Stripe Fees 2026: Real Costs and Comparison with IC++ Pricing
Stripe fees are based on a component-based model: 1.5% plus €0.25 on European cards, 2.5% plus €0.25 on British cards and up to 2.9% plus €0.25 on international cards, with no monthly fee and no activation costs. It is a more transparent structure than many flat rates, but it remains oriented toward e-commerce and medium-high volumes: it lacks a widespread physical POS in Italy and support is mainly in English. In this guide we analyze the 2026 Stripe pricing and compare it with RoxPay's IC++ model: €0.15 + 0.35%-0.85% (IC++) per transaction, which adds in-store acquiring to e-commerce under the same transparency principle.
Stripe fees: what it costs to accept cards
The Stripe price list for Italy applies differentiated rates by card region. On European cards the commission is 1.5% plus €0.25 per transaction. On British cards it rises to 2.5% plus €0.25, while on international cards it reaches 2.9% plus €0.25. There is no monthly fee or activation cost: the cost is entirely per transaction.
The structure is transparent, but it must be read in detail: the 1.5% base percentage applies only to European cards, and the €0.25 fixed fee weighs proportionally more on low tickets. On a €20 transaction with a European card the cost is €0.55 (2.75% effective), on a €10 one it is €0.40 (4%). To understand how the cost of a card payment is composed, our complete guide to credit card fees explains interchange, scheme fees and markup.
Extra Stripe costs: Billing, currency and physical channel limits
Beyond card fees, Stripe applies additional costs on accessory services. Stripe Billing, for subscriptions and recurring payments, adds an incremental percentage (around 0.7% on European cards) to the base rate. Payments in foreign currency involve a conversion fee. On the physical channel, Stripe Terminal exists but does not have the spread in Italy of traditional POS, and the model is oriented mainly toward online integrations and software platforms.
For a business that sells in-store, therefore, Stripe alone does not cover the physical channel with the same reach as a traditional acquirer. Anyone looking for a solution that covers both e-commerce and POS under the same transparency principle finds in RoxPay a complete alternative: the payment gateway comparison in Italy summarizes the selection criteria.
Stripe vs RoxPay: fee simulation on real volumes
Let's compare the Stripe rate on European cards (1.5% plus €0.25) with RoxPay's IC++ pricing (€0.15 plus 0.35%-0.85% per transaction) on an average ticket of €50. On €2,000 of monthly volume (40 transactions) Stripe keeps €40, while RoxPay applies €6 of fixed fee plus a component between €7 and €17, for a total between €13 and €23. On €5,000 (100 transactions) Stripe costs €100, against RoxPay's €32.50-€57.50. On €20,000 (400 transactions) the difference widens: €400 against a range between €130 and €230.
The gap comes from the fixed fee: Stripe's €0.25 multiplied for each transaction, combined with the 1.5% base, exceeds the cost of RoxPay's IC++ structure, which starts from a lower fixed fee (€0.15) and a minimum percentage of 0.35%. The point-by-point comparison, including contractual terms, is on the dedicated [RoxPay vs Stripe](/en/comparison/roxpay-vs-stripe) page.
Why RoxPay's IC++ pricing is more convenient than Stripe
The difference between Stripe and RoxPay is not so much in the transparency principle, which both share, but in the size of the components. Stripe applies 1.5% plus €0.25 on European cards, while RoxPay applies €0.15 plus a percentage between 0.35% and 0.85% that depends on the card type. On a European debit card, whose interchange is capped at 0.2% by the EU IFR Regulation, the actual cost of the transaction is low, and the difference between the two models translates into a concrete saving for the merchant.
In addition RoxPay also covers the physical channel under the same principle, while Stripe remains focused on e-commerce. If you want to verify the mechanism item by item, the guide to calculating fees with the IC++ method shows you how to reconstruct the real cost on your volume.
Frequently Asked Questions
Stripe or RoxPay: which one costs an ecommerce business less?
On EUR 5,000 per month Stripe costs EUR 100 (2% plus EUR 0.25), while RoxPay costs between EUR 32.50 and EUR 57.50 with IC++ pricing. The saving grows with volume and with the share of debit cards, which Stripe keeps overpricing.
Does RoxPay also cover the physical channel like Stripe?
Stripe in Italy focuses on online payments, while RoxPay offers one agreement for ecommerce, physical POS and recurring payments, with identical IC++ rates across channels and settlement directly to your business account.
Why is RoxPay's IC++ more transparent than Stripe's flat pricing?
With Stripe you pay a single percentage that blends real costs and margin; with RoxPay the statement separates the interbank component, the scheme fee and processing for every transaction, as EU IFR 25/2023 requires.
Does RoxPay provide commercial support in Italian?
Yes: the RoxPay team works in Italian, prepares tailored quotes and follows merchant onboarding, while Stripe runs Italy from Dublin with support mainly in English.
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