Squarespace Payments vs Stripe comes down to this: the card processing rate is the same on the Basic and Core plans (2.9 percent plus 30 cents in the US), Squarespace Payments gets cheaper on Plus and Advanced (2.7 and 2.5 percent), and Squarespace Payments keeps orders, payouts, refunds and disputes inside the Squarespace dashboard instead of a second login. Stripe wins on countries, on payment methods, and on anything you run outside Squarespace. For a shop in a supported country selling on Squarespace alone, Squarespace Payments is the sensible default now; for anyone outside those countries, selling in several places, or needing a specific payment method, Stripe. The detail, with the real fee tables, is below.
Squarespace Payments vs Stripe: what is the difference?
| Squarespace Payments | Stripe | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Squarespace’s own processor, launched 2023, built on a payments partner | Independent processor connected to Squarespace via its API |
| Where you manage it | Finance panel inside Squarespace | Stripe dashboard, separate login |
| Countries | US, Canada, UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, Finland, Austria, Italy, Portugal, Australia, New Zealand (as of Sep 2026) | 40+ countries |
| Payment methods | Cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Link, Klarna, Afterpay or Clearpay, iDEAL, SEPA, ACH (US), varying by country | Through Squarespace: cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Link, Klarna, Afterpay or Clearpay. Outside Squarespace: iDEAL, SEPA, BACS and dozens more |
| Payouts | Next business day to a linked bank account | Typically 2 to 7 days depending on country; instant payouts for a fee |
| In person | Tap to Pay in the Squarespace app (US and UK) | Square point of sale in the app can sit alongside Stripe |
| Use outside Squarespace | No | Yes: invoices, other sites, apps |
What are the fees?
Two separate charges apply to every sale on Squarespace: the processor’s rate and, on the Basic plan only, a Squarespace transaction fee. Squarespace’s fee table for Squarespace Payments in the US:
| Plan | Standard cards | Premium cards (Amex, corporate) | International surcharge | ACH | Squarespace transaction fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | 2.9% + $0.30 | 3.2% + $0.30 | +1.5% | 1.5% | 2% on top |
| Core | 2.9% + $0.30 | 3.2% + $0.30 | +1.5% | 1% | None |
| Plus | 2.7% + $0.30 | 3.2% + $0.30 | +1.5% | 1% | None |
| Advanced | 2.5% + $0.30 | 3.2% + $0.30 | +1.5% | 1% | None |
UK rates are lower for personal cards (2.0% + 25p on Basic and Core, 1.7% on Plus, 1.5% on Advanced) and higher for business cards (3.0% + 25p). Klarna and Afterpay cost 5.45 to 6 percent plus the fixed fee on any plan. Stripe’s standard US rate is 2.9% + $0.30 for domestic cards with a 1.5% international surcharge, and it does not drop with your Squarespace plan. So on Basic and Core the processors cost the same; on Plus and Advanced, Squarespace Payments saves 0.2 to 0.4 percent of every sale, which on $10,000 a month is $20 to $40. Not nothing, not decisive.
When is Squarespace Payments the better choice?
- You sell only on Squarespace and want one dashboard for orders, payouts, refunds and disputes. That is the main reason people switch, and it is a real time saving.
- You are on Plus or Advanced and process enough volume for the lower rate to matter.
- You want next-day payouts without paying Stripe’s instant-payout fee.
- You want Klarna or Afterpay at checkout without setting them up in a separate account.
- You are starting fresh. Squarespace steers new sites in supported countries to Squarespace Payments, and it takes minutes to set up with no separate account.
When is Stripe the better choice?
- Your business is outside the supported countries. Squarespace Payments is not an option; Stripe covers most of the world.
- You take payments elsewhere too: a booking app, a second site, invoices, a course platform. One Stripe account across all of them means one set of reports and one payout stream.
- You need a payment method only Stripe offers where you sell, checked against Squarespace’s supported-methods table, because the Stripe integration inside Squarespace is narrower than Stripe itself.
- You rely on Stripe features such as Radar rules you have tuned or a Stripe subscription integration outside Squarespace.
- You prefer a separate ledger. Some accountants want the processor’s own export rather than the Squarespace order list.
What happens when you switch from Stripe to Squarespace Payments?
Eligible sites get an email and a dashboard banner from Squarespace. Squarespace’s switch guide sets out the process: you sign up from the banner, connect a bank account, and Squarespace Payments replaces Stripe as the site’s processor. Sales history stays in the Orders and Customers panels; past payments remain visible in Stripe. Subscription products keep charging through Stripe until the saved payment methods finish importing, which can take up to ten days, so do not switch the week a big renewal batch is due. Customers notice nothing at checkout. Treat it as a decision rather than an experiment; moving processors twice means two rounds of payout and subscription changes.
What about PayPal and Square?
PayPal can run alongside either processor as an extra checkout button, and for some audiences it lifts conversion enough to be worth its own fees. Square is the point-of-sale option in the Squarespace app and connects alongside Stripe or PayPal; with Squarespace Payments, in-person sales use Tap to Pay in the app in the US and UK. Neither replaces the card processor for the online store. If the shop is the reason for the site, the platform decision comes first; Shopify store design covers the point where a Squarespace shop outgrows the platform, and the Squarespace design service sets shops up with whichever processor fits, alongside the other Squarespace settings worth getting right on day one.
Frequently asked questions
Same rate on Basic and Core (2.9% + $0.30 in the US); cheaper on Plus (2.7%) and Advanced (2.5%). Stripe stays at 2.9% regardless of plan. Premium cards, international cards and buy-now-pay-later options cost more on both.
Yes if you sell only on Squarespace, are in a supported country, and want one dashboard and next-day payouts. Stay on Stripe if you take payments elsewhere, need a payment method Squarespace Payments lacks, or are outside its supported countries.
As of September 2026: the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, Finland, Austria, Italy, Portugal, Australia and New Zealand. Squarespace is adding more; Stripe supports over 40 countries.
Yes. Stripe, PayPal and Square remain available under Payments settings. Squarespace promotes Squarespace Payments to eligible sites, but existing Stripe connections keep working.
They keep charging through Stripe until customers’ saved payment methods finish importing, which takes up to ten days. After that they process through Squarespace Payments with no action from customers.
Not for card payments; a site has one card processor. You can add PayPal alongside either. Square point of sale pairs with Stripe or PayPal; Squarespace Payments uses Tap to Pay in the app for in-person sales.
