Stripe vs PayPal fees (2026): which takes more?
Base domestic rates
| Method | Domestic rate | International rate | FX markup | Chargebacks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PayPal | 2.9% + $0.30 | 4.4% + $0.30 | 3–4% | $20 |
| Stripe | 2.9% + $0.30 | 3.9% + $0.30 | ~1–2% | $15 |
| USDT on Bybit | ~0.1% | ~0.1% | 0% (P2P market rate) | N/A |
Real numbers on common invoice sizes
| Invoice | PayPal domestic | PayPal intl + FX | Stripe domestic | Stripe intl + FX | USDT on Bybit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $100 | -$3.20 | -$7.70 | -$3.20 | -$5.20 | -$0.10 |
| $1,000 | -$29.30 | -$74.30 | -$29.30 | -$49.30 | -$1 |
| $5,000 | -$145.30 | -$370.30 | -$145.30 | -$245.30 | -$5 |
| $10,000 | -$290.30 | -$740.30 | -$290.30 | -$490.30 | -$10 |
Calculate your exact case with our PayPal calculator, Stripe calculator, or reverse fee calculator.
When Stripe wins
- SaaS or subscription billing — Stripe Billing, Tax, Radar are industry standard.
- Cross-border (US ↔ EU) — 0.5% cheaper than PayPal on cards.
- Lower chargeback costs.
- Developer integration — API is 10× cleaner than PayPal's.
When PayPal wins
- Client trust — many buyers only trust PayPal buttons.
- No-code checkout — drop-in for anyone non-technical.
- Buyer protection — pushes sales for small e-commerce.
The real answer for freelancers
If you charge $500+ per invoice and clients pay from another country, neither Stripe nor PayPal is the cheap option. USDT on a crypto exchange is. On a $5K/month invoice load the annual savings are $1,740 (vs PayPal domestic) or $4,380 (vs PayPal international).
Skip the fee tax entirely.Open a free Bybit account in 2 minutes. Receive USDT from clients, cash out to your bank. Code B43BYNM applied automatically.
Open Bybit account →FAQ
Is Stripe actually cheaper than PayPal? For card payments: same domestic (2.9% + $0.30), Stripe wins intl by ~0.5%. For P2P / invoice pulls: PayPal often has "Friends & Family" (0%) but it's not viable for business.
Can I use both? Yes — many freelancers use Stripe Payment Links for pro invoices and fall back to PayPal for clients who demand it.
What about Wise / Revolut? Good for bank wire replacement (0.4–0.6% + real FX), but not a card-processing alternative. Use them in combo with Stripe.