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.
Fiserv (Carat)
Payment Processor · 2.7/5 mean
Carat from Fiserv is an enterprise-grade global commerce platform that orchestrates omnichannel payments, data intelligence, and customer experience solutions for the world's largest businesses, but hampered by opaque pricing, complex contracting, and a widespread customer service reputation that does not match its technological ambitions.
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 | Fiserv (Carat) | Stripe |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing transparency | 1.0 | 5.0wins this criterion |
| Feature set | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| Ease of use | 2.0 | 4.0 |
Straight from each provider's published documentation. Where a number isn't published, we say so rather than estimate.
| Metric | Fiserv (Carat) | Stripe |
|---|---|---|
| Online rate | Not disclosed | 2.9% + $0.30 |
| Monthly fee | Not disclosed | No monthly fees |
| Payout | Typically next business day for enterprise clients; varies by contract | First payout 7-14 days; then a rolling schedule of about 2 business days |
| Contract | Multi-year | No long-term fixed contract requirements for standard services / 1-year minimum commitment for add-ons and enterprise services |
| In-person rate | Not disclosed | 2.7% + $0.05 |
| International rate | Not disclosed | +1.5% + ~1% for conversion |
From the Fiserv (Carat) review
Stripe offers transparent flat-rate pricing, best-in-class developer tools, and no contract or early-termination fee, where Fiserv Carat requires custom enterprise negotiation and multi-year commitments. Carat still holds up for Fortune 500-scale merchants that need unified global acquiring, omnichannel orchestration, and enterprise data intelligence on one platform.
Pick Stripe if you want transparent flat-rate pricing and self-serve setup without enterprise contracting
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.
| Customer support | 2.0 | 4.0wins this criterion |
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| Contract terms | 2.0 | 5.0wins this criterion |
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| Industry reputation | 4.0 | 4.0 |
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| PCI fee |
|---|
| Not disclosed |
| No separate PCI fee |
| Statement fee | Not disclosed | No monthly statement fee |
|---|
| Chargeback fee | Not disclosed | $15 per chargeback |
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| Early termination | ETFs have been reported at $500 or higher | No early termination fee under the pay-as-you-go model |
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| Last fact-checked | August 19, 2026 | August 19, 2026 |
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