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.
Payment Depot
Payment Processor · 2.8/5 mean
Payment Depot, now operating as "Payment Depot by Stax," is a California-based merchant services provider founded in 2013 that pioneered the subscription/interchange-plus pricing model for small businesses, but has experienced significant customer service and transparency issues since its 2021 acquisition by Stax.
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 | Payment Depot | Stripe |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing transparency | 3.0 | 5.0wins this criterion |
| Feature set | 2.0 | 5.0wins this criterion |
| Ease of use | 3.0 |
Straight from each provider's published documentation. Where a number isn't published, we say so rather than estimate.
| Metric | Payment Depot | Stripe |
|---|---|---|
| Online rate | 0.2% – 1.95% above interchange | 2.9% + $0.30 |
| Monthly fee | None | No monthly fees |
| Payout | Next-day funding | First payout 7-14 days; then a rolling schedule of about 2 business days |
| Contract | None | No long-term fixed contract requirements for standard services / 1-year minimum commitment for add-ons and enterprise services |
| In-person rate | 0.2% – 1.95% above interchange | 2.7% + $0.05 |
| Keyed rate | 0.2% – 1.95% above interchange | Not disclosed |
| International rate |
From the Payment Depot review
Stripe publishes a flat 2.9% + $0.30 online rate with no monthly or PCI fees and offers best-in-class APIs, where Payment Depot's markup is set at quoting time and a $10 monthly PCI fee applies. Payment Depot still suits high-volume merchants for whom interchange-plus pricing beats a flat rate.
Pick Stripe if you sell online and want transparent published pricing with strong developer tools
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 | 4.0 | 5.0wins this criterion |
|---|
| Industry reputation | 3.0 | 4.0wins this criterion |
|---|
| Not disclosed |
| +1.5% + ~1% for conversion |
| PCI fee | $10/month PCI compliance fee. $19.99/month PCI non-compliance penalty | No separate PCI fee |
|---|
| Statement fee | Not disclosed | No monthly statement fee |
|---|
| Chargeback fee | $15 per chargeback | $15 per chargeback |
|---|
| Early termination | None | No early termination fee under the pay-as-you-go model |
|---|
| Last fact-checked | August 19, 2026 | August 19, 2026 |
|---|