Stripe Pricing Tiers — Which Plan Is Right for You?
Stripe's default pricing is 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction, but high-volume businesses can negotiate lower rates. Here's what each tier looks like and when upgrading makes financial sense.
Standard vs Plus vs Custom rates
| Plan | Rate | Monthly fee | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | 2.9% + $0.30 | $0 | < $20k/mo volume |
| Stripe Plus | ~2.7% + $0.10 | $0 (included in rate) | $20k–$200k/mo |
| Custom | Negotiated | $0 | > $200k/mo |
| Interchange+ | Interchange + ~0.5% | $0 | Enterprise B2B |
Note: Plus and Custom rates are negotiated directly with Stripe — exact rates vary by business type, churn, and volume. Contact Stripe for a quote when you approach $50k/mo.
Break-even analysis: Standard vs reduced rate
The value of a rate reduction compounds quickly at scale. Here's how much you save by moving from 2.9% to 2.5%:
| Monthly volume | Savings at 2.5% vs 2.9% | Annual savings |
|---|---|---|
| $10,000 | $40/mo | $480/yr |
| $50,000 | $200/mo | $2,400/yr |
| $100,000 | $400/mo | $4,800/yr |
| $500,000 | $2,000/mo | $24,000/yr |
What changes at higher Stripe tiers
Rate negotiation — The biggest lever. For a $500k/mo business, a 0.4% reduction saves $2,000/mo ($24,000/yr). Stripe's account team typically engages at $50k/mo ARR.
Dedicated support — Standard plans use self-serve docs and async support. Plus/Enterprise get a dedicated account manager, faster dispute resolution, and custom SLAs.
Custom payment methods — ACH Direct Debit, SEPA, BACS, and local payment methods (iDEAL, Bancontact, etc.) often have separate, lower per-transaction rates at higher tiers.
Stripe Radar advanced — Machine learning fraud rules and custom review queues. Reduces chargeback rates, which matters more at scale because Stripe can suspend accounts with > 0.8% dispute rates.
When to negotiate with Stripe
- Volume threshold — Start a conversation around $30–50k/mo in Stripe revenue. Stripe won't proactively offer better rates below that.
- Leverage — Mention that you're evaluating other processors (Braintree, Adyen). Even hinting at migration often accelerates rate discussions.
- Business type — B2B SaaS with predictable, low-chargeback volume has more negotiating power than consumer marketplaces.
- Multi-year commitment — Stripe sometimes offers better rates for 2–3 year commitments. Only accept if you're confident in the relationship.
Calculate your current Stripe costs
Use our free Stripe Fee Calculator to see exactly what you're paying per transaction and project your annual fees at your current volume.
For multi-processor comparison, see Stripe vs PayPal vs Shopify Payments.