PayPal vs Stripe fees for freelancers
What a US freelancer keeps from a domestic payment of 100, 500 and 2,000 US dollars, computed from the fees PayPal and Stripe publish on their own pricing pages.
The short answer
For a domestic card payment, Stripe's published standard rate (2.9% + 0.30 US dollars) costs less than PayPal's rate for an invoice paid through PayPal Checkout (3.49% + 0.49 US dollars) at every amount: 0.78 US dollars less on 100, 3.14 less on 500 and 11.99 less on 2,000. When the client pays a PayPal invoice with a plain credit or debit card instead, PayPal's published rate drops to 2.99% + 0.49 US dollars and the gap narrows to 0.28, 0.64 and 1.99 US dollars. For bank debit (ACH), both are far cheaper than cards, and both cap the fee.
Default rates side by side
| Provider and rate | Client pays | Fee | Effective % | You keep |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PayPal, 3.49% + $0.49 | $100.00 | $3.98 | 3.98% | $96.02 |
| Stripe, 2.9% + $0.30 | $100.00 | $3.20 | 3.20% | $96.80 |
| PayPal, 3.49% + $0.49 | $500.00 | $17.94 | 3.59% | $482.06 |
| Stripe, 2.9% + $0.30 | $500.00 | $14.80 | 2.96% | $485.20 |
| PayPal, 3.49% + $0.49 | $2,000.00 | $70.29 | 3.51% | $1,929.71 |
| Stripe, 2.9% + $0.30 | $2,000.00 | $58.30 | 2.92% | $1,941.70 |
Source: Fees | Merchant and Business | PayPal US (www.paypal.com), fees last verified 2026-10-06
Source: Pricing & Fees (stripe.com), fees last verified 2026-10-06
The rate depends on how the client pays
PayPal publishes different rates for the same invoice depending on the payment method the client picks, which the freelancer does not control. Stripe publishes one standard card rate and a separate ACH Direct Debit rate.
| Provider and rate | Client pays | Fee | Effective % | You keep |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PayPal invoice paid by card or third-party wallet, 2.99% + $0.49 | $100.00 | $3.48 | 3.48% | $96.52 |
| PayPal invoice paid by card or third-party wallet, 2.99% + $0.49 | $500.00 | $15.44 | 3.09% | $484.56 |
| PayPal invoice paid by card or third-party wallet, 2.99% + $0.49 | $2,000.00 | $60.29 | 3.01% | $1,939.71 |
| PayPal Send/Receive Money for Goods and Services, 2.99% | $100.00 | $2.99 | 2.99% | $97.01 |
| PayPal Send/Receive Money for Goods and Services, 2.99% | $500.00 | $14.95 | 2.99% | $485.05 |
| PayPal Send/Receive Money for Goods and Services, 2.99% | $2,000.00 | $59.80 | 2.99% | $1,940.20 |
| PayPal invoice paid with Pay by Bank (ACH), 1%, fee capped at $10.00 | $100.00 | $1.00 | 1.00% | $99.00 |
| PayPal invoice paid with Pay by Bank (ACH), 1%, fee capped at $10.00 | $500.00 | $5.00 | 1.00% | $495.00 |
| PayPal invoice paid with Pay by Bank (ACH), 1%, fee capped at $10.00 | $2,000.00 | $10.00 | 0.50% | $1,990.00 |
| Stripe ACH Direct Debit, 0.8%, fee capped at $5.00 | $100.00 | $0.80 | 0.80% | $99.20 |
| Stripe ACH Direct Debit, 0.8%, fee capped at $5.00 | $500.00 | $4.00 | 0.80% | $496.00 |
| Stripe ACH Direct Debit, 0.8%, fee capped at $5.00 | $2,000.00 | $5.00 | 0.25% | $1,995.00 |
Source: Fees | Merchant and Business | PayPal US (www.paypal.com), fees last verified 2026-10-06
Source: Pricing & Fees (stripe.com), fees last verified 2026-10-06
Getting the money to your bank
PayPal lists a standard transfer to a bank account as free when no currency conversion is involved, and an instant transfer at 1.5% with a minimum of 0.50 US dollars. Stripe lists an Instant Payout for US accounts at 1.5% with a minimum of 0.50 US dollars. No fee for a standard Stripe payout was read on its pricing page, so none is recorded here; that is a gap in what was read, not a statement that it is free.
Source: Fees | Merchant and Business | PayPal US (www.paypal.com), fees last verified 2026-10-06
Source: Pricing & Fees (stripe.com), fees last verified 2026-10-06
What this comparison leaves out
- Payers outside the US and currency conversion: both providers publish surcharges for them. Those scenarios are part of the Pro page.
- Stripe publishes an extra 0.5% when a card number is typed in by the seller rather than entered by the customer online.
- Chargeback and dispute fees, monthly products and custom pricing for large volumes.
- Rounding: fees are rounded to the nearest cent here. A provider may round one cent differently.
Use the calculator for any other amount, or to find what to charge to keep a target amount. The method is on the methodology page.