# Stripe Fees Explained: the Real Cost in 2026

> Stripe charges 2.9% + 30¢ in the US, plus 1.5% on international cards, 0.7% for Billing and 0.5% per sale or from $90 a month for Tax. The full cost, with an example.

Source: https://agentaos.ai/answers/stripe-fees (canonical HTML page). Publisher: AgentaOS (Aristokrates OÜ, Estonia).

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Fees compared

# How much does Stripe charge? Stripe fees explained

**The problem**“Stripe says 2.9% + 30 cents. Why is my real cost so much higher?”

**Stripe charges 1.5% + €0.25 per European card payment in the EU, and 2.9% + \$0.30 per card payment in the US, with no monthly fee.** That is only the start. In the US, international cards add 1.5%, currency conversion adds 1%, subscriptions through Stripe Billing add 0.7%, Stripe Tax costs 0.5% per sale (Basic) or from \$90 a month (Complete), and each dispute costs \$15. You also stay the seller, so registering and filing VAT and sales tax abroad is yours. All-in, a first year selling €2,000 a month costs about €3,066 with Stripe on a company you already have, or €5,957 if you open a US company for it, against about €2,010 with AgentaOS.

Reviewed by [Panche Isajeski](https://agentaos.ai/about), founder of AgentaOS, 19+ years in payments, [featured on Indie Hackers](https://www.indiehackers.com/post/tech/starting-from-scratch-and-hitting-9-5k-mrr-in-two-months-j5pMaED5FEbKw8qmeyj9). Checked 20 October 2026. General information, not financial, tax or legal advice.

[Stripe fee calculator: your fee per sale and per month](https://agentaos.ai/tools/stripe-fee-calculator) · [Compare what you keep](https://agentaos.ai/compare)

[Check your country](https://agentaos.ai/countries)[Get started free](https://app.agentaos.ai/?src=answer-stripe-fees)

The fees

## What are *all* of Stripe’s fees?

### How much does Stripe take from one sale?

At the standard card rate, before Billing, Tax or currency conversion:

| Sale | Stripe EU (EEA card) | Stripe US (US card) |
|---|---|---|
| €10 / $10 | €0.40 | $0.59 |
| €50 / $50 | €1.00 | $1.75 |
| €100 / $100 | €1.75 | $3.20 |

A card from outside Europe costs 3.15% + €0.25 in the EU (€3.40 on €100); in the US an international card adds 1.5% ($4.70 on $100).

| Fee | Stripe US | Stripe EU (Ireland) |
|----|----|----|
| Standard card | 2.9% + \$0.30 | 1.5% + €0.25 (EEA cards) |
| International cards | +1.5% | 3.15% + €0.25 |
| Currency conversion | +1% | +2% |
| Subscriptions (Billing) | 0.7% of volume | 0.7% of volume |
| Tax calculation (Tax Complete) | From \$90 a month | From €80 a month |
| Dispute | \$15, +\$15 to respond | €20, +€20 to counter |
| Monthly fee | \$0 | €0 |

Sources: [Stripe US pricing](https://stripe.com/pricing), [Stripe Ireland pricing](https://stripe.com/ie/pricing), checked 7 October 2026.

> “\$15.00 for each dispute you receive”
>
> Source: [Stripe pricing](https://stripe.com/pricing)

All-in, first year

## What does Stripe cost once you add *everything*?

| First year, all-in | AgentaOS | Stripe, existing company | Stripe + new US company | Stripe + new EU company |
|----|----|----|----|----|
| Card and payout fees | €1,725 | €678 | €1,110 | €678 |
| Subscription billing | Included | €168 | €168 | €168 |
| Tax registration and filing abroad | Included | €960 | €1,080 | €960 |
| Company and accountant | Not needed | Already have one | €1,799 | €2,443 |
| Your time | 9.5h · €285 | 42h · €1,260 | 60h · €1,800 | 68h · €2,040 |
| **Total first year** | **€2,010** | **€3,066** | **€5,957** | **€6,289** |

First year, selling €2,000 a month (€50 average, half the buyers abroad, subscriptions). Your time (setup, invoicing, tax and bookkeeping each month) valued at €30 an hour. Sources: each provider’s pricing page; company and accountant costs from Stripe Atlas, the State of Delaware, e-resident.gov.ee and enty.io, as on [our cost calculator](https://agentaos.ai/compare). Existing company: no setup costs; time covers setting up Stripe, Billing and Tax and about 3 hours a month of reconciling payouts, invoices, disputes and tax returns (our estimate).

**All-in, the first year costs about €2,010 with AgentaOS. With Stripe it is about €3,066 if you already have a company, and €5,957 to €6,289 if you open one abroad.** Stripe’s card fees are lower; tax filing abroad, subscription billing, the company and accountant, and the hours you spend running payments every month are what make the difference.

**Honestly:** for a company already set up in the US or EU, selling mostly at home and without subscriptions, Stripe is the cheapest way to take cards. The gap above comes from selling abroad: tax filing in other countries, subscription billing and the hours of running it yourself.

Before you choose

## What do people *miss*?

- **Comparing only the card fee**Billing, Tax, international cards and conversion can double the headline rate on cross-border subscriptions.
- **Forgetting the filings**Stripe Tax calculates tax, but you are the seller: registrations and returns abroad stay with you.
- **Assuming you can open an account**Stripe does not open accounts in 37 of the 85 countries we checked. [What to do instead](https://agentaos.ai/answers/stripe-not-available-in-my-country).

Where AgentaOS fits

## Where does *AgentaOS* fit?

If Stripe works for you and you sell at home, use it. If you sell worldwide, sell services, or Stripe isn’t available where you live, [see what you’d receive](https://agentaos.ai/tools/payout-calculator) with AgentaOS.

Change how you sell. Grow revenue 4×.

Answer 3 questions and get a free audit of your price and checkout, from the founder. Free, in 2 working days.

[Get my free audit →](https://agentaos.ai/apply?src=seo-answers-stripe-fees)

Questions

## Related *questions*

### How much does Stripe charge per transaction?

In the EU, Stripe charges 1.5% + €0.25 per card payment with a European card, and 3.15% + €0.25 with a card from outside Europe. In the US, it charges 2.9% + \$0.30 per card payment, plus 1.5% for international cards and 1% when currency is converted. There is no monthly fee. Subscriptions through Stripe Billing add 0.7%, and each dispute costs €20 in the EU or \$15 in the US. Sources: [Stripe pricing (Ireland)](https://stripe.com/ie/pricing), [Stripe pricing (US)](https://stripe.com/pricing), checked 20 October 2026.

### Does Stripe charge a monthly fee?

Not for standard payments; Billing and Tax have their own fees.

### Is Stripe a Merchant of Record?

Not when used directly: you are the seller. Its Managed Payments product is open only in 35 locations.

Keep reading

## Related

[Stripe isn’t available in my country. How do I get paid?](https://agentaos.ai/answers/stripe-not-available-in-my-country)[What does Creem charge? Creem fees explained](https://agentaos.ai/answers/creem-fees)[What does Paddle charge? Paddle fees explained](https://agentaos.ai/answers/paddle-fees)

Sources: [Stripe US pricing](https://stripe.com/pricing) · [Stripe Ireland pricing](https://stripe.com/ie/pricing) · [Stripe supported countries](https://stripe.com/global)

## Merchant of Record directory

Every provider’s fees, read on its own price page. Pick one, or see them all in one table.

- [All side by side](https://agentaos.ai/merchant-of-record-fees)
- [Supported countries](https://agentaos.ai/answers/which-merchant-of-record-pays-out-to-my-country)
- [Paddle 5% + \$0.50](https://agentaos.ai/answers/paddle-fees)
- [Lemon Squeezy 5% + \$0.50](https://agentaos.ai/answers/lemon-squeezy-fees)
- [Polar from 5% + \$0.50](https://agentaos.ai/answers/polar-fees)
- [Dodo Payments 4% + \$0.40](https://agentaos.ai/answers/dodo-payments-fees)
- [Creem 3.9% + \$0.40](https://agentaos.ai/answers/creem-fees)
- [Gumroad 10% + \$0.50](https://agentaos.ai/answers/gumroad-fees)
- [Whop from 2.7% + \$0.30](https://agentaos.ai/answers/whop-fees)
- [Stripe 2.9% + \$0.30, not a MoR](https://agentaos.ai/answers/stripe-fees)