What is Stripe:
Stripe is a firm that has contributed to the development of the payment infrastructure that allows for digital transactions. Stripe receives a fraction of every transaction through its open API, which is used by small businesses all around the world to design their payment gateways.
Stripe payments are always secure because they are PCI Service Provider Level 1 certified. Thousands of prominent brands, like Lyft, Reddit, and Instacart, use the platform.
Stripe accepts Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express for online credit card processing. It’s an easy-to-use platform that allows a company to work with a variety of e-commerce platforms.
Pros:
The Stripe platform is used by the great majority of small businesses for a reason. Among the benefits are:
- PCI compliance is included at no additional cost.
- Developers have access to a flexible modification API.
- A monthly membership is not required of users.
- A major advantage is the numerous possibilities and integrations.
Cons:
Stripe has as many drawbacks as it has perks. Consider the following:
- Due to suspected fraud, Stripe has the authority to freeze, hold, or close an account.
- The platform does not serve as a single payment processor for both physical and online transactions.
- Stripe does not, in any way, support PayPal.
- For a high-volume business, the standard price for all credit card payments is prohibitively expensive.
List of 10 Best Stripe Alternatives:
We’ve put up a list of the top 10 best Stripe Alternativesso choosing your favorite is all you have to do now.
1. Square:
For a small business, Square is one of the best Stripe alternatives. Any iOS or Android device can use it as a point of sale (POS) application. The Square platform also keeps track of real sales and inventory, allowing a firm to stay on top of payment updates, inventory levels, and sales possibilities.
Square helps a small business manage its financial performance efficiently by offering several payment methods, in-depth reporting, and simple drag-and-drop capabilities.
2. Cegid Retail:
Fashion and luxury, beauty, and specialized merchants use Cegid’s cloud-based retail software. The system is based on a single, centralized database that is shared across all channels and continuously updated with client information, items, prices, and sales. Cegid is compatible with Windows operating systems and can be deployed on-premise.
Cegid also offers Omnichannel order management; Reserve Online, Buy In-Store; Buy Online, Pickup In-Store (BOPIS); Order In-Store, Ship from Anywhere; Ship-from-Store; Accurate inventory visibility; Digital and mobile POS solutions; and CRM and retail analytics, in addition to its POS module.
3. Aralco:
Aralco is a provider of cloud-based POS and inventory management solutions with integrated eCommerce, CRM, and payment processing capabilities. Designed primarily to cater to the needs of small and midsize retailers across apparel, automotive and industrial supplies, footwear, and pharmacy stores, Aralco offers standard tools to manage key business activities using one solution. Aralco POS offers full customization of the front-end screen, allowing businesses to create their layouts and apply functions on the home screen according to their business needs. Users can generate custom reports or use ready-made templates to create reports for business reporting.
4. Authorize.Net:
Authorize.net is a Visa payment gateway that includes detailed reporting, secure data processing, and fraud protection. It is not a payment service provider or a merchant account.
The platform makes the payment procedure easier, but it does not supply the account you’ll need to take payments. As a result, unlike Stripe, Authorize.net requires the use of a third-party merchant account. However, this provides unrivaled flexibility at extremely low costs.
5. ORDYX:
ORDYX is a cloud-based point-of-sale solution designed for small, midsize, and large bars and restaurants. Primary features include online ordering, loyalty programs, inventory tracking, time and attendance, and delivery management. Other features include remote printers, SMS alerts, automatic upgrades, and remote authorizations. It allows managers to remotely make authorizations, including voids and comps. It offers integration with various property management systems, loyalty systems, beverage control systems, credit card processors, and others. These include QuickBooks, HotSchedules, OpenTable, ADP, MailChimp, Authorize.net, and Google Maps.
6. Loyverse POS Software:
Loyverse POS is a cloud-based, mobile point-of-sale solution aimed at small retail, restaurant, and salon establishments. With this software, users can manage inventory, visualize sales analytics and manage customer relationships. Loyverse POS allows users to sell products directly from iOS and Android smartphones and tablets. Discounts can be applied and orders can be modified directly from the platform. Customers can choose to receive printed receipts or electronic receipts, and users can issue refunds whenever necessary.
7. Braintree:
Braintree is billing software that maintains credit card data on a secure server directly from the merchant’s system. It’s a payment gateway service, similar to Authorize.net, that allows you to accept payments online.
However, as part of their service, Braintree includes a specialized merchant account. In truth, PayPal sponsors the brand, which provides merchant services that PayPal frequently lacks.
This increases the platform’s security and account stability while maintaining Stripe’s rates.
8. Live POS:
Live POS is a cloud-based retail point-of-sale (POS) solution that helps users to manage their day-to-day business operations, manage relationships with their customers, and process financial transactions. The solution offers POS, customer, and inventory management and allows users to view sales, track inventory and manage their business operations.
Live POS caters to small and midsize businesses in retail industries, including bookstores, electronics retailers, jewelry stores, pawnshops, and liquor stores. The solution also offers an offline mode that helps businesses to service their customers when internet connectivity is not available. Data is stored locally and sent to Live POS servers once the connection is restored.
9. ChargeBee:
ChargeBee is a cloud-based payment tool that allows a company to set up many billing models. This includes recurring, one-time, and usage-based invoicing.
With a user-friendly API and a vast number of integrations, startups may simply scale. It’s a one-stop-shop for online payment processing that can handle any size of business.
It is a powerful competitor for the Stripe platform because it offers real-time data and analytics, as well as revenue calculation and usage tracking.
10. Instore Software:
Instore is a point of sale (POS) solution for small to midsize restaurants and retailers. It offers features such as customer rewards, gift cards, promotions, online ordering, labor and inventory management, and business insights. Instore’s real-time performance reports can be viewed on any device and exported to QuickBooks or other accounting solutions.
Instore integrates with the Chowly online ordering solution and multiple credit card processors. The solution can be run on multiple iPads simultaneously, and users can purchase optional hardware that includes receipt printers, tablet stands, and cash drawers via Instore’s website.
Conclusion:
At the end of the day, there are a plethora of options when it comes to companies that are similar to Stripe – each provides unique products in a way, as they differ in price, functionality, and security levels.
Thus, when looking for a Stripe alternative, we advise you to do extensive research on all the candidates and choose the one that suits your business model the most.