Stripe charges 2.9% + $0.30 on every card payment. Here's exactly what Stripe costs, what it adds up to, and how to get paid without handing over a cut.
| Invoice amount | Stripe fee (2.9% + $0.30) | You keep |
|---|---|---|
| $100.00 | $3.20 | $96.80 |
| $500.00 | $14.80 | $485.20 |
| $1,000.00 | $29.30 | $970.70 |
| $5,000.00 | $145.30 | $4,854.70 |
| $10,000.00 | $290.30 | $9,709.70 |
Want your own numbers? Use the Stripe fee calculator.
Stripe's standard US rate is 2.9% + $0.30 per successful card payment. International cards add about 1.5%, and currency conversion adds about 1%. There's no monthly fee on the standard plan — you only pay when you get paid.
Creating and sending a Stripe invoice is free, but when the client pays it by card you're charged the standard 2.9% + $0.30. On a $1,000 invoice that's $29.30. Stripe doesn't add a separate invoicing fee on the standard plan.
The only way to fully avoid the fee is to get paid on a rail that has none — a bank transfer, PayID, or Zelle. If your invoice offers a free option alongside a card link, clients who choose it cost you nothing. InvoiceSonic puts every payment method on every invoice for free, so you keep 100%.
For accepting cards, most processors land around the same 2.9% + $0.30. The genuinely cheaper path is a direct bank rail (bank transfer, PayID, Zelle), which costs nothing. InvoiceSonic lets you invoice for free and get paid on those rails — skipping the processing fee entirely.
Stripe is 2.9% + $0.30 on cards; PayPal's goods & services rate is higher at 3.49% + $0.49. Both are card/wallet processors, so both take a percentage. A bank transfer or PayID beats both at $0.
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