Facts read November 6, 2026
Stripe vs Stripe Connect
Stripe is Cuely's default payments pick when your description doesn't favor either one: the broadest billing toolkit and the lowest base fee; you handle tax registration. Pick Stripe Connect if you care most about marketplaces that pay out to providers.
Side by side
| Fact | Stripe | Stripe Connect |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Payment processor with subscription billing, invoicing, a customer portal and tax add-ons. | Stripe's product for platforms that take payments for, and pay out to, other people. |
| Free plan | No monthly fee. US cards: 2.9% + 30¢ per successful domestic transaction; +1.5% international cards; +1% when currency conversion is needed. | No monthly fee. Card fees as Stripe: 2.9% + 30¢ per domestic card charge. With Stripe handling pricing: no account, payout volume or per-payout fees. |
| Paid from | Billing: 0.7% of billing volume (pay as you go). Stripe Tax: 0.5% per transaction where you're registered. | If you handle pricing: $2 per monthly active account, 0.25% + 25¢ per payout sent, and 0.25% of payout volume. |
| At 1,000 users | $0/month | $0/month |
| Open source | No | No |
| Self-hostable | No | No |
| Best for | Subscriptions, seats and usage-based billing; Lowest per-transaction fee; Invoices for B2B customers | Marketplaces that pay out to sellers or providers; Taking a percentage of each booking; Provider identity checks (KYC) handled by Stripe |
| Watch out | Not a merchant of record by default: sales tax and VAT registration are yours (Stripe Tax helps calculate). Billing adds 0.7% of billing volume on pay-as-you-go. | Two pricing modes: if Stripe bills providers' fees directly, no extra account or payout fees; if you handle pricing, $2 per monthly active account plus 0.25% + 25¢ per payout. Instant payouts cost 1% of payout volume. |
Where they differ
The published scores, from −3 to +3, that decide which one Cuely picks for each need.
| Need | Stripe | Stripe Connect |
|---|---|---|
| users pay each other and you take a cut | −1 Plain Stripe can't split a payment and pay providers out; that is Stripe Connect. | +3 Splits each payment, holds your fee and pays providers out, with their onboarding and KYC. |
| sells to businesses (organizations, roles, SSO) | +3 Invoices, seats, usage billing and a hosted customer portal. | −1 Plain Stripe is simpler when nobody else gets paid out. |
| charges by usage | +2 Meters API for usage-based billing, up to 100M events a month included in Billing pricing. | 0 No particular strength here. |
| keep costs as low as possible | +2 Lowest base fee of the options here. | 0 No particular strength here. |
| high volume | +2 Percentage fees are the lowest here and negotiable at volume. | 0 No particular strength here. |
| native iOS or Android app | −3 Apple requires in-app purchase for digital subscriptions inside iOS apps (Guideline 3.1.1); use Stripe only for web checkout or real-world goods. | −2 Fine for real-world services booked in an app; not for digital goods inside iOS apps, which need in-app purchase. |
| regulated or compliance-sensitive | +2 Card data stays on Stripe, which keeps your PCI scope small. | +1 Stripe verifies providers' identity (KYC) during onboarding. |
| sells internationally and wants tax handled | −1 You register for and file sales tax and VAT yourself, unless you add Managed Payments (3.5% extra). | 0 No particular strength here. |
Sources: Stripe pricing (read November 6, 2026), Stripe Connect pricing (read November 7, 2026). No vendor pays for placement.