# Paydude vs PayPal: Fee Calculator

URL: https://www.paydude.io/resources/tools/paydude-vs-paypal-fee-calculator
Type: Free interactive calculator
Summary: Compare PayPal's published card rate against Paydude tier pricing at your own volume and average transaction size.

Both sliders matter. Volume decides which Paydude tier applies; average transaction size decides how much the fixed per-transaction fee costs you, which is where PayPal and Paydude differ most on small tickets.

## How PayPal prices card payments

PayPal's standard online checkout rate is 3.49% plus a fixed fee of 49¢ for domestic transactions — the highest headline rate of the major providers, and notably higher on small tickets because of the larger fixed fee.

**Published standard rates for domestic cards**

| Processor | Card rate | Fixed fee |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PayPal | 3.49% | 49¢ |
| Paydude (Starter) | 2.6% | 25¢ |
| Paydude (Growing) | 2.55% | 20¢ |
| Paydude (Scale) | 2.5% | 15¢ |

> **Check the current rate card:** Published rates change, and PayPal may quote you something different from its list price. Treat this as a like-for-like comparison of advertised rates, not a quote.

## What the calculator does not model

- International and premium-card surcharges, which both providers apply situationally
- Chargeback and dispute fees, which depend on your dispute rate
- Negotiated or interchange-plus pricing, which is not publicly listed

If you want your real number rather than a list-price comparison, run last month's statement through the [effective rate calculator](https://www.paydude.io/resources/tools/effective-rate-calculator).

**See the full Paydude rate card** Every tier and every situational fee, published up front. — [View pricing](https://www.paydude.io/pricing)

## Frequently asked questions

### Is Paydude always cheaper than PayPal?

On published standard rates for domestic cards, Paydude's percentage and fixed fee are both lower at every tier. If you have negotiated custom pricing with PayPal, compare against that instead — run a real statement through the effective rate calculator.

### Where do these rates come from?

Both sides are the publicly published standard rates for domestic card payments. Neither figure is a negotiated or promotional rate.

### Why does average transaction size change the answer so much?

Because the fixed per-transaction fee is a flat amount regardless of the sale. On a $10 sale a 30¢ fee is another 3%; on a $200 sale it is 0.15%. The smaller your average ticket, the more the fixed fee dominates.