Stripe vs PayPal vs Shopify Payments fees
Rates from stripe.com, www.paypal.com and www.shopify.com, fetched 2026-10-13. US standard pricing; negotiated or volume rates differ.
Result
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Rates used
| Stripe (domestic card) | 2.9000000000000004% + $0.30 |
|---|---|
| PayPal Checkout | 3.49% + $0.49 |
| PayPal standard card payments | 2.99% + $0.49 |
| Shopify Payments (Basic) | 2.9% + $0.30 |
| Shopify Payments (Grow) | 2.7% + $0.30 |
| Shopify Payments (Advanced) | 2.5% + $0.30 |
Shopify Payments is only available inside a Shopify store; third-party gateways on Shopify also incur Shopify’s transaction fee — see the Shopify plan calculator.
Sources
| Source | URL | Fetched | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| stripe | https://stripe.com/us/pricing | 2026-10-13 | US standard pricing for domestic cards. |
| stripe_intl | https://stripe.com/us/pricing | 2026-10-13 | +1.5% for international cards, +1% if currency conversion is required. |
| paypal | https://www.paypal.com/us/business/paypal-business-fees | 2026-10-13 | US commercial transaction rates (page last updated Oct 1, 2026). International transactions add 1.50%. |
| shopify | https://www.shopify.com/pricing | 2026-10-13 | US pricing; yearly-billing monthly price shown, monthly billing is higher. Online standard card rates with Shopify Payments. |
Fees and rules change. Confirm against the official page and your own account before pricing decisions.
FAQ
Is Stripe cheaper than PayPal?
For a US domestic card at standard pricing, Stripe charges 2.9000000000000004% + 30¢ and PayPal Checkout 3.49% + 49¢, so Stripe is cheaper per payment.
Are these fees refunded on refunds?
Policies differ by provider and change; check each provider’s pricing page.