What is Stripe? (Complete Guide + 2025 Reviews)

Stripe Is a platform of Online payment designed for businesses of all sizes, from start-ups to the largest global groups. It is aimed at anyone who wants to accept payments and manage their internet activity in a simple and secure way. Stripe's promise is clear: to simplify the complexity of online commerce by providing a robust payment infrastructure that is easy to integrate. In 2025, Stripe is becoming an essential solution for developers and entrepreneurs thanks to its flexibility and its comprehensive ecosystem of tools.

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What is Stripe for? (Use case)

Stripe is mainly used to process credit card transactions and other payment methods directly on your website or application. The tool handles the entire process, from collecting payment information to securing data to transferring funds to your bank account. The benefits for users are numerous: an increase in the conversion rate thanks to a smooth payment experience, a Simplified Billing and Subscription Management, and international expansion facilitated by the support of multiple currencies and local payment methods.

For a E-commerce site, Stripe allows you to integrate a payment form directly on the order validation page. For a Software in SaaS mode, it automates the management of monthly or annual subscriptions. For a marketplace, its Stripe Connect solution makes it possible to manage complex payments between buyers and sellers.

Stripe's Key Features

• Stripe Payments: It is the heart of the system. It allows you to accept a wide range of payment methods, including credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express), e-wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay), and dozens of local payment methods like SEPA transfers. The benefit is maximum customer reach.
• Stripe Billing: This feature automates the management of recurring revenue. You can create and manage subscriptions, custom invoices, and complex pricing plans effortlessly, saving you valuable time.
• Stripe Connect: It is the payment solution for platforms and marketplaces. It manages the distribution of payments between several sellers, the verification of their identity and the transfers to their accounts, ensuring complete regulatory compliance.
• Stripe Radar: An advanced anti-fraud tool based on machine learning. It analyzes each transaction to detect and block fraudulent payments, thereby protecting your earnings and reducing disputes.
• Stripe Terminal: For businesses that also have a physical presence, Terminal makes it possible to unify online and offline payments with pre-certified card readers, offering a consistent customer experience.

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Advantages and limitations of Stripe

✅ Benefits

• Very high quality API documentation, highly appreciated by developers for its clarity and ease of integration.
• A very complete ecosystem that goes well beyond simple payment (billing, fraud management, subscriptions, etc.).
• A clear and intuitive user interface (Dashboard) to track transactions and analyze data.
• Great flexibility to adapt to numerous business models, from simple e-commerce to complex marketplaces.

❌ Limits

• Transaction fees, while transparent, can become important for businesses with very high volumes or low margins.
• Customer support is sometimes criticized for its response times, especially for non-urgent requests.

How much does Stripe cost? (Prices 2025)

Stripe offers transparent and scalable pricing, mainly based on a percentage per transaction. There are no setup fees or hidden monthly fees for the standard plan.

• Integrated Plan (Standard): This plan is based on a pay-as-you-go model. For European cards (Standard), the cost is 1.5% + €0.25 per successful transaction. For British cards, the fee is 1.2% + £0.20 and for international cards it is 3.25% + €0.25. This plan includes access to most basic features, such as the dashboard, reporting, and email, phone, and chat support.
• Personalized plan: For companies dealing with a large volume of transactions or with specific needs (discounted rates, complex integrations, dedicated assistance), Stripe offers rates on quotes. This plan is designed to adapt to complex business models and offer tailor-made support.

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Our opinion on Stripe (Test & Recommendations)

After having tested it on several projects, our opinion on Stripe is extremely positive. The tool delivers on its promise to simplify online payments. The ease of integration, thanks to exemplary documentation, is a major asset. The dashboard is a model of clarity, allowing financial activity to be monitored in real time and relevant reports to be generated.

The main strength remains its complete ecosystem, which makes it possible to centralize fraud management, recurring billing and even the creation of a business. The only notable limitation is the cost for very small, low-margin structures, where every percentage counts. We definitely recommend Stripe to businesses of all sizes that value technology, flexibility and a polished user experience, from tech start-ups to large e-commerce sites.

Final grade: 4.8/5

Alternatives to Stripe

• PayPal: A very well known alternative, often appreciated for its ease of initial integration and the trust that its brand inspires among consumers.
• Adyen: A solution more oriented to large companies and international businesses, offering a unified payment platform for online, mobile and point of sale.
• GoCardless: Specializing in recurring direct debit payments, it's a great alternative for subscription-based businesses looking to reduce card fees.

Integrations available with Stripe

One of Stripe's biggest strengths is its ability to integrate with hundreds of third-party tools. Whether you are using a CMS like WordPress (with WooCommerce), an e-commerce platform like Shopify Or a CRM like Salesforce, there is a native integration or via a connector. Stripe also has a robust API for custom developments and integrates perfectly with Automation tools Suchlike Make And Zapier, allowing you to connect your payment flows to all of your business applications.

How do I get started with Stripe? (Quick guide)

1. Create your account: Go to the official Stripe website and sign up in a few minutes.
2. Activate your account: Provide your business information (legal status, address, bank details) so Stripe can verify your identity and activate transfers.
3. Get your API keys: In the dashboard, go to the “Developers” section to find your API keys (a public key and a secret key) that will be used to connect Stripe to your site.
4. Integrate payment: Use a plugin for your CMS (ex: WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway) or follow the documentation to integrate the payment module directly into your code.
5. Switch to “Live” mode: After testing with the test cards provided, switch your account from “Test” to “Live” mode to start accepting real payments.

Need Help Integrating Stripe in your project and adapt it perfectly to your workflows? The TurnK team is specialized inIntegration of SaaS solutions. Contact us to discuss your project.