Best Stripe Alternatives & Competitors to Consider in 2025

Stripe has been the go-to platform for businesses all over the world. Unfortunately, for Indian businesses, access to Stripe has been invite-only. Meaning, instead of directly signing up, businesses must wait for approval. 

But that’s not all, even for approved users, high fees, lackluster customer support, and long settlement time are common problems for quite some time now. 

It’s no surprise, then, that businesses are turning to Stripe alternatives that are more reliable, user-friendly, and easy on the pocket. To help with your research, we’ve curated a list of top Stripe competitors that offer a much smoother payment processing experience.

Before we move on to our list of alternatives, let’s get into the details of why you should be looking for the alternatives in the first place.  

1. Getting in is a challenge: The biggest thing for Indian businesses is that they can’t directly use the Stripe platform. As per the invite-only rule, they must first apply and then wait for being approved. 

2. Limited cross-border payment options: Another limitation for India-specific businesses is that your international clients or customers will only be able to pay you using cards and not any other payment method. 

3. Transaction costs add up quickly: Stripe’s fee is quite high. Usually, you have to pay around 4-6% of every transaction amount. But, add to that the 2% markup, and you would lose close to 7% of the amount. That’s close to Rs. 25,000 if you are receiving $5,000 from a US client.

4. No FIRA issuance: Stripe does not provide you with automatic FIRA – a document exporters need for compliance and tax incentives – after every transaction, adding on you the burden of following up with your bank and paying additional fees to receive it. 

5. Subpar customer support: How good can a platform be if it's not listening to your problems? Even if the platform works well, slow or unresponsive support, which most Stripe users complain about, can leave you stuck when issues arise, making everyday operations a total drag.

6. No local payments: Stripe in India is mostly built for international payments, which means if you’re selling locally, you’re out of luck. You can’t accept popular domestic payment options like UPI, RuPay, or local wallets, which are the top picks for Indian customers.

With the need for better alternatives clear, let’s walk through the leading platforms that can serve as better options than Stripe.

1. Xflow

Xflow is a modern payment platform that provides infrastructure to simplify cross-border transactions for Indian exporters, SaaS businesses, startups, freelancers, SMBs, and payment platforms. Unlike many payment providers, Xflow keeps its pricing transparent, doesn’t charge any markups and provides automatic FIRA. 

Trusted by over 7,000 customers, the platform is known for its ease of use, simple onboarding, faster fund settlements, and extensive feature set. 

Key features

• Virtual bank accounts in several countries that allow clients to pay using local payment methods. 
• Ability to receive payments in 25+ currencies from 140+ countries, supporting your global reach and scalability. 
• 1-business-day settlements for faster cash flow, a significant improvement over traditional SWIFT transfers that typically take 3-7 days.
• Automatic and free eFIRA generation, taking care of your compliance. 
• Automated branded invoices & shareable payment links.
• Better FX management with the ability to freeze FX for up to 45 days and withdraw when the exchange rates are favorable. 
• Payment settlements using guaranteed live FX rates. 
• Cashback on processed funds. 
• White-label APIs for fintechs, marketplaces, and platforms, which means you have full control over customization. 
• AI-powered forex forecasting tool for smarter business decisions.
• Payment tracking from a single window. 
• Unlimited transactions without any limits on a single invoice. 
• Dedicated and responsive customer support.

Pricing

Xflow offers transparent pricing, without any markups or hidden charges. For Xflow users whose monthly invoices have a volume of $10K, the pricing will be flat 1% or a minimum of $8. 

On the other hand, the invoices with monthly volume of more than $10K, customized pricing plans are available. The pricing includes next-day payments, invoice templates, Xflow Receiving Accounts, and eFIRA. 

Sign up with Xflow

2. PayPal

PayPal is a digital payment platform that’s headquartered in San Jose, California. It allows its users, which generally include individuals, freelancers, and businesses, to send, receive, and manage payments at a global scale, through its website and mobile app. 

Key features

• Multi-currency support for receiving international payments. 
• Can accept payments via email links, buttons, or hosted checkouts.
• Customizable invoices with tracking and reminders.
• Doesn't support domestic INR transactions or sending payments abroad from India.
• RBI compliant and follows security measures like encryption, MFA, and tokenization. 
• Doesn’t allow you to hold foreign currency in the account post 24 hours. 

Pricing

PayPal charges 4.4% of the transaction amount as a transaction fee. It also charges a 4% markup on the mid-market exchange rate. Added on top of this amount is a fixed fee that depends on the currency. For instance, 

• $0.30 for payments in USD.
• €0.35 for payments in EUR.

3. Razorpay

Razorpay is a widely used payment gateway in India that helps startups, SMEs, e-commerce, SaaS, and enterprises send and receive online transactions in India and abroad. 

Key features

• Support several local payment methods, including UPI, cards, net banking, BNPL, etc.
• International payments through credit/debit cards, bank transfers, SWIFT, and PayPal routing. 
• Custom invoices with branding and GST compliance.
• Provides API integrations, hosted checkouts, and marketplace plugins.
• The MoneySaver Export Account provides virtual international bank accounts. 

Pricing

Razorpay charges around 2.9% for every domestic transaction and about 3% for international ones, plus 18% GST on the platform fee. There’s no FX markup, and it uses live FX rates for currency conversion. 

4. Payoneer

Payoneer is a global financial technology platform that’s known for international transactions, digital wallets, and multi-currency account management. It is usually preferred by freelancers, SMBs, and exporters. 

Key features

• Free transfers between Payoneer account holders.
• Payment integration with many marketplaces.  
• Free FIRA generation for Indian exporters. 
• Provides local bank account details. 
• Ability to schedule and send batch payments. 

Pricing

Receiving payments is free from another Payoneer customer, but payments via credit card may incur around 3.2% fees and a fixed fee of $0.49. Withdrawing funds to an Indian bank account typically involves a 3% forex markup above the mid-market rate. An annual inactivity fee of $29.95 applies if you receive less than $2,000 in a year.

5. Wise (formerly TransferWise)

Wise is a fintech company that lets businesses do transactions in multiple currencies. The platform is focused on providing payment solutions to freelancers, sole proprietors, LLPs, and private firms. 

Key features

• Offers currency conversion at mid-market rates. 
• Provides local account details in multiple countries. 
• eFIRA provided, but with an additional cost of about $2.50 per certificate for USD payments.
• Transaction limits on a single invoice.
• Batch payments allow multiple payments to be sent in one go. 

Pricing

For receiving payments from Wise, you’ll have to pay 1.7-1.8% of the transaction amount as a fee. But before that, you’ll be charged an account setup fee, and then after the transaction, a fee for FIRA issuance. 

6. Paddle

Paddle serves as a Merchant of Record (MoR), which means that when you sell products or services through Paddle, Paddle itself handles the payment processing, billing, taxes, and compliance on your behalf. The platform is dedicated to SaaS businesses and digital products sellers. 

Key features

• Supports local payment methods in India. 
• Enables transactions in multiple currencies. 
• Multi-layered fraud detection systems and chargeback management. 
• Offers tools for managing recurring billing, upgrades, downgrades, cancellations, and flexible billing models. 
• Automatically calculates, collects, and remits taxes, including GST.

Pricing

Paddle charges a flat 5% + $0.50 per transaction, and for businesses with custom needs or low-priced products, Paddle offers tailored pricing. 

7. Dodo Payments

Dodo Payments is again an MOR platform that’s specifically built for SaaS, AI, and digital product companies. It lets them accept payments from multiple countries through several payment methods, and automates billing, subscriptions, and compliance. 

Key features

• Supports local payment options from multiple countries. 
• Automates tax calculations and regulatory compliance across different regions across the world. 
• Handles recurring payments with automated billing cycles and customizable pricing tiers.

Pricing

Dodo offers a pay-as-you-go plan at 4% + $0.40 per transaction, while larger businesses or those with custom requirements can opt for their enterprise plan with personalized pricing.

8. CCAvenue

CCAvenue is a payment gateway that’s based in India. It helps Indian merchants accept a lot of payment options, like cards, net banking, UPI, digital wallets, mobile payments, and cash cards. 

Key features

• Support multi-currency payment processing.
• Offers strong security measures, such as tokenization, encryption, and PCI DSS compliance. 
• Provides easy integration with popular e-commerce platforms.
• Offers a responsive checkout page and allows customization. 

Pricing

The pricing varies by plan and transaction type. The Startup Pro plan for new or smaller merchants has no setup fee, while the Privilege plan for high-volume merchants charges ₹30,000. 

Transaction fees for the Startup Pro plan are around 2% per domestic transaction, 3% for international cards, and approximately 4.99% for multi-currency transactions to cover currency conversion and cross-border charges.

9. Adyen

Adyen is a global payment company that facilitates payments for large businesses with high transaction volumes. It's an end-to-end payments, data, and financial management platform – all built into one solution. 

Key features

• Allows payments in multiple payment methods on a global scale. 
• Provides a unified commerce solution by connecting online, in-app, and in-store payments. 
• Supports open banking capabilities. 
• Offers real-time reporting and analytics tools.

Pricing

Adyen uses an Interchange++ pricing model, which breaks down costs into three clear components:

Interchange fee: Set by the card issuers, varies by card type and region.

Scheme fee: Charged by card networks such as Visa or Mastercard.

Processing fee: Typically €0.10 to €0.15 per transaction charged by Adyen.

10. Cashfree 

Cashfree is another payment platform that handles both payment and banking services for businesses. It also allows transactions through multiple payment methods. 

Key features

• Accepts payments in various currencies with automated currency conversion.
• Offers customizable settlement options for same day (T+0), next day (T+1), or standard two-day cycle (T+2).
• Utilizes AI/ML-based intelligent routing between payment providers.
• Provides developer-friendly APIs, SDKs, and plugins across platforms.
• Supports real-time transaction monitoring, analytics, refunds management, and reconciliation. 

Pricing

Cashfree’s pricing starts at 1.95% per transaction, with customized pricing available for enterprise clients based on their specific needs and transaction volumes.

Here’s a list of things you should consider before you choose a Stripe alternative: 

• The payment provider should be fully compliant with RBI’s guidelines for cross-border transactions.

• The transaction, currency conversion, setup, maintenance, and any other fees are transparent and competitive – no hidden surprises once you are onboard. 

• Check if the funds will be settled into your Indian bank account quickly, with a clear ETA.

• The platform should be aligned with your specific business model, be it SaaS, subscription, freelancing, export or import, etc.

• The provider handles FIRA compliance without you having to chase paperwork manually.

• Integration with your existing website or app is easy, stable, well-documented, with solid APIs and developer support.

• Multiple currencies are supported efficiently – both for collection and settlement.

• Customer support is easily accessible, there are fast responses, and the support team can resolve issues around payments or settlements.

• Check if there are any transaction limits and whether they are feasible for your kind of business. 

• The platform meets security standards (PCI-DSS, data protection, encryption, tokenization), and is safe from fraud & risk.

• The platform supports subscriptions, invoicing, and has features like recurring billing, analytics, and scaling transaction volume.

Dealing with payments isn’t exactly anyone’s favorite part of running a business. There’s always some fee, rule, or delay to deal with. The right platform should take care of all that for you, so you don’t have to worry about it and can put your energy into actually growing your business. 

The benefits you can reap after choosing the right payment platform include:

1. Faster settlements: The right provider gets your money into your Indian bank account quickly (sometimes same-day), keeping cash flow smooth.

2. Global reach: With multi-currency support and RBI-compliant cross-border payments, you can sell to the world without the paperwork hassles.

3. Cost savings: Transparent transaction fees and fair forex rates help you hold on to more of your margins.

4. Security you can trust: PCI-DSS compliance, tokenization, and fraud detection keep your business and customers safe.

5. Customer convenience: Support for various payment methods means customers can pay the way they want, meaning no drop-offs at checkout.

6. Hassle-free compliance: The right payment platform automatically handles FIRA generation and RBI compliance for your cross-border transactions, so you don’t have to chase banks or pay any extra money.

7. Seamless integrations: Ready-to-use plugins and solid APIs mean your financial workflows run smoother with less developer effort.

8. Built to scale with you: Whether you’re entering new international markets or handling 10x more cross-border transactions, the right payment platform grows with you instead of holding you back.

Stripe may be handy when it comes to global payment processing, but for Indian exporters and businesses dealing with cross-border payments, it often falls short. 

Restricted access, high fees, complex setups, slow settlement times, and limited customer support are recurring pain points. Xflow plugs these gaps with its modern approach, which is quicker, clearer, and far more economical. 

Xflow allows your clients to pay using local payment rails such as ACH and Fedwire. This means your international clients can pay you using familiar domestic methods, and the funds reach your Indian INR account within just one business day which is far quicker than the 3-5 day waiting period of legacy banking channels. Xflow minimizes payment delays and uncertainty or the problem of passing through multiple intermediary banks.

Additionally, Xflow also ensures full visibility into every transaction with a real-time tracking dashboard. Instead of chasing banks for payment status updates, you get peace of mind and control over your cash flow at every stage.

Where Stripe’s FX rates and international fees can add up quickly, Xflow keeps things simple and transparent. You get mid-market FX rates with zero markup, no hidden charges, and savings of up to 50% on foreign exchange costs. 

Add to this automatic eFIRA generation – a feature glaringly missing in Stripe – seamless integrations with your favourite accounting platforms, and enterprise-grade security (ISO 27001 & SOC 2 certified), and you have a platform designed to serve all your major payment needs, meticulously.

With clarity in pricing, responsive customer service, and features designed for Indian businesses, Xflow delivers more value than Stripe where it really matters. If you’re looking for a Stripe alternative that truly understands your cross-border payment needs, Xflow is the answer. Sign up today and simplify the way you get paid internationally.