Stripe vs PayPal for international payments: the real fees

Stripe and PayPal both add a surcharge when the buyer is abroad and another when currency converts. Stripe's are smaller, but the bigger cost is often converting payouts you did not need to convert.

Alexia M.Comparisons and market guides editor

Published: 14 June 2026
Updated: 4 November 2026
Reading time: 2 min read

"Stripe vs PayPal" is Google's first suggestion after "Stripe vs", and for a US business selling abroad the answer is in the surcharges. Stripe figures were read on its pricing page on 4 November 2026; PayPal's on its US business fee page on 1 November 2026.

The rates

	Stripe (US)	PayPal (US)
Base card rate	2.9% + 30¢	3.49% + fixed fee (checkout)
International buyer	+1.5%	+1.50%
Currency conversion	+1%	3.00% spread
Standard payout	Free	Free to bank (standard)
Instant payout	1.5% (min 50¢)	1.50% (min $0.50)

A $1,000 sale to a buyer in Germany, priced in euros

Stripe: 2.9% + 30¢ = $29.30, plus 1.5% = $15, plus 1% conversion = $10. About $54.
PayPal: 3.49% = $34.90 plus the fixed fee, plus 1.50% = $15, plus 3.00% conversion on the rest = about $28.50. About $78 before the fixed fee.

The conversion you can skip

Both charge for converting the sale into US dollars. If you also pay suppliers, ads or contractors in euros, that conversion is wasted: you convert to dollars, then back to euros. Settling euro sales into a euro balance removes the conversion fee on Stripe, and lets you pay euro costs directly.

For invoices, use bank transfers

For B2B sales of a few thousand dollars, card fees are the most expensive way to get paid. Give business buyers local bank details: SEPA for euros, Faster Payments for pounds, ACH for dollars.

Paying into the United States: the local rail

What	Detail
Local rail	ACH for batch payments; RTP and FedNow for instant transfers
Run by	Nacha for ACH; The Clearing House for RTP; the Federal Reserve for FedNow
Settlement	Same-day ACH within the business day, standard ACH the next; RTP and FedNow in seconds, 24/7, where both banks take part

Source: Nacha: Same Day ACH. Checked when this guide was last updated; the scheme's own page has the current figures.

Where Rivet fits

Rivet gives registered companies USD details on Starter and EUR and GBP details on Growth, in the company's name. Settle card processor payouts or client transfers into the matching balance, pay costs in that currency, and convert only what you need, at a rate shown before you confirm. Rivet is not a bank; regulated partner institutions hold the funds. See Stripe or Shopify Payments with a business account.

Questions people ask

Is Stripe cheaper than PayPal for international sales?

On Stripe's and PayPal's published US rates, yes. An international card on Stripe costs 2.9% + 30¢ plus 1.5%, and 1% more if converted. PayPal's checkout rate is 3.49% plus a fixed fee, plus 1.50% international and a 3.00% conversion spread.

How do I avoid currency conversion fees on Stripe?

Price in the buyer's currency and settle into a bank account in that currency where Stripe supports it. Then no conversion fee applies to the charge.

Should I offer both?

Many shops do. Some buyers trust PayPal and will not enter a card. Track which share of sales each brings before you pay for both.

What about B2B invoices?

For large invoices, a bank transfer to local account details usually costs far less than either card route.

Sources

Written by

Alexia M.

Comparisons and market guides editor

Alexia compares the accounts, cards and payment tools companies weigh before they switch, and writes Rivet's market guides for founders in a specific country. Prices in Alexia's comparisons come from each provider's own pricing page on the date given in the article, rules come from the regulator or tax authority that sets them, and every source is listed at the end.