PayPal
PayPal · Finance & Accounting
The consumer + business payments network with 400M+ active accounts globally. Positioned as the trusted-name alternative to Stripe for merchants selling to buyers who want the PayPal 'Buy Now' checkout familiarity. Distinctive for its 20+ year buyer/seller protection reputation and cross-border reach (200+ markets, 100+ currencies). Priced as pure transaction fees (no monthly subscription for Standard/Checkout); PayPal Advanced at $30/mo unlocks virtual terminal + customization. Owns Braintree (developer-focused payments) and Venmo (consumer P2P) — sold as separate products. Publicly traded (NASDAQ: PYPL). Global market share behind Stripe on developer-first SaaS but ahead in mainstream e-commerce brand recognition.
In other words, PayPal is worth it for e-commerce sellers whose buyers explicitly prefer or trust the PayPal checkout brand — particularly for cross-border consumer sales where buyer protection matters. PayPal Standard is free to set up (3.49% + $0.49 US cards); Checkout offers slightly cheaper rates (2.99% + fixed fee) with buyer-approved checkout button; Advanced ($30/mo) adds virtual terminal for phone/mail orders. Extremely easy setup. Native integrations with Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, QuickBooks, and every major e-commerce platform. Downside: higher fees than Stripe on typical online-card volume (2.99% + fixed vs Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30), and merchant accounts can be frozen for unusual activity with slow appeals process.
Pricing summary
No monthly fees
Pay as you go
Varies by usage
Added 2026-08-12 as G2 top-55 brand-gap batch (rank #31). Entry Price Monthly = $0 (Standard tier has no subscription; fees per-transaction). Usage Pricing field captures per-transaction fee structure. Advanced tier ($30/mo) unlocks virtual terminal + advanced checkout. PayPal owns Braintree (developer platform, tracked separately if added) and Venmo (consumer P2P). Publicly traded NASDAQ: PYPL. Complex fee structure with 20+ variants across products — tracked here at simplified Standard/Checkout/Advanced level. Chargeback fee $20, Cross-border +1.5%, currency conversion +3-4%.
No separate trial
Developer-first payments infrastructure? Pick Stripe (or Braintree — PayPal-owned). B2B invoicing with fee-based? Wise (formerly TransferWise) or Airwallex. E-commerce physical goods checkout? Shopify Payments (built-in). Digital products only + MoR? Paddle or Lemon Squeezy.
All plans
| Plan | Monthly | Annual | Key limit |
|---|---|---|---|
PayPal Standard | Free | Free | 3.49% + $0.49 per transaction (US card payments), no monthly fee, includes Buyer Protection |
PayPal Checkout | Free | Free | 2.99% + fixed fee per transaction (US, standard checkout), no monthly fee |
PayPal Advanced (Pro)Entry tier | $30 | $30 | $30/mo subscription; 2.89% + fixed fee on cards, adds virtual terminal + advanced checkout customization |
All tier prices verified August 12, 2026 · View source →
Price history
Price tracking is just getting started for PayPal. Full history will build as we log changes. See what we have so far →
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