Shopify Payments vs Stripe
Last updated: September 2, 2026
Shopify Payments
A-
Shopify Payments is Shopify’s native payments service that gives merchants one-click access to accepting cards and wallets inside Shopify, simplifying setup and eliminating third-party gateway fees for supported merchants.
Stripe
A
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.
VS
Overview
This is not two rival processors. Shopify publishes a legal list of the payment processors behind Shopify Payments, and for the United States it names Stripe, Inc. So the question is not whose processing is better — it is the same processing — but whether you want it wrapped in Shopify's commerce platform or bought directly. Wrapped, you pay a Shopify plan fee from $29 a month and get a rate that improves as you move up plans, from 2.9% + 30c on Basic to 2.25% + 30c on Plus, plus a store, a checkout, POS and inventory. Direct, you pay nothing monthly, stay at 2.9% + 30c on standard pricing, and can build on anything. The row that decides it for most people is neither of those: Shopify charges 2% on Basic for using any processor other than Shopify Payments, which makes running Stripe inside a Shopify store irrational.
Key Takeaways
- ✓Shopify's own published processor list names Stripe, Inc. as the US processor behind Shopify Payments — the underlying processing is the same.
- ✓Shopify charges a third-party transaction fee of 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced and 0.2% on Plus if you use any other processor.
- ✓Shopify's card rate falls with the plan — 2.9%, 2.7%, 2.5%, 2.25% + 30c — while Stripe's standard pricing stays at 2.9% + 30c.
- ✓Stripe charges no monthly fee; Shopify's plans run from $29 to $2,300+ a month, plus $89 per location for POS Pro.
- ✓In person, Shopify's 2.6% + 10c and Stripe's 2.7% + 5c cost exactly the same on a $50 sale — Shopify is cheaper above it, Stripe below.
Shopify Payments
Shopify Payments is for anyone selling on Shopify. The third-party fee makes any other processor more expensive inside a Shopify store, the rate improves as your plan does, and you are buying a whole commerce platform rather than a payments API.
Stripe
Stripe is for everyone else — custom storefronts, apps, marketplaces, platforms embedding payments for their own users, and businesses that want the processing without a monthly commerce subscription attached.
The Verdict
It Depends on Your Needs
Why?
It depends on one thing only: whether your store runs on Shopify. If it does, use Shopify Payments and stop thinking about it. Shopify charges 2% on Basic for using any other processor, which puts Stripe's own 2.9% + 30c at an effective 4.9% inside a Shopify store — you would be paying Shopify a penalty to reach the same Stripe that Shopify Payments already uses. Above Basic the rate improves as the plan does, down to 2.25% + 30c on Plus, which is better than Stripe's published standard pricing. If your store does not run on Shopify, the comparison collapses the other way: Stripe costs nothing monthly, works on any site or app, reaches 100+ payment methods, and has Connect and Managed Payments for platforms and cross-border sellers that Shopify Payments does not attempt. The one thing worth saying plainly is that nobody should choose between these two on the belief that the processing differs — Shopify's own legal filings name Stripe as the processor.
Feature by feature
Detailed Comparison
Filter Options
What you are actually buying
| Feature | Shopify Payments | Stripe |
|---|---|---|
| Who processes the payment | Stripe, Inc. — named for the US in Shopify's published processor list | Stripe, Inc. directly |
| Shopify's own legal processor list names Stripe, Inc. and PayPal, Inc. for the United States, and Stripe entities for Canada, Mexico, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and Singapore. Shopify's pricing page footer separately states it partners with Stripe Payments Company for money transmission. | ||
| What comes with it | A commerce platform — storefront, checkout, inventory, POS, marketing, shipping, tax | A payments API and the products around it |
| This is the actual trade. Shopify's plan fee is not a payments fee; it is the price of the store. | ||
| Where it can be used | Only on a Shopify store | Any website, app, platform or marketplace Winner |
| Cost of using a different processor | 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced, 0.2% on Plus | Not applicable Winner |
| The single most consequential line here. On Basic, adding 2% to any competitor's rate puts it above Shopify Payments before the competitor charges anything, which is why merchants on Shopify effectively do not have this choice. | ||
Who processes the payment
Shopify Payments
Stripe, Inc. — named for the US in Shopify's published processor list
Stripe
Stripe, Inc. directly
Shopify's own legal processor list names Stripe, Inc. and PayPal, Inc. for the United States, and Stripe entities for Canada, Mexico, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and Singapore. Shopify's pricing page footer separately states it partners with Stripe Payments Company for money transmission.
What comes with it
Shopify Payments
A commerce platform — storefront, checkout, inventory, POS, marketing, shipping, tax
Stripe
A payments API and the products around it
This is the actual trade. Shopify's plan fee is not a payments fee; it is the price of the store.
Where it can be used
Shopify Payments
Only on a Shopify store
Stripe
Any website, app, platform or marketplace
Winner
Cost of using a different processor
Shopify Payments
2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced, 0.2% on Plus
Stripe
Not applicable
Winner
The single most consequential line here. On Basic, adding 2% to any competitor's rate puts it above Shopify Payments before the competitor charges anything, which is why merchants on Shopify effectively do not have this choice.
Best For Your Business
Recommendations based on your business type
Any merchant already selling on Shopify
Recommended
Shopify Payments
The third-party transaction fee settles it. Adding 2% on Basic to any alternative processor's rate makes Shopify Payments cheaper by a wide margin, and you would be paying that penalty to route to the same Stripe underneath.
Custom-built storefront or a site on another platform
Recommended
Stripe
Shopify Payments only works inside a Shopify store. Stripe has no monthly fee, no platform requirement, and the same 2.9% + 30c you would pay on Shopify's Basic plan anyway.
Marketplace or SaaS platform paying out to third-party sellers
Recommended
Stripe
Stripe Connect handles seller onboarding, verification, split payments and payouts. Shopify Payments serves a single store's own sales and has no equivalent.
High-volume Shopify store weighing an upgrade to Advanced or Plus
Recommended
Shopify Payments
The rate tiers make the upgrade partly self-funding: moving from Basic's 2.9% + 30c to Advanced's 2.5% saves 40 basis points, which covers the $270 monthly difference at roughly $67,500 a month in card volume, before counting the drop in the third-party fee.
US business that needs to accept PayPal in its checkout
Recommended
Shopify Payments
Shopify lists PayPal, Inc. as a second US processor and offers PayPal wallet from 3.49% + 49c inside its checkout. Stripe does not offer PayPal to US merchants at all — its documentation limits it to Europe, the UK and Switzerland.
Developer embedding payments into an app or internal tool
Recommended
Stripe
Shopify Payments has no existence outside a Shopify store. Stripe is an API with SDKs, prebuilt components and adjacent products for billing, tax, identity and issuing on the same account.
Shopify Payments: Best for 3 use cases
Stripe: Best for 3 use cases
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this comparison
Yes, in the United States. Shopify publishes a legal payment processor list, and for the US it names Stripe, Inc. and PayPal, Inc. Stripe entities are also named for Canada, Mexico, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and Singapore, alongside Stripe Payments Europe for European markets. Shopify's pricing page footer states separately that it partners with Stripe Payments Company for money transmission, and that Shopify Balance and Shopify Credit cards are powered by Stripe.
Technically yes, financially no. Shopify charges a third-party transaction fee on every order not processed through Shopify Payments — 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced and 0.2% on Plus. On Basic that turns Stripe's 2.9% + 30c into an effective 4.9%, to reach the same Stripe that Shopify Payments already routes to. Built-in fraud analysis and several shipping and cross-border features also require Shopify Payments.
They start identical at 2.9% + 30c and then diverge by plan. Shopify falls to 2.7% on Grow, 2.5% on Advanced and 2.25% on Plus; Stripe's published standard pricing stays at 2.9% + 30c and discounts only under a custom agreement at large volume. Shopify is also cheaper on international cards, adding 1% where Stripe adds 1.5% plus 1% for conversion. But Shopify's better rates are bought with a subscription of $79 to $2,300 a month.
They cross over at a $50 basket. Shopify charges 2.6% + 10c and Stripe 2.7% + 5c, which both come to $1.40 on a $50 sale; above that Shopify is cheaper and below it Stripe is. The difference in fixed cost is larger: Shopify's POS Pro is $89 a month per location, while Stripe Terminal has no software subscription and readers run $59 to $329.
Because the ratings are not about the processing. Shopify scores 1.3 on Trustpilot and Stripe 1.6, and both review bases are dominated by account holds, payout delays and shoppers complaining about merchants rather than anything to do with card authorisation. Since Stripe underlies both, treat those scores as evidence about each company's support and risk operations, not about payment reliability.
On rates alone, moving from Basic to Advanced saves 40 basis points on card volume and costs $270 more a month, so it breaks even near $67,500 a month in card sales. Grow saves 20 basis points for $50 more, breaking even around $25,000 a month. Both come down further if you are paying third-party transaction fees, since those drop by plan too.
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