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ACH vs card fee calculator (US)

Rates checked against Stripe, PayPal and Square fee pages, oldest check October 19, 2026 · Not affiliated with Stripe, PayPal or Square

On a $100 invoice, a bank payment costs $0.80 with Stripe and $1.00 with PayPal or Square, against $3.20 to $3.98 by card. Enter your amount to rank all six.

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Cheapest way to get paid

Enter an amount to compare six ways to get paid.

Estimates from each provider's published fees. Not affiliated with Stripe, PayPal or Square. Your entries stay in this browser. Nothing is sent to our servers.

ACH vs card fees at a glance

The fee to receive each amount (Square on its Free plan):

Way to get paid$100$500$1,000$2,500
Stripe, ACH Direct Debit$0.80$4.00$5.00$5.00
PayPal invoice, paid by bank$1.00$5.00$10.00$10.00
Square invoice, paid by bank$1.00$5.00$10.00$25.00
Stripe, card online$3.20$14.80$29.30$72.80
Square, card online$3.60$16.80$33.30$82.80
PayPal Checkout, card or PayPal$3.98$17.94$35.39$87.74

Stripe caps its ACH fee at $5 and PayPal its bank-paid invoices at $10; card fees have no cap. Square's ACH fee is capped at $10 on Plus and Premium only.

How it works

Each provider charges a percentage, sometimes with a fixed fee, a minimum or a cap. Stripe takes 2.9% + $0.30 on an online card payment and 0.8% on ACH Direct Debit, capped at $5. PayPal Checkout takes 3.49% + $0.49 on a card or PayPal payment; an invoice paid by bank costs 1%, capped at $10. Square takes 3.3% + $0.30 on an online card payment on its Free plan (2.9% + $0.30 on Plus and Premium) and 1% on an invoice paid by bank, at least $1, capped at $10 on Plus and Premium. This page runs your amount through the same calculators as each provider's own page and ranks the six by fee.

Worked examples

  1. A $100 invoice: Stripe ACH costs $0.80, a PayPal or Square invoice paid by bank $1.00, a Stripe card payment $3.20, Square online card $3.60 and PayPal Checkout $3.98.
  2. Caps make bank payments far cheaper on big invoices. On $2,500, Stripe ACH stops at $5.00 and a PayPal invoice paid by bank at $10.00, while a card payment costs $72.80 with Stripe and $87.74 through PayPal Checkout.
  3. On small amounts Square's $1.00 minimum shows: a $20 invoice paid by bank costs $1.00 with Square, more than the $0.88 of a Stripe card payment.

Common questions

Is ACH cheaper than a credit card?

Yes, on any invoice above a few dollars. Bank payments cost 0.8% to 1%, capped at $5 with Stripe and $10 with PayPal, against 2.9% to 3.49% plus a fixed fee by card. On a $1,000 invoice that is $5.00 or $10.00 instead of $29.30 to $35.39.

What does Stripe charge for ACH?

0.8% per ACH Direct Debit payment, capped at $5.00. A $500 payment costs $4.00, and every payment from $625 up costs $5.00.

What does PayPal charge when an invoice is paid by bank?

1% of the payment, capped at $10.00, so a $1,000 or larger invoice costs $10.00. This page compares it with PayPal Checkout, 3.49% + $0.49, for a buyer paying by card or PayPal.

Does Square charge for ACH invoices?

Yes: 1% of the payment with a $1.00 minimum. On Square Plus and Premium the fee is capped at $10.00; on the Free plan there is no cap, so a $5,000 invoice costs $50.00.

Which is cheapest for small payments?

Stripe ACH, at 0.8% with no minimum: $0.16 on $20. Square's bank invoices cost at least $1.00, so on $20 even a Stripe card payment ($0.88) is cheaper.

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