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Guide · 6 min read

What is Stripe? Complete Guide 2026

Stripe is the world's leading payment infrastructure platform. Here's everything you need to know — what it does, how much it costs, who uses it, and whether it's right for your business.

What is Stripe?

Stripe is a payment processing company founded in 2010 by Irish brothers Patrick and John Collison. It provides the software and APIs that allow businesses to accept payments online, send invoices, manage subscriptions, and process in-person card payments. Stripe is now valued at over $65 billion and processes hundreds of billions of dollars in payments annually.

What Does Stripe Do?

💳 Accept payments

Cards, bank transfers, wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay) in 135+ currencies across 45+ countries.

🔄 Subscription billing

Recurring charges, trials, proration, dunning — everything for SaaS and membership businesses.

📄 Invoicing

Send professional invoices with a payment link. Free for basic use. Clients can pay by card or bank transfer.

🛒 Checkout

Embed a complete checkout on your website with Stripe Elements or use Stripe's hosted checkout page.

How Much Does Stripe Cost?

CountryStandard RateMonthly Fee
🇺🇸 USA2.9% + $0.30$0
🇬🇧 UK1.5% + £0.20£0
🇦🇺 Australia1.7% + A$0.30A$0
🇨🇦 Canada2.9% + CA$0.30CA$0
🇪🇺 Europe1.5% + €0.25€0
🇮🇳 India2.0% flat₹0

Who Uses Stripe?

Stripe is used by everyone from solo freelancers sending invoices to Fortune 500 companies. Notable users include Amazon, Shopify, Lyft, Instacart, Salesforce, and millions of small businesses worldwide. It's particularly popular among SaaS companies, e-commerce stores, and tech startups due to its superior API and developer documentation.

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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Stripe is a payment processing platform that enables businesses to accept card payments online and in person. Founded in 2010, it powers millions of businesses from solo freelancers to Fortune 500 companies in over 45 countries.
Stripe charges a processing fee on every successful transaction — typically 2.9% + $0.30 in the USA. It also earns from premium add-ons like Stripe Billing, Stripe Radar, and Stripe Sigma.
Yes. Stripe is PCI DSS Level 1 compliant — the highest level of payment security certification. It never stores raw card data on your servers. Stripe processes billions of dollars annually for companies including Amazon, Google, and Shopify.
No. Stripe's standard plan has zero monthly fees, setup fees, or minimum transaction requirements. You only pay per successful transaction.
Stripe is used for online checkout, subscription billing, invoicing, marketplace payments, in-person card payments (via Stripe Terminal), and international payments across 45+ countries.