Stripe vs PayPal vs Square vs Wise: payment fees for freelancers in 2026

Your client says "Do you take PayPal?" and you say yes, because saying no feels like losing the job. Then $1,000 arrives as $964.61. Pick a different payment method and the same invoice can arrive as $995.

This guide compares Stripe vs PayPal, plus Square and Wise, from a freelancer's side: what each charges when a client pays your invoice, what you keep from $500, $1,000 and $5,000, and how to pay less. All rates are for US accounts and were checked on each company's own pricing pages in October 2026.

Key takeaways

• Card payments cost about 3% on every service: Stripe 2.9% + $0.30, PayPal 2.99% + $0.49 by card or 3.49% + $0.49 through a PayPal account, Square invoices 3.3% + 30¢ on the Free plan.

• Bank payments are far cheaper. Stripe's ACH is 0.8% capped at $5, PayPal's invoice ACH is 1% capped at $10, and receiving ACH into a Wise or regular bank account is free.

• International clients add 1.5% on Stripe, PayPal and Square, plus a conversion fee if the money changes currency: 1% on Stripe, a 3% spread on PayPal.

• Wise isn't a card processor. It's the cheap way to receive bank transfers in USD, EUR, GBP and other currencies, not a way to take card payments.

• Small extras add up: instant payouts (1.5% on Stripe and PayPal, 1.95% on Square) and dispute fees ($15 on Stripe, $15–$30 or a $20 chargeback fee on PayPal).

Stripe vs PayPal vs Square vs Wise: the fees side by side

Here's what each one charges a US freelancer when a US client pays.

A few things the table can't show:

• Stripe's invoicing tool costs extra. If you send invoices from Stripe's own Invoicing product, it adds 0.4% per paid invoice (0.5% on Invoicing Plus). An invoicing app that takes payment through a Stripe checkout link instead, as Onigiri does, doesn't trigger it.

• PayPal's fee depends on how the client pays. The same PayPal invoice costs 3.49% + $0.49 if the client pays from their PayPal or Venmo account and 2.99% + $0.49 if they pay with a card.

• Refunds don't give fees back. Stripe, PayPal and Square all keep the original processing fee when you refund a payment.

What you actually keep from a client payment

Percentages are hard to compare in your head, so here are real invoice amounts. A US client pays a US freelancer:

On a $5,000 project, letting the client pay from their PayPal account instead of by bank costs you $170 more than Stripe's ACH. Over a year of invoices that's real money.

Want your own numbers? Our free Stripe fee calculator and PayPal fee calculator work out the fee for any amount, and both can tell you what to invoice so you receive an exact sum.

Stripe fees for freelancers

Stripe charges 2.9% + $0.30 for each successful payment with a US card. There's no monthly fee and no setup fee. On top of that:

• International cards: +1.5%.

• Currency conversion: +1% when the payment has to be converted.

• Cards typed in by you in the Stripe Dashboard: +0.5%.

• ACH Direct Debit: 0.8%, capped at $5. For large invoices this is the cheapest way to take a bank payment through a link.

• Instant Payouts: 1.5% of the amount (minimum $0.50). Standard payouts are free; your first payout usually takes 7 to 14 days while Stripe reviews the account.

• Disputes: $15 when a client disputes a payment, and another $15 if you contest it. The second $15 comes back if you win; the first doesn't.

Stripe works best when your invoices come with a payment link: the client clicks, pays by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay, and the money goes to your own Stripe account.

PayPal fees: Goods and Services vs Friends and Family

For a US business account, PayPal charges:

• 3.49% + $0.49 when the client pays through PayPal Checkout, a PayPal invoice or Venmo from their account.

• 2.99% + $0.49 when the client pays your invoice with a credit or debit card, Apple Pay or another wallet.

• 2.99% for a Goods and Services payment sent straight to you (no fixed fee in that row).

• 1%, capped at $10, when the client pays a PayPal invoice by bank (ACH).

• +1.5% when the client is in another country, and a 3% spread built into the exchange rate when PayPal converts a payment you received. The 4% spread applies to other cases, like a buyer paying in a currency different from your listed price.

• Instant transfer to your bank: 1.5%, minimum $0.50. A standard transfer is free and typically takes 1 to 3 business days.

• Chargebacks: $20 for a card chargeback, and a $15 dispute fee on other disputes ($30 if your dispute rate is high). PayPal doesn't charge the dispute fee when the case is decided in your favor.

What about Friends and Family? It's free when someone pays from a PayPal balance or bank, which is why clients sometimes suggest it. Don't take client payments that way. PayPal's user agreement says you must not send money as a personal transaction when paying for goods or services, personal payments aren't covered by Purchase Protection, and US business accounts can't receive Friends and Family payments from US senders at all. Use Goods and Services or a PayPal invoice and include the fee in your price.

PayPal's strength is familiarity: many clients already have an account and can pay in two clicks. Its weakness for freelancers is cost, especially the fixed $0.49 and the 3.49% rate when a client pays from their PayPal balance.

Square vs Stripe for freelance invoices

Square is built around in-person selling, which is why "square vs stripe" comparisons talk about card readers. For invoices, the numbers are:

• Card payments on an invoice: 3.3% + 30¢ on the Free plan, 2.9% + 30¢ on Plus ($49 a month per location) and Premium ($149).

• Cards on file or typed in: 3.5% + 15¢.

• ACH on an invoice: 1% with a $1 minimum. Plus and Premium cap it at $10; the Free plan lists no cap, so a $5,000 ACH payment costs $50.

• International cards: +1.5%.

• Transfers: free to your bank the next business day; instant or same-day transfers cost 1.95%.

• Disputes: Square doesn't charge a dispute fee, though you lose the payment and its processing fee if the client wins.

On the Free plan, Square card invoices cost more than Stripe (3.3% vs 2.9%). Square makes sense if you also take payments in person, at a market, a studio or a client's home, and want one account for both.

Wise vs PayPal for international clients

Wise and PayPal solve different problems. PayPal lets a client abroad pay you by card or PayPal balance. Wise gives you bank details abroad, so a client in the UK can pay you in GBP to a UK account, and a client in Europe in EUR.

For a US freelancer with an international client:

• PayPal: the domestic rate plus 1.5%, then a 3% spread if PayPal converts the money to dollars. On a $1,000 payment that's $50.39 in fees before conversion, and around $80 once the spread is counted.

• Stripe: 2.9% + $0.30, plus 1.5% for the foreign card and 1% for conversion: $54.30 on $1,000.

• Wise: receiving a local, non-wire payment is free. You pay a conversion fee that depends on the currency pair (Wise's US business pricing starts at 0.23%) when you convert. An incoming USD wire costs $6.11. A Wise Business account has a one-time $31 setup fee.

The catch with Wise: the client has to make a bank transfer, and Wise's card acceptance isn't open to new US business customers. For clients who insist on paying by card, you still need Stripe, PayPal or Square. More on billing clients abroad in how to invoice international clients.

How to pay less in payment fees

1. Offer bank payment for big invoices. On $5,000, a card costs about $145 on Stripe and ACH costs $5. Many business clients prefer paying by bank anyway.

2. Keep cards for smaller invoices. A card link gets you paid faster, and on a $500 invoice the difference against ACH is about $11.

3. Ask clients to pay from a card, not a PayPal balance, if you use PayPal: 2.99% instead of 3.49% on the same invoice.

4. Invoice in the currency you'll be paid in, and let international clients pay a local bank account through Wise when they can.

5. Skip instant payouts unless you really need the money today. 1.5% on every payout adds up.

6. Build fees into your rate rather than surprising clients with a surcharge. If you do add a card surcharge in the US, it must be disclosed up front, it's capped by card network rules and some state laws, and it isn't allowed on debit cards.

7. Watch for platform fees on top. Some invoicing tools add their own percentage on every payment. Check before you sign up.

8. Avoid disputes with clear invoices. A detailed invoice with dates, deliverables and terms is your best defense against a chargeback. Our guide to invoicing as a freelancer covers what to include, and a late fee clause helps on the other side of the problem.

Which one should you use?

• Most US clients, invoices under a few thousand dollars: card payments through Stripe. It's the cheapest card rate here and clients don't need an account.

• Large invoices from business clients: ACH, through Stripe (max $5) or a direct bank transfer (free).

• Clients who live in PayPal: a PayPal invoice, and ask them to pay by card. Price the fee in.

• You also sell in person: Square, on Plus if your invoice volume makes the lower rate worth $49 a month.

• Clients abroad who can pay by bank: Wise.

Many freelancers end up with two: Stripe for card payments and a bank account (or Wise) for transfers. For more on choosing, see our guide to how to get paid as a freelancer.

Where Onigiri fits

Onigiri is an invoicing app for freelancers. You create an invoice, send it by email or link, and your client can pay by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay through the link. Payments go through your own Stripe account: you pay Stripe's standard fee (2.9% + $0.30 for a US card), Onigiri adds 0% on top, and Onigiri never holds your funds. The invoice is marked paid automatically when the payment goes through.

Onigiri doesn't connect to PayPal. If a client wants to pay by PayPal or bank transfer, add those details to the invoice notes and mark the invoice paid yourself when the money arrives.

Need a one-off invoice right now? The free invoice generator makes a PDF in a couple of minutes, no signup.