Stripe vs PayPal

Stripe is our processing backbone on custom builds. The API surface, the checkout tooling, and the webhook model are built for engineers shaping the entire payment flow, which is what a custom storefront needs. PayPal then earns its place as an additional wallet at checkout rather than as the backbone.

Often yes, and they are not competing for the same job when you do. Stripe processes cards and wallets inside your branded checkout, while a PayPal button captures the segment of buyers who simply will not enter card details on an unfamiliar site. For consumer audiences that overlap with PayPal households, the second button pays for its maintenance.

Both price per transaction with rates that vary by payment method, region, and volume, and both publish current numbers on their own pricing pages, which we link below. In our experience the fee delta is rarely what decides the integration; checkout conversion and engineering fit move more revenue than a fraction of a percent on processing.

Stripe Billing is the stronger toolkit: plans, proration, trials, metered usage, and dunning for failed payments are first-class features. PayPal supports recurring payments, but when a business model depends on subscription mechanics we build on Stripe and let PayPal remain a one-time payment option.

Both processors run formal dispute processes with evidence submission. Stripe adds Radar, its fraud scoring layer, which we tune per store to block obvious fraud without throttling real buyers. PayPal disputes run through its own resolution center, and its buyer protection is part of why cautious shoppers convert through it in the first place.