PayPal Business vs Stripe: Pricing Comparison 2026
Side-by-side pricing comparison of PayPal Business and Stripe. See all plans, features, and costs at a glance.
Bottom line: Both PayPal Business and Stripe offer free plans. PayPal Business has 3 pricing tiers while Stripe has 9.
Last updated: July 2, 2026
PayPal Business vs Stripe: Quick Pricing Facts
| Feature | PayPal Business | Stripe |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | Custom pricing | $13/mo |
| Number of Plans | 3 | 9 |
| Free Tier | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing Model | usage-based | usage-based |
| Annual Discount | N/A | N/A |
PayPal Business and Stripe are both priced at Custom pricing, making them equally accessible Payment & Billing tools. Together they offer 12 pricing plans with 41 features compared, so the best choice comes down to which features match your needs.
Both tools offer free plans, making them accessible for teams on a budget.
Review the detailed tier-by-tier comparison above to see exactly which features are included at each price point and find the best fit for your Payment & Billing needs.
| Pricing Plans |  PayPal Business Try free |  Stripe Try free |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | Free $0/monthCheapest Includes
| |
| Tier 2 | Business Custom pricing Includes
| Standard Pricing Custom pricing Includes
|
| Tier 3 | Enterprise Custom pricing Includes
| Managed Payments Custom pricing Includes
|
| Tier 4 | - | Billing $500/monthCheapest $42 / year Includes
|
| Tier 5 | - | Tax Complete $80/monthCheapest $7 / year Includes
|
| Tier 6 | - | Stripe Sigma $13/monthCheapest $1 / year Includes
|
| Tier 7 | - | Data Pipeline $57/monthCheapest $5 / year Includes
|
| Tier 8 | - | Revenue Recognition $20/monthCheapest $2 / year Includes
|
| Tier 9 | - | Custom Pricing Custom pricing Includes
|
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Ready to get started? Try either tool free — no credit card required.
Which Should You Choose?
Choose PayPal Business if:
- •Your customers expect PayPal as a payment option - 430M+ active accounts make it ubiquitous for consumers
- •PayPal's buyer protection builds consumer trust and can increase conversion for B2C transactions
- •Your business needs invoicing, Buy Now Pay Later, and business lending alongside payment processing
- •PayPal's no-code checkout buttons let non-technical merchants accept payments without development
Choose Stripe if:
- •You need a developer-centric payment platform with best-in-class API and documentation
- •Stripe's product suite (Billing, Connect, Terminal, Atlas, Radar, Tax) creates a financial infrastructure
- •Custom payment flows, marketplace payments, and subscription billing require Stripe's flexibility
- •Your engineering team values Stripe's testing tools, webhooks, and developer experience
PayPal Business and Stripe are the two default online payment solutions, optimized for different buyer types. PayPal Business charges 3.49% + $0.49 per PayPal transaction, 2.99% + $0.49 for card payments. Stripe charges 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. PayPal's advantage is consumer trust and reach. 430M+ active accounts worldwide mean many shoppers prefer or expect PayPal checkout. PayPal's buyer protection builds purchasing confidence. No-code buttons let merchants accept payments without touching code. Business features include invoicing, BNPL, and working capital loans. Stripe's advantage is developer experience and platform breadth. The API, documentation, and testing tools are the industry standard. Subscription billing, marketplace payments, tax calculation, fraud detection, and in-person terminals create a complete financial stack. For technical teams building complex payment flows, Stripe's flexibility is unmatched. The choice often depends on your audience and technical capability. B2C merchants (especially e-commerce) benefit from offering PayPal as a payment method - it genuinely improves conversion. B2B SaaS and developer-led businesses benefit from Stripe's API-first approach and product ecosystem. Many businesses use both: Stripe as the primary payment processor with PayPal as an additional payment method through Stripe's PayPal integration or Braintree.
Frequently Asked Questions: PayPal Business vs Stripe
How many pricing plans does PayPal Business have vs Stripe?
Does PayPal Business or Stripe offer a free plan?
Can I save money by paying annually for PayPal Business or Stripe?
Does PayPal Business or Stripe offer custom enterprise pricing?
How do PayPal Business and Stripe compare for Payment & Billing?
Sources
- PayPal Business Official Pricing- Vendor pricing page
- Stripe Official Pricing- Vendor pricing page
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