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The Stripe alternative
The Stripe alternative that costs less on every charge.
0.3% and 5¢ below Stripe on standard card payments. A payments API built the way developers expect, published pricing from 2.6% + 25¢, no extra percentage for subscriptions, and your saved cards moved over for free.
Pay less today: get a quote built around your volume and see what you'd save.
Free card migrationNo subscription feeNo monthly platform fee
Stripe charges 2.9% + 30¢2.6% + 25¢falling to 2.5% + 15¢ with volume
PUBLISHED, NOT NEGOTIATED•••• 0260
All major card networks
PCI compliantCard data is tokenized end to end.
Proven at scaleBuilt on infrastructure processing millions of transactions a year.
STRIPE ALTERNATIVES COMPARED
What the same payment costs elsewhere.
Published list prices for a domestic online card payment. Paydude's rate falls further as monthly volume grows.
| Provider | Card rate | Fee on a $100 sale | Subscriptions | Dispute fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paydude | 2.6% + 25¢ | $2.85 | Included, +0% | $12 |
| Stripe | 2.9% + 30¢ | $3.20 | Stripe Billing, +0.7% | $15 |
| Braintree | 2.59% + 49¢ | $3.08 | Included | $15 |
| Square | 2.9% + 30¢ | $3.20 | Included | None |
| PayPal | 3.49% + 49¢ | $3.98 | Included | $15–$30 |
WHAT YOU GET
Why teams switch from Stripe to Paydude.
The integration feels familiar on purpose. What changes is the bill — and who picks up when you need help.
Lower on both halves of the fee. 2.6% + 25¢ against Stripe's 2.9% + 30¢, so you save on large tickets and small ones. The rate improves automatically as monthly volume grows, and a tier once reached is locked for six months. Premium, corporate and Amex cards add 0.3%, which still leaves them 5¢ under Stripe.
Subscriptions without a second bill. Stripe Billing is priced on top of processing. Paydude's recurring billing, invoices and dunning are part of payments at +0%, which on recurring revenue is a bigger saving than the headline rate.
Your customers' cards come with you. Stripe exports saved cards to a PCI Level 1 processor on request. We take the import at no cost, so customers never re-enter a card and renewals keep running.
An API that feels like home. Customers, payment methods, payment intents, refunds and signed webhooks — the same resources you already model, with typed SDKs, an open sandbox and an MCP server your coding agent can use.
Cheaper disputes, too. Chargebacks, retrievals and reversals are $12 each, against $15 per dispute on Stripe. Cards are tokenized in the browser, and 3-D Secure steps in when risk calls for it.
People you can actually reach. A small team that will get on a call, help plan the migration and answer the email. Not a ticket queue and a help-centre article.
HOW SWITCHING WORKS
Off Stripe in five steps.
Most of the work is waiting on Stripe's export. The code is days, and you can run both processors side by side until you're sure.
Build in sandbox
Swap the payment calls behind your existing checkout.
Request the export
Ask Stripe to send your saved cards to us; we supply the AOC and key.
Import, free
We load the cards, usually within 3–5 business days of receiving them.
Run in parallel, then cut over
Send new customers through Paydude first, move renewals once the import is mapped, then turn Stripe off.
RUN YOUR NUMBERS
See exactly what Stripe is costing you.
Put in your monthly volume and average ticket and the calculator prices both processors at their published rates, tier included. If the gap is small, stay where you are — we'd rather you knew.
BEFORE YOU DECIDE
Compare it properly.
Paydude isn't the right Stripe alternative for everyone. These guides say who it suits and who it doesn't.
The best Stripe alternatives. Nine providers compared honestly, including the cases where each one beats us.
Which Stripe alternatives actually cost less. Fees worked out at real ticket sizes, because the cheapest headline rate often isn't.
Stripe alternatives for SaaS. What Stripe Billing really adds to a subscription business, and the three ways out.
How to switch from Stripe. The migration step by step: exporting cards, rebuilding subscriptions, and the parallel run.
GOOD QUESTIONS
Switching from Stripe, explained plainly.
What is the best alternative to Stripe?+
It depends on why you are leaving. For a developer-first API at a lower published rate, Paydude charges 2.6% + 25¢ against Stripe's 2.9% + 30¢. For global tax handled for you, a merchant of record like Paddle fits better. For mostly in-person sales, Square. Our guide to the best Stripe alternatives compares each honestly.
Is Paydude cheaper than Stripe?+
On published domestic card rates, yes: 0.3% and 5¢ less per standard card payment, more as volume crosses a tier. Premium rewards, corporate, business and Amex cards add 0.3%, which brings their percentage level with Stripe's but keeps the 5¢ saving. Recurring billing carries no extra percentage, where Stripe Billing adds its own fee on top of processing. Dispute fees are $12 against Stripe's $15.
Can I move my saved cards from Stripe without customers re-entering them?+
Yes. Stripe will export card data to a PCI DSS Level 1 processor on request. You ask Stripe for the export, we supply our Attestation of Compliance and encryption key, and we import the cards at no cost, usually within 3–5 business days of receiving the file.
What doesn't come across in a Stripe migration?+
Card numbers, expiry dates, customer emails and metadata come across. Payment history, subscription schedules and CVVs do not — subscriptions are recreated on Paydude against the imported cards, which is the part we plan with you.
How long does switching from Stripe take?+
The integration itself is usually days. Stripe's export queue is the long pole and can take several weeks, so request it early and build in sandbox while you wait.
When should I stay on Stripe?+
If you depend on Stripe Issuing, Terminal, Atlas or an integration that only exists for Stripe, or if your volume is large enough that Stripe has negotiated you a rate below its list price. Compare your real effective rate before switching.
SCHEDULE A CALL
Keep the API. Lose the markup.
Get a quote built around your volume and a migration plan for your saved cards, with the sandbox open from day one.
Schedule a call