Calculate Stripe, PayPal, and Shopify Payments fees on a transaction. Compare processors side by side.
All calculations run in your browser. Nothing is sent to a server. Last updated: 2026-07-19 · Formula verified against published sources (see below).
Compares Stripe and PayPal fees side-by-side on a single transaction. Helps you decide which processor to default to (or which to nudge customers toward at checkout).
Both rates are pre-filled as defaults. International cards, currency conversion, and specialty payment methods (Afterpay, Klarna) have different rates — adjust the inputs if those apply.
On a $40 transaction:
Stripe is cheaper on most transaction sizes. The crossover is around $8 — for very small transactions, PayPal's higher flat fee hurts more. For transactions over $8, Stripe's lower percentage wins.
But: PayPal often has higher conversion rates because customers trust the brand. The fee difference may be worth it. Test both.
| Processor | Formula | Fee | You receive |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stripe | 2.9% × $40 + $0.30 | $1.46 | $38.54 |
| PayPal | 2.99% × $40 + $0.49 | $1.69 | $38.31 |
| Stripe advantage | $0.23 | ||
On 100 orders/month, that's $23/month — small but real. Over a year: $276. Not enough to ditch PayPal (its conversion lift may be worth more), but enough to prefer Stripe as the default at checkout.
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