Key takeaways
- For standard US online card payments: Stripe charges 2.9% + $0.30, Square’s Free plan 3.3% + $0.30, and PayPal Checkout 3.49% + $0.49.
- In person, PayPal’s card-present rate of 2.29% + $0.09 is the lowest of the three; Stripe charges 2.7% + $0.05 and Square’s Free plan 2.6% + $0.15.
- A Venmo business profile charges 1.9% + $0.10 per payment. A personal profile charges sellers 2.99% on goods and services payments.
- Fixed fees matter on small payments: on a $20 sale PayPal Checkout takes $1.19, almost 6%.
Standard US rates at a glance
Each provider has many rates. The table shows the ones most small businesses use, taken from each provider’s US pricing page in November 2026. Your own account may show different rates if you are on a custom plan or high volume, and providers change their pricing from time to time.
- Stripe adds a further 1% when a payment needs currency conversion.
- Square’s Plus plan lowers online and invoice payments to 2.9% + $0.30 and in-person to 2.5% + $0.15; Premium lowers in-person to 2.4% + $0.15. Both plans have a monthly fee, so they pay off only at higher volume.
- PayPal’s Advanced credit and debit card payments, for businesses using its card fields on their own checkout, are 2.89% + $0.49.
| Payment type | Stripe | PayPal | Square (Free plan) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online card payment | 2.9% + $0.30 | 2.99% + $0.49 (standard card processing) | 3.3% + $0.30 |
| Branded wallet checkout | Same as card | 3.49% + $0.49 (PayPal Checkout, Pay with Venmo) | n/a |
| In-person card | 2.7% + $0.05 | 2.29% + $0.09 | 2.6% + $0.15 |
| Manually entered card | +0.5% on the card rate | 3.49% + $0.09 (in person) | 3.5% + $0.15 |
| International card | +1.5% | +1.5% | Not listed separately |
| Bank payment (ACH) | 0.8%, capped at $5 | n/a | 1%, $1 minimum (via invoice) |
| Dispute or chargeback | $15 | $20 | Not listed in the fee table |
The same payments on each provider
Here are three common payments run through the standard rates. Each fee is the payment times the percentage, plus the fixed fee, rounded to the cent.
Fee = Payment × Rate % ÷ 100 + Fixed fee You receive = Payment − Fee
| Payment | Stripe | PayPal Checkout | Square Free | Venmo business |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $20 online | $0.88 (4.4%) | $1.19 (6.0%) | $0.96 (4.8%) | $0.48 (2.4%) |
| $100 online | $3.20 | $3.98 | $3.60 | $2.00 |
| $40 in person | $1.13 (Terminal) | $1.01 (card present) | $1.19 | n/a |
Worked example: a month of online sales
An online shop takes 160 card orders a month averaging $50, so $8,000 in sales. Each provider’s cost is the percentage on the total plus the fixed fee on each order.
- PayPal Checkout costs $77.60 a month more than Stripe here, or $931.20 a year. Some shops still offer it because some buyers prefer to pay with PayPal, which may win sales that would otherwise be lost.
- If 20% of orders used international cards, Stripe would add 1.5% on those: $1,600 × 1.5% = $24 a month.
| Provider and rate | Percentage part | Fixed part | Monthly fees | Yearly fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stripe, 2.9% + $0.30 | $232.00 | $48.00 | $280.00 | $3,360.00 |
| Square Free, 3.3% + $0.30 | $264.00 | $48.00 | $312.00 | $3,744.00 |
| PayPal Checkout, 3.49% + $0.49 | $279.20 | $78.40 | $357.60 | $4,291.20 |
Venmo for business: personal vs business profiles
Venmo charges sellers in two ways. A business profile pays 1.9% + $0.10 on each payment received, or 2.29% + $0.09 for Tap to Pay. On a $50 payment that is $1.05.
A personal profile pays 2.99% when the sender marks the payment as goods and services. Venmo’s fee page lists no fixed fee for this. On a $50 payment that is $1.50. Friends-and-family payments are free, but they are meant for personal use, not sales, and they do not come with purchase protection for the buyer.
Moving money out is free by standard transfer. An instant transfer to a bank or debit card costs 1.75%, with a minimum of $0.25 and a maximum of $25.
Free toolVenmo fee calculatorFees that are easy to miss
The headline rate is rarely the whole cost. Check these before you choose a provider.
- International cards and currency conversion: Stripe adds 1.5% for international cards and 1% for conversion; PayPal adds 1.5% on international commercial transactions.
- Disputes: Stripe charges $15 when a dispute is opened and PayPal $20 per chargeback. Stripe charges another $15 if you counter a dispute, refunded only if you win.
- Keyed-in cards cost more than tapped or dipped ones with all three providers.
- Refunds: providers often keep some or all of the original fee when you refund. Check each provider’s refund terms.
- Instant payouts usually cost extra on every platform. Standard payouts are free.
Which one to choose
There is no single cheapest provider. It depends on how you take payments and how big they are.
- Mostly online card sales on your own website: Stripe’s 2.9% + $0.30 is the lowest standard online rate of the three. Square’s Plus plan matches it but has a monthly fee.
- Mostly in person: compare PayPal’s 2.29% + $0.09, Stripe Terminal’s 2.7% + $0.05 and Square’s 2.6% + $0.15, then add the cost of the card reader and any software fees.
- Lots of small payments: the fixed fee matters more than the percentage. PayPal’s $0.49 fixed fee on online payments is the largest here.
- Customers who already pay with Venmo or PayPal: a Venmo business profile at 1.9% + $0.10 is cheap, and offering PayPal Checkout may win sales despite its higher rate.
- Large invoices to business clients: bank payments are far cheaper. Stripe’s ACH Direct Debit is capped at $5, so a $2,000 invoice costs $5 by ACH against $58.30 by card.
Passing fees on to customers
Some businesses add a card surcharge to cover processing fees. Whether you can depends on where you and your customer are. Card network rules cap and regulate surcharges, several US states restrict them, and surcharges on consumer card payments are banned in the UK and EU.
Raising prices slightly, or offering a discount for cheaper payment methods such as bank transfer, is generally allowed everywhere. If you do surcharge, work out the amount so you receive what you need: adding 2.9% to the price does not quite cover a 2.9% fee, because the fee is charged on the surcharge too.
Charge to receive an exact amount = (Amount + Fixed fee) ÷ (1 − Rate % ÷ 100)
Free toolCredit card surcharge calculator
