Stripe is everywhere. It powers more online stores than any other payment processor, has best-in-class developer documentation, and integrates with virtually every e-commerce platform on the market.
It’s also not the right choice for everyone.
Whether you’re dealing with Stripe’s account freezes, looking for lower transaction fees, need stronger local payment method support, or simply want a processor that doesn’t require a developer to configure — there are solid alternatives in 2026 that are worth knowing about.
What People Actually Get Wrong with Stripe
Before switching, it’s worth being clear-eyed about what the real friction points are.
Account stability. Stripe’s fraud detection is aggressive. Stores in certain categories — especially those with high return rates or irregular transaction patterns — get flagged, frozen, or terminated without much warning. For a small fashion brand, losing payment processing overnight is catastrophic.
No native buy-now-pay-later. BNPL (Buy Now Pay Later) drives meaningful conversion lifts in fashion. Stripe supports it in some regions via third-party integrations, but it’s not a first-class feature.
Fees compound on international sales. Stripe’s standard 2.9% + $0.30 baseline gets more expensive fast once you add currency conversion, international card fees, and radar fraud protection.
Customer support is slow for small accounts. Stripe’s support quality scales with your revenue. If you’re doing $5k/month, you’re mostly on your own with documentation.
None of these are dealbreakers for every store. But if any of them resonate, the alternatives below are worth a closer look.
1. Shop Pay / Shopify Payments
If you’re on Shopify, Shopify Payments is the most seamless option available — and for most stores, it’s also the highest-converting.
Shop Pay’s accelerated checkout has the highest conversion rate of any one-tap checkout in e-commerce (Shopify’s own data puts it at 50% higher than guest checkout). Customers who have used Shop Pay anywhere can check out on your store without re-entering their details.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Zero transaction fees on all Shopify plans | Only available on Shopify |
| Highest checkout conversion via Shop Pay | Subject to Shopify’s terms — account issues affect both platform and payments |
| BNPL (Buy Now Pay Later) via Shop Pay Installments (US, CA, UK, AU) | Limited to supported countries |
| Dispute management built into your Shopify dashboard | Less control over fraud rules than Stripe |
Standard rate: 2.9% + $0.30 (Basic), down to 2.4% + $0.30 (Advanced). No extra transaction fees.
Best for: Any store on Shopify that isn’t already using it.
2. Mollie
Mollie is the dominant payment processor in the Netherlands and Belgium, and has been expanding aggressively across Europe. It stands out for its genuinely simple pricing — no monthly fees, no setup fees, and pay-per-transaction rates that are transparent by payment method.
Where Mollie really shines is local European payment method coverage. iDEAL, Bancontact, SEPA Direct Debit, Klarna, and PayPal are all available out of the box, without the piecemeal integration work Stripe often requires for the same coverage.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Excellent European local payment method support | Less mature outside Europe |
| No monthly fees, transparent per-method pricing | Developer setup still required for custom flows |
| Klarna BNPL (Buy Now Pay Later) available natively | Fewer enterprise features than Stripe |
| Strong Shopify and WooCommerce plugins | Smaller app ecosystem |
Standard rate: Varies by method — card payments from ~1.8% + €0.25, iDEAL at €0.29 flat.
Best for: European stores that want strong local payment coverage without complexity.
3. PayPal / Braintree
PayPal is often dismissed as legacy infrastructure, but it still drives real conversion — particularly with older demographics and in markets where card penetration is lower. 40% of online shoppers say they trust PayPal more than entering card details on an unfamiliar site.
Braintree (PayPal’s developer-facing product) offers a full Stripe-like API with Venmo, PayPal, and card support in a single integration. It has no monthly fees and competitive rates, especially for high-volume merchants.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Brand trust drives conversion for hesitant buyers | PayPal’s dispute process heavily favours buyers |
| Venmo support (significant in the US) | Account freezes are common and support is poor |
| Braintree has no monthly fee | UI and UX lags behind Stripe and Mollie |
| Strong global coverage | Chargebacks are harder to win than with other processors |
Standard rate: 3.49% + $0.49 for standard PayPal, 2.59% + $0.49 for card via Braintree.
Best for: Stores with a US audience where Venmo matters, or international markets where PayPal brand trust converts.
4. Adyen
Adyen is enterprise infrastructure — the same processor behind LVMH, H&M, and Farfetch. It processes payments across every channel (online, in-store, mobile) in a single unified platform, with the most comprehensive payment method coverage of any processor on this list.
The trade-off is that Adyen is not built for small stores. There’s a minimum monthly fee, volume requirements, and an implementation process that assumes you have a development team.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Unmatched payment method coverage globally | Minimum processing volume (~€120/month in fees) |
| Single platform for online + in-store | Complex to implement without a developer |
| Interchange++ pricing saves money at scale | Not cost-effective under ~$1M/year in revenue |
| Best-in-class fraud tooling | Slow onboarding process |
Standard rate: Interchange++ model — typically very competitive above $1M/year, expensive below it.
Best for: Scaling brands with omnichannel ambitions or significant international revenue.
5. Sumup
SumUp started as a card reader for market stalls and pop-up shops. It has since grown into a full commerce platform covering in-person payments, online checkout, invoicing, and a basic storefront — all without monthly fees.
For a fashion brand that sells at markets, fairs, or pop-ups alongside an online store, SumUp is uniquely convenient: one app, one account, one place to see all your revenue. It won’t scale to a mid-size operation, but for early-stage or hybrid sellers, it’s hard to beat for simplicity.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| No monthly fees | Limited online checkout customisation |
| In-person and online in a single account | Not suitable for complex catalogues or integrations |
| Simple, fast onboarding | No native BNPL (Buy Now Pay Later) |
| Good for pop-ups and markets | Fees are higher than Stripe at volume |
Standard rate: 2.95% per online transaction, 1.69% in-person.
Best for: Early-stage stores or hybrid sellers who move between online and in-person.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Processor | Monthly Fee | Card Rate | BNPL (Buy Now Pay Later) | Best Region | Shopify Integration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify Payments | None | From 2.4% | Yes (select markets) | Global | Native |
| Mollie | None | From ~1.8% | Via Klarna | Europe | Plugin |
| PayPal / Braintree | None | From 2.59% | Via Pay Later | Global | Native |
| Adyen | ~€120 min | Interchange++ | Yes | Global | API |
| SumUp | None | 2.95% online | No | Europe, US | Limited |
How to Choose
Stay on Shopify Payments if you’re on Shopify and aren’t selling heavily outside supported countries. The conversion lift from Shop Pay alone is worth more than any fee savings from switching.
Move to Mollie if you’re selling into Europe and need reliable local payment methods without a complex integration project.
Add PayPal as a secondary processor rather than a replacement. Offering it alongside your primary processor costs nothing extra and captures buyers who won’t enter card details elsewhere.
Consider Adyen when you’re above $1M/year in revenue and have engineering capacity. Below that, the fees and complexity don’t pay off.
Use SumUp if you sell at markets or pop-ups alongside your online store and want one tool to cover both.
The Checkout Problem That No Processor Solves
Switching payment processors can recover a few percentage points of conversion at checkout. But the bigger drop-off in fashion happens earlier — on the product page, when customers aren’t confident enough in the fit to add to cart in the first place.
Vitryne solves the upstream problem: 3D garment visualisation that shows customers exactly how a piece fits before they buy. Less hesitation at the product page means more customers who actually make it to checkout — regardless of which processor you use.