Stripe Fee Calculator

TL;DR

Stripe is the most flexible card processor on the market, with the deepest WooCommerce plugin ecosystem of any gateway. You get 23+ payment methods, world-class fraud tools, and a familiar checkout — at 2.9% + $0.30 domestic, plus the cost of running tax and disputes yourself.

What Is Stripe, and Who Is It For?

Stripe is the de facto standard for developer-friendly payments. Its API-first approach and extensive feature set make it the top choice for startups and scaling businesses. However, merchants handle their own tax compliance and chargeback disputes — significant overhead for digital product sellers.

Best for

Engineering teams who want maximum flexibility.

Used by

SaaS companies Marketplaces E-commerce Global businesses

Highlights

Best-in-class API
135+ currencies
Stripe Tax add-on

Stripe at a Glance

Pricing model: Pay-as-you-go gateway
Domestic fee: 2.9% + $0.30
International card fee: 4.4% + $0.30
Currency conversion: +1%
Monthly cost: Free — no monthly fee
Tax handling: You handle (or buy add-on)
Chargebacks: You handle, $15 dispute fee
Payout schedule: 2 business days (standard) · Instant Payouts in eligible regions
Availability: Available to merchants in 46 countries
Currencies: 135+ presentment currencies

Stripe Fee Calculator: What Does a Sale Actually Cost?

This Stripe fee calculator shows where a sale ends up — drag the slider or type your own amount to see it in real time. Prices are list rates; large merchants can negotiate.

Live scenario

US card · USD payout

You charge

You receive

$96.80

$1 Drag or type your amount $1,000+

You keep · 96.8% Stripe fee · 3.2%

Fee breakdown

Card processing 2.9% × $100: −$2.90
Fixed fee per transaction: −$0.30
Total fee: −$3.20
You receive: +$96.80

International card

+1.5%

4.4% + $0.30

$100 → $95.30

Card issued outside your country, payout in your local currency.

Currency conversion

+1%

$100 → $94.30

Stacked on international when you charge and pay out in different currencies.

Refund · chargeback

Worst case

−$18.20

$100 lost + $15 fee

Lost dispute: you forfeit the $100, the $3.20 processing fee, and a $15 dispute fee.

The fine print headline rates don't show

Sales tax / VAT — your responsibility, or +0.5% via Stripe Tax.
Chargebacks — $15 per dispute, original fee not refunded.
Refunds — the processing fee is not returned to the merchant.
Marketplaces — Stripe Connect adds 0.25% + $2 per active connected account, monthly.

See full pricing on Stripe.com

Where it's not available

Countries Without Stripe Support

Stripe accepts merchants in only 45 countries. If your business is registered in one of the 153 countries below, you cannot open a Stripe account today.

See supported countries

40 of 153 countries shown

Afghanistan

Sanctions
Albania

Not supported
Algeria

Not supported
Andorra

Not supported
Angola

Not supported
Antigua & Barbuda

Not supported
Argentina

Not supported
Armenia

Not supported
Azerbaijan

Not supported
Bahamas

Not supported
Bahrain

Not supported
Bangladesh

Not supported
Barbados

Not supported
Belarus

Suspended Mar 2022
Belize

Not supported
Benin

Not supported
Bhutan

Not supported
Bolivia

Not supported
Bosnia & Herzegovina

Not supported
Botswana

Not supported
Brunei

Not supported
Burkina Faso

Not supported
Burundi

Not supported
Cambodia

Not supported
Cameroon

Not supported
Cape Verde

Not supported
Central African Republic

High-risk
Chad

Not supported
Chile

Not supported
China

Not supported
Colombia

Not supported
Comoros

Not supported
Congo (Brazzaville)

Not supported
Congo (DRC)

High-risk
Costa Rica

Not supported
Côte d'Ivoire

Not supported
Cuba

OFAC sanctions
Djibouti

Not supported
Dominica

Not supported
Dominican Republic

Not supported

Countries with a red tag are explicitly restricted (sanctions, suspended access, or high-risk). The rest simply aren't on Stripe's supported list yet — availability changes over time, so always confirm on the official site.

In an Unsupported Country? Here's How to Get Stripe

Most software founders living in unsupported countries solve this in one of three ways. Pick the path that matches your stage — incorporating in a Stripe-supported country, or skipping Stripe entirely.

Option 01

Incorporate in the United States

Timeline: 2–4 weeks
Cost: ~$500 setup · ~$300/yr

Form a Delaware or Wyoming LLC, get an EIN, open a US business bank, then apply to Stripe with the US entity. The most common path for global SaaS founders — Stripe Atlas was literally built for this.

1 Pick a state — Delaware (most common) or Wyoming (cheaper).
2 Form the LLC remotely through Stripe Atlas, Firstbase, or Doola.
3 Get an EIN from the IRS (your incorporation service handles this).
4 Open a US business bank — Mercury, Brex, or Wise — fully online.
5 Apply for Stripe with your LLC, EIN, and US bank account.

Best for

SaaS and digital-product founders selling globally in USD.

Popular services

Option 02

Incorporate in the UK or Canada

Timeline: 1–2 weeks
Cost: ~$50 setup · ~$100/yr

Register a UK Limited (Ltd) company at Companies House or a Canadian corporation. Simpler tax exposure than a US LLC, and Wise / Revolut Business can open the bank account online.

1 Register the company online (Companies House £12, ~10 minutes).
2 Use a virtual business address service (~$15–50/month).
3 Open a business bank — Wise, Revolut Business, Tide, or Starling.
4 Apply for Stripe UK with company number, address, and bank.
5 Optional: register for UK VAT once you cross £85k revenue.

Best for

EU, Asia, and African founders who want less US tax paperwork.

Popular services

Most common

Option 03

Use a Merchant of Record Instead

Timeline: Today — < 1 hour
Cost: 5%–10% per sale (no setup)

Skip Stripe entirely. A merchant-of-record (Paddle, FastSpring, Gumroad, Polar) becomes the seller of record, handles global tax, and pays you out wherever you live. No LLC, no EIN, no US bank.

1 Sign up to a merchant of record from your home country.
2 Verify identity — passport + utility bill is usually enough.
3 Connect to your WooCommerce / EDD / WordPress store.
4 Start selling. MoR collects tax and pays you net of their fee.

Best for

Indie founders, side-projects, or anyone shipping digital goods this week.

Popular services

Heads up

Stripe's terms require your business to have a genuine operational presence in the country of registration — bank account, mailing address, and tax compliance. A non-resident-owned US LLC is fine (Stripe expects them), but a shell with no activity will eventually trip Stripe's risk review and get the account closed.

What Can Your Customers Pay With?

Stripe supports 24+ methods out of the box. Each one needs to be enabled in the dashboard.

Cards

4

Visa
Mastercard
American Express
Discover

Digital wallets

4

Apple Pay
Google Pay
Link
Cash App Pay

Buy now, pay later

3

Klarna
Affirm
Afterpay / Clearpay

Bank debit

3

ACH Direct Debit
SEPA Direct Debit
Bacs Direct Debit

Local methods

10

iDEAL
Bancontact
BLIK
Alipay
WeChat Pay
Boleto
OXXO
Multibanco
EPS
Przelewy24

What we like

Industry-leading API and developer experience
Supports 135+ currencies with automatic conversion
Extensive dashboard and analytics
Large ecosystem of third-party integrations
Advanced fraud detection (Radar)
Strong recurring billing (Stripe Billing)

Where it falls short

Tax handling is your responsibility (requires Stripe Tax add-on)
Chargeback management falls on you
International transactions carry higher fees (4.4%)
Requires technical setup — not beginner-friendly
Currency conversion fees apply to multi-currency payouts

Stripe on WordPress & WooCommerce

Top free Stripe plugins from the WordPress.org directory, ranked by install count and reviews.

Third-party install counts and ratings reflect the WordPress.org directory at the time of writing — always check the latest data before installing.

Add Stripe to Your WordPress Site in 5 Steps

Most stores are taking live payments in under an hour. Here's the path most teams follow.

1

Install the Stripe Plugin

From your WordPress admin, go to Plugins → Add New, search "Stripe for WooCommerce", and install the official WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway (or Payment Plugins for Stripe if you want more flexibility).
2

Connect Your Stripe Account

Go to WooCommerce → Settings → Payments → Stripe and click "Connect with Stripe". You'll be redirected to Stripe to authorize, then bounced back. Use a test account first if you want a sandbox.
3

Enable Payment Methods

Toggle on the methods you want — Cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Link, Klarna, Afterpay, ACH, SEPA. Apple Pay needs a domain registration step (the plugin handles it automatically in most cases).
4

Configure Webhooks

The plugin auto-creates the webhook endpoint when you connect. If you switch URLs (e.g. staging → production), re-run the connect flow so the webhook secret updates correctly.
5

Test, Then Go Live

Use Stripe's test card 4242 4242 4242 4242 to confirm checkout, refund, and subscription flows work end-to-end. Once confirmed, switch the gateway out of test mode and place a $1 live order.

Optional Services That Change the Equation

Stripe's base fees only tell part of the story. These paid add-ons cover the workflows most stores end up needing.

Stripe Tax

Automated tax calculation, collection, and reporting in 50+ countries. Handles US sales tax, EU VAT, UK VAT, GST, and more. You still file the returns yourself.

Pricing: 0.5% per transaction (where Tax is enabled)

Stripe Billing

Subscription engine with trials, proration, dunning, hosted invoices, and the customer portal. Used by most SaaS companies on Stripe.

Pricing: 0.5%–0.8% on recurring revenue

Stripe Radar

Machine-learning fraud detection trained on the Stripe network. Radar for Fraud Teams adds custom rules and review queues.

Pricing: Free (basic) · $0.05 per screened transaction (Teams)

Stripe Connect

Marketplaces and platforms that need to pay out to multiple sellers. Handles KYC, 1099-K, and split payments.

Pricing: +0.25% + $2 per active connected account, monthly

How Stripe Keeps Card Data Safe

PCI status

PCI Service Provider Level 1 (the highest)

PCI Service Provider Level 1 (audited annually)
Stripe Elements isolates card data so it never touches your server
3D Secure 2.0 / SCA built in for European cards
Stripe Radar machine-learning fraud detection on every payment
Tokenized card storage — your DB never holds raw PANs
SOC 1 Type II, SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 certified

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything else you might want to know about Stripe.

Does Stripe charge a monthly fee?

No — Stripe is pay-as-you-go. You pay 2.9% + $0.30 per successful card charge in the US, plus extra for international cards (+1.5%) and currency conversion (+1%). There is no monthly minimum, no setup fee, and no contract.

Is the official WooCommerce Stripe plugin free?

Yes. Both the official WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway and the popular Payment Plugins for Stripe alternative are free on the WordPress.org plugin directory. You only pay Stripe's standard processing fees.

Does Stripe handle sales tax and VAT for me?

Not by default. Stripe Tax is an add-on that calculates and collects tax automatically for an extra 0.5% per transaction. Even with Stripe Tax, you (or your accountant) are still responsible for filing returns. If you want tax fully handled, use a merchant-of-record like Paddle.

What happens if I get a chargeback?

You get hit with the disputed amount, a $15 dispute fee, and a window to submit evidence. Stripe Radar can prevent some fraud-driven chargebacks, but you handle every dispute yourself. This is the single largest hidden cost of running Stripe directly.

Can I sell digital downloads with Stripe and WordPress?

Yes. With WooCommerce, the official Stripe plugin handles digital products fine. With Easy Digital Downloads (EDD), you need EDD's Stripe Pro extension (paid). Outside Woo and EDD, WP Simple Pay covers most one-off digital sales.

How fast does Stripe pay out to my bank?

Standard payouts arrive in 2 business days for established accounts in the US, UK, and EU. New accounts have a 7–14 day rolling reserve. Eligible accounts can use Instant Payouts to receive funds in minutes for an extra 1% fee.

Does Stripe work with Easy Digital Downloads?

Yes, via the official Stripe Pro extension from EDD ($199/yr at the time of writing). The free Stripe gateway in EDD core handles basic card payments. For an MoR alternative on EDD, see Paddle for Easy Digital Downloads.

Is Stripe better than PayPal for WooCommerce?

For most WordPress stores, yes — Stripe has lower fees, a better admin UI, more payment methods, and better recurring billing. PayPal is still useful as a secondary checkout option because some buyers refuse to type a card number anywhere else.

Our verdict for WordPress

For a WordPress or WooCommerce store selling to a domestic audience, Stripe is the safe default — pick the official Stripe plugin or Payment Plugins for Stripe and you're live in under an hour. If you sell software or digital goods globally, factor in Stripe Tax pricing (0.5% per transaction) and the time you'll spend handling chargebacks before deciding.

If tax + chargebacks worry you

Consider Paddle as a Merchant-of-Record Alternative

Paddle handles VAT, sales tax, and chargebacks globally — and connects to WooCommerce and Easy Digital Downloads through WP Smart Pay's official integrations.

Paddle for WooCommerce Paddle for EDD