Stripe: get paid by card, payment link or subscription
The reference online payment infrastructure: cards, SEPA direct debit, no-code payment links, subscriptions and invoices, with no monthly subscription
What is Stripe?
Stripe is an online payment infrastructure. In practice, it is the service that lets your client pay by card, SEPA direct debit or wallet, whether from your website, a payment link sent by email or a hosted invoice. You remain the official seller: Stripe collects the payment, secures the transaction and pays the money out to your bank account. It is the payment layer behind a large share of SaaS products and online stores, and it is open to a solo freelancer, with no subscription.
Who is Stripe for?
Freelancers who want to accept card payments without a middleman: consultants charging a deposit online, trainers selling sessions, developers and creators launching a product or a subscription. If you mostly sell to European clients, the 1.5% + €0.25 fee is hard to beat. If, on the other hand, you sell digital products worldwide and do not want to handle VAT in every country, a Merchant of Record platform like Lemon Squeezy or Paddle will do it for you, for a higher fee. And for recurring direct debits only, GoCardless is a specialized alternative.
What you can do with Stripe
- Get paid without a website: create a payment link from the dashboard, share it by email, text or on a quote, and your client pays in a few clicks.
- Sell on your site: Stripe Checkout provides a prebuilt payment page, and the API lets you go as far as you want.
- Invoice: Stripe Invoicing creates, sends and chases hosted invoices, with automatic reconciliation of bank transfers.
- Run subscriptions: Stripe Billing handles recurring payments, free trials and automatic retries of failed payments.
- Accept 100+ payment methods: cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay, SEPA direct debit, accelerated checkout with Link.
- Protect yourself: 3D Secure and Radar Lite fraud protection are included in the standard pricing.
Stripe pricing in 2026
No setup fee, no monthly subscription, no hidden fees: you pay per transaction.
- Standard cards from the European Economic Area: 1.5% + €0.25 per successful payment.
- European premium cards: 2.8% + €0.25. UK cards: 2.5% + €0.25. International cards: 3.15% + €0.25, plus 2% for currency conversion.
- SEPA direct debit: €0.35 per transaction.
- Disputes: €20 per dispute received, refunded if you win the dispute.
- Invoicing: 0.4% per paid invoice (Starter) or 0.5% with quotes (Plus). Billing: 0.7% of volume on pay-as-you-go, or from €500 per month with a yearly contract. Stripe Tax: 0.5% per transaction with the no-code integration.
- Payouts: schedulable for free on the standard timeline. Instant Payouts: 1%, €0.50 minimum.
Prices checked on stripe.com in November 2026.
Why we recommend Stripe
At FreelanceKit, we picked Stripe because it is the simplest way to accept a card payment with no subscription: you open an account, create a payment link, and you can charge a deposit the same day. Pricing is public, the dashboard is clear, and the tool grows with you, from the first payment link to the SaaS subscription.
The weak point to know: the simplicity of the base price hides a very long price list. As soon as you turn on Invoicing, Billing, Stripe Tax or a custom domain for your checkout page ($10 per month), the percentages add up. Non-European cards cost twice as much as European ones, and each dispute costs you €20, even when it is unfounded, until you win the dispute.
Stripe or another solution?
If you are hesitating between Stripe, GoCardless, SumUp, Paddle or Lemon Squeezy, see our page on alternatives to Stripe.
Strengths and weaknesses
Strengths
- No setup fee and no subscription: 1.5% + €0.25 per payment with a standard European card
- Payment links and Checkout page without code, included in the base price
- SEPA direct debit at €0.35 per transaction, handy for subscriptions and large amounts
- Full dashboard, reference API and documentation, 3D Secure and Radar Lite included
Weaknesses
- Non-European cards cost more: 3.15% + €0.25, plus 2% for currency conversion
- €20 fee per dispute, refunded only if you win the dispute
- Paid add-ons add up fast: Invoicing at 0.4% per paid invoice, Billing at 0.7% of volume, Stripe Tax at 0.5% per transaction
Frequently asked questions about Stripe
Stripe is an online payment infrastructure. It lets you accept cards, SEPA direct debit, wallets and 100+ payment methods, from a website, an app, a payment link or an invoice sent by email. You remain the seller: Stripe collects the money for you and pays it out to your bank account.
No setup fee and no subscription. For an online payment: 1.5% + €0.25 with a standard card from the European Economic Area, 2.8% + €0.25 with a European premium card, 2.5% + €0.25 with a UK card and 3.15% + €0.25 with an international card, plus 2% for currency conversion. SEPA direct debit costs €0.35 per transaction. Prices checked on stripe.com in November 2026.
No. From the dashboard, you create a payment link, a Checkout page or an invoice without writing a line of code. The API and libraries are there if you want to embed payments in your own site or product.
Yes. Stripe Invoicing creates and sends hosted invoices, billed 0.4% per paid invoice (Starter plan) or 0.5% with quotes (Plus plan), with no fixed fee. Stripe Billing handles subscriptions and recurring billing for 0.7% of processed volume on pay-as-you-go, or from €500 per month with a yearly contract.
With Stripe, you remain the seller: you handle VAT, invoicing and compliance. A Merchant of Record platform like Lemon Squeezy or Paddle sells on your behalf and handles worldwide VAT, in exchange for a higher fee. Stripe is cheaper per transaction, especially in Europe.
Payouts to your bank account can be scheduled for free on the standard timeline. If you want the funds within minutes, Instant Payouts cost 1% of the amount, with a €0.50 minimum.
Alternatives to Stripe
What we would use instead, in the same category.
Compare all the alternatives to Stripe
See our full comparison of the 4 alternatives to Stripe in 2026: prices, features and strengths, in detail.
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