Stripe Review for Merchants: Features, Fees, Customer Reviews & More

Please note that the information about the companies in this article was sourced from their respective websites as of July 2025. This information may be subject to change.

Tired of surprise account freezes, complex setups, and fees that keep stacking up? You’re not alone. Stripe is one of the biggest names in online payments, but it’s not always the easiest to work with, especially for small businesses and fast-growing merchants expanding across Europe.

In this Stripe review for merchants, we break down exactly how Stripe works: its features, pricing, supported countries, payment methods, and what real users are saying.

We’ll also highlight where Stripe falls short, like fragmented open banking and clunky customer support, and introduce an alternative worth knowing: Noda, a simpler, more scalable open banking solution built for modern merchants.

Stripe’s Pros and Cons

Stripe Overview

What is Stripe?

Stripe is a global fintech company that powers the financial backbone of the internet. It helps businesses of all sizes, from scrappy startups to global giants, take payments, run their operations online, and tap into a full suite of commerce tools through easy-to-use APIs and software.

Stripe has two main HQs: one in San Francisco and the other in Dublin, Ireland.

Stripe Ownership

Stripe was founded in 2010 by Irish brothers Patrick and John Collison, who still lead the company as CEO and President. Both retain a significant shareholding and strong influence over its direction. The company remains privately owned, with equity split between the Collisons, Stripe employees, and a line-up of institutional investors.

Stripe Valuation & Revenue, Profit

In 2024, Stripe processed $1.4 trillion in payments, a 38% jump from the previous year, according to its own annual letter and press releases. The company confirmed it was profitable in 2024 and expects to remain so into 2025, crediting its gains to strong investment in AI and ongoing product innovation.

While the company doesn’t publish full Stripe’s revenue or profit figures, it has officially stated that 2024 marked its first year of full profitability after years of heavy reinvestment in R&D.

Stripe Payments: Global Coverage

Stripe is available to merchants in over 45 countries across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and parts of the Middle East and Africa. To use Stripe, a business must be legally registered and physically located in one of these supported countries, with local documentation and banking details provided during setup.

Some of the key supported countries include:

• Australia
• Austria
• Belgium
• Brazil
• Bulgaria
• Canada
• Côte d'Ivoire*
• Croatia*
• Cyprus
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Ghana*
• Gibraltar
• Greece
• Hong Kong
• Hungary
• India**
• Indonesia**
• Ireland
• Italy
• Japan
• Kenya*
• Latvia
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Malaysia
• Malta
• Mexico
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Nigeria*
• Norway
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania
• Singapore
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• South Africa*
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Thailand
• United Arab Emirates
• United Kingdom
• United States

* Available via Stripe’s extended partner network

** Currently in preview, with limited availability

Stripe’s Coverage of Currencies

Stripe supports payments in over 135 currencies, making it easy for merchants to charge customers in their local currency and sell globally. Common options include US dollars, euros, pounds, yen, Australian dollars, Canadian dollars, Swiss francs, Chinese yuan, and Indian rupees, among many others.

When it comes to settling funds, Stripe pays out in the local currency of your bank account. If you’ve added multiple local accounts, you can configure your Stripe setup to receive payouts in several currencies, such as USD, EUR, or GBP. depending on your country and bank details.

Stripe’s Language Support

The Stripe Dashboard (web and mobile) is available in multiple languages, with the mobile app supporting 14. The display language is automatically set based on the user’s or device’s language settings.

Stripe Checkout and Payment Links are even more widely localised, supporting up to 34 languages. These include:

• Bulgarian
• Croatian
• Czech
• Danish
• Dutch
• English
• Estonian
• Finnish
• Filipino
• French
• German
• Greek
• Hungarian
• Indonesian
• Italian
• Japanese
• Korean
• Latvian
• Lithuanian
• Malay
• Maltese
• Norwegian Bokmål
• Polish
• Portuguese
• Romanian
• Russian
• Simplified Chinese
• Slovak
• Slovenian
• Spanish
• Swedish
• Thai
• Turkish
• Vietnamese

Customer support for premium and enterprise users is available in German, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, and Japanese. Otherwise, it’s primarily in English.

Stripe’s Clients & Case Studies

Stripe is best known for working with fast-moving, digital-first businesses across a wide range of industries. It has a strong track record with both global enterprises and up-and-coming startups.

Large tech companies like Lyft, Instacart, Shopify, and Twilio all use Stripe to manage complex payment flows. For example, Lyft uses Stripe to send drivers their earnings through Express Pay, while Instacart and Shopify rely on Stripe to power marketplace transactions and embedded financial tools. Twilio uses it to handle cross-border payments.

Stripe also works closely with fast-growing consumer brands and tech platforms like Postmates, Noom, and Kickstarter. These businesses typically need flexible APIs, fast scaling, and tools for global expansion.

Stripe’s Payment Gateway & Features

Stripe Payment Methods

Stripe’s online checkout supports a wide range of payment methods, helping businesses cater to customers around the world. The available options include:

• Cards: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, Diners Club, JCB, China UnionPay, Cartes Bancaires, eftpos Australia, Interac
• Digital wallets: Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, Click to Pay, Cash App Pay, Alipay, WeChat Pay, Amazon Pay, Link (Stripe’s 1-click checkout)
• Bank debits: ACH Direct Debit (US), Bacs Direct Debit (UK), SEPA Direct Debit (EU), Canadian PADs, BECS Direct Debit (Australia and New Zealand), FPX (Malaysia)
• Bank transfers (including open banking): Pix (Brazil), PayNow (Singapore), PromptPay (Thailand), Swish (Sweden), EPS (Austria), Bancontact (Belgium), BLIK (Poland), iDEAL (Netherlands), and more.
• Buy Now, Pay Later: Klarna, Affirm, Afterpay/Clearpay, Zip, Meses sin intereses (Mexico)
• Vouchers: Boleto Bancário (Brazil), OXXO (Mexico)
• Other local methods: Bancontact (Belgium), iDEAL (Netherlands), POLi (Australia), and others, depending on the region

Stripe’s Fragmented Open Banking Experience

Stripe offers open banking payments, but they’re fragmented across different local methods. Their native solution so far is only available in the UK.

For example, you’d need to integrate BLIK for Poland, EPS for Austria, iDEAL for the Netherlands, and so on, each requiring separate setup and logic. There’s no unified solution for Europe-wide bank payments, making it complex to scale across markets.

Why Open Banking Matters

Open banking offers a faster, safer, and more cost-effective way to accept payments. By connecting directly to customers’ banks, you bypass card networks and third-party wallets, cutting fees, improving cash flow, and reducing fraud.

Switch to Open Banking with Noda

Noda simplifies open banking by offering one streamlined solution for the entire UK and Europe. With a single integration, you unlock:

• Instant pay-by-bank across 28 countries
• 2,000+ banks supported with one button
• No card fees, no middlemen, no delays. Fees start as low as 0.1%
• Other payment methods are available too: cards and popular digital wallets, for competitive pricing
• A smooth, unified experience for your customers
• Easy integration via API, payment links, or marketplace plugins

If Stripe’s complexity is slowing you down, it’s time to switch to Noda, a smart, scalable, open banking payments platform, built for modern merchants.

Stripe Settlement & Withdrawals

Stripe’s payout timelines and withdrawal processes depend on where your business is based, what industry you're in, and the payment methods you use.

Most businesses receive funds on a rolling basis, with standard payouts typically arriving within two business days in countries like the US, UK, Australia, and much of Europe. For new accounts or higher-risk industries, payouts can take up to seven business days. Some regions have longer wait times, for example, four business days in Canada or up to seven in parts of Asia.

The first payout for a new Stripe account usually takes longer, often 7 to 14 days, as Stripe completes initial verification and risk checks.

Instant Payouts are available to eligible businesses, allowing near real-time transfers to supported debit cards or bank accounts for an additional fee. Availability depends on your location and account status.

Withdrawals are generally automated, with funds sent directly to your linked bank account according to your configured payout schedule. In some cases, you can manually initiate a withdrawal through the Stripe Dashboard.

Stripe Security & Compliance

Stripe encrypts all card details and personal information both in transit and at rest using strong protocols like AES-256 and TLS. Stripe also uses tokenisation to avoid storing raw card data directly in systems that interact with merchants.

The provider is certified as a PCI DSS Level 1 Service Provider, which is the highest level of certification in the payments industry. 

Stripe’s Licenses

• In Europe, Stripe is licensed as an Electronic Money Institution (EMI) by the Central Bank of Ireland. It provides services across the European Economic Area under PSD2.
• In the United Kingdom, Stripe is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), also as an electronic money institution.
• In the United States, Stripe is licensed as a money transmitter in multiple states. It's subject to regular regulatory exams, compliance audits, and oversight by its banking partners and payment networks.

Stripe’s Pricing: Full Breakdown

Stripe doesn’t require a monthly subscription for its core payment services. Instead, it follows a pay-as-you-go model, meaning you’re only charged when a payment is processed. Below is a breakdown of Stripe’s fees for each transaction.

Read more: Stripe Fees Explained

Stripe Fees for Online Transactions

Domestic Transactions

International Transactions

Read more: How to Reduce Card Processing Fees

Stripe Service Fees

In addition to its standard transaction fees, Stripe applies extra charges for certain services, such as payouts, chargebacks, and dispute handling. Below is a closer look at what those additional costs may involve.

Read more: How to Prevent Chargebacks

Stripe Customer Reviews

Stripe receives mixed reviews depending on the platform and audience. On Trustpilot, its average rating is 1.9 out of 5, based on over 16,000 reviews.

In contrast, G2 reviewers, typically from the software and SaaS space, give Stripe a much stronger average of 4 out of 5 based on 388 reviews, suggesting high satisfaction among more tech-savvy users.

• What users love: Stripe is often praised for how easy it is to set up and integrate, especially for developers and digital businesses.
• What users criticise: The biggest complaints tend to focus on sudden account freezes or closures, often with little explanation or way to appeal. Many small business owners report issues with withheld funds and find customer support slow or unresponsive, particularly during disputes. High fees are also a common complaint.

Stripe’s Support for Customers

Stripe offers customer support through several channels, including live chat, email support, phone support, developer Discord server, and self-service help center.

Enterprise customers and those on premium plans generally report positive experiences, often highlighting the value of dedicated account managers.

For smaller businesses, the feedback is more mixed. Many report slow or unhelpful responses, particularly during stressful situations like account freezes or withheld funds. Some users also mention receiving generic or scripted replies that don’t address their specific issues.