Stripe review: products, pricing and markets (2026)

Stripe is a private payments and financial software company that lets online businesses accept cards and local payment methods, run subscriptions and invoicing, and build payments into their own platforms. In the EU it operates through Stripe Technology Europe, an e-money institution authorised by the Central Bank of Ireland; in the UK through an FCA-authorised e-money institution; and in the US through state money transmitter licences held by Stripe Payments Company.

Stripe is best known for its developer tools, and most of its customers integrate through code or no-code checkout pages. It is a payment service provider rather than a classic bank acquirer; our guide to gateways, PSPs and acquirers sets out the difference.

At a glance

Key figures

Products and services

Payments and checkout

The core product accepts cards, wallets and local methods through hosted Checkout pages, embeddable Elements, Payment Links and Link. Stripe also lists Authorization Boost among its payments products.

Revenue and finance automation

Billing, Subscriptions, Invoicing, Tax and Revenue Recognition handle recurring charges and accounting. Stripe also lists Metronome for usage-based billing, plus Sigma and Data Pipeline for reporting.

Connect for platforms

Connect lets marketplaces and software platforms onboard sellers, split funds and pay out. Platforms can let Stripe set seller pricing or set their own.

Terminal, Issuing, Treasury and Capital

Terminal covers card readers and Tap to Pay for in-person sales, with readers in the UK priced from £49 to £249 excluding VAT. Radar screens transactions for fraud. Stripe's product list also includes Issuing, Treasury, Capital, Identity and Financial Connections.

Stablecoins and crypto infrastructure

Stripe owns Bridge, a stablecoin orchestration platform, and Privy, a wallet provider it says powers more than 110 million programmable wallets. In its 2025 letter it also described Tempo, a payments-focused blockchain it is developing with Paradigm. Our MiCA explainer covers the EU rules for stablecoins.

Fees and pricing

Stripe publishes standard rates by country. These are the UK and US figures shown on 3 November 2026.

In the UK, Klarna starts at 4.99% + 35p per transaction. Dispute fees apply when a dispute is received and again if it is countered or appealed, with only the countering fee refunded if the merchant wins. Refunds carry no Stripe fee for most methods, but the original processing fee is not returned. Both pages offer a Custom plan for high-volume businesses, with options that include IC+ pricing and volume discounts, subject to market. Our guide to how card payments work explains why blended and IC+ pricing differ.

Markets, currencies and payment methods

Stripe says it is available to businesses in more than 50 countries. Its newsroom fact page cites 135+ currencies and payment methods, while its product menu refers to access to 125+ payment methods, so the exact count depends on the page. It is not available in mainland China. Local options such as Klarna, Bacs and ACH appear in the pricing tables above; see our overview of alternative payment methods for the main types.

Regulation in brief

STEL's permissions, as listed by Stripe, cover issuing e-money, executing payments, money remittance, issuing payment instruments, acquiring, payment initiation and account information services. The STEL page also names Stripe Payments Europe, Ltd. as the contracting party for other parts of the service, without giving its authorisation. Stripe's UK disclosure page carries a "last updated" date of 26 January 2017, so it is worth confirming FRN 900461 on the FCA register. The US licence page lists 49 states plus DC, Guam, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands; Montana was not in the table when we checked.

Separately, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency gave preliminary conditional approval on 12 February 2026 to Bridge Ventures LLC, owner of Stripe's stablecoin business Bridge, to organise "Bridge National Trust Bank" in New York. The OCC letter limits it to trust activities, sets minimum capital of $45m and lapses if the bank does not open within 18 months. Our guide on how to check a financial licence explains how to verify each of these.

Who it tends to suit

Stripe is commonly used by internet businesses, SaaS companies and marketplaces that want to go live quickly with published rates and developer-friendly tools. The blended pricing suits smaller merchants who prefer a predictable rate over pass-through interchange. Platforms that need seller onboarding and payouts often look at Connect, and high-volume merchants can ask for IC+ pricing. Businesses that want a single acquirer with deep in-store coverage may compare it with Adyen or Worldpay; see Adyen vs Stripe, Stripe vs Checkout.com and our list of Stripe alternatives.

What to check before signing up

• Which Stripe entity you contract with (STEL, Stripe Payments UK or Stripe Payments Company) and its licence.
• The premium-card and cross-border rates for your actual card mix, not only the headline domestic rate.
• Dispute fees and whether Smart Disputes (30% of amounts won in the UK) makes sense for you.
• Fees for add-ons you will use, such as Radar, Billing and Connect.
• Whether IC+ or volume pricing is available in your country.
• Reserve, payout timing and account review terms in the services agreement.
• That your business type is supported in your country.

Frequently asked questions

Is Stripe regulated?

Yes. In the EU Stripe operates through Stripe Technology Europe, an e-money institution authorised by the Central Bank of Ireland (C187865), and in the UK through Stripe Payments UK, Ltd., an FCA-authorised e-money institution (FRN 900461). In the US, Stripe Payments Company holds state money transmitter licences.

How much does Stripe charge per transaction in the UK?

On Stripe's UK pricing page on 3 November 2026, online domestic cards cost 1.5% + 20p for standard cards and 2.8% + 20p for premium cards. EEA cards cost 2.5% + 20p, other cross-border cards 3.15% + 20p, and currency conversion adds 2%.

What are Stripe's fees in the US?

On 3 November 2026 Stripe's US pricing page showed 2.9% + 30¢ for domestic online cards, plus 1.5% for cross-border cards and 1% for currency conversion. In-person Terminal payments cost 2.7% + 5¢, and the dispute fee is $15.

Does Stripe offer interchange plus pricing?

Yes, through a Custom plan for high-volume businesses, with options that include IC+ pricing and volume discounts, subject to market. Our guide to how card payments work explains why blended and IC+ pricing differ.

Is Stripe a bank?

No. Stripe is a payment service provider rather than a classic bank acquirer, and its regulated entities listed here are e-money institutions and a money transmitter. Separately, the OCC gave preliminary conditional approval on 12 February 2026 to Bridge Ventures LLC, owner of Stripe's stablecoin business Bridge, to organise a national trust bank limited to trust activities.

How big is Stripe?

Stripe reported $1.9 trillion of total payment volume for 2025, up 34%, in its annual letter published on 24 February 2026. It said more than 5 million businesses use it directly or via platforms, and a February 2026 tender offer valued the company at $159bn.