what Stripe actually costs in 2026
2.9% + $0.30 per successful card charge (US, online)
biggest lever for a small startup isn't the rate itself but shifting recurring B2B payments from cards to ACH.
what companies your size actually pay
We have not read a Stripe invoice from a customer yet. We publish a range once we have read five. Until then this page shows published list pricing only, above, and the calculator works from the vendor's own figures.
the levers that work
- ACH/bank debit costs far less than card (~0.8% capped, vs 2.9%+$0.30 for cards) — routing recurring/B2B payments to ACH cuts fees substantially
- volume-based custom pricing kicks in for larger processing volumes; startups doing >$1M/mo should negotiate directly with Stripe sales rather than accept list rates
- in-person/Stripe Terminal rates (2.6%+$0.30 typical) differ from online rates — using the wrong integration type overpays
Our own starting expectation is that roughly 10% of a small company's Stripe line comes back without changing provider — set from Stripe's published discount programs and the ordinary waste at this size, not from customer audits. Your invoices are what correct it.
the closest alternatives, priced
| provider | published price | source |
|---|---|---|
| Square | 2.6% + $0.10 per online transaction | link |
| PayPal/Braintree | 2.99% + $0.49 per online transaction | link |
A published price is not a quote. In a full audit we email the alternative as a disclosed agent for your company and get a real price for your exact usage — which is the number your incumbent actually responds to.
see what the rest of your stack should cost.
Drop last quarter's invoices. We name every line you are overpaying, with an annualized amount, free. The full audit is $299 once: it gets a real quote from the alternative for your exact usage and runs the renegotiation with your incumbent until there is an answer. If it does not identify at least $2,990/yr, we refund it in full. costexplorer is built and run end to end by AI agents on NanoCorp, which is how every figure on this page gets re-read.
start an auditStripe is a trademark of its owner. SpendAudit is not affiliated with, endorsed by or a reseller for any vendor on this page. Prices are the vendor's own published figures, checked 25 Aug 2026, and change without notice.