Comparison · Updated October 27, 2026
Cielo vs Stone (Brazil card machines)
Cielo
B
Cielo is one of Brazil's two largest card acquirers, based in Barueri, São Paulo, and it serves Brazilian businesses only. It was incorporated in 1995 and traded as VisaNet until it was renamed Cielo (announced in November 2009; some sources date the formal change to July 2010). Banco do Brasil and Bradesco control it, directly and through companies they jointly own, and took it off the B3 stock exchange in August 2024. Cielo signs the merchant agreement itself and sells card machines (maquininhas), tap-to-phone, payment links and e-commerce APIs. As of October 2026 its plans page lists two published plans. The Aluguel rental plan, for registered companies (CNPJ), charges 1.19% on debit and 3.45% on one-payment credit. The terminal is free in any month your card sales reach R$15,000; otherwise it costs R$99.90 a month. The Comodato plan, open to individuals too, costs a one-off R$238.80 (or 12 payments of R$19.90) and charges 1.90% debit and 4.30% credit. Both plans pay out in up to one day, subject to eligibility. Instalment sales cost much more: up to 14.79% (Aluguel) or 19.00% (Comodato) for 12 instalments. The agreement has no fixed term and either side can end it on 30 days' written notice without penalty. Cielo holds Reclame Aqui's top RA1000 rating, but improper charges are the problem tagged on 52.9% of the complaints it classifies.
Stone
B
Stone is the small and mid-size business brand of StoneCo, the Nasdaq-listed (STNE) Brazilian payments and banking group. The merchant agreement is with Stone Instituição de Pagamento S.A., which the Banco Central do Brasil authorises as a card acquirer (credenciadora) and e-money issuer. Stone sells card terminals (maquininhas), a tap-on-phone app called TapStone, payment links, e-commerce processing, a free business account (Conta PJ) and working-capital credit. As of October 2026 it publishes some rates: TapStone at 0.87% for debit and 1.90% for one-off credit (crédito à vista), and payment links at 2.99% for one-off credit. Terminal rates are personalised: the terminal page advertises debit from 0.74% and credit from 2.99%, and you get your own rates after an assessment. The contract has no fixed term and the merchant can end it on 30 days' notice without penalty. StoneCo's cheaper micro-merchant brand, Ton, is a sibling sold separately, with its own published plans.
VS
Overview
We compare the two for a Brazilian company with a CNPJ that rents a card machine (maquininha) and takes cards in person in reais, using each company's own pages and contracts as of October 2026. Both are Central Bank-authorised payment institutions that sign the merchant directly, with no reseller in between. For Cielo we use its Aluguel rental plan, which is for companies; its Comodato plan, open to individuals too, appears in notes. For Stone we use its rented machine. The main difference is what you can see before signing. Cielo publishes the Aluguel plan: 1.19% debit and 3.45% one-off credit (crédito à vista), quoted with payout in up to one day for eligible accounts (the page labels them 'a partir de' and says they can vary with revenue), and the machine free in any month card sales reach R$15,000, otherwise R$99.90 a month. Stone quotes machine rates per business. Its October 2026 Black Friday banner advertises debit from 0.74% and credit from 2.99%, waives rent above sales targets it does not publish, and by its help centre's default schedule pays debit in one business day and credit in 30 days, with faster payout adding an unpublished surcharge. So Stone's floor rates cannot be set against Cielo's plan rates as a like-for-like price. On tap on phone both publish rates: Cielo Tap 1.07% debit and 3.48% credit, paid in one day; TapStone 0.87% and 1.90%, with no payout timing on its page. Both contracts are open-ended and can be ended on 30 days' notice without a penalty. Cielo is controlled by Banco do Brasil and Bradesco, whose August 2024 tender offer took it off the B3 exchange. Stone belongs to StoneCo, listed on Nasdaq as STNE. Payment Review grades both B.
Key Takeaways
- ✓It depends on whether you want a price you can see before you sign. Cielo publishes its rental plan's rates and payout speed. Stone advertises only floor rates and gives you your own rates after a questionnaire or a sales call.
- ✓Cielo's Aluguel plan, as of October 2026, charges 1.19% on debit and 3.45% on one-off credit, paid in up to one day for eligible accounts, including weekends. Stone's October 2026 Black Friday banner advertises debit from 0.74% and credit from 2.99% without saying who qualifies or which payout speed the figures assume.
- ✓Payout speed is priced differently. Cielo quotes its plan rates with payout in up to one day, to any account with a Pix key, and shows no separate charge for it. Stone's default schedule pays debit in one business day and credit in 30 days. Same-day or every-day payout adds a surcharge Stone does not publish and needs a Stone business account.
- ✓Rent works differently. Cielo's rental machine is free in any month card sales reach R$15,000 and costs R$99.90 otherwise. Stone waives rent depending on sales but publishes neither the rent nor the target.
- ✓Neither ties you in. Both contracts run indefinitely and can be ended on 30 days' notice without a fee. Both want rented machines back within 5 business days. Cielo then charges pro-rata rent plus 40% a month until they come back, and Stone charges the machine's full value.
Cielo
Choose Cielo if you want to know your rates, rent and payout speed before you sign, and like being paid the next day without negotiating it. The Aluguel plan works best for a company that reliably sells R$15,000 or more a month on cards; below that the machine costs R$99.90 a month. Price instalment sales carefully: 12 instalments cost 14.79% on the plan.
Stone
Choose Stone if you will negotiate, want card sales, a free business account and credit in one app, and value phone support and field agents. Get your debit, credit, instalment and anticipation rates, the rent and the sales target that waives it in writing, then set them against Cielo's published Aluguel plan at the same payout speed.
The Verdict
It Depends on Your Needs
Why?
Neither is better for every company. Cielo is the one you can price before signing: its Aluguel plan publishes 1.19% debit and 3.45% one-off credit with payout in up to one day, the machine is free in any month you sell R$15,000 on cards, and fast payouts go to any account with a Pix key. Stone advertises lower Black Friday floor rates, debit from 0.74% and credit from 2.99%, but you only learn your real rates, rent, sales target and anticipation cost after a sales conversation, and its default schedule pays credit in 30 days. A company that wants a known price and next-day money without negotiating will find Cielo simpler. One that will negotiate, wants its account and credit with the acquirer and values field support should get Stone's offer in writing and compare it with Cielo's plan at the same payout speed.
Feature by feature
Detailed Comparison
Filter Options
Card-machine rates for a company (October 2026)
| Feature | Cielo | Stone |
|---|---|---|
| Debit | 1.19%, paid in up to 1 day | From 0.74%, quoted per business |
| Cielo: Aluguel plan on cielo.com.br/planos, labelled 'taxas a partir de'. The page says rates can vary with revenue and with whether you are an individual or a company, and that payout in up to one day is subject to an eligibility check. The Comodato plan charges 1.90%. Stone: its machine and sign-up pages show 'Débito a partir de 0,74%' in a 'Black Friday Stone' banner and say rates are personalised. It does not say which businesses qualify or which payout schedule the figure assumes; its help centre's default pays debit one business day after the sale. Neither page says whether tax is included. We set no winner, because Stone's figure is a floor, not a price. | ||
| One-off credit (crédito à vista) | 3.45%, paid in up to 1 day | From 2.99%, quoted per business |
| Cielo's Aluguel plan quotes this rate with payout in up to one day for eligible accounts ('Receba em 1 dia ... com taxas a partir de'), with no separate anticipation charge shown, though its Vendeu, Tá na Conta terms provide for a discount rate set by Cielo; a R$1,000 sale costs R$34.50. Comodato charges 4.30%. Stone's Black Friday banner advertises credit from 2.99%, and its help centre's default schedule pays one-off credit 30 days after the sale unless you add anticipation, which raises the rate by an amount Stone does not publish. The two figures are not on the same payout basis, so we set no winner. | ||
| Credit in 12 instalments | 14.79%, paid in up to 1 day | Not disclosed |
| Cielo's Aluguel plan lists 5.95% for 2 instalments, 11.19% for 6 and 14.79% for 12; Comodato lists 6.50%, 11.30% and 19.00%. The page quotes these with payout in up to one day, for money the cardholder pays over a year. Stone sells instalments up to 21x on its machines and advertises 'taxas exclusivas' for instalments in its October 2026 Black Friday campaign, but publishes no machine instalment rate. By default it pays each instalment 30, 60, 90 days and so on after the sale. | ||
| Pix on the machine | 0% for 30 days, then 0.99% | 0% (Black Friday offer) |
| Cielo's plans page: 'Pix com taxa 0% por 30 dias; depois, 0,99%' on Aluguel; the Comodato column shows 0.99% under the same footnote. Stone's machine page carries a Black Friday campaign in October 2026 advertising 'Pix Zero na maquininha', without stating how long it lasts or who qualifies. We set no winner because Stone's offer terms are not stated. | ||
Debit
Cielo
1.19%, paid in up to 1 day
Stone
From 0.74%, quoted per business
Cielo: Aluguel plan on cielo.com.br/planos, labelled 'taxas a partir de'. The page says rates can vary with revenue and with whether you are an individual or a company, and that payout in up to one day is subject to an eligibility check. The Comodato plan charges 1.90%. Stone: its machine and sign-up pages show 'Débito a partir de 0,74%' in a 'Black Friday Stone' banner and say rates are personalised. It does not say which businesses qualify or which payout schedule the figure assumes; its help centre's default pays debit one business day after the sale. Neither page says whether tax is included. We set no winner, because Stone's figure is a floor, not a price.
One-off credit (crédito à vista)
Cielo
3.45%, paid in up to 1 day
Stone
From 2.99%, quoted per business
Cielo's Aluguel plan quotes this rate with payout in up to one day for eligible accounts ('Receba em 1 dia ... com taxas a partir de'), with no separate anticipation charge shown, though its Vendeu, Tá na Conta terms provide for a discount rate set by Cielo; a R$1,000 sale costs R$34.50. Comodato charges 4.30%. Stone's Black Friday banner advertises credit from 2.99%, and its help centre's default schedule pays one-off credit 30 days after the sale unless you add anticipation, which raises the rate by an amount Stone does not publish. The two figures are not on the same payout basis, so we set no winner.
Credit in 12 instalments
Cielo
14.79%, paid in up to 1 day
Stone
Not disclosed
Cielo's Aluguel plan lists 5.95% for 2 instalments, 11.19% for 6 and 14.79% for 12; Comodato lists 6.50%, 11.30% and 19.00%. The page quotes these with payout in up to one day, for money the cardholder pays over a year. Stone sells instalments up to 21x on its machines and advertises 'taxas exclusivas' for instalments in its October 2026 Black Friday campaign, but publishes no machine instalment rate. By default it pays each instalment 30, 60, 90 days and so on after the sale.
Pix on the machine
Cielo
0% for 30 days, then 0.99%
Stone
0% (Black Friday offer)
Cielo's plans page: 'Pix com taxa 0% por 30 dias; depois, 0,99%' on Aluguel; the Comodato column shows 0.99% under the same footnote. Stone's machine page carries a Black Friday campaign in October 2026 advertising 'Pix Zero na maquininha', without stating how long it lasts or who qualifies. We set no winner because Stone's offer terms are not stated.
Best For Your Business
Recommendations based on your business type
Company selling R$15,000 or more a month on cards that wants next-day money at a known price
Recommended
Cielo
Cielo's Aluguel plan is free at that volume and publishes 1.19% debit and 3.45% one-off credit with payout in up to one day for eligible accounts, weekends included. Stone's rates, rent waiver and next-day surcharge are all quoted individually.
Established shop or franchise that will negotiate and wants banking and credit with its acquirer
Recommended
Stone
Stone quotes per business, advertises Black Friday floors of 0.74% debit and 2.99% credit, settles into a free business account with working-capital credit, and offers field agents for delivery and maintenance. Get the offer in writing and check it against Cielo's published Aluguel rates at the same payout speed.
Small company selling well under R$15,000 a month on cards
Both. Cielo's rental costs R$99.90 a month below R$15,000 of sales, and its Comodato loan costs R$238.80 once with higher rates (1.90% debit, 4.30% credit). Stone waives rent only above a target it does not publish. Ask Stone for its rent and target, then work out the monthly total on each.
Business taking card payments on a phone at events or on delivery
Both have no monthly fee. TapStone lists lower rates, 0.87% debit and 1.90% credit, and accepts Amex and Ticket, but its page does not say when it pays. Cielo Tap lists 1.07% and 3.48% and pays in one day for eligible accounts.
Business whose customers mostly pay in many instalments
Both. Cielo publishes every instalment rate, up to 14.79% for 12x on Aluguel, paid in up to one day. Stone offers up to 21 instalments on its machines but publishes no machine instalment rate. Get Stone's instalment and anticipation rates in writing before comparing.
Cielo: Best for 1 use case
Stone: Best for 1 use case
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this comparison
It cannot be settled from published prices. Cielo's Aluguel plan for companies charges 1.19% on debit and 3.45% on one-off credit as of October 2026, quoted with payout in up to one day for eligible accounts and labelled 'from' rates that can vary with revenue, so a R$1,000 one-off credit sale costs R$34.50. Stone's Black Friday banner advertises debit from 0.74% and credit from 2.99% but quotes each business individually, and by default pays credit in 30 days; paying out faster adds a surcharge it does not publish. Ask Stone for a written offer at next-day payout and compare it with Cielo's plan.
On Cielo's Aluguel plan, the machine is free in any month your card sales reach R$15,000 and costs R$99.90 a month otherwise. Its Comodato plan instead costs R$238.80 once, or 12 payments of R$19.90, with no rent but higher rates. Stone usually rents its machines and waives the rent depending on your sales, but publishes neither the rent nor the sales target. Its terms also allow a loaned machine for a one-off joining fee, with the amount given at sign-up.
Cielo's published plans pay debit, one-off and instalment credit sales in up to one day, weekends included, to eligible accounts, and same day for sales made by 18:59, to any account with a Pix key. Stone's help centre gives a default schedule that does not apply to every client: debit one business day after the sale, one-off credit after 30 days and instalments month by month. Stone's same-day and every-day payout add a surcharge to your rate and need a Stone business account.
Yes. Both contracts are open-ended and can be ended on 30 days' notice without a fee or penalty. Both want rented machines back within 5 business days. If you do not return one, Cielo charges the pro-rata rent plus 40% each month until you do, and Stone charges the machine's full value and may take it from money it owes you.
Cielo is controlled by Banco do Brasil and Bradesco, directly and through companies they jointly hold. The two banks bought most of its minority shares in a tender offer in August 2024, and its shares stopped trading on B3. Stone is the merchant brand of StoneCo Ltd., listed on Nasdaq as STNE since October 2018; merchants sign with Stone Instituição de Pagamento S.A. StoneCo also runs a separate brand, Ton, for smaller sellers.
TapStone lists lower rates, 0.87% debit and 1.90% one-off credit against 1.07% and 3.48% on Cielo Tap, as of October 2026, and accepts Amex and Ticket as well as Visa, Mastercard and Elo. Cielo Tap says it pays in one day for eligible accounts. TapStone's page does not say when it pays, and Stone says it uses the same rates as your Stone machine, so confirm both before relying on the lower figure.
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