Stripe vs PayPal at a glance
| Stripe | PayPal Checkout | Whop + Chekvo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fee on a $50 US order | $1.75 (2.9% + 30¢) | $2.24 (3.49% + 49¢) | $1.65 (2.7% + 30¢) |
| International card | +1.5% | +1.5% | +1.5% |
| Currency conversion | +1% | Varies | +1% |
| Signup | Self-serve, about 44 countries | Self-serve, many countries | Self-serve, payouts in 200+ countries |
| On Shopify | Usually through Shopify Payments | PayPal button | Branded checkout, orders in Shopify |
| Wallets | Apple Pay, Google Pay | PayPal balance, Pay Later | Apple Pay, Google Pay |
Fees checked on October 21, 2026 (Whop: October 19, 2026), US rates, from each provider's pricing page. Try your own amounts in the free Stripe, PayPal and Whop fee calculators.
Fees
For card payments, Stripe is cheaper than PayPal Checkout on most order sizes because of PayPal's higher percentage and 49¢ fixed fee. On small orders the fixed fee matters most: on a $20 order PayPal's 49¢ alone is about 2.5% of the sale.
Holds and reviews
Both review accounts. PayPal can hold funds from new sellers or after a change in activity, often until delivery is confirmed. Stripe can hold part of a balance or close accounts in categories it restricts. Whichever you use, a second way to get paid protects your sales.
On Shopify
In the countries Shopify Payments serves, cards go through Shopify Payments, which runs on Stripe in many of them; Stripe isn't offered as a separate provider there. PayPal can be added as an extra button. If you take payments with a provider other than Shopify Payments, Shopify can add a third-party transaction fee of 2%, 1%, 0.6% or 0.2% depending on your plan.
When to pick the third option
Choose Whop through Chekvo when Stripe or Shopify Payments isn't available in your country, when an account was closed or is on hold, or when you want a branded one-page checkout with Apple Pay, Google Pay, cash on delivery and upsells. You can start with a personal Whop account and be live in about 15 minutes.
