Opayo vs Stripe UK 2026: Fees, Features & Which to Choose

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Opayo and Stripe are two of the most widely used payment providers in the UK, but they serve very different types of business. Opayo (formerly Sage Pay) is a payment gateway built around a traditional merchant account model, making it a strong fit for established UK businesses that want a dedicated gateway with local support and in-person payment options. Stripe is a developer-first payment platform with transparent flat-rate pricing, no monthly fees on its standard plan, and the flexibility to accept payments globally with minimal setup. This page compares their fees, features, and contract terms so you can make a clear, informed choice.

Opayo vs Stripe: Fee Comparison

What is Opayo?

Opayo is a UK payment gateway formerly known as Sage Pay, rebranded in 2020 after Elavon acquired the business. It processes card-not-present and card-present transactions for thousands of UK merchants, acting as the secure channel between a merchant's website or till system and their acquiring bank. The gateway is well-regarded for its fraud screening tools, its long track record in the UK market, and its integration with a wide range of e-commerce platforms and ERP systems. Opayo does not act as an acquirer itself. You need a separate merchant account, typically from a bank or acquirer such as Elavon, Barclaycard, or Lloyds Cardnet, to accept card payments.

Pricing is split into two parts: the Opayo gateway fee (from £25 a month, which covers up to 350 transactions) and the acquiring bank's transaction fees on top. This makes Opayo's true cost harder to calculate upfront than Stripe's, but it also means that businesses processing high volumes can often negotiate lower per-transaction rates with their acquirer. For further detail on Opayo's pricing and contract terms, read the full Opayo review on Compare Card Fees.

What is Stripe?

Stripe is a US-founded payment platform, launched in 2011 and now one of the most widely used payment processors globally. In the UK, it operates through Stripe Payments UK Ltd, which is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 900461). Stripe acts as both the payment gateway and the merchant account provider, which means businesses can start accepting payments without setting up a separate acquiring relationship. Its standard pricing is flat-rate: 1.5% per transaction for UK consumer Visa and Mastercard cards, and 2.5% for non-UK cards. Corporate and commercial cards attract a higher fee of 1.9% for UK-issued cards.

Stripe is built with developers in mind. Its API is widely considered one of the best in the industry, and it supports an extensive library of plugins for platforms including WooCommerce, Shopify, and Magento. Beyond basic card payments, Stripe also supports Buy Now Pay Later options, invoicing, subscription billing, and multi-currency payments in over 135 currencies. Its simplicity at the entry level and depth at scale make it popular with businesses ranging from sole traders to fast-growing e-commerce brands. Read the full Stripe review on Compare Card Fees for a deeper look at its features.

Opayo vs Stripe: Features Compared

Payment Methods

Both providers accept Visa, Mastercard, and Maestro. Stripe additionally supports American Express natively on its standard plan, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and a growing list of local payment methods including Klarna, Clearpay, and open banking payments. Opayo supports Apple Pay and PayPal alongside the main card schemes, but the range of alternative payment methods is narrower than Stripe's. If accepting Buy Now Pay Later or bank-transfer-based payments matters to your business, Stripe has the broader coverage.

Hardware and In-Person Payments

Opayo offers in-person payment terminals through its gateway integration with Elavon and other acquirers, making it viable for businesses that sell both online and in store. Stripe launched Stripe Terminal in the UK, offering a card reader (the BBPOS WisePOS E) that integrates with its online payments platform. The Stripe Terminal is well suited to businesses that want a unified platform for online and face-to-face sales. For pure in-store retail with multiple tills, Opayo's longer heritage in the UK terminal market may be more practical. Stripe's terminal hardware is less mature in the UK than its online offering.

Integrations

Stripe integrates natively with over 450 platforms and tools, including Shopify, WooCommerce, Xero, QuickBooks, Salesforce, and Zapier. Its API documentation is detailed and widely praised by developers. Opayo integrates with Magento, WooCommerce, OpenCart, and a range of UK-focused ERP and accounting systems including Sage 50 and Sage 200, which matters for businesses already running Sage software. Opayo's integrations are fewer in number but may go deeper on legacy UK business systems than Stripe's out-of-the-box connectors.

International Support

Stripe supports payments in over 135 currencies and is available to businesses in 46 countries. It handles dynamic currency conversion and local payment methods well, making it a natural choice for UK businesses that sell internationally. Opayo is primarily a UK and Irish gateway. It can process multi-currency transactions but is not designed as a global payments platform in the way Stripe is. If a meaningful share of your customers are based outside the UK, Stripe is the more capable option here.

Fraud Tools

Opayo has long been recognised for its fraud screening, particularly its ReD Shield fraud detection service and its 3D Secure integration. These tools are built into the gateway and have a strong track record with UK merchants. Stripe offers Stripe Radar, a machine-learning fraud detection tool that uses data from millions of businesses globally to identify suspicious transactions. Radar is included free at a basic level, with Radar for Fraud Teams available at an additional 2p per transaction for more granular controls. Both providers offer solid fraud protection; Opayo's tools may suit UK-specific risk profiles slightly better, while Stripe Radar benefits from a larger global data set.

Customer Support

Opayo offers UK-based telephone support during business hours, which is a meaningful advantage for merchants who want to speak to a person quickly when something goes wrong. Stripe's primary support channel is email and live chat, with phone support available but not as prominently offered. Stripe's documentation and developer resources are excellent, but businesses without in-house technical resource may find Opayo's more accessible support model easier to work with day to day.

Pros and Cons

Opayo Pros and Cons

Pros

• UK-based telephone support during business hours
• Strong, established fraud screening tools with a long UK track record
• Integrates with Sage accounting and ERP software natively
• Works with a wide range of UK acquiring banks, giving you pricing flexibility
• Suitable for both in-person and online card acceptance

Cons

• Requires a separate merchant account, adding complexity and an additional contract to manage
• The true total cost is harder to calculate upfront because gateway fees and acquiring fees are separate
• Typically a 12-month gateway contract with exit fees if you leave early
• Fewer alternative payment methods than Stripe (e.g. no native Klarna or open banking payments)

Stripe Pros and Cons

Pros

• No monthly fee on the standard plan and no fixed contract
• Flat-rate pricing of 1.5% for UK cards is straightforward to budget for
• Supports over 135 currencies and 46 countries, ideal for cross-border selling
• Extensive API and developer tools, rated highly by engineering teams
• Wide range of payment methods including Klarna, Clearpay, Apple Pay, and open banking
• Stripe Radar fraud detection included at no extra cost on standard transactions

Cons

• Flat-rate pricing becomes expensive at high volumes. A business processing £50,000 a month in UK card transactions pays £750 a month in fees at 1.5%. A negotiated interchange-plus rate through Opayo and an acquirer could cut that materially.
• Non-UK card transactions cost 2.5%, which adds up quickly if you have European or US customers
• Account stability can be a concern. Stripe has a reputation for holding or terminating accounts with limited warning, particularly for higher-risk business categories
• In-person terminal support in the UK is less mature compared with dedicated terminal providers

Which is Better For...?

Small Retail Businesses

For a small retail business taking payments in a physical shop, Opayo is the more natural fit. It integrates with a wide range of till systems and acquiring banks, and UK telephone support means you can get help quickly if a terminal goes down during trading hours. Stripe Terminal exists but is not as deeply embedded in the UK retail ecosystem. If your sales are mostly in store and you want a recognisable, UK-focused setup, Opayo is the stronger choice here.

Online-Only E-commerce

Stripe is the better option for most online-only businesses, particularly those just starting out. There is no monthly fee, no merchant account to arrange separately, and setup can be completed in hours rather than days. The flat 1.5% rate for UK cards is easy to factor into pricing. Stripe's plugin library covers virtually every major e-commerce platform. Opayo works well for online merchants too, but the added complexity of a separate merchant account makes it a heavier lift for a new or growing online business.

High-Volume Merchants

At significant volume, Opayo plus a negotiated merchant account can work out cheaper than Stripe's flat rate. A business processing £100,000 a month on Stripe pays £1,500 in transaction fees at 1.5%. With Opayo and an acquirer offering a blended rate of, say, 0.9%, the same volume costs £900 in transaction fees plus the £25 gateway fee, saving around £575 a month. Stripe does offer custom pricing for larger businesses, so it is worth requesting a quote from both if your monthly card volume exceeds £50,000.

Developers and Tech-First Businesses

Stripe wins here without much contest. Its API is one of the most well-documented in the payments industry, and it supports complex use cases such as marketplaces, subscription billing with metered usage, and multi-party payouts through Stripe Connect. Opayo's API is functional but not built with the same developer experience in mind. If your team wants to build custom payment flows or embed payments deeply into a product, Stripe is the right starting point.

Our Verdict

Opayo and Stripe are both credible payment providers, but they are built for different businesses. Stripe is the simpler, faster option for online-first businesses, startups, and developers. It removes the need for a separate merchant account, has no monthly fee, and offers a broad range of payment methods. For a business processing under £30,000 a month online, it is hard to argue against starting with Stripe purely on ease and cost transparency.

Opayo makes more sense for established UK businesses that already operate a merchant account or are willing to set one up to access lower per-transaction rates at scale. Its UK telephone support, strong fraud tools, and Sage software integration give it genuine advantages in specific contexts, particularly for businesses in retail, hospitality, or professional services that process high card volumes and want dedicated UK support. The added complexity of managing two contracts (gateway plus acquirer) is a real drawback, so it is worth being clear-eyed about whether the potential cost saving at your volume justifies it.

If you are unsure which works out cheaper for your specific volume and card mix, Compare Card Fees is a free, independent advisory service that has helped UK businesses find better card payment deals since 2012. Use the Compare Card Fees comparison tool to get tailored quotes from multiple providers and see the true cost difference for your business.