PayPal alternatives in 2026

Compare PayPal alternatives by how they handle checkout, sales, subscriptions, and payment fees: Gumroad, Square, Stripe, and Connections Pay.

By Uncommon Comforts · 2026-11-01

Uncommon Comforts is published by the team behind Connections, whose products are compared here alongside other tools.

PayPal offers flexible installment payments, cards, and a savings account, while sellers weigh merchant fees and checkout. Compare Gumroad, Square, Stripe, and Connections Pay by what they actually do.

Option	Own fee	Card payment fee
Gumroad	10% plus $0.50 per transaction for sales through a profile or direct links ^[1]; 30% per transaction when new customers find and buy through the discover marketplace ^[1]	not published
Square	Square Reader, $59 ^[2]; Square Stand, $149 or $14 a month over 12 months ^[2]; Square Terminal, $299 or $27 a month over 12 months ^[2]; Square Handheld, $399 or $37 a month over 12 months ^[2]; Square Register (2nd generation), $899 or $44 a month over 24 months ^[2]	not published
Stripe	Per-transaction pricing with no hidden fees ^[3]; tokens at $0.01 per 1,000 units ^[3]	not published
Connections Pay	Free, $0 ^[4]; Pro, $39.99 a month ^[4]; Business, $99.99 a month ^[4]	not published

Why people who run things look past PayPal

PayPal gives customers flexible ways to pay that a seller weighs before building checkout on it. ^[5] Pay in 4 splits a purchase into four interest-free payments made every two weeks. ^[5] Pay Monthly spreads a purchase over 3, 6, 12, or 24 payments with zero down and no sign-up or late fees. ^[5] ^[5] PayPal also runs its own cards: 3% cash back on checkout with its Cashback Mastercard and 1.5% on other Mastercard purchases, ^[5] and up to 5% in a monthly spending category with its debit card. ^[5] It offers special financing on purchases of $149 or more with its Credit Card. ^[5] PayPal reports that payments are encrypted and that it does not share full financial information. ^[5] Its savings account is free to set up, FDIC insured, and held at Synchrony Bank, with an advertised 3.55% APY. ^[5] ^[5] When that mix of financing, cards, and savings does not fit, the search for another tool usually turns on the same few facts covered below.

Gumroad: a storefront that prices each sale

Gumroad prices each sale by where the buyer comes from. A sale through a profile or a direct link to a customer costs 10% plus $0.50 per transaction. ^[1] A sale where a new customer finds and buys through Gumroad's discover marketplace costs 30% per transaction. ^[1] Because the rate turns on how the buyer finds the product, the choice comes down to whether sales depend on Gumroad's own marketplace or on buyers the seller already reaches. Sellers who bring their own audience pay the lower 10% plus $0.50 per transaction. ^[1]

Square: a point of sale for in-person and online selling

Square sells hardware that pairs with a point of sale platform for in-person and online selling. The Square Terminal, which prints receipts, costs $299 or $27 a month over 12 months. ^[2] The Square Stand, an iPad point of sale, costs $149 or $14 a month over 12 months. ^[2] For a business that sells in person, these prices set the hardware budget. A business that only sells online may not need this equipment.

Stripe: card payments built for developers

Stripe is the card payment service that handles card transactions at checkout. Stripe says businesses on it processed $1.9 trillion in payments volume in 2025. ^[3] Its data services list tokens at $0.01 per 1,000 units. ^[3] Someone choosing Stripe connects a Stripe account, and the card fee Stripe charges applies to each transaction. Check what Stripe charges for card payments in your currency before you start.

Connections Pay: checkout that takes cards and runs subscriptions

Connections Pay is made by the team that publishes this site. ^[4] It connects a Stripe account through Stripe's Connect sign-in, where Stripe is the separate company that handles card payments. ^[4] Checkout pages are served at a slug path, ^[4] and there is an embeddable checkout page. ^[4] Buyers can enter promotion codes at checkout. ^[4] Automated sales tax can be flipped on so Stripe calculates and collects it at checkout. ^[4] Subscribers use a manage page for their subscription, ^[4] and the product previews the price difference when a customer changes plans. ^[4] Connections Pro, the first paid plan, is $39.99 a month and adds premium features across every Connections product. ^[4] Connections Business is $99.99 a month with higher limits across every Connections product. ^[4]

How to pick the right PayPal alternative

Start with where you sell. For a business with a physical counter, Square pairs its point of sale hardware with in-person and online selling, priced from the Terminal at $299 to the Register at $899. ^[2] ^[2] For a business that sells mainly online, Stripe is the separate card payment service, ^[3] and Connections Pay adds checkout pages on top of a connected Stripe account. ^[4] For a digital goods seller who brings their own audience, Gumroad's profile and direct-link sales carry a lower rate than its discover marketplace. ^[1] ^[1]

Match the price shape to your budget. Gumroad charges per transaction rather than a monthly fee, ^[1] while Square's hardware can be bought outright or paid monthly. ^[2] Connections Pro is $39.99 a month, and Connections Business is $99.99 a month with higher limits across every Connections product. ^[4] ^[4]

Payments and subscriptions narrow the choice. For recurring charges, Connections Pay gives subscribers a manage page and previews the price when plans change. ^[4] ^[4] For a one-off sale, Gumroad's 10% plus $0.50 per transaction may matter against Stripe's per-transaction pricing. ^[1] Check what each candidate charges for the card fee, since the sources here do not state card fees for every option.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a free PayPal alternative for taking payments?

Connections Free costs $0, and going over a limit stops the feature rather than billing you. ^[4] Gumroad does not charge a monthly fee, and prices each sale instead. ^[1] Square says its plans have no hidden fees or locked-in contracts. ^[6] Compare each option's limit on transactions and its card processing fee, since the card fee is not stated here for every tool.

Can a PayPal alternative take subscriptions or recurring payments?

Connections Pay gives subscribers a manage page and previews the price difference when a customer changes plans. ^[4] ^[4] Stripe lists tokens at $0.01 per 1,000 units. ^[3] For a specific tool, confirm subscriptions are supported, since the sources here do not state a subscription feature for every option. Also check what card fee applies to each recurring charge.

Which PayPal alternative charges the lowest fee per sale?

Gumroad charges 10% plus $0.50 per transaction for sales through a profile or direct links, and 30% per transaction when new customers buy through its discover marketplace. ^[1] ^[1] The actual card processing fee is not stated for every option here, so check the rate in your currency before choosing.

Does Gumroad work for digital products like video lessons?

Gumroad prices each sale at 10% plus $0.50 per transaction through a profile or direct links. ^[1] Gumroad does not charge a monthly fee. ^[1] Compare the per-sale rate against a flat monthly plan, such as Connections Pay's plans, when deciding which fits your volume.

Do Square hardware prices include a card processing fee?

Square's hardware prices state only the device cost: the Stand is $149 or $14 a month, and the Register is $899 or $44 a month. ^[2] ^[2] The card processing fee is not stated here, so check what Square charges per transaction in your region.

Connections Free costs $0, and going over a limit stops the feature rather than billing you. ^[4] Connections Pro, the first paid plan, is $39.99 a month and adds premium features across every Connections product. ^[4]

Try Connections Pay