The Best Stripe Alternatives &#038; Competitors For Small Businesses

Get Started With PaymentCloud

Total Rating	4.1
Fees & Rates4.3
Products & Services4.6
Contract2.8
Sales & Advertising Transparency4.0
Customer Service4.6
User Reviews4.7

Exclusive Promo: PaymentCloud will give you $200 if they can't beat your current rate. Get Your Quote

Pros

No account setup fee
High risk specialist
Free credit card terminal available
Integrates with Shopify (and other shopping carts)

Cons

No publicly disclosed pricing for high-risk businesses
High-risk customers may face long-term contracts

Why PaymentCloud Is A Good Alternative To Stripe For High-Risk Businesses

PaymentCloud is among the best in the business when it comes to placing high-risk businesses with quality merchant accounts. Unlike many other high-risk payment processors, PaymentCloud minimizes unnecessary fees. While pricing can be highly variable depending on the backend processor PaymentCloud pairs you with, most high-risk businesses, including high-risk eCommerce, will pay less with PaymentCloud than they would with most of its competitors.

Stripe is an account aggregator, aka third-party processor, a processing model designed for low-risk businesses that comes with the drawback of being more prone to account holds and freezes. These can be very difficult to resolve. In contrast, PaymentCloud provides high-risk businesses with an account manager who acts as your advocate in dealing with your merchant account provider and bank.

PaymentCloud also integrates with Shopify, allowing high-risk businesses to use the eCommerce platform. Shopify's in-house payment solution, Shopify Payments, uses Stripe as its backend processor, which means high-risk Shopify sellers need to use an alternative processor.

PaymentCloud Features

High-risk credit and debit card processing
eCheck and ACH processing
Numerous shopping cart integrations (Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Ecwid, and others)
Customized application guidance
Cryptocurrency processing
QR code payments
Merchant cash advances

PaymentCloud Pricing

As a high-risk processor, PaymentCloud’s rates vary by customer profile.

When To Use PaymentCloud

You belong to a high-risk industry
You need a high-risk processor to use with Shopify (or another eCommerce platform)

Square: Best for new startups

Square

Total Rating	4.8
Fees & Rates5.0
Products & Services4.7
Contract4.3
Sales & Advertising Transparency5.0
Customer Service4.9
User Reviews4.9

Get a free card swiper from Square at no cost when you create a free account. Claim your card reader.

Pros

No monthly fee
Large feature set
Available in multiple countries
Multiple POS hardware options for in-person payments

Cons

Account stability issues
International reach not as broad as Stripe’s
Not as customizable as Stripe

Why Square Is A Good Alternative To Stripe For New Businesses

Square offers online transactions at a similar price point to Stripe and is much easier for the average person to set up. Its lack of a monthly fee and flat-rate pricing model makes Square a good bet for new and low-volume businesses, especially those that want to sell in-person with a POS as well as online.

Though Square lacks Stripe's international reach and API set, Square can still easily accommodate online and in-person sales, reporting, invoicing, inventory, and more. Square's free POS functionality also includes employee management, customer database management, and other business management features.

When it comes to Square vs Stripe, Square doesn't match Stripe in the number of available integrations. However, the ease with which non-technical users can set up an online store with Square gives it an edge over Stripe in some circumstances.

Square Features

Credit and debit card processing
Invoicing
Payment links
Free online store
ACH payment processing
Location management
Inventory management
Restaurant ordering and delivery
Buy now, pay later options
Bank-like services
Financing

Square Pricing

Square’s standard pricing is as follows:

2.9% + $0.30 per online transaction on free plan
2.6% + $0.30 per online transaction with $79/month Premium plan
2.6% + $0.30 per card present transaction
3.3% + $0.30 per invoice transaction on free plan
2.9% + $0.30 per invoice transaction on $20/month Plus plan
3.5% + $0.15 per invoice paid with a card on file (regardless of plan)
1% per ACH payment
6% + 30 cents per card payment with Afterpay

When To Use Square

You own a low-risk, low-volume business
You want to sell online but don’t need advanced eCommerce customization
You need a full POS system for in-person sales

Get Started With Square

Helcim: Best free merchant account

Helcim

Total Rating	4.9
Fees & Rates5.0
Products & Services4.4
Contract5.0
Sales & Advertising Transparency5.0
Customer Service4.8
User Reviews4.5

Pros

No long-term contracts or monthly fees
Low interchange-plus transaction fees
Discounted transaction fees for high-volume
Accepts Canadian businesses (as well as US businesses)

Cons

Not suitable for high-risk industries
May be expensive for very low-volume businesses

Why Helcim Is A Good Alternative To Stripe For A Free Merchant Account

Helcim is one of the few payment processors to offer a full merchant account with no monthly fee. As mentioned, Stripe does not offer a full-service merchant account and therefore isn't able to offer the account stability and personalized customer service that an MSP such as Helcim can offer.

On top of charging no monthly fee, Helcim offers affordable interchange-plus transaction fees. This makes Helcim a great alternative to a flat-rate processor (such as Stripe) for small businesses that are beginning to scale up their sales volume, as interchange-plus pricing favors higher-volume businesses.

Helcim's feature set may not look quite as polished as Stripe's, but it is certainly competitive with it. You'll get comprehensive international support, an online store, and solid developer tools at no added cost. If you're making sales offline, you'll be able to use Helcim's point-of-sale features, which can be run off a computer, mobile device, or the proprietary Helcim Smart Terminal.

Further, Helcim avoids Stripe's scaling issues by offering interchange-plus pricing from the start.

Helcim Features

Credit and debit card processing
Multicurrency support for international payments
Invoicing
Card reader & smart terminal for in-person payments
Tap to Pay for iPhone (coming soon)
Product/service catalog
Basic inventory management
Automatic tax deductions
Online store
Hosted payments page
Online food ordering

Helcim Pricing

Interchange + 0.4% + $0.08 (in-person transactions) for businesses processing $0-$50K/month
Interchange + 0.5% + $0.25 (keyed and online transactions) for businesses processing $0-$50K/month
0.5% + $0.25 for ACH transactions (max $6)
0.05% for ACH transactions above $25,000
No monthly fee
$15 per chargeback
$99 Bluetooth card reader
$329 smart terminal

Volume discounts are available for merchants processing more than $50,000 per month in transactions.

When To Use Helcim

You own a low-risk, low- or high-volume business in the US or Canada
You want a full, free merchant account with basic online and in-person selling features

Get Started With Helcim

Clearly Payments: Best for high-volume businesses

Clearly Payments

Get Started With Clearly Payments

Total Rating	4.7
Fees & Rates5.0
Products & Services4.6
Contract4.8
Sales & Advertising Transparency5.0
Customer Service3.6
User Reviews4.8

Pros

Offers interchange-plus & membership pricing
Next-day funding included with each account
Strong international support
Free payment gateway

Cons

Not suitable for very low volume businesses processing less than $15K/month
Membership pricing available only to Canadian businesses

Why Clearly Payments Is A Good Alternative To Stripe For High-Volume Businesses

One of the best Canadian merchant account providers, Clearly Payments is a relative newcomer to the payment processing scene, but so far it's borrowing ideas from the right places. It offers transparent pricing in both interchange-plus and membership pricing forms (though membership pricing is available to Canadian businesses only), making it a great option for mid- and high-volume businesses looking to save some money.

Stripe's flat rate pricing system is great for low-volume businesses but can become quite expensive for high-volume businesses. While high-volume businesses can negotiate interchange-plus pricing with Stripe, Clearly Payments offers interchange-plus pricing to all businesses, regardless of sales volume. Clearly also offers volume discounts to businesses processing more than $25,000/month.

Clearly Payments doesn't offer quite the international reach or breadth of features that Stripe does, but with support for 65 currencies, it's no slouch.

Clearly Payments Features

Merchant accounts for US & Canadian businesses
Multicurrency payments
Invoicing
Hosted payment pages
Virtual terminal
WooCommerce & QuickBooks integrations
Free payment gateway
Same-day funding
POS and mobile payment hardware

Clearly Payments Pricing

Clearly Payments’ interchange-plus pricing starts at:

Interchange + 0.12% and $0.06
Interchange + 0.08% + $0.03 (card-present transactions)
$21/month account fee

Transaction fees for lower-volume businesses are higher; check Clearly’s website to see pricing for your monthly sales volume tier.

Membership pricing for Canadian businesses is priced at:

Interchange + $0.06-$0.08 per transaction (depending on plan)
$99-$189/month account fee

Credit card terminals are available to rent on either plan, though pricing for these rentals isn’t listed.

When To Use Clearly Payments

You operate a high-volume business in Canada and want to take advantage of membership pricing
You own a US-based business that processes more than $15K/month

Host Merchant Services: Best for industry-specific plans

Host Merchant Services

Get Started With Host Merchant Services

Total Rating	4.9
Fees & Rates5.0
Products & Services5.0
Contract5.0
Sales & Advertising Transparency4.7
Customer Service4.6
User Reviews4.8

Pros

Transparent interchange-plus pricing
Some high-risk businesses accepted
Good customer support
Industry-specific plans for eCommerce, restaurants, retail, & more

Cons

Expensive for low-volume merchants
Some additional fees

Why Host Merchant Services Is A Good Alternative To Stripe For Industry-Specific Pricing

While Host Merchant Services provides traditional merchant services with your own, dedicated merchant account, it also offers a wide range of supplemental functionality not too far off from what you'd find with a third-party processing platform like Stripe. Host Merchant Services also features excellent transparency, competitive interchange-plus pricing, and free web hosting.

Additionally, Host Merchant Services has excellent support for brick-and-mortar businesses, and is a terriffic choice for restaurant credit card processing in particular. As far as eCommerce goes, Host Merchant Service's free web hosting is a distinct advantage over Stripe for businesses that need it. In addition to restaurants and eComm, Host also has an industry-specific plan for in-person retail storefronts.

Finally, Host Merchant Services is willing to work with high-risk businesses that Stripe won't touch. Just be aware that you'll be looking at less favorable terms.

Host Merchant Services Features

Full-service merchant accounts for US & Canadian businesses
Mobile processing
Shopping cart integrations
Web hosting
Proprietary payment gateway
QuickBooks integration
EBT acceptance
Merchant cash advances

Host Merchant Services Pricing

Host Merchant Services eCommerce fees are as follows:

Interchange + 0.35% + $0.10 per transaction

For in-person transactions, Host charges:

Interchange + 0.25% + $0.10 for retail storefronts
Interchange + 0.20% + $0.09 for restaurants

Additionally, there’s a $14.99 monthly fee to use Host Merchant Services.

When To Use Host Merchant Services

You want an industry-specific plan for your restaurant, retail store, or eCommerce business
You have a higher-volume business and/or high-risk business

Authorize.Net: Best payment gateway

Authorize.Net

Get Started With Authorize.Net

Total Rating	4.6
Fees & Rates4.7
Products & Services5.0
Contract4.8
Sales & Advertising Transparency4.6
Customer Service4.7
User Reviews2.0

Pros

International availability
Excellent security features
Integrates with numerous merchant accounts, including high-risk providers
Shopify & QuickBooks integrations

Cons

Not a payment processor

Why Authorize.Net Is A Good Stripe Alternative For Businesses Seeking Gateway Functionality

Unlike the other entries on this list, Authorize.Net is not a payment processor but rather, it's a payment gateway that is used to add online payment functionality to a merchant account.

As a standalone payment gateway, Authorize.Net can be integrated with various merchant services to expand your account's functionality to include eCommerce, international payments, and alternative payment methods. Authorize.Net can grant businesses that are happy with their merchant account some of the platform functionality associated with Stripe, particularly in international sales and online security.

Authorize.Net even integrates with some of the best high-risk merchant account providers.

Unlike Stripe, however, Authorize.Net is not a standalone payment processor. We usually suggest merchants who want to use Authorize.Net get it through their payment processor, as it's generally much more cost-effective that way. Check out more about the differences between Authorize.Net and Stripe before making your choice.

Authorize.Net Features

Online credit and debit card processing (with merchant account)
Standalone payment gateway
Multicurrency support
Numerous merchant account integrations, including with high-risk MSPs
Simple checkout
Recurring billing
Customer information management
Shopify integration
Syncs with QuickBooks
ACH and eCheck processing
Account updater

Authorize.Net Pricing

Authorize.Net’s eCommerce transaction flat fees start at:

2.9% + $0.30 per transaction (via All-In-One option)

Additionally, there’s a $25 monthly fee for the All-In-One option. You may be able to get a lower monthly fee through your payment processor.

When To Use Authorize.Net

You want online payment processing similar to Stripe’s, but want to use your own merchant account
You need a payment gateway that integrates with a high-risk merchant account

Payment Processing Rating Methodology

Merchant Maverick has been researching the payment processing industry since 2009. Our writers have reviewed hundreds of credit card processors, merchant account services, and mobile payment apps, evaluating each provider carefully on several different metrics.

Weighted Rating Breakdown

Fees & Rates 35%

Contract 20%

Products & Services 15%

Sales & Advertising Transparency 15%

Customer Service 10%

User Reviews 5%

When comparing different payment processing companies and applications to one another, we consider numerous data points. Our experts start by comparing credit card processing rates, the presence of additional fees, contract length, sales practices, and the presence or absence of additional features and services, like point of sale software. Each provider is judged on its own merits and how well it stacks up to industry standards; then it is weighed against the other providers on the list.

We spend an average of 10-15 hours researching and updating each one of our lists, making sure every company or application included meets our internal standards for quality and reputation. Any list of recommended payment processors on our site might contain a mix of standard merchant accounts, third-party payment processors, mobile payment devices, and high-risk payment processors, depending on what our expert feels is the best fit for certain scenarios or business types.

For additional details about Merchant Maverick’s review and rating processes, please refer to any or all of the following methodology pages:

Years reviewing payment processors

100+

Providers evaluated

Attributes and features assessed per vendor

40+

Years combined experience

Are Stripe Competitors Really Better Than Stripe?

Depending on your company’s needs, Stripe may or not be your best option. So, how does Stripe work? Stripe’s approach to payment processing is to be a “full stack” payment processor — a complete, all-in-one service for online sales. There are similar companies, but none that take Stripe’s exact approach.

If you want a full breakdown of what Stripe offers, read our comprehensive review of Stripe.

Strengths Of Stripe Payments

Stripe’s main selling points include:

Customizability: Stripe’s API is a big part of why it’s so widespread. If you’re comfortable writing code or have someone in-house who is, you’ll have a great playground to work in with excellent documentation. Not technical? There are tons of prebuilt store pages, configurations, and integrations to choose from.
Global Reach: One of the most significant benefits of eCommerce is the ability to, theoretically, sell anywhere in the world. In practice, there are a lot of complications to doing business outside your borders. Stripe makes it much easier by supporting over 135 currencies in 47 countries and helping you navigate local policies, such as VATs and sales tax.
Competitive Pricing: It’s not the cheapest service, but Stripe’s flat rates are predictable and transparent, and you get a lot of value for what you pay.
Billing & Subscription Management: Stripe supports recurring payments, so offering subscription-based services or products is easy.
No Monthly Fee For Core Services: Stripe’s transaction fees allow businesses to pay as they go. If you’re not using Stripe actively, it costs you nothing.

Weaknesses Of Stripe Payments

Some reasons Stripe may not be the best choice for your business:

Account Stability Issues: Common to all third-party payment processors, Stripe users are more at risk of account freezes and holds than those who use a traditional merchant account. Resolving these issues when they occur can also be challenging.
Scalability: Stripe’s à la carte approach to features can be great for newer businesses, but the costs can add up quickly, at least until you become big enough to negotiate your own deal with Stripe.
Limited Support For In-Person Transactions: Stripe Terminal has come a long way, but it’s mainly a tool for eCommerce-focused businesses that make the occasional in-person sale.
Developer-Centric: Stripe’s developer-friendly approach is great for businesses with the resources to implement it, but non-programmers that want to use Stripe will generally need to get it prebuilt into a sales platform like Shopify.
No Standalone Payment Gateway: Stripe’s payment gateway can only be used with Stripe’s payment processing services, so you can’t mix and match it with your own merchant account.

Which Stripe Alternative Is Right For Your Business?

Stripe Payments is a great option for many businesses. The fact that there are no monthly minimums makes it great for startups, and the number of supported countries, payment options, and currencies makes it a serious contender for global businesses, in particular.

The available features make Stripe especially well-suited to high-tech businesses that aren’t satisfied with the standard fare in a payments processor. And the company’s developer resources are second to none.

However, Stripe isn’t ideal for everyone, especially if you have concerns about account stability or your technical prowess. You will also pay more to access some of Stripe’s premium features, which isn’t unreasonable — but it does mean you might be able to get more competitive pricing from some of the cheapest credit card processing companies available.

Want a deeper look at Stripe? Check out our complete guide to Stripe pricing.

Bio
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Chris Motola

Expert Contributor at Merchant Maverick

Chris has been writing about small business topics since 2003. He has been featured in Fox Business, ABC News, Yahoo Finance, GoBankingRates, Newsweek, BizJournals, and other publications. He has a Bachelor’s of Arts in English Writing Arts from SUNY Oswego, and a Masters of Science in Interactive Media from the University of Central Florida. He currently resides in the Hudson Valley region of New York.

View Chris Motola's professional experience on LinkedIn.

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1. PaymentCloud

❮ ❯

Best for high-risk businesses
Transaction fees vary by account
Fees vary by account

2. Square

❮ ❯

Best for new startups
Online transaction fees start at 2.6% + $0.30
No monthly fee for basic account

3. Helcim

❮ ❯

Best free merchant account
Online transaction fees start at interchange + 0.15% + $0.15
No monthly fee

4. Clearly Payments

❮ ❯

Best for high-volume businesses
Membership pricing starts at interchange + $0.06
$99 monthly fee (membership pricing)

5. Host Merchant Services

❮ ❯

Best for industry-specific plans
Online transaction fees start at interchange + 0.35% + $0.10
$14.99 monthly fee

6. Authorize.Net

❮ ❯

Best payment gateway alternative
Online transaction fees start at 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
$25 monthly fee