Money & Taxes guide
Payment Fees Comparison Tool: PayPal vs Stripe vs Square vs Wise — What You Actually Keep
PayPal vs Stripe vs Square vs Wise — what you actually keep, field by field.
Every payment processor takes a cut, and the percentages are rarely the whole story once currency conversion and cross-border surcharges get added on top. TidyPapers' Payment Fees Comparison tool at https://tidypapers.com/payment-fees-comparison/ lets you plug in one invoice and see, side by side, what you'd actually keep with each processor. This guide explains every field, every platform it compares, and exactly which fees it uses.
What this tool is for
You enter an invoice amount once, and the tool shows the fees and take-home amount for several payment processors and (in a separate section) several digital-product platforms, so you can pick the cheapest route before you send the invoice — not after.
Section 1 — Comparing invoice payment processors
Step 1 — Enter your invoice details
- Go to https://tidypapers.com/payment-fees-comparison/.
- In Invoice amount, type the amount you're being paid.
- Set Invoice currency to USD, EUR, or GBP (the currency the invoice is issued in).
- Set Client location to one of:
- Domestic — client is in the same country as you
- Abroad, same currency — client is abroad but paying in your currency
- Abroad, different payout currency — client is abroad and paying in a different currency than you'll receive
- If you selected a payout currency different from the invoice currency, fill in Payout currency (what you actually receive).
On the live toolthe invoice amount, invoice currency, client location, and payout currency fields all filled in
Step 2 — Adjust rates if needed (optional)
The tool includes custom rate override fields for each provider, in case a processor has quoted you a different rate than its published default (some accounts get negotiated rates). Leave these untouched to use the standard published rates listed below.
On the live toolthe custom rate override fields for one of the processors, showing the default rate that can be overridden
Step 3 — Read the comparison
The tool compares four payment processors, using these published fee structures:
| Processor | Fees used by the tool |
|---|---|
| PayPal | 3.49% + $0.49 base; +1.50% cross-border surcharge; up to 4% currency-conversion spread |
| Stripe | 2.9% + $0.30 domestic; +1.5% international; +1% currency conversion |
| Square | 3.3% + $0.30 (domestic only) |
| Wise | roughly 0.33% to 0.57%, depending on the currency pair |
For each processor, the tool shows three output values:
- Total fees — the amount taken out
- Effective rate — that fee expressed as a percentage of your invoice
- You keep — what actually lands in your account
On the live toolthe results table showing Total fees, Effective rate, and You keep for all four processors side by side
Section 2 — Comparing digital product platforms
If you sell a digital product (template, ebook, preset pack, etc.) rather than invoicing a client directly, there's a separate section for that.
Step 1 — Enter your sale price
- In Digital product sale price (USD), type the price you sell the product for.
On the live toolthe Digital product sale price field filled in
Step 2 — Read the platform comparison
The tool compares four digital-product platforms, using these published fees:
| Platform | Fees used by the tool |
|---|---|
| Etsy | 6.5% transaction fee, plus US payment processing at 3% + $0.25, plus a $0.20 listing fee per item every 4 months |
| Gumroad | 10% + $0.50 (standard); 30% on sales that come through Gumroad's Discover feature |
| Payhip | 5% on the Free plan, 2% on the Plus plan, 0% on the Pro plan |
| Lemon Squeezy | 5% + $0.50, plus +1.5% for international cards, +1.5% for PayPal, +0.5% for subscriptions |
On the live toolthe digital-product comparison table showing Etsy, Gumroad, Payhip, and Lemon Squeezy results
What this tool does NOT do
- It does not connect to your PayPal, Stripe, Square, or Wise account — you are not logged into anything, and no real transactions happen here.
- It does not track fee changes automatically; the percentages are the platforms' published rates as configured in the tool at the time you use it. If a platform changes its pricing, check its own pricing page before relying on an old comparison.
- It does not send you the invoice — for that, use the separate invoice generator on the TidyPapers homepage.
Frequently asked practical questions
Which processor should I pick?
That depends on your situation: Wise is usually cheapest for cross-border payments if your client is willing to pay into local bank details rather than click a card-checkout link; PayPal and Stripe are easier for a client who just wants to click and pay by card.
Does this tool store my invoice amount anywhere?
No — everything is calculated in your browser and disappears when you close or reload the page.
Can I compare a platform not listed here?
Not directly — the tool only compares the processors and platforms listed above. For a broader look at getting paid internationally, see the companion guide on getting paid by international clients.