Stripe

Stripe is a payment platform with developer-friendly APIs. It processes card payments and many local payment methods, and handles subscriptions, invoices and payouts.

Strengths: what it’s good at

• Payment methods: cards, wallets and many local methods, shown to each customer based on location.
• Hosted checkout: a secure, optimised payment page that keeps card data off your servers.
• Subscriptions: recurring billing, trials, upgrades and a customer portal for self-service.
• Compliance: strong customer authentication (SCA) for European payments and PCI compliance handled by Stripe.

Limits: what to consider

Stripe is a payment layer, not a shop system: product management, stock and shipping need another tool or custom code. Fees are per transaction and vary by method and country.

Use: when I choose it

For web apps and SaaS products with subscriptions, for single products and digital goods without a full shop system, for booking and deposit payments, and for custom storefronts.