For an ecommerce brand, the alternatives to Stripe come in two kinds. One is another processor: Braintree (PayPal), Adyen, Checkout.com or your bank's acquirer. The other keeps your processor, Stripe included, and changes the checkout on top of it. Bolt does both. Bolt Payments processes cards at 2.5% + 30¢, against Stripe's standard 2.9% + 30¢. Or Bolt runs its one-click checkout on the processor you already use.
Why ecommerce teams look past Stripe
Stripe is a strong default for developers and for global, subscription and marketplace businesses. Ecommerce teams usually start comparing for one of four reasons:
- Rate. Stripe's standard US price is 2.9% + 30¢ for domestic cards, plus 0.5% for manually entered cards, 1.5% for international cards and 1% when currency conversion is needed [S1]. Custom pricing, including interchange-plus, is available for large-volume businesses through Stripe sales [S1].
- Dispute costs. Stripe charges $15 for each dispute received, plus a separate $15 if you counter it (refunded if you win) [S1].
- Fraud cover. Radar Lite is included on standard pricing; Radar Standard, Plus and Pro are paid tiers starting at $10 a month [S2]. Stripe's current Radar pricing page doesn't list chargeback cover. Its Chargeback Protection product, launched in 2019, covered fraud disputes on Stripe Checkout only [S3].
- Checkout conversion. Stripe's Link wallet reaches "over 300 million consumers worldwide" and is built into Stripe's payment surfaces [S4]. Credentials saved in Link can't be forwarded to other processors [S5].
The alternatives
Bolt
Bolt is one-click checkout, payments and fraud protection for US ecommerce. Two ways to use it:
- Keep your processor. Bolt connects to 11 documented processors as a gateway, including Stripe, Adyen, Braintree, Authorize.net, CyberSource and Checkout.com [B4]. If you're happy with Stripe's processing, you can keep it and change only the checkout.
- Use Bolt Payments. 2.5% + 30¢ per card transaction and $5 per chargeback [B1]. A Bolt Network fee applies only when a shopper signs in with an existing Bolt account; there's no network fee on guest orders [B1].
Either way, shoppers in the Bolt network check out in one click: 80M+ US shoppers are in the Bolt one-click network [B2], and Bolt says Bolt account holders convert 50% better [B1]. Bolt Fraud checks every order against 200+ real-time data signals, and the Total Fraud Protection plan indemnifies qualifying approved transactions that charge back as fraud, under your Bolt agreement [B3].
Braintree (PayPal)
Braintree's standard price is 2.89% + 29¢ on cards and wallets, with a $15 chargeback fee. Custom flat rates and interchange-plus pricing are available for established businesses [P5]. Chargeback Protection starts at 0.4% per transaction [P5]. Braintree is also the route to PayPal's Fastlane, which requires card processing through Braintree or PayPal [P6].
Adyen and Checkout.com
Both are enterprise processors that quote custom pricing. They suit brands with high volume, many countries or in-store and online together. [Before publishing: add one sourced line each from adyen.com and checkout.com pricing pages, read on the publish date, or cut this subsection.]
PayPal
PayPal's Advanced Credit and Debit Card Payments are 2.89% + 29¢; PayPal Checkout and Venmo are 3.49% + 49¢ [P1]. See our PayPal alternatives guide for the full comparison.
Stripe vs Bolt at a glance
| Stripe (standard pricing) | Bolt | |
|---|---|---|
| US card processing | 2.9% + 30¢ domestic; +1.5% international; +1% currency conversion [S1] | Bolt Payments 2.5% + 30¢; or keep your processor [B1][B4] |
| Dispute or chargeback fee | $15 per dispute, plus $15 to counter (refunded if you win) [S1] | $5 per chargeback on Bolt Payments [B1] |
| Fraud screening | Radar Lite included; paid tiers from $10/month [S2] | Bolt Fraud, 200+ real-time data signals [B3] |
| Fraud chargeback cover | Not listed on the current Radar pricing page; the 2019 product covered Stripe Checkout only [S2][S3] | Indemnifies qualifying approved transactions that charge back as fraud, under your Bolt agreement [B3] |
| One-click network | Link, "over 300 million consumers worldwide", built into Stripe payments [S4] | 80M+ US shoppers in the Bolt one-click network [B2] |
| Other processors | Orchestration is in private preview; forwarding to other processors is by request to Stripe support, and excludes Link [S5][S6] | Gateway to 11 documented processors, including Stripe [B4] |
| Custom pricing | Yes, through sales [S1] | Talk to sales about your rates [B1] |
When Stripe is still the better fit
Stay on Stripe, or keep it as your processor under Bolt, if most of your revenue is subscriptions billed through Stripe Billing, you run a marketplace on Stripe Connect, or you sell mainly outside the US. Bolt serves US merchants.
How to switch without a big-bang migration
- Keep Stripe as the processor and put Bolt checkout in front of it on one storefront.
- Test Bolt checkout against your current checkout on a share of traffic and compare conversion.
- Price Bolt Payments against your Stripe statement once you know your mix of guest and network orders.
FAQ
What is the best Stripe alternative for ecommerce?
It depends on what you want to change. To lower card rates, compare processors: Bolt Payments is 2.5% + 30¢ against Stripe's standard 2.9% + 30¢. To raise conversion without changing processors, add a one-click checkout like Bolt on top of Stripe.
Is Bolt a replacement for Stripe?
It can be either. Bolt Payments can replace Stripe for US card processing at 2.5% + 30¢, or Bolt can run its one-click checkout with Stripe as your processor. If you use Stripe Billing or Stripe Connect, keep Stripe as the processor and add Bolt checkout in front of it.
Can I use Bolt with Stripe?
Yes. Bolt connects to Stripe as a payment processor, so you can keep your Stripe account and change only the checkout.
Is Bolt cheaper than Stripe?
On standard pricing, Bolt Payments is 2.5% + 30¢ per card transaction and $5 per chargeback, against Stripe's 2.9% + 30¢ and $15 per dispute. A Bolt Network fee applies only when a shopper signs in with an existing Bolt account.
Does Stripe cover fraud chargebacks?
Stripe's current Radar pricing page lists fraud screening tiers but not chargeback cover. Its Chargeback Protection product, launched in 2019, covered fraud disputes on Stripe Checkout. Bolt's Total Fraud Protection plan indemnifies qualifying approved transactions that charge back as fraud, under your Bolt agreement.
Does Bolt work outside the US?
No. Bolt serves US merchants and shoppers.
Going deeper? Bolt vs Stripe Link, PayPal alternatives and one-click checkout providers compare individual options.
Talk to Bolt
If you're weighing a move off Stripe, or want to keep Stripe and test a faster checkout, we can price it against your current statement. Contact sales.
Sources:
- [S1] Stripe pricing (read 2026-11-01)
- [S2] Stripe Radar pricing (read 2026-11-01)
- [S3] Stripe Chargeback Protection Terms, last updated June 3, 2019 (read 2026-11-01)
- [S4] Stripe Link (read 2026-11-01)
- [S5] Stripe docs: Vault and Forward (read 2026-11-01)
- [S6] Stripe docs: Orchestration (read 2026-11-01)
- [P1] PayPal merchant fees, last updated October 1, 2026 (read 2026-11-01)
- [P5] Braintree fees, last updated May 7, 2026 (read 2026-11-01)
- [P6] Braintree docs: Fastlane (read 2026-11-01)
- [B1] Bolt pricing
- [B2] The Bolt Network
- [B3] Bolt Fraud
- [B4] Bolt Help: payment processors
Stripe and Link are trademarks of Stripe, Inc. PayPal, Braintree, Venmo and Fastlane are trademarks of PayPal, Inc. Adyen and Checkout.com are trademarks of their owners. Bolt is not affiliated with or endorsed by these companies.