A Developer-Friendly Credit Card Processor
Founded in 2010, Stripe is a web application that allows merchants like retail businesses and online stores to accept credit card payments online instead of typical pos systems. The service primarily markets itself towards web developers seeking robust online payment acceptance tools and APIs, and its capabilities include payment methods like recurring billing, accepting Bitcoin, and facilitating payments on marketplace-style platforms. Stripe is similar to Braintree Payment Solutions in that it does not charge any setup fees, monthly fees, or monthly minimum fees for payment processing.
Stripe is what is classified as a “third-party” payment processor, aka a non-banking processor or an “aggregator,” within the payment industry. From the business owner perspective, this simply means that Stripe will typically have a higher transaction fee than more traditional credit card processing companies like Helcim, and may have stricter fraud prevention protocols that could cause a legitimate business’ funds to be held back due to an overly sensitive trigger on card payments. Unlike Paypal, business owners must maintain a separate checking account to receive the funds from their transactions. It is noteworthy that Stripe has also been designated the preferred payment gateway for online companies like Amazon and Shopify due to its robust security features and wide array of developer-friendly tools and plugins.
When looking at online Stripe reviews, it’s apparent Stripe is very much a software company at heart. The product is a fairly straightforward card processor that is easy to use, integrates well with other platforms including online ones, and lacks the usual contractual terms and conditions associated with most payment providers. In that same approach, it also has some fees and stipulations that you might not see with standard debit and credit card processors. Stripe’s ease of use and flexibility lends well to a wide variety of businesses, especially those who rely heavily on e-commerce platforms. For traditional businesses in retail, hospitality, and other high transaction volume services, Stripe’s nuances might become a source of frustration and unnecessary cost. Read more about these issues in our Complaints and Service section below.
Is Stripe Holding Your Funds Right Now?
Thousands of merchants’ accounts have had their payments frozen by Stripe. If you’re one of them and finding your money frozen by stripe, then you might find these resources helpful:
- How to Make Your Payment Processor Release Your Money
- How to Fight Chargebacks
- Best Merchant Accounts for Hard-To-Place Business Types
Stripe Online Payment Processing Options
Currently with Stripe, business owners can accept all major debit and credit cards online including Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and even Discover and Diners Club.
Stripe also allows online payments outside of the major card options through various digital or mobile wallets like Apple Pay, Google Pay, Microsoft Pay, and Click to Pay. Stripe also enables businesses to accept ACH credit and debit transfers as well as wire transfers.
Stripe Software Integrations
It would seem Stripe has spent considerable effort to make integrations and account setup as seamless as possible. Stripe’s built-in integrations are one of the big selling points for this online credit card payment service. Out of the box you can link your Stripe payments with major online ecommerce platforms like BigCommerce, OpenCart, MailChip, and SquareSpace. The payment service can also easily integrate with subscription and recurring billing platforms like GivingTools, Partial.ly, and others or it can utilize an internal sales management system known as Stripe Billing. If you are tied to accounting services like Netsuite or Quickbooks, Stripe can also easily connect to those platforms and has access to technical support through chat online to help.
Stripe E-Commerce Features
Currently, Stripe shows over 150 different e-commerce platform integrations on its website. Beyond the extensive integration list, the company has created several additional e-commerce features designed to further accent the online credit card payment service. Stripe Billing is a simple and easy-to-use subscription manager designed for businesses that need recurring billing services. Fraud protection is provided by Stripe’s Radar service.
Stripe Radar utilizes machine learning to automatically detect and prevent fraudulent transactions before they are settled, also while locking out fewer real customers. Radar has access to data partnerships with all the major credit card companies, providing a ton of data points for its machine learning systems. Combined with Stripe’s multi-layer security features it’s no surprise Stripe is considered to be one of the most secure payment platforms as well as being a Level 1 PCI Service Provider.
One of Stripe’s unique e-commerce features is Adaptive Acceptance. Again, we see the software-savvy company utilizing machine learning to dynamically retry declined transactions before even returning a decline code to the merchant. Ideally, if the funds are available, Stripe’s Adaptive Acceptance is more likely to successfully transmit the card payment through another payment lane.
This feature carries over to Stripe Billing as well. Before merchants are required to manually re-enter and retry recurring billing subscriptions Stripe will automatically check for card activity, changes or updates, and if the payment method is being used successfully. Stripe then uses that information to best approach another charge attempt at a more ideal time. Overall Stripe appears to be aiming to provide its customers higher invoice payment rates, and heavily leverages its machine learning products and access to vast amounts of financial data to automate that process.
Headquartered in California
Interestingly, Stripe has also received investment capital from the founders of another competitor, PayPal. Stripe was founded by brothers John and Patrick Collison, and Patrick currently serves as the company’s CEO. Stripe’s headquarters can be found at 510 Townsend St, San Francisco, CA 94103.
Stripe Review Video Summary
Stripe Review Table of Contents
- Costs & Contract: Offers a month-to-month contract with no early termination fees. The company charges a flat transaction fee and provides the option for…
- Complaints & Service: Has received more than 300 public complaints regarding…
- BBB Rating: The company has been accredited by the Better Business Bureau since 2013. Currently has an “A+” rating but has 460 complaints and 112 reviews in regards to its…
- Sales & Marketing: Does not hire independent sales representatives but has received only a few merchant complaints about its…


