Stripe

Built around code

Stripe is strongest when payments are part of a custom product. Its APIs, hosted Checkout, payment links, subscriptions, invoices, marketplace payouts, fraud controls, and tax tooling cover far more than a basic card form. The dashboard is useful for refunds, disputes, customer records, and payment investigation.

How costs accumulate

There is no standard monthly subscription for core payments. Charges are usage based, usually combining a percentage with a fixed amount per successful transaction, while international cards, currency conversion, Billing, Tax, Connect, and other modules can add fees. That flexibility helps at launch, but forecasting gets harder as the stack expands.

Do use it, don't force it

• Do: Choose Stripe for developer-led products that need flexible payment flows, recurring billing, or platform payouts.
• Don't: Skip it when you need the cheapest simple checkout, guaranteed hands-on support, or merchant coverage in an unsupported country.