Head to head
Compared side by side on published facts and the same six criteria every review is graded on — generated from the live directory, not a sales page.
Elavon
Payment Processor · 2.5/5 mean
Elavon is one of the world's largest payment processors, serving over 2 million merchant locations across 36 countries offering a comprehensive suite of enterprise payment solutions, but widely criticized by small and mid-size merchants.
Read the full review →Stripe
Payment Processor · 4.5/5 mean
Stripe is a leading payment processor known for its developer-friendly API, transparent pricing, and comprehensive suite of payment solutions for businesses of all sizes.
Read the full review →Stripe holds the higher standing — by grade, then mean category score. The row-by-row picture below is what should actually decide it for your business.
Both graded against the same six criteria. How we grade · Last fact-checked August 19, 2026.
| Criterion | Elavon | Stripe |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing transparency | 1.0 | 5.0wins this criterion |
| Feature set | 4.0 | 5.0wins this criterion |
| Ease of use | 2.0 |
Straight from each provider's published documentation. Where a number isn't published, we say so rather than estimate.
| Metric | Elavon | Stripe |
|---|---|---|
| Online rate | Not publicly disclosed; quote-based | 2.9% + $0.30 |
| Monthly fee | Not disclosed | No monthly fees |
| Payout | 1-2 business days (91% of merchants funded within 2 business days as of May 2025, per Elavon) | First payout 7-14 days; then a rolling schedule of about 2 business days |
| Contract | Not disclosed | No long-term fixed contract requirements for standard services / 1-year minimum commitment for add-ons and enterprise services |
| In-person rate | Typically cited as 2.6% + $0.10 (varies by contract) | 2.7% + $0.05 |
| Keyed rate | Approximately 3.5% + $0.15 | Not disclosed |
From the Elavon review
Stripe offers published flat-rate pricing with no monthly or statement fees and best-in-class developer tools, where Elavon discloses no pricing at all and draws bottom-tier review scores from smaller merchants. Elavon remains a contender for large enterprises that qualify for a dedicated account manager and need its multi-currency acquiring and sector-specific product suites.
Pick Stripe if you sell mostly online and want transparent published pricing with developer-grade APIs
Ideal for
Not recommended for
Ideal for
Not recommended for
The full reviews carry the pricing narratives, contract analysis and everything else behind these numbers — or let the matching funnel score the whole directory against your business.
| 4.0wins this criterion |
| Customer support | 2.0 | 4.0wins this criterion |
|---|
| Contract terms | 2.0 | 5.0wins this criterion |
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| Industry reputation | 4.0 | 4.0 |
|---|
| International rate | Not disclosed | +1.5% + ~1% for conversion |
|---|
| PCI fee | Historically $29–$59/month | No separate PCI fee |
|---|
| Statement fee | Not disclosed | No monthly statement fee |
|---|
| Chargeback fee | Not disclosed | $15 per chargeback |
|---|
| Early termination | Historically $295 (first year) or $195 (years 2–3); company has reportedly reduced ETFs for some contracts | No early termination fee under the pay-as-you-go model |
|---|
| Last fact-checked | August 19, 2026 | August 19, 2026 |
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