Stripevs
PayPal·IrelandStripe vs PayPal fees in Ireland
A side-by-side look at Stripe and PayPal public card-processing rates for Irish businesses, with a sample €10,000/month scenario.
- Saving at €10,000/mo
- €8/mo
- Stripe
- €217/mo
- PayPal
- €209/mo
PayPal is lower in this example · ≈ €92 a year
2.17% effective rate
2.09% effective rate
Stripe and PayPal are often weighed against each other for online checkouts. The fee difference depends on average sale value and card mix because the percentage and fixed-fee structure differs. PayPal's strength is recognition - many customers already have a PayPal account and trust the button.
Many Irish businesses end up offering both: Stripe as the main card processor and PayPal as an additional, familiar option at checkout.
Quick answer
Use this as a starting point before checking the fee table.
Stripe is usually the primary card-processing choice when you want checkout control and a consistent payments stack. PayPal is often best treated as an additional checkout option where customer trust or buyer familiarity may help conversion.
Choose Stripe if
you want card-first payments, developer tools, subscriptions or one main dashboard for payment operations.
Choose PayPal if
your customers expect a PayPal button or you want a familiar secondary checkout option for occasional buyers.
What this guide compares
Use this to rule providers in or out before checking the details that matter to your business.
- Included
- Public card-processing fees, supported features and common Irish small-business use cases.
- Not included
- Negotiated rates, hardware purchases, chargebacks, refunds, currency conversion, optional software plans and provider-specific add-ons unless explicitly stated.
Main fee differences
These are the assumptions most likely to move the estimate.
What changes the fee gap
- PayPal's fixed fee is higher in this estimate, so average sale value has a strong effect on the comparison.
- PayPal has multiple fee categories; this estimate uses PayPal Online Card Payment Services, not every PayPal wallet or merchant-fee scenario.
- Stripe's card model is cleaner to compare when the payment is a standard online card transaction.
Watch out for
- PayPal wallet transactions, currency conversion and some international additions are not represented by a single card-fee comparison.
- Offering PayPal may be a conversion decision, not just a processing-cost decision.
- Do not compare PayPal's full merchant fee page against Stripe without checking which PayPal product line applies.
Feature comparison
Capability coverage from the Praghas provider directory.
- Online checkout
- StripeYesPayPalYes
- Payment links
- StripePartialPayPalYes
- In-person terminals
- StripeYesPayPalNo
- POS / commerce tools
- StripePartialPayPalPartial
- Subscriptions
- StripeYesPayPalPartial
- Developer APIs
- StripeYesPayPalPartial
- Business account
- StripeNoPayPalPartial
| Feature | Stripe | PayPal |
|---|---|---|
| Online checkout | Yes | Yes |
| Payment links | Partial | Yes |
| In-person terminals | Yes | No |
| POS / commerce tools | Partial | Partial |
| Subscriptions | Yes | Partial |
| Developer APIs | Yes | Partial |
| Business account | No | Partial |
Example fee comparison
Based on €10,000.00/month, €50.00 average sale, default online payment mix. Run your own numbers for an accurate comparison.
| Provider | Monthly | Annual | Rate | vs lowest | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| €209.35 | €2,512.20 | 2.09% | Baseline | Visit provider | |
| €217.00 | €2,604.00 | 2.17% | +€7.65/mo+€92/yr | Visit provider |
The table sorts the two providers by estimated monthly fee for this sample scenario only. It is not a quality ranking or recommendation.
When each is a fit
Use these notes as decision prompts before running your own numbers.
Consider Stripe if
- You want a card-first checkout with strong developer tools
- You need subscriptions, an API or a custom checkout
- You want one consistent payments dashboard
Consider PayPal if
- Customer trust and a recognised checkout button matter
- You sell to occasional or first-time buyers
- You want PayPal as a secondary payment option
The verdict
On processing cost alone the answer depends on your average sale value and card mix. PayPal earns its place through customer familiarity and conversion, not only price. Use the calculator to size the estimated fee gap, then decide whether PayPal's recognition is worth it for your customers.
Read the provider notes
Each provider page lists the rates, assumptions and exclusions used by Praghas.
Frequently asked questions
Not always. PayPal's fixed fee is higher but its EEA percentage is lower in this estimate, so average sale value matters. The calculator shows the monthly difference for your own inputs.
Yes, and many businesses do - Stripe as the primary card processor and PayPal as a familiar extra option. The calculator compares them so you can see what each costs.
Sources
- Stripe pricing
Stripe
- PayPal pricing
PayPal
Figures are estimates based on public standard pricing and may be out of date. Confirm current rates with each provider before deciding.