Online payment solutions

In this article, we compare the main solutions for accepting online payments on a website: Stripe, PayPal, bank VAD contracts and a few useful alternatives. The goal is to quickly review their advantages, limits and fees.

Stripe is now one of the most widely used solutions for accepting card payments on a website. The platform is modern, easy to integrate and suitable for both small websites and more advanced projects. Its main advantage is its clear pricing: no setup fees, no monthly subscription and a commission charged only when a payment is received.

1,4 %+ 0,25 €

for European cards.

2,9 %+ 0,25 €

for non-European cards.

No setup fees, no monthly fees, and no hidden fees

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Pay only for what you use

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Real-time fee reporting

PayPal is a payment solution that is very well known by the general public. It allows customers to pay with their PayPal account or, in some cases, by bank card. Its main advantage is the trust it inspires among buyers, especially on online stores. However, its fees can be higher than other solutions, especially for low sales volumes.

PayPal’s old volume-based decreasing fees are no longer the best reference for a simple comparison. Today, it is better to check the fees according to the payment type used: standard PayPal payment, bank card, international payment or a specific option such as micropayments.

Payment type	PayPal fee
Standard commercial transactions	2,90 % + 0,35 €
Card payment without a PayPal account	1,20 % + 0,35 €
International transactions	Domestic fee + additional fee depending on the country

Distance selling contracts (VAD)

You can also go through a traditional bank to accept online payments. In this case, you need to request the opening of a distance selling contract, called a VAD contract, from your bank adviser. This solution can be interesting for businesses that already generate a significant volume of sales, as commissions can sometimes be negotiated. However, it often requires more administrative steps than a solution like Stripe or PayPal, with setup fees, monthly fees and conditions that vary depending on the bank. Before choosing, it is therefore important to compare the total cost, ease of integration and setup time.

Setup fees: often between €100 and €300
Monthly subscription: often between €10 and €30
Fees: often between 0.3% and 1.5%, sometimes with €0.10 to €0.80 fixed fees per payment

There are also other solutions such as Mollie, PayPlug or Adyen. They can be interesting depending on your country, payment methods, sales volume and technical needs.