Processors
PayPal as a Stripe alternative
PayPal is a payment service provider. On November 9, 2026 the rate line is 3.49% + $0.49 checkout · 2.99% + $0.49 cards. The dispute line is $15 dispute · $20 card chargeback. Confirm the billed row before you leave Stripe.
- Type
- Payment service provider
- Pricing
- Flat rate
- Card rate
- 3.49% + $0.49 checkout · 2.99% + $0.49 cards
- Dispute fee
- $15 dispute · $20 card chargeback
- Payouts
- See PayPal's fee page for withdrawals.
- Where
- Global. Rates here are the US commercial schedule.
- Underwriting
- Instant signup, with later review and reserves.
- What it replaces
- Checkout for a low-risk business. A poor fit for many restricted industries.
What is PayPal?
PayPal is a wallet and a card processor. US commercial fees depend on the payment type. PayPal Checkout, Guest Checkout, and Venmo are priced higher than a standard card payment.
Who should choose PayPal?
PayPal fits: Merchants who want PayPal and Venmo buttons because their buyers already use them. A listing here is not an approval, and a published rate is not a quote.
Who should look elsewhere?
What PayPal replaces: Checkout for a low-risk business. A poor fit for many restricted industries. Look elsewhere when you need something outside that.
Underwriting: Instant signup, with later review and reserves.
How does PayPal charge?
PayPal has 5 fee lines in this dataset, each read on November 9, 2026. Headline rate: 3.49% + $0.49 checkout · 2.99% + $0.49 cards.
| Fee | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|
| PayPal Checkout, Guest Checkout, and Venmo | 3.49% + $0.49 | Source |
| Standard credit and debit card payments | 2.99% + $0.49 | Source |
| International commercial transactions | +1.50% | Source |
| Dispute fee, USD | $15. Applies when a buyer files a dispute on a PayPal account or PayPal checkout payment. High-volume dispute pricing is higher. | Source |
| Card chargeback, USD | $20. For card transactions that were not processed through a PayPal account or guest checkout. | Source |
What does PayPal cost at $10,000, $100,000, and $1 million a month?
The arithmetic below uses a $50 average ticket and successful charges only. It is not a quote for international cards or disputes.
| Monthly volume | Stripe US cards | PayPal Checkout, Guest Checkout, Venmo | PayPal standard credit and debit cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| $10,000.00 | $350.00 (200 × $0.30 + 2.9% of $10,000.00) | $447.00 (200 × $0.49 + 3.49% of $10,000.00) | $397.00 (200 × $0.49 + 2.99% of $10,000.00) |
| $100,000.00 | $3,500.00 (2000 × $0.30 + 2.9% of $100,000.00) | $4,470.00 (2000 × $0.49 + 3.49% of $100,000.00) | $3,970.00 (2000 × $0.49 + 2.99% of $100,000.00) |
| $1,000,000.00 | $35,000.00 (20000 × $0.30 + 2.9% of $1,000,000.00) | $44,700.00 (20000 × $0.49 + 3.49% of $1,000,000.00) | $39,700.00 (20000 × $0.49 + 2.99% of $1,000,000.00) |
US commercial rate. International payments add 1.50%.
Where does PayPal operate?
Coverage: Global. Rates here are the US commercial schedule. That is where PayPal operates, not a list of industries it accepts.
Do not treat a processor logo as an industry approval. If the business is on Stripe's prohibited list, switching the logo does not make the card payment lawful. The restricted-business guide is the map of Stripe's own words.
How does PayPal differ from Stripe?
Stripe is a payment service provider at 2.9% + $0.30 for US domestic cards, read November 9, 2026, and it can review an account after you have started processing. PayPal is a payment service provider with the rate line 3.49% + $0.49 checkout · 2.99% + $0.49 cards and the dispute line $15 dispute · $20 card chargeback.
PayPal and Stripe can both process cards, and the bill still depends on which published row matches the payment type you actually take.
How do you switch from Stripe to PayPal?
Stripe's data export page, read November 10, 2026, says Stripe transfers saved cards only to a PCI DSS Level 1 processor and does not export subscriptions or payment history. The switching guide covers what moves, what needs Stripe's approval, and how to keep subscriptions billing. Read it before you cancel the Stripe account.
- Export Stripe customers, prices, and dispute history while the dashboard still allows it.
- Ask PayPal, in writing, whether it can receive a card transfer from Stripe. The switching guide names the providers whose own pages describe one.
- Recreate plans and the next billing date. Run five real customers in a test mode, including one annual plan and one past-due plan.
- Map webhooks and payout reconciliation before the cutover. Do not bill the same period on both systems.
- If Stripe has already closed the account, plan for customers to enter cards again.
What usually goes wrong?
The dispute fee is the small line. The disputed amount and the card-network ratio are the ones that close accounts.
The other failure is comparing a different product, such as a merchant-of-record percent or a gateway monthly fee, to Stripe's card rate as if they were the same line.
Which providers are similar?
These listings share PayPal's type. The order is alphabetical, not a rank.
- QuickBooks Payments: See Intuit.
- Razorpay: See Razorpay.
- Shopify Payments: 2.9% + $0.30 on Basic, online standard cards.
- Square: 3.3% + $0.30 online · 2.6% + $0.15 in person.
Also read Stripe's fee breakdown and the pricing dataset.
01What does PayPal publish as its card rate?
PayPal's rate line in this directory is 3.49% + $0.49 checkout · 2.99% + $0.49 cards, read on November 9, 2026. Use that line only for the product it describes.
02What is PayPal's dispute fee?
PayPal's dispute line is $15 dispute · $20 card chargeback. Stripe's published fee to receive a dispute is $15 on the same date, November 9, 2026.
03Is PayPal the merchant of record?
PayPal is a payment service provider, not a merchant of record in this directory. You remain the merchant unless a contract you sign says otherwise.
04Where does PayPal operate?
Global. Rates here are the US commercial schedule. That is the coverage note stored with the November 9, 2026 reading. It is not a list of merchant category codes PayPal has approved.
05Should you leave Stripe for PayPal?
Only when this is the fit: Merchants who want PayPal and Venmo buttons because their buyers already use them. If the Stripe account is healthy and Stripe's other products are part of why you chose it, staying is often the smaller move. PayPal does not become a yes just because it is on this page.
06How much is PayPal at $10,000 a month?
At $10,000 a month and a $50 ticket, PayPal Checkout, Guest Checkout, Venmo is $447.00 using the published rate read on November 9, 2026. Stripe on the same assumptions is $350.00. US commercial rate. International payments add 1.50%.
Which sources were checked?
PayPal has 5 fee lines in this dataset. Each one links to the page it was read from.
Last verified .
Which related pages should you read next?
Open the Stripe profile before you treat a single percent as the whole decision.