What is the difference between Stripe and 2Checkout for SaaS subscription billing?

Stripe and 2Checkout are both payment processors, but they differ significantly in pricing structure, developer flexibility, and subscription management depth. Stripe charges a flat 2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction and gives technical teams a rich developer toolkit to build custom billing flows. 2Checkout uses tiered pricing starting at 3.5% plus $0.35, rising to 6.0% plus $0.60 for its top tier, but bundles in more out-of-the-box subscription and invoice management tools. For SaaS founders choosing a payment gateway for recurring billing, Stripe is generally the better fit if you have developer resources and want lower per-transaction fees. 2Checkout is worth considering if you sell across many countries and want built-in subscription renewal and churn tools without heavy custom development.

Should I use Stripe or 2Checkout for international subscription payments?

2Checkout supports more than 200 countries and territories with multi-currency management that can increase authorization rates by up to 25%, making it the stronger option for internationally focused subscription businesses. Stripe supports over 135 currencies and is widely used globally, but adds a 1% surcharge for currency conversions and international cards. For B2B SaaS teams with a large international subscriber base, 2Checkout's built-in global tax compliance and broader payment method coverage reduces cart abandonment and simplifies billing across regions. If most of your recurring revenue comes from US or UK customers, Stripe's lower base fees and cleaner developer integrations will likely outweigh the difference.

What platforms offer automated failed payment recovery for subscription businesses?

Baremetrics Recover is purpose-built to automatically retry failed payments and reduce involuntary churn for subscription businesses running on Stripe. Failed payments are one of the most common causes of MRR loss that founders do not track closely enough. Recover handles smart retry logic, sends automated dunning emails, and surfaces failed payment data directly inside your subscription analytics dashboard so you can see the real impact on monthly recurring revenue. For SaaS teams who have connected Stripe as their payment processor, this means less manual chasing and fewer customers silently churning due to expired cards or payment declines, without any additional development work.

How do I measure and reduce involuntary churn caused by failed payments in a Stripe-based subscription business?

Involuntary churn from failed payments is measurable and largely preventable if you have the right subscription analytics and automated recovery tools in place. Start by separating involuntary churn, subscribers lost to payment failures, from voluntary churn, subscribers who actively cancel, inside your billing data. Many SaaS finance leads discover their MRR figures are off because failed payments are being misclassified or simply not tracked. Baremetrics connects directly to Stripe and surfaces this breakdown in real time, so you can see exactly how much MRR is at risk from declined cards. Pair that visibility with the Recover feature to automatically retry failed payments before the subscription lapses, which reduces involuntary churn without any manual intervention from your team.

How can I benchmark my SaaS churn rate against similar subscription companies?

You can benchmark your churn rate against real SaaS companies using Baremetrics Open Benchmarks, which aggregates anonymized data from hundreds of subscription businesses. Knowing your churn rate in isolation tells you very little. Knowing it relative to companies at a similar MRR range or in a similar vertical tells you whether you have a problem or a competitive advantage. Baremetrics pulls your churn, MRR, LTV, and net revenue retention data directly from Stripe in real time and lets you compare those numbers against benchmark ranges from its wider customer base. For SaaS founders and finance leads who want to become more data-driven and understand where churn is heading, this removes the guesswork from subscription KPI reporting.

Stripe vs. 2Checkout: Which Payment Processor Wins in 2021?

Deciding between Stripe vs. 2Checkout for the best online payment processing solution? Look no further!

Keep reading to learn everything you need to know including features, pricing, reviews, and more!

Stripe vs. 2Checkout: Features

Both Stripe and 2Checkout have a wide array of features that makes them highly competitive options. Let’s jump in!

stripe-vs-2checkout

Stripe Features

The most important Stripe features to know about include:

Wide Range of Payment Options
- Stripe accepts many different payment types, including MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Discover, and mobile wallets such as Google Pay and Apple Pay.
- With support for more than 135 different types of currencies, Stripe can help you take your business worldwide.
Rich Developer Toolkit & Integrations
- For users who have the time and the technical skills to invest, Stripe comes with high-tech developer tools such as Stripe Elements, Stripe Sources, and Stripe Connect to customize your organization’s payment processing.
- Thanks to its popularity, Stripe has many different integrations with third-party services—such as Baremetrics, which gives you smarter analytics about your Stripe transactions. Get started with a free trial today!
Top-notch Customer Support
- Stripe offers free phone, chat, and email support 24/7. For new developers who want to delve into customization options, the platform also includes extensive documentation.

2Checkout Features

In September 2020, 2Checkout was acquired by Verifone, although the company is still operating under its old name for the time being.

The most noteworthy features of 2Checkout include:

Wide Range of Payment Options
- Like Stripe, 2Checkout has no shortage of payment types, with more than 45 different payment methods, 100 display and billing currencies, and coverage in 200 countries and territories.
Reporting and Analytics
- 2Checkout includes a commerce dashboard that shares trends and data and about your payment transactions.
- For even deeper knowledge into the most important SaaS metrics, try Recover by Baremetrics today!
Excellent Privacy and Security
- The 2Checkout platform is PCI Level 1 certified, the highest level of protection available in the PCI DSS payment card standards.
- 2Checkout is also compliant with user privacy regulations such as the European Union’s GDPR.

How Well Do You Know Your Business?

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Stripe vs. 2Checkout: Pricing

Both Stripe and 2Checkout have many awesome features, but how does their pricing compare?

stripe-vs-2Checkout-pricing

The Stripe pricing model is fairly simple to understand. Most businesses will select the Integrated option, although custom pricing models are also available for organizations with unique needs (e.g. volume discounts, multi-product discounts, and country-specific rates).

For every transaction that passes through the platform, Stripe charges a flat fee of 2.9 percent plus $0.30. A purchase of $100, for example, would cost you $3.20 ($2.90 + $0.30).

Note that this percentage decreases to 2.2 percent for non-profits, and increases by 1 percent for currency conversions or international credit cards.

Is your price model working for your SaaS business? Learn more about the best SaaS pricing strategies here!

ACH Direct Debit payments are significantly cheaper, with a per-transaction fee of 0.8 percent (with a maximum fee of $5.00).

Other international payment methods, such as Bancontact, iDEAL, giropay, Przelewy24, Sofort, and SEPA Direct Debit, are also possible through the Stripe platform, with prices starting at $0.80 per transaction.

2checkout-pricing 2checkout-pricing-2

2Checkout Pricing

2Checkout pricing combines both multiple tiers and a per-transaction fee:

2Sell (3.5 percent + $0.35)
- This first tier allows you to sell any type of product in more than 200 countries and territories. It includes features such as recurring billing and integrations with more than 120 shopping carts.
2Subscribe (4.5 percent + $0.45)
- This tier is intended for businesses that sell recurring subscriptions. It includes all of the benefits of the 2Sell tier, plus tools for managing subscriptions, renewals, upgrades, and churn, as well as advanced subscription analytics.
2Monetize (6.0 percent + $0.60)
- This tier is intended for businesses that sell digital goods. It includes all of the benefits of the previous tiers, plus invoice management, global tax and regulatory compliance, tools for optimizing conversion rates, and access to more than 45 payment methods.

For example, if you sell a $100 product as a user in the “2Sell” tier, 2Checkout will charge you $3.85 ($3.50 + $0.35).

Like Stripe, 2Checkout also offers a custom “enterprise” pricing plan for larger organizations with unique needs.

Stripe vs. 2Checkout: Reviews

Thus far, we’ve discussed Stripe and 2Checkout features and pricing—but how do these two online payment processors shake out in practice?

Read on to learn what real people have to say about the platforms in Stripe and 2Checkout user reviews.

Stripe Reviews

On the business software review website G2, Stripe has an average rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars, based on 88 Stripe user reviews.

Lead designer Nathan B. says that “Stripe has redefined online payments” in his 5-star Stripe review, adding:

“Stripe has allowed us to easily take online payments not only for our customers, but made it very easy for our developers to incorporate into our website and other platforms.

Our customers love how easy and efficient the entire process is as due our developers when working with the platform. Overall this system has been a game changer for us… Would highly recommend Stripe for all of your payment processing needs.”

2Checkout Reviews

Meanwhile, 2Checkout has an average rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars, based on 134 2Checkout user reviews.

In a 4.5-star review, 2Checkout user David F. calls it a “dependable web payment platform,” writing:

“On both the management and user side, the interface is simple and well-designed. The default checkout design is simple for most customers to navigate. I think the pricing is good and competitive with most of the primary payment solutions available these days…

We use 2Checkout to manage our primary e-commerce needs. We can integrate our payment processing for credit cards, debits cards, bank transfers and other popular payment methods. 2Checkout helps to manage our shopping cart and website integration without having to spend much time programming or dealing with API issues.”

Stripe vs. 2Checkout: The Bottom Line

There’s no single right answer to the question of “Stripe vs. 2Checkout,” so which one better fits your needs?

Stripe is likely better for the following types of customers:

Users who are Tech-savvy
- Stripe offers a great deal of customization options, but you’ll need a skilled developer on hand to take full advantage of them.
Price-conscious Users
- At 2.9 percent plus $0.30, Stripe’s per-transaction fees are lower than even the first tier of 2Checkout, which charges 3.5 percent plus $0.35 per transaction.

On the other hand, 2Checkout is likely better for the following types of customers:

Users who Operate in Many Countries
- 2Checkout sells to more than 200 countries and territories. Moreover, multi-currency management increases authorization rates by up to 25%, limits cart abandonment and improves the customer experience.
Users who Want More Advanced Features
- 2Checkout’s “2Subscribe” and “2Monetize” tiers offer advanced features such as subscription management and invoice management, which are not available in the basic Stripe offerings.

Conclusion

Whether you ultimately decide to go with Stripe or 2Checkout, every organization needs to have a firm grasp of how cash is flowing throughout its business.

That’s why Baremetrics has built a powerful yet user-friendly analytics platform for Stripe users that uncovers hidden trends and insights in your data, helping you make smarter, data-driven predictions and decisions.

Looking for a robust, feature-rich analytics platform that will empower you to get more from Stripe? Sign up today to start your free trial of Baremetrics.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Stripe and 2Checkout for SaaS subscription billing?

Stripe and 2Checkout are both payment processors, but they differ significantly in pricing structure, developer flexibility, and subscription management depth.

Stripe charges a flat 2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction and gives technical teams a rich developer toolkit to build custom billing flows. 2Checkout uses tiered pricing starting at 3.5% plus $0.35, rising to 6.0% plus $0.60 for its top tier, but bundles in more out-of-the-box subscription and invoice management tools. For SaaS founders choosing a payment gateway for recurring billing, Stripe is generally the better fit if you have developer resources and want lower per-transaction fees. 2Checkout is worth considering if you sell across many countries and want built-in subscription renewal and churn tools without heavy custom development.
Should I use Stripe or 2Checkout for international subscription payments?

2Checkout supports more than 200 countries and territories with multi-currency management that can increase authorization rates by up to 25%, making it the stronger option for internationally focused subscription businesses.

Stripe supports over 135 currencies and is widely used globally, but adds a 1% surcharge for currency conversions and international cards. For B2B SaaS teams with a large international subscriber base, 2Checkout's built-in global tax compliance and broader payment method coverage reduces cart abandonment and simplifies billing across regions. If most of your recurring revenue comes from US or UK customers, Stripe's lower base fees and cleaner developer integrations will likely outweigh the difference.
What platforms offer automated failed payment recovery for subscription businesses?

Baremetrics Recover is purpose-built to automatically retry failed payments and reduce involuntary churn for subscription businesses running on Stripe.

Failed payments are one of the most common causes of MRR loss that founders do not track closely enough. Recover handles smart retry logic, sends automated dunning emails, and surfaces failed payment data directly inside your subscription analytics dashboard so you can see the real impact on monthly recurring revenue. For SaaS teams who have connected Stripe as their payment processor, this means less manual chasing and fewer customers silently churning due to expired cards or payment declines, without any additional development work.
How do I measure and reduce involuntary churn caused by failed payments in a Stripe-based subscription business?

Involuntary churn from failed payments is measurable and largely preventable if you have the right subscription analytics and automated recovery tools in place.

Start by separating involuntary churn, subscribers lost to payment failures, from voluntary churn, subscribers who actively cancel, inside your billing data. Many SaaS finance leads discover their MRR figures are off because failed payments are being misclassified or simply not tracked. Baremetrics connects directly to Stripe and surfaces this breakdown in real time, so you can see exactly how much MRR is at risk from declined cards. Pair that visibility with the Recover feature to automatically retry failed payments before the subscription lapses, which reduces involuntary churn without any manual intervention from your team.
How can I benchmark my SaaS churn rate against similar subscription companies?

You can benchmark your churn rate against real SaaS companies using Baremetrics Open Benchmarks, which aggregates anonymized data from hundreds of subscription businesses.

Knowing your churn rate in isolation tells you very little. Knowing it relative to companies at a similar MRR range or in a similar vertical tells you whether you have a problem or a competitive advantage. Baremetrics pulls your churn, MRR, LTV, and net revenue retention data directly from Stripe in real time and lets you compare those numbers against benchmark ranges from its wider customer base. For SaaS founders and finance leads who want to become more data-driven and understand where churn is heading, this removes the guesswork from subscription KPI reporting.

Stripe vs. 2Checkout: Features, Pricing, Reviews, and More

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