee against Stripe's $15 dispute fee.

Price: Paid from $25 per month, gateway fee on every plan; All-in-one adds 2.9% + 30¢ per online credit card transaction (Authorize.net pricing, checked 2026-10-25).

Which one to pick

• You sell software worldwide and want someone else to file VAT: Lemon Squeezy
• You are a developer selling an open-source or API product: Polar
• Most of your sales are in-person plus some online: Square
• You take cards in the US or Canada at growing volume: Helcim
• Your buyers are mostly in Europe and use iDEAL: Mollie