Comparison · Updated November 12, 2026
Payplug vs Stancer (France, online payments)
Payplug
B
Payplug is a Paris-based payment provider for French and European merchants, owned by the French banking group BPCE and, since September 2026, the omnichannel brand of BPCE Merchant Services. It is a licensed French payment institution. Merchants sign up online, get a payment account in Payplug's books and take card and local payment methods online, on Android terminals, and on phones through SoftPOS and Tap to Pay on iPhone. Pricing is published by plan, and all prices are ex-VAT. As of October 2026, Starter costs €10 a month and charges 1.5% + €0.25 online or 1.5% + €0.10 in store on euro-zone consumer cards. Pro costs €30 a month and charges 1.1% on the same cards. Business cards cost 2.5% and cards from outside the euro zone cost 2.9%. Merchants turning over more than €1 million get custom pricing. The payment contract has no fixed term and can be ended on 30 days' notice, but a rented terminal comes with a 24-month contract and early-exit fees. Money is not paid out automatically by default. You request a transfer, and Payplug says about seven days can pass between request and arrival, or up to ten business days for a new account's first transfer. The terms let Payplug hold funds and set up reserves. Chargebacks cost €18 including VAT each. Trustpilot shows a split picture, but almost all of its reviews are more than two years old.
Stancer
B-
Stancer is a French payment institution about 90% owned by iliad SA, the telecoms company behind Free. It is authorised by the ACPR as a payment institution, including for acquiring, and acquires card payments itself, so the merchant contract is with Stancer rather than a bank. It sells to French small businesses through a payment terminal, Tap to Pay on iPhone and Android, payment links and an online checkout API, and it also handles SEPA Direct Debit. Pricing is published and low. As of October 2026 (live pricing page and Pricing Conditions dated August 2024), French CB cards and Visa and Mastercard cards issued in the EEA cost 0.7% + €0.07 on Stancer's terminal, with no fixed fee under €7, and 0.7% + €0.15 for Tap to Pay, links and online payments. Visa and Mastercard cards issued outside the EEA cost 2.5% plus a fixed fee. All prices exclude tax. There is no setup fee, no monthly fee and no fixed term, and the terminal is free in a month with more than 150 transactions on it (the product page says 150 or more), or €15 a month otherwise. The trade-offs are real. Funds reach your bank within seven working days rather than the next day, and faster payout costs 2% of the amount. Stancer does not accept American Express, chargebacks cost €25 on Visa and Mastercard, and the contract makes you pledge a cash collateral that it can top up from your balance and keep for 13 months after you leave. Trustpilot reviews are split, with complaints about frozen funds and slow support.
VS
Overview
We compare the two for a small French e-commerce business taking online card payments from consumers in Europe, on each provider's entry offer: Payplug's Starter plan (indicative turnover up to €100,000 a year) and Stancer's single published price list. Figures come from each company's own pricing page, terms and help centre, read on 12 November 2026. Both quote their prices excluding tax. Both are French payment institutions supervised by the ACPR, and both pay out to your own bank account. Payplug charges €10 a month on Starter and 1.5% + €0.25 on a euro-zone consumer card online. Stancer charges no monthly fee and 0.7% + €0.15 on a CB card or a Visa or Mastercard card issued in the European Economic Area, although cards whose interchange and scheme fees exceed 0.7% (some business cards, for example) are billed at those fees plus 10%. So on a typical European consumer card Stancer costs about half as much. Payplug offers more: American Express, Oney and Scalapay instalments, Belgian, Dutch and Italian local methods, and a Shopify app, none of which Stancer lists. Both show Apple Pay for online checkout, though Stancer marks it as new and does not yet describe it in its documentation. The payout mechanics also differ. Payplug pays out when you ask (or automatically on its Pro plan), and says about seven days can pass between request and arrival. Stancer holds each payment for seven days and then pays it out automatically, or sooner for 2% of the amount. Payplug is part of Groupe BPCE and is now the omnichannel brand of BPCE Merchant Services. Stancer (legal name Iliad 78) is a subsidiary of the iliad telecoms group.
Key Takeaways
- ✓It depends on what your shop sells and to whom. Stancer is the cheaper of the two on European consumer cards: a €50 online sale costs €0.50 at Stancer against €1.00 on Payplug's Starter plan, and Stancer has no monthly fee where Starter costs €10 a month (all ex-VAT).
- ✓Payplug supports more ways to pay: American Express online at 2.90% + €0.25 (activated on request), Apple Pay at the card rate, Oney and Scalapay instalments, and Bancontact, iDEAL | Wero, MyBank and Satispay. Stancer's online checkout takes CB, Visa and Mastercard cards, SEPA transfers and SEPA Direct Debits, and its online-payment page shows Apple Pay marked as new and Google Pay as coming soon.
- ✓Payplug publishes a flat 2.5% + €0.25 for business cards. Stancer bills any card whose interchange and scheme fees exceed its 0.7% at those actual fees plus 10%, so its headline rate is not a ceiling on business cards.
- ✓Neither pays out the next day by default. Payplug pays out when you ask, can automate transfers only on its Pro plan, and says up to seven days can pass before the money arrives. Stancer pays automatically after a seven-day hold, or earlier for 2% of the amount.
- ✓Both contracts are open-ended. Payplug's online contract ends on 30 calendar days' notice; Stancer's on one month's notice, though Stancer keeps a cash collateral for up to 13 months after you leave.
Payplug
Payplug suits a French online shop that needs more than card payments: American Express, Oney or Scalapay instalments, or local methods for buyers in Belgium, the Netherlands and Italy, or a Shopify store. Its business-card rate is a published flat 2.5% + €0.25, and it is part of the BPCE banking group. Expect to pay more on ordinary European consumer cards than at Stancer, plus €10 a month on Starter, and to request your payouts unless you move to Pro.
Stancer
Stancer suits a small French shop that mostly takes European consumer cards and wants the lowest published price with no monthly fee: 0.7% + €0.15 online. It also collects SEPA Direct Debits. Accept the trade-offs first: no American Express, instalments or foreign local methods listed for online checkout (Apple Pay is marked as new, Google Pay as coming soon), no Shopify module, a seven-day hold before automatic payout, €25 Visa and Mastercard chargebacks, and a cash collateral it can top up from your balance.
The Verdict
It Depends on Your Needs
Why?
For a small French online shop taking mostly European consumer cards, Stancer costs less: 0.7% + €0.15 a sale and no monthly fee, against 1.5% + €0.25 and €10 a month on Payplug's Starter plan. Payplug is the more complete checkout: American Express, documented Apple Pay, Oney and Scalapay instalments, Belgian, Dutch and Italian local methods, a Shopify app and a flat published business-card rate. Neither pays out the next day by default. Payplug pays when you ask (automatically only on Pro), while Stancer holds payments for seven days and keeps a cash collateral. Choose Stancer if price on European consumer cards is what matters and cards are all you need. Choose Payplug if your buyers expect more ways to pay or you sell on Shopify.
Feature by feature
Detailed Comparison
Filter Options
Online card pricing (entry offer, ex-VAT, November 2026)
| Feature | Payplug | Stancer |
|---|---|---|
| European consumer card, online | 1.5% + €0.25 | 0.7% + €0.15 Winner |
| Like for like: both rates apply to a consumer card issued in a euro-zone country such as France. Payplug's Starter rate covers consumer cards issued in the euro zone; Stancer's covers French CB cards and Visa and Mastercard cards issued in the European Economic Area, which includes the euro zone. A consumer card from a non-euro EEA country (Poland or Sweden, say) falls into Payplug's 2.9% bracket. On Payplug's Pro plan (turnover €100,000 to €1 million, €30 a month) the euro-zone rate is 1.1% + €0.25. Stancer charges actual interchange and scheme fees plus 10% instead of its 0.7% on any card where those fees exceed it, which is unlikely on a euro-zone consumer card: EU Regulation 2015/751 caps consumer interchange at 0.2% for debit and 0.3% for credit cards. Both prices exclude tax; Payplug's help centre says it adds 20% VAT to transaction fees for a business in mainland France. | ||
| Card issued outside the zone, online | 2.9% + €0.25 | 2.5% + €0.25 |
| Payplug's rate applies to cards issued outside the euro zone; Stancer's to Visa and Mastercard cards issued outside the EEA. The zones differ, and Stancer bills actual interchange and scheme fees plus 10% where they exceed its 2.5%, so we do not name a winner. | ||
| Business card, online | 2.5% + €0.25 | Interchange + scheme fees + 10% |
| Payplug publishes a flat business-card rate on both self-serve plans. Stancer's price list has no business-card line; its pass-through clause applies whenever a card's interchange and scheme fees exceed the 0.7% variable fee, which Stancer's own example names as some business cards. The two are priced on different mechanisms, so there is no winner. | ||
| Monthly fee | €10 (Starter) | None Winner |
| Payplug Pro costs €30 a month with three months free. Stancer charges no setup or monthly account fee; its €15 a month applies only to its payment terminal in a month with 150 or fewer terminal payments, which an online-only shop does not need. Payplug's terms also say transaction fees may be subject to a monthly minimum set in your own conditions. | ||
| Worked example: €5,000 a month in 100 online sales of €50 | €110 a month | €50 a month Winner |
| All euro-zone (Payplug) or EEA (Stancer) consumer cards, ex-VAT, from published prices only. Payplug Starter: 100 × (€0.75 + €0.25) + €10. Stancer: 100 × (€0.35 + €0.15). A mix with business or non-European cards narrows or changes the gap. | ||
European consumer card, online
Payplug
1.5% + €0.25
Stancer
0.7% + €0.15
Winner
Like for like: both rates apply to a consumer card issued in a euro-zone country such as France. Payplug's Starter rate covers consumer cards issued in the euro zone; Stancer's covers French CB cards and Visa and Mastercard cards issued in the European Economic Area, which includes the euro zone. A consumer card from a non-euro EEA country (Poland or Sweden, say) falls into Payplug's 2.9% bracket. On Payplug's Pro plan (turnover €100,000 to €1 million, €30 a month) the euro-zone rate is 1.1% + €0.25. Stancer charges actual interchange and scheme fees plus 10% instead of its 0.7% on any card where those fees exceed it, which is unlikely on a euro-zone consumer card: EU Regulation 2015/751 caps consumer interchange at 0.2% for debit and 0.3% for credit cards. Both prices exclude tax; Payplug's help centre says it adds 20% VAT to transaction fees for a business in mainland France.
Card issued outside the zone, online
Payplug
2.9% + €0.25
Stancer
2.5% + €0.25
Payplug's rate applies to cards issued outside the euro zone; Stancer's to Visa and Mastercard cards issued outside the EEA. The zones differ, and Stancer bills actual interchange and scheme fees plus 10% where they exceed its 2.5%, so we do not name a winner.
Business card, online
Payplug
2.5% + €0.25
Stancer
Interchange + scheme fees + 10%
Payplug publishes a flat business-card rate on both self-serve plans. Stancer's price list has no business-card line; its pass-through clause applies whenever a card's interchange and scheme fees exceed the 0.7% variable fee, which Stancer's own example names as some business cards. The two are priced on different mechanisms, so there is no winner.
Monthly fee
Payplug
€10 (Starter)
Stancer
None
Winner
Payplug Pro costs €30 a month with three months free. Stancer charges no setup or monthly account fee; its €15 a month applies only to its payment terminal in a month with 150 or fewer terminal payments, which an online-only shop does not need. Payplug's terms also say transaction fees may be subject to a monthly minimum set in your own conditions.
Worked example: €5,000 a month in 100 online sales of €50
Payplug
€110 a month
Stancer
€50 a month
Winner
All euro-zone (Payplug) or EEA (Stancer) consumer cards, ex-VAT, from published prices only. Payplug Starter: 100 × (€0.75 + €0.25) + €10. Stancer: 100 × (€0.35 + €0.15). A mix with business or non-European cards narrows or changes the gap.
Best For Your Business
Recommendations based on your business type
Small French online shop selling mostly to French and other European consumers by card
Recommended
Stancer
Stancer's 0.7% + €0.15 with no monthly fee is about half Payplug Starter's cost on these cards: €50 against €110 a month on 100 sales of €50 (ex-VAT). Keep a week of working capital, since Stancer pays out after a seven-day hold.
Shopify store
Recommended
Payplug
Payplug lists a Shopify integration. Stancer's documentation lists PrestaShop, WooCommerce, Magento, Odoo and Ugo modules, but not Shopify.
Shop whose buyers want to pay in instalments or with American Express
Recommended
Payplug
Payplug offers Oney 3x/4x and Scalapay instalments and American Express at 2.90% + €0.25, plus Apple Pay at the card rate. Stancer lists no instalment partner and no American Express; its online-payment page shows Apple Pay only as a new addition.
Shop selling to buyers in Belgium, the Netherlands or Italy
Recommended
Payplug
Payplug lists Bancontact, iDEAL | Wero, MyBank and Satispay. Stancer lists no Belgian, Dutch or Italian local methods, and its website offers only France and Italy as countries.
Subscription business collecting by SEPA Direct Debit
Recommended
Stancer
Stancer issues SEPA Direct Debits at 0.25% + €0.10, capped at €2 under €1,000; you collect and keep the signed mandates yourself. We found no direct-debit collection product on Payplug's pricing page or in its help centre.
Payplug: Best for 3 use cases
Stancer: Best for 2 use cases
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this comparison
On European consumer cards, yes. As of November 2026 Stancer charges 0.7% + €0.15 online for CB cards and Visa and Mastercard cards issued in the EEA, with no monthly fee. Payplug's Starter plan charges 1.5% + €0.25 on euro-zone consumer cards plus €10 a month, and Pro charges 1.1% + €0.25 plus €30 a month. On a €50 sale that is €0.50 at Stancer against €1.00 on Starter, all ex-VAT. Stancer bills actual interchange and scheme fees plus 10% on cards that cost more than 0.7% to accept, such as some business cards, where Payplug charges a flat 2.5% + €0.25.
Both publish their prices excluding tax. Payplug's pricing page says all its prices are hors taxes, and Stancer's says its prices are exclusive of tax. Payplug's help centre adds that 20% VAT is charged on its transaction fees for a business based in mainland France, deductible like any business VAT. Stancer's Pricing Conditions say only that its prices do not include taxes. The one price we found quoted with VAT is Payplug's chargeback fee: €18 including VAT, or €15 before it.
Payplug. Besides CB, Visa and Mastercard it lists American Express, Apple Pay, Oney and Scalapay instalments, Bancontact, iDEAL | Wero, MyBank and Satispay, subject to eligibility. Stancer takes CB, Visa and Mastercard cards online and also collects SEPA Direct Debits and SEPA transfers. Its online-payment page shows Apple Pay marked as new and Google Pay as coming soon, and it lists no American Express.
Neither pays the next day by default. Payplug pays out when you request a transfer: compliance validates it the next business day, the bank transfer takes 2 to 3 business days, and Payplug says about seven days can pass from request to arrival. Its Pro plan can automate transfers. Stancer holds payments for seven days and then pays them to your bank automatically, or earlier for 2% of the amount.
Neither online contract has a fixed term or a cancellation fee. Payplug's ends on 30 calendar days' notice and Stancer's on one month's notice. Payplug terminal rentals are separate 24-month contracts. Stancer holds a cash collateral, starting at €1 but adjustable with your dispute rate, for up to 13 months after you leave.
Payplug is part of Groupe BPCE, the banking group behind Banque Populaire and Caisse d'Epargne, which it joined in 2017; in 2026 it became the omnichannel payment brand of BPCE Merchant Services. Stancer, legally Iliad 78, is a subsidiary of the iliad telecoms group, the company behind Free. Both are payment institutions supervised by the ACPR.