Stripe vs. PayPal Fees: What You Actually Keep
Last updated: 2026-06-13
For standard online card payments, Stripe and PayPal charge almost the same headline rate — roughly 2.9% plus a fixed fee around 30 cents per transaction. The number that should drive your pricing is not the rate but what lands in your account after it, because the fixed fee behaves very differently on a $3 sale than on a $300 one.
How a per-transaction fee is built
Each charge costs a percentage of the amount plus a flat fee. On a $100 payment at 2.9% + $0.30, the fee is $2.90 + $0.30 = $3.20, so you keep $96.80. The percentage tracks the sale size; the flat fee does not — which is the whole story.
Try the toolStripe & Square Fee CalculatorCalculate Stripe and Square fees and your net payout — standard, international, and currency conversion — plus reverse gross-up pricing.The fixed fee destroys small transactions
- On a $100 sale, a $0.30 fee is 0.3% — negligible.
- On a $5 sale, that same $0.30 is 6% on top of the 2.9% — nearly 9% gone.
- On a $1 sale, the flat fee alone is 30%.
Where the two differ
The base online-card rates are close, but the details diverge: surcharges for international cards and currency conversion, in-person/point-of-sale rates, micropayment plans, and dispute fees all vary by provider and change over time. Compare your actual mix — domestic vs. international, online vs. in-person — rather than the headline number. Run the same sale through both the Stripe fee calculator and the PayPal fee calculator to see the real difference for your situation.
Cheaper rails for the right payments
Card networks are not the only option. ACH bank transfers are typically a low flat fee or a small capped percentage, which makes them far cheaper for large invoices or recurring billing — at the cost of slower settlement. Match the rail to the payment.
Price so the fee does not eat your margin
To actually receive a target amount, gross up the price so the fee comes out of the buyer's payment, not your margin. Fold processing fees into your cost of doing business when you set prices with the profit margin calculator, or into your effective rate with the freelance rate calculator — otherwise every sale quietly under-earns.
Frequently asked questions
Are Stripe and PayPal fees the same?
Their standard online card rates are very close — around 2.9% plus a fixed fee near 30 cents. They differ on international surcharges, in-person rates, micropayments, and dispute fees, so compare against your actual payment mix.
Why do payment fees hurt small sales so much?
Because of the fixed per-transaction fee. A 30-cent fee is trivial on $100 but is 6% on a $5 sale and 30% on a $1 sale. The flat fee, not the percentage, is what guts micro-transactions.
How do I avoid losing money to processing fees?
Set order minimums or bundle low-priced items to dilute the flat fee, use ACH for large or recurring payments, and gross up prices so the fee is built into what the customer pays.
Is ACH cheaper than card payments?
Usually, for larger amounts — ACH is typically a low flat or capped fee rather than a percentage, making it cheaper for big invoices and subscriptions, though it settles more slowly.
Tools in this guide
- Stripe & Square Fee CalculatorCalculate Stripe and Square fees and your net payout — standard, international, and currency conversion — plus reverse gross-up pricing.
- PayPal Fee CalculatorCalculate PayPal fees for any amount and reverse the math — see exactly what to invoice so you receive your full target after fees and charges.
- Profit Margin & Markup CalculatorCalculate profit margin and markup from cost and price — or work backwards from a target margin to the exact price you should charge.
- Freelance Hourly Rate CalculatorCalculate your freelance hourly rate from target income, billable hours, expenses, and time off — and see your day rate and project pricing.