Worldpay vs Stripe: Is one better than the other?

Note that the information about Worldpay and Stripe found in this article was taken from their respective websites on 4 October 2024. This information is subject to change.

No business can ignore the changing nature of the payments industry. To stay competitive they must ensure transactions can be made quickly and efficiently.

But where should they start? How can they choose between the myriad providers in what has become a fiercely competitive marketplace?

Here we compare two hugely popular contenders: Worldpay versus Stripe. How do they differ in terms of their respective features and pricing structures?

Worldpay vs Stripe: An Overview

One of this article’s aims will be to answer the question: is Worldpay like Stripe? Let’s first provide a brief overview of the role played by these organisations.

Stripe and Worldpay are two payment specialists whose services are used and trusted by millions of people around the world.

They are relied upon by businesses of all sizes who appreciate the importance of being able to safely receive money from their customers.

Before we compare Stripe and Worldpay in more detail, highlighting the similarities and differences, let’s take a look at each of the offerings in turn.

Worldpay

It’s one of the world’s most recognisable financial technology firms and enables businesses of all sizes to make and manage payments.

Worldpay was founded back in 1997 by entrepreneur Nick Ogden, who is credited with inventing e-commerce by building the Wine Warehouse, an early online shop.

The company has since been through several owners before declaring in early February 2024 that it was starting to operate as an independent company.

According to the company, it now processes more than 140 million daily transactions across 146 countries and in 135 currencies, serving more than a million merchants.

It has stated: “Worldpay powers businesses of all sizes to make, take and manage payments. We are a global leader in financial technology with unique capabilities to power omni-commerce.”

So, is Stripe the same as Worldpay?

Stripe

The Irish-American financial services company was founded in 2010 by two entrepreneurial brothers, Patrick and John Collison.

It describes itself as a technology company that “builds economic infrastructure” for the internet, while its software is used by businesses of all sizes to accept payments.

Stripe has dual headquarters (in San Francisco and Dublin) as well as offices across the world, including in London, Paris, Singapore and Tokyo.

According to the company, it operates in more than 45 countries and supports in excess of 135 currencies and payment methods.

There was $817 billion in payments processed by businesses on Stripe during 2022. As an aside, the two brothers are still involved. Patrick is chief executive and John is president.

So, how is Worldpay different from Stripe?

Worldpay versus Stripe: How Do They Compare?

Now let’s delve deeper into each of these offerings to understand the difference between Worldpay and Stripe better.

We will consider several areas to help business owners decide for themselves which is better, Stripe or Worldpay?

These are the areas we’ll be tackling:

• Features
• Security
• Payments
• Fees charged
• Support

Then we will look specifically at more of the factors to bear in mind when it comes to Stripe vs Worldpay for business.

Features

Our first section looks at Stripe vs Worldpay in terms of the features on offer and how these can help individual businesses.

Stripe

Stripe offers many “out of the box” features, and here are some of them:

• Tools to build optimised checkout flows via Stripe Elements, which allows merchants to design tailored payment flows using pre-built UI components. This includes styling the components to match their brand’s look.
• Global payments with a single integration via Stripe Checkout, which allows businesses to integrate a ready-made payment gateway into their website using APIs. Merchants can also Stripe Connect for easy payment integration into e-commerce platforms and marketplaces.
• No-code payments via payment links, which enable merchants to sell without needing a website. Options include payment links, checkout and invoicing.
• Over 100 global payment methods, including bank transfers, real-time payments, Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) options, cards, digital wallets, cash vouchers, and bank debits and redirects.
• Entrepreneurs can use Stripe Atlas to help them set up a US company, bank account and Stripe account.
• Merchants can access Stripe Reader, which is a hardware device designed to accept in-person payments so businesses can accept credit and debit cards.
• Recurring billing and usage-based billing can be controlled with Stripe Billing. This allows businesses to automate revenue management workflows.
• There is help available via migrate payment data should you need to transfer sensitive payment information to (or from) another payment processor or even between Stripe accounts.
• A vast array of information can be sourced from Stripe’s billing analytics dashboard, including information on growth, products, retention and subscribers.

Worldpay

Worldpay also offers a variety of features when it comes to making, taking and managing payments. Here are some examples:

• It accepts multiple payment methods in person and online. These include credit and debit cards, as well as digital wallets.
• The omnichannel experience is seamless and enables businesses to move away from time consuming manual processes and focus more on customer service.
• The online Worldpay Dashboard enables users to manage all aspects of their account, including business and payment activity.
• Worldpay offers a variety of reconciliation tools that eliminate the need to access multiple reports. Instead, activity and settlement reports, as well as transaction summaries and other data can be viewed on screen.
• Merchants can also benefit from ready-to-use eCommerce plugins, including Magento, OpenCart, Shopify and WooCommerce.
• The simplicity payment gateway allows merchants to take payments with Visa, MasterCard, Amex, Diners and Discover. There is card payment authentication using 3DS Flex and next business day settlement.
• Merchants can also access custom pricing packages if their business is at a stage when it’s seeing larger volume transactions.
• Countertop card machines for those businesses based in one location, as well as mobile card machines for footloose firms that are on the go.
• All-in-one business management and payment EPOS solution that it claims will cut through admin duties and streamline your operation.

Security

Few things are more important to customers and businesses than security, particularly given the rising levels of cyber crime.

According to data from Statista, the average cost of a data breach in the US was a staggering $9.36 million in 2024.

The global average cost per data breach came in at $4.88 million. These figures illustrate the financial devastation that can be caused.

With that in mind, how do the two companies compare in terms of the security provisions in place? Are they the same? Is Stripe safer than Worldpay or is Worldpay better than Stripe?

The good news is that both Stripe and Worldpay take security extremely seriously and have various measures in place to safeguard clients and their customers.

For example, Worldpay offers a SaferPayments Managed service, which involves a team that can guide businesses to meeting their PCI DSS compliance requirements.

It means merchants will get access to the following security measures:

• The SaferPayments team guides merchants through their PCI compliance reporting over the phone. 
• Scanning and reporting will be carried out on behalf of businesses, with contact made if anything is needed to maintain compliance.
• A suite of cybersecurity tools will be available to help protect devices.
• Card data scanning to ensure credit card numbers are not being held on your files, which is forbidden by the PCI DSS without proper encryption.
• A device security scan checks for common vulnerabilities caused by incorrect configuration. It also reports how well the device is configured in comparison to recommended settings.
• An endpoint firewall filters web traffic to (and from) your business to help block and alert you to anything suspicious.
• Out of the ordinary activity will be detected via behavioural analysis, while containment measures automatically isolates and analyses threats.

There is also FraudSight, a multilayered solution that combines data insights, technology and the expertise of experts who can predict if a transaction is high risk for fraud.

There are two offerings:

• Protect is designed for merchants that don’t have an in-house fraud operations team and would prefer to let Worldpay manage this strategy.
• Premier is for merchants that already have a fraud team in place and want to work with Worldpay on developing custom strategies that are specific to their business.

Stripe, meanwhile, embraces the usual authentication methods and also has a machine learning fraud system in place.

This is known as Stripe Radar, which detects and blocks fraud using tools that have been trained on data compiled from millions of global companies.

These are some of the key elements of the Stripe Radar proposition:

• Merchants can stop blocking legitimate customers which was always one of the risks involved with more traditional anti-fraud approaches.
• Protection adapts to businesses thanks to its machine learning infrastructure. The algorithms adapt to shifting fraud patterns and the unique nature of individual firms.
• The final benefit is no integration is required. The Radar elements are already built into the full Stripe platform from day one.
• It uses data from financial partners, such as Visa, as well as TC40s and SAFE reports from banks to identify fraudulent charges before they’re disputed.
• Stripe can also spot device fingerprints as multiple signals can be tied into a single device profile.
• The fraud-fighting tools it uses include robust insights on dispute rates, as well as lists of trusted or blocked users.

Worldpay vs Stripe fees

This is another crucial area as the charges involved must be taken into account by business owners with at least one eye on making a profit.

However, as there are numerous fees involved for the different services offered, this makes it hard to answer the question: is Worldpay cheaper than Stripe?

The best way to assess the entire Worldpay vs Stripe pricing issue is by highlighting how much each company charges for particular tasks.

Stripe charges

For example, Stripe offers a standard pricing category, as well as the opportunity to custom design a package for businesses with large payment volumes.

According to the most recent information, the standard package charges 1.5% plus 20p for standard UK cards and 2.5% and 20p for EU cards.

The custom pricing package, meanwhile, includes the following benefits:

• Volume discounts
• Multi-product discounts
• Country-specific rates

It’s always worth checking the Stripe pricing page for the latest rates.

Worldpay charges

Worldpay also has numerous options, depending on the service package chosen.

For example, its simplicity payment gateway enables businesses to take payments with Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Diners and Discover.

According to the website, there’s a 1.5% transaction fee applicable for Mastercard and Visa, as well as £19.95 per month online gateway fee.

Worldpay also offers custom pricing. There are various options available to merchants and the good news is there’s no joining fee involved.

Exploring these options would be advisable for any businesses that have more than a £75,000 per year card turnover.

Support

Another factor to consider when deciding whether Worldpay or Stripe will be the best fit for your organisation is the level of support on offer.

A payments provider can offer all the bells and whistles in the world in terms of exciting features, but will they be on hand if something goes wrong?

The good news is that both companies offer 24/7 support that should put everyone’s minds at rest.

Stripe has a comprehensive support section on its website, while Worldpay also offers detailed information on various topics.

Meanwhile, on Trustpilot, Worldpay has a relatively high rating of 4.4 stars based on 7,752 customer reviews (as of 14 October 2024).

Worldpay is commended for dealing with issues promptly by some clients, although others have complained about accounts being closed.

Stripe, on the other hand, has a lower rating of 2.2 stars, although it’s based on 14,728 customer reviews.

The most positive feedback praises Stripe for making processing payments easy, although some customers report poor customer service and paused payments.

Stripe or Worldpay for business

Here we compare Worldpay vs Stripe for small business owners.

• Stripe: Primarily designed for startups, small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs), and tech-savvy companies. Known for its flexibility and customisation, it is ideal for businesses that need to integrate payments into their own platforms via APIs. Popular among e-commerce companies, SaaS businesses, and tech startups. Offers a wide range of global payment methods.
• Worldpay: A more traditional payment processor, catering to businesses of all sizes but with a stronger focus on established businesses, including enterprises. Well-suited for bricks-and-mortar stores, with its focus on card terminals, as well as for online businesses. It offers countertop card machines for those based in one location, as well as mobile card machines for footloose firms that are on the go. Ideal for a firm that sells hot food and drinks at festivals and other events during the year.

Noda: Alternative to Worldpay and Stripe

Although we are specifically covering Worldpay vs Stripe in this article, they aren’t the only players in this business. Numerous fintech operators can potentially meet your needs.

Noda is a smart alternative to Stripe and Worldpay, offering a secure, efficient way for small and medium-sized businesses to manage payments smoothly.

• Power of Open Banking

Noda leverages Open Banking API technology to provide pay-by-bank or direct bank payments and payouts, allowing your customers to pay straight from their bank accounts. This creates a faster, smoother user experience with fewer steps, plus lower fees and no chargebacks.

• No-Code Payment Links

Noda makes setup easy with no-code payment links. You can create a fully functional payment page without needing any technical expertise. Simply generate the link and share it with customers — all without writing a single line of code.

• Easy Integration and Global Reach

Getting started with Noda is simple. We provide payment plugins for popular e-commerce platforms like WooCommerce, OpenCart, Magento, and PrestaShop. Noda partners with over 2,000 banks in 28 countries, ensuring you can scale your business globally while offering customers trusted, local payment options.

• Grow Your Business with Noda

Noda does more than just process payments — we help your business thrive. Our tools assist with customer verification, improve the user experience, and provide user insights that enable you to make informed business decisions. We are your partner in growth.