# Stripe's restricted businesses, explained Title: Stripe's restricted businesses, explained Description: How to read Stripe's prohibited and restricted lists, and what the alternatives can and cannot do. Read November 9, 2026. Source pages linked. Stripe publishes a prohibited and restricted businesses list. It is the source of truth, and it is longer than any summary. The checker on this site is a reading aid for the categories businesses ask about most often. It links the list. It does not replace it. ## How do prohibited and restricted differ? Prohibited means Stripe says you must not use its services for that business. The examples include illegal drugs, adult content, gambling, marijuana, debt collection, and counterfeit goods. Those categories are not a shopping problem. Card networks and banks are behind the prohibition. A provider in this directory that took the business anyway would be taking a compliance problem, and this site will not recommend one. Restricted means Stripe may support the business after extra review, and it may refuse, and it may revoke an approval later. Telemedicine, online pharmacies, CBD with negligible THC, cryptocurrency exchanges, legal firearms, tobacco, lending, and money transmission sit here. "Restricted" is not a yes. Individual creators selling their own legal content are treated differently from platforms that pay other creators. Stripe's list says so. Adult content is still prohibited for both. ## How do you use Stripe's list before you switch? Match your actual activity, not your preferred category. A "wellness subscription" that ships a prescription drug is the pharmacy line, not the SaaS line. A "community platform" that pays creators for exclusive content is the platform line. Then ask two questions of any alternative. Will you underwrite this model before I process? Will you put the decision in writing? Speed of signup is not a yes. It is a delay. Frame is built for US businesses that want that up-front review in regulated and higher-risk categories. The high-risk and telehealth pages say where that fits, and where it does not. Other providers here are not labeled as accepting a category, because their pages were not used as an acceptance list. ## When is Stripe still the right place to apply? Some restricted categories are supported when the license and the country line up, and Stripe tells you to contact sales. If your business is legitimate and licensed, an approval from Stripe is often worth more operationally than a smaller processor. Apply through the front door, with the documents, before you assume you have been turned away. ## Questions ### How do prohibited and restricted differ? Prohibited means Stripe says you must not use its services for that business. The examples include illegal drugs, adult content, gambling, marijuana, debt collection, and counterfeit goods. Those categories are not a shopping problem. Card networks and banks are behind the prohibition. A provider in this directory that took the business anyway would be taking a compliance problem, and this site will not recommend one. ### How do you use Stripe's list before you switch? Match your actual activity, not your preferred category. A "wellness subscription" that ships a prescription drug is the pharmacy line, not the SaaS line. A "community platform" that pays creators for exclusive content is the platform line. ### When is Stripe still the right place to apply? Some restricted categories are supported when the license and the country line up, and Stripe tells you to contact sales. If your business is legitimate and licensed, an approval from Stripe is often worth more operationally than a smaller processor. Apply through the front door, with the documents, before you assume you have been turned away. ### Where were the figures on this page read? The sources list names the pages. This edition was read on November 9, 2026. Stripe's US domestic card rate in that reading is 2.9% + $0.30, and a dispute received is $15. ### When should you stay on Stripe? Stay when the Stripe account is healthy and you still need Billing, Tax, Connect, or Terminal. Moving subscriptions costs more than a gap of a few dollars on a $10,000 month. ## Sources Last verified November 9, 2026. - Stripe pricing: https://stripe.com/pricing?ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.stripealternatives.com ## Related - [Stripe is holding my funds](/guides/stripe-holding-funds.md) - [Stripe fees explained](/guides/stripe-fees-explained.md) - [Stripe dispute and chargeback fees](/guides/stripe-chargeback-fees.md) - [How to switch from Stripe: what moves, what doesn't](/guides/switching-from-stripe.md) - [Stripe account under review: what it means](/guides/stripe-account-under-review.md) - [All Stripe guides](/guides.md) - [Stripe alternatives directory](/index.md) - [Stripe pricing and US card fees](/alternatives/stripe.md)