Fees: close, and it depends on gift size
An important difference before the numbers: PayPal publishes a discounted charity rate. Stripe does not publish one. Stripe confirms it offers a nonprofit discount and lists the eligibility conditions (registered nonprofit status with valid tax documentation, an eligible region, and at least 80% of payment volume coming from tax-deductible donations), but it does not state the discounted rate publicly. You have to apply and ask. So the only honest comparison uses each processor's published figures:
| Stripe | PayPal (confirmed charity) | |
|---|---|---|
| Published rate | 2.9% + 30¢ (standard online rate; nonprofit discount available but unpublished) | 1.99% + 49¢ (2.89% + 49¢ standard donation rate) |
| On a $15 gift | ~74¢ (4.9%) | ~79¢ (5.3%) |
| On a $50 gift | ~$1.75 (3.5%) | ~$1.49 (3.0%) |
| On a $250 gift | ~$7.55 (3.0%) | ~$5.47 (2.2%) |
Rates verified August 2026 against Stripe's nonprofit discount page and PayPal's published business fees. Confirm current pricing with each processor, and note that PayPal's charity rate requires application and pre-approval.
Read the table carefully: on published rates, PayPal's approved charity pricing is actually cheaper on mid-size and larger gifts, and Stripe's fixed fee only wins on the smallest gifts. If Stripe grants you a nonprofit discount the gap narrows or reverses, but since that rate is not public, do not assume it. Apply to both and compare what you are actually quoted.
Donor trust
A meaningful share of donors - often older, and among your most generous - simply trust PayPal, and will abandon a card form they wouldn't abandon a PayPal button. You don't have to share the preference to respect it.
Checkout experience
Stripe collects the card in fields on your page, so the donor never leaves. PayPal redirects to PayPal and back. On-page checkout usually reduces drop-off, which for many nonprofits is worth more than the fractional fee difference.
Recurring donations
Both support recurring gifts. With Donor Merchant, monthly, quarterly, and yearly giving works on Stripe (subscriptions) and PayPal (subscriptions) alike - included free.
The answer: offer both, let the donor choose
Nothing says you must pick one. Donor Merchant shows Stripe and PayPal side by side on the same form, so each donor uses what they trust - and you capture gifts you'd otherwise lose. See how to connect both →