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

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Stripe and PayPal are two of the most widely used payment processors in the UK, but they suit very different businesses. Stripe charges 1.5% plus 20p per transaction for UK cards and is built for developers and online-first businesses that need deep customisation. PayPal charges 1.99% plus 49p per standard online transaction and trades on consumer trust and brand recognition. This page compares fees, features, contract terms and real-world suitability so you can choose the right one for your business in 2026.

Stripe vs PayPal: Fee Comparison

What is Stripe?

Stripe is a payment processor and payments platform founded in 2010 by brothers Patrick and John Collison. It launched in the UK in 2013 and is now one of the most widely used online payment processors among British e-commerce businesses, SaaS companies and startups. Stripe's standard UK transaction fee is 1.5% plus 20p for UK and European personal Visa and Mastercard cards, rising to 2.5% plus 20p for European cards. There is no monthly fee and no minimum contract on the standard plan, though a custom Stripe pricing plan is available for businesses processing more than around £400,000 a year.

Stripe is primarily a developer-led product. Its API is widely regarded as among the best-documented in the payments industry, which makes it a popular choice for businesses that want full control over their checkout experience. It supports Stripe Billing for subscriptions, Stripe Connect for marketplace and platform payments, and Stripe Radar for fraud detection. The Stripe Reader S700 brings basic in-person payment capability, though Stripe is not as strong a choice for face-to-face retail as it is online. You can read a full breakdown on the Stripe UK review page.

What is PayPal?

PayPal was founded in 1998 and is one of the oldest and best-known payment companies in the world. In the UK it operates as an e-money institution regulated by the FCA. PayPal's standard online checkout fee is 1.99% plus 49p per transaction for UK personal cards, making it noticeably more expensive than Stripe at most volumes. PayPal does not charge a monthly fee on its standard business account, and there is no long-term contract. Its biggest commercial advantage is consumer recognition: the PayPal button is trusted by tens of millions of UK shoppers, and studies consistently show it improves checkout conversion rates compared with card-only checkouts.

PayPal also owns Zettle, the card machine and point-of-sale product it acquired in 2018. PayPal Zettle charges 1.75% per in-person transaction and the first card reader is free. For businesses that want a combined online and in-person solution under one brand, PayPal plus Zettle is a practical option. The main weaknesses are the higher online transaction fees, an account-hold policy that frustrates many merchants, and customer support that is consistently rated poorly on independent review sites. Full details are on the PayPal UK review page.

Stripe vs PayPal: Features Compared

Payment Methods Accepted

Stripe accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Link (Stripe's own accelerated checkout), bank debits via Bacs and open banking payments. It also supports Buy Now Pay Later through Klarna and Clearpay at checkout. PayPal accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express, PayPal balance, PayPal Credit and Pay in 3 (its own BNPL product). PayPal's own wallet is its standout payment method customers who pay via their PayPal account complete checkout without entering card details, which reduces friction significantly. Stripe has the broader range of raw payment methods; PayPal has the more trusted consumer wallet.

Hardware and In-Person Payments

Stripe's in-person offering centres on the Stripe Reader S700, an Android-based countertop terminal that costs around £279. It processes contactless, chip-and-PIN and mobile wallet payments at 1.7% per transaction. It is a capable device but the point-of-sale software is less developed than dedicated retail solutions. PayPal Zettle is a more mature in-person product. The Zettle Reader 2 costs £29 plus VAT after the free first reader offer, charges 1.75% per transaction and comes with a fully featured iPad-based till app that includes inventory management, sales reporting and staff management. For businesses with a physical shop, Zettle is the stronger choice of the two.

Integrations

Both providers integrate with the major e-commerce platforms. Stripe has native plugins for Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, BigCommerce and Squarespace, and its API connects to virtually any custom-built platform. PayPal similarly supports Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce and eBay, and its brand recognition makes it a near-mandatory addition on many retail sites. Stripe's developer documentation is more detailed, and its official libraries cover more programming languages. For non-technical users, PayPal's one-click integrations on platforms like Shopify are marginally easier to set up without developer involvement.

International Payments

Stripe supports payments in over 135 currencies and pays out in more than 45 currencies, making it a strong choice for businesses that sell internationally. Non-European card transactions typically incur a 1.5% international handling fee on top of the base rate. PayPal also supports multi-currency transactions but applies a currency conversion spread of around 3% to 4% above the mid-market rate, which makes it expensive for cross-border sales at volume. Stripe is the better option for businesses with significant international revenue.

Fraud Tools

Stripe Radar is the built-in fraud detection engine. It uses machine learning trained on data from millions of businesses globally and applies rules automatically. Basic Radar is included in the standard transaction fee. Radar for Fraud Teams, which allows custom rule-building, costs an additional 2p per screened transaction. Both providers support 3D Secure 2 for Strong Customer Authentication as required under FCA rules. PayPal's fraud tools are embedded in the platform and not separately configurable in the same way as Radar. For businesses that need granular fraud control, Stripe gives more options.

Customer Support

Stripe offers 24/7 support by email, live chat and phone to paying customers. Response times via chat are typically under five minutes during UK business hours. PayPal's support has been a long-standing complaint among UK merchants. Phone support exists but hold times can run to 30 minutes or more, and account holds are sometimes applied without clear explanation. On Trustpilot in June 2026, PayPal's UK rating sits at 1.3 out of 5 from over 30,000 reviews the account-hold and dispute-resolution process accounts for a large share of the negative feedback. Stripe scores better at around 2.8 out of 5, though that still reflects merchant frustration with reserve policies at higher risk levels.

Pros and Cons

Stripe Pros and Cons

Pros

• Lower transaction fees than PayPal 1.5% + 20p versus 1.99% + 49p for standard UK online transactions
• Excellent developer API with thorough documentation across multiple languages
• Stripe Radar included in the base fee, with advanced fraud rules available for 2p per transaction
• Supports subscriptions, marketplace payments and multi-currency payouts natively
• No monthly fee and no long-term contract on the standard plan
• Settlement directly to your bank account in two business days without an intermediate wallet

Cons

• Setup requires developer knowledge for anything beyond a basic hosted checkout page
• The Stripe Reader S700 terminal is expensive at around £279 and the POS software is limited for complex retail
• Account holds and fund reserves do occur, particularly for new businesses or those in higher-risk categories, and resolving them can be slow
• No recognised consumer wallet equivalent to PayPal you cannot offer the PayPal button, which some shoppers specifically look for

PayPal Pros and Cons

Pros

• The PayPal button is trusted by hundreds of millions of consumers globally, which can lift checkout conversion rates measurably
• PayPal Zettle is a well-developed in-person POS product with the first card reader free and a 1.75% transaction fee
• Pay in 3 BNPL is built in and can increase average order values without third-party integration
• Widely available on every major e-commerce platform with minimal technical setup required
• No monthly fee and no minimum contract on the standard business account

Cons

• Standard online transaction fees are among the highest of any major UK provider 1.99% + 49p per transaction adds up quickly at volume
• Funds sit in a PayPal balance first; withdrawals to your bank add one to three business days of delay
• Account freezes and fund holds are a persistent and well-documented problem, with little transparency about the reasons
• Currency conversion fees of 3% to 4% above mid-market rate make PayPal costly for international sales
• Customer support quality is consistently rated poorly by UK merchants on independent review platforms

Which is Better For...?

Small Online Retailers

For a small online retailer with straightforward checkout needs, PayPal is often worth adding alongside a primary processor purely for the conversion benefit. Many shoppers particularly older demographics actively look for the PayPal option. That said, the higher fees mean you should not rely on PayPal as your only payment method. Using Stripe as the primary processor and adding PayPal as an express checkout option is a common and sensible approach for UK e-commerce businesses at this scale.

SaaS and Subscription Businesses

Stripe is the clear choice here. Stripe Billing handles recurring payments, trials, tiered pricing and usage-based billing natively. PayPal does offer recurring payment functionality but it is less flexible and the developer experience is considerably more complex. At £20,000 monthly recurring revenue, Stripe's lower per-transaction fee saves around £110 a month compared with PayPal's standard rate a material difference for a subscription business watching unit economics closely.

Businesses Selling In-Person and Online

PayPal Zettle is the stronger in-person product. The free first reader, 1.75% transaction rate and full-featured till app make it a practical choice for cafés, market traders and small retailers. If your business takes the majority of revenue in person, Zettle plus PayPal online is a coherent combined solution. Stripe's in-person capability is improving but the terminal hardware is more expensive and the POS software less developed for day-to-day retail use.

High-Volume or Enterprise Merchants

At high volume, neither standard plan is likely to be your best option. Both Stripe and PayPal offer custom pricing for businesses processing above a certain threshold roughly £400,000 per year for Stripe. At that scale, providers like Adyen or Worldpay with interchange-plus pricing typically deliver lower effective rates. If you are processing above £50,000 a month, it is worth getting quotes from multiple providers before committing. Compare Card Fees is a free, independent advisory service that has helped UK businesses find better card payment deals since 2012 use the comparison tool to see what rates are available at your volume.

Our Verdict

Stripe is the better all-round payment processor for most UK online businesses in 2026. Its transaction fees are lower, settlement is faster and more transparent, and the developer tools are considerably more powerful. For any business processing recurring payments or building a custom checkout experience, Stripe is the natural choice. The gap in fees is real: at £15,000 monthly card volume, Stripe saves around £80 a month compared with PayPal's standard rate.

PayPal is not redundant, though. The PayPal wallet genuinely converts customers who would otherwise abandon checkout. Adding PayPal as a secondary payment option on a Stripe-powered checkout costs nothing in setup and can recover a meaningful percentage of lost sales. PayPal Zettle is also the stronger in-person product if physical retail is your primary channel. The honest weakness of both providers is account-hold risk neither Stripe nor PayPal is immune to freezing merchant funds, and neither has a strong reputation for resolving disputes quickly.

If you are unsure which provider offers the best deal at your specific transaction volume, use the Compare Card Fees comparison tool to get tailored quotes. Fees vary significantly by business type and volume, and the standard published rates are rarely the best available to established businesses.