Overview

Stripe is a comprehensive financial technology platform designed to enable businesses to accept and manage payments online and in person. Founded in 2009, Stripe offers a suite of APIs and developer tools that facilitate various payment processing needs, from basic credit card transactions to complex subscription billing and global payouts. The platform is utilized by a range of businesses, including startups, small and medium-sized enterprises, and large corporations, across industries such as e-commerce, software-as-a-service (SaaS), and on-demand services (Stripe homepage).

Stripe's core offering revolves around its payment gateway, which allows businesses to securely accept payments from customers worldwide. This includes support for major credit and debit cards, digital wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay, and local payment methods. Beyond transaction processing, Stripe provides tools for managing recurring revenue with its Billing product, facilitating multi-party payments for platforms and marketplaces through Stripe Connect, and detecting and preventing fraudulent transactions with Stripe Radar (Stripe documentation).

The platform is designed with developer experience in mind, offering extensive documentation, SDKs for multiple programming languages including Python, Node.js, and Java, and pre-built UI components for faster integration. Businesses can implement customizable hosted payment pages with Stripe Checkout or build entirely custom payment flows using the Stripe API and client-side SDKs for iOS and Android (Stripe API reference). This flexibility makes Stripe a suitable choice for companies requiring fine-grained control over their payment experience or those seeking to quickly deploy standard payment solutions.

Stripe's infrastructure is built to handle high volumes of transactions while maintaining compliance with industry standards such as PCI DSS Level 1 (Stripe security information). Its global reach supports payments in over 135 currencies and dozens of countries, enabling businesses to expand internationally without needing to integrate multiple local payment providers. For instance, platforms like Adyen also focus on global payment processing, emphasizing a single platform for diverse payment methods across continents (Adyen homepage).

Key features

  • Payments: Accept credit cards, debit cards, digital wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay), and local payment methods online and in person.
  • Billing: Manage recurring revenue with tools for subscriptions, invoicing, and revenue recognition.
  • Checkout: Pre-built, customizable hosted payment pages to simplify integration and optimize conversion.
  • Connect: Facilitate payments for platforms and marketplaces, enabling businesses to pay out to third-party sellers or service providers.
  • Radar: AI-powered fraud prevention system that helps detect and block fraudulent transactions.
  • Terminal: Hardware and software solutions for accepting in-person payments through physical card readers.
  • Identity: Verify user identities globally to reduce fraud and meet compliance requirements.
  • Tax: Automatically calculate and collect sales tax, VAT, and GST in multiple jurisdictions.
  • Issuing: Create, manage, and distribute virtual and physical payment cards for various business use cases.
  • Climate: Direct a percentage of revenue to carbon removal projects.

Pricing

Stripe operates on a pay-as-you-go model with no monthly fees for most core services. Transaction fees vary based on payment method, location, and specific features used. The following table summarizes common pricing as of May 2026 (Stripe pricing page).

Service Pricing Model Details
Online Card Transactions 2.9% + $0.30/transaction Per successful charge for major credit/debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover).
International Cards Additional 1.5% Added to the standard transaction fee for cards issued outside the business's country.
Currency Conversion Additional 1% Applied when a transaction requires currency conversion.
ACH Direct Debit 0.8% (capped at $5.00) For US-based bank debits, with a $1.50 fee for instant verification.
Billing (Recurring) 0.5% - 0.8% of recurring charges Starts at 0.5% for Starter plan, 0.8% for Scale plan, in addition to payment processing fees.
Radar (Fraud Prevention) Starts at $0.05/transaction Free for basic protection, $0.05 for Radar for Fraud Teams, $0.07 for Radar for Fraud Teams with Chargeback Protection.
Connect (Platforms) Custom pricing Varies based on platform model and volume, typically a percentage of transaction volume or fixed fees.
Terminal (In-Person) 2.7% + $0.05/transaction For in-person card transactions; hardware costs are separate.

Common integrations

  • E-commerce Platforms: Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento (via extensions).
  • Accounting Software: Xero, QuickBooks (via third-party connectors or direct API).
  • CRM Systems: Salesforce, HubSpot (for subscription and payment tracking).
  • Website Builders: Squarespace, Wix (often built-in payment options).
  • Mobile App Frameworks: React Native (via @stripe/stripe-react-native), Flutter (via flutter_stripe), iOS (via Stripe iOS SDK), Android (via Stripe Android SDK).
  • Backend Frameworks: Node.js (stripe-node), Python (stripe-python), Ruby (stripe-ruby), Java (stripe-java) for server-side API interactions.

Alternatives

  • PayPal: A widely recognized payment processor offering online payment gateways, digital wallets, and peer-to-peer payments, often preferred for its brand recognition and consumer trust.
  • Adyen: A global payment platform that consolidates payment processing, risk management, and settlement for large enterprises, with a strong focus on international and omnichannel commerce.
  • Square: Primarily known for its point-of-sale (POS) systems and hardware for small businesses, Square also offers online payment processing, invoicing, and business management tools.
  • Braintree: A PayPal service that provides a payment gateway for online and mobile businesses, known for its developer-friendly APIs and support for various payment methods.
  • Checkout.com: A cloud-based payment solution for large businesses, offering a unified platform for processing payments, managing risk, and optimizing conversions globally.

Getting started

To begin accepting payments with Stripe, developers typically use a server-side SDK to create a Payment Intent and a client-side library to confirm the payment. The following Python example demonstrates a basic server-side implementation to create a Payment Intent using the Stripe Python library (Stripe Payments quickstart):

import stripe

# Set your secret key. Remember to switch to your live secret key in production.
# See your keys here: https://dashboard.stripe.com/apikeys
stripe.api_key = 'sk_test_YOUR_SECRET_KEY'

def create_payment_intent(amount_cents: int, currency: str = 'usd') -> dict:
    try:
        payment_intent = stripe.PaymentIntent.create(
            amount=amount_cents,
            currency=currency,
            automatic_payment_methods={'enabled': True},
        )
        return {
            'clientSecret': payment_intent.client_secret
        }
    except stripe.error.StripeError as e:
        # Handle error, e.g., log it or return an error message
        print(f"Error creating Payment Intent: {e}")
        return {'error': str(e)}

# Example usage:
if __name__ == '__main__':
    intent_data = create_payment_intent(2000, 'usd') # 20 USD
    if 'clientSecret' in intent_data:
        print(f"Client Secret: {intent_data['clientSecret']}")
    else:
        print(f"Failed to create Payment Intent: {intent_data.get('error', 'Unknown error')}")

This server-side code generates a clientSecret, which is then passed to the client-side (e.g., a web application using Stripe.js or a mobile app using a Stripe SDK) to securely complete the payment process. The client-side code would use this clientSecret to confirm the payment with the user's payment details, often collected via Stripe Elements or a pre-built UI (Stripe Payments documentation).