Key takeaways
- Stripe lists 2.9% plus 30 cents for standard US online card payments, with strong APIs for custom and recurring billing.
- Authorize.Net offers an all-in-one plan at a $25 monthly gateway fee plus 2.9% plus 30 cents, or gateway-only if you have a merchant account.
- Square suits businesses that also take in-person payments; its online rate on the free plan is higher than its paid plans.
- The right choice depends on how you bill, where customers pay and what your CRM needs to integrate with.
Service businesses such as clinics, law firms, agencies and contractors increasingly bill clients electronically: deposits, invoices, retainers and payment plans. Stripe, Authorize.Net and Square are three of the most common platforms. Each can work well; the differences show up in fees, recurring billing, integration options and how payments happen.
Published fees at a glance
| Stripe | Authorize.Net | Square | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online card payments | 2.9% + 30¢ (standard US pricing) | 2.9% + 30¢ on the all-in-one plan, plus $25/month gateway fee | 3.3% + 30¢ on the free plan; 2.9% + 30¢ on paid plans |
| Monthly fee | None on standard pricing | $25 gateway fee | None on the free plan |
| In-person | Available with Stripe Terminal | Through compatible hardware and processors | Core strength, with its own hardware |
Published rates at the time of writing; they apply to standard pricing or qualified applicants and change over time. International cards, currency conversion, disputes and add-ons cost extra. Check each provider’s current pricing.
Stripe
Stripe is developer-first, with excellent APIs, hosted checkout and payment links, subscriptions and invoicing through Stripe Billing, and broad payment method support. It suits businesses with custom integrations, recurring billing or digital products, and teams with development resources or partners.
Authorize.Net
Authorize.Net, a Visa solution, is a long-established US gateway. It offers hosted payment forms, customer profiles for tokenized repeat charges, recurring billing and fraud tools. Its gateway-only option lets businesses keep an existing merchant account, which is useful in industries where specific processors are required. It integrates with many CRMs and practice systems.
Square
Square combines in-person and online payments, invoicing and point-of-sale tools in one ecosystem, and is easy to start with. It suits businesses that see customers face to face, such as retail, salons, clinics and field services, and want simple invoicing. Its online rate depends on the plan.
How to choose
| If you… | Consider |
|---|---|
| Need deep custom integration or subscriptions | Stripe |
| Have an existing merchant account or industry-specific processor | Authorize.Net (gateway-only) |
| Take many in-person payments | Square |
| Bill from Salesforce with payment links and plans | A gateway with tokenization and a Salesforce integration |
Questions that matter more than the headline rate
- What will the all-in cost be at our real volume and average ticket size?
- Can we tokenize cards for recurring and future charges without storing card data?
- How do disputes, refunds and chargeback fees work?
- How quickly do funds reach our bank account?
- Does the platform integrate with our CRM, practice management or accounting system?
Integration with your CRM
For businesses running on Salesforce, the gateway is only part of the picture. Payment requests, links, schedules, retries, receipts and logs should live on the client record. Our Payment Gateway for Salesforce supports Authorize.Net and CenPOS out of the box, with custom gateways possible.
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheapest for online payments?
Stripe and Authorize.Net’s all-in-one plan list the same percentage rate, but Authorize.Net adds a monthly fee. Square’s free plan is higher online. Your volume and mix decide the real cost.
Can we use our existing merchant account?
Authorize.Net’s gateway-only plan supports that. Stripe and Square generally act as the processor themselves.
Which is best for recurring billing?
Stripe Billing is strong for subscriptions; Authorize.Net offers recurring billing and customer profiles; Square supports recurring invoices. Integration needs often decide.
