Merchant Fee Calculator — Compare Stripe, Square & Payment Processors

Merchant Fee Calculator

Compare credit card processing fees across Square, Stripe, PayPal & more

What is this? This calculator reveals the true cost of accepting credit and debit cards at your business. It compares fees across Square, Stripe, PayPal, and other major processors — showing exactly how much you pay per transaction, monthly, and annually.

Who it's for: Small business owners, retailers, e-commerce sellers, and freelancers who want to know which payment processor costs them the least.

Transaction Details

Average Transaction ($)

Transactions / Month

Processor Rate (%)

Per-Transaction Fee ($)

Show advanced (monthly fees, PCI)

Your Processor Analysis

Fee Per Transaction

—

processing cost

Effective Rate

—

true all-in rate

Net Per Transaction

—

you receive

Monthly Fees

—

total fees

Annual Cost

—

processed/year

Annual Net Revenue

—

after fees

Processor Comparison

Processor	Rate + Per-Tx	Monthly	Annual Total	Annual Savings
Square	2.6% + $0.10	$0	—	—
Stripe	2.9% + $0.30	$0	—	—
PayPal	2.99% + $0.30	$0	—	—
Flat-Rate	3.5% + $0.30	$0	—	—
Your Processor	2.9% + $0.30	$0	—	—

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Commissions help fund free calculator development. We only recommend processors we trust.

Estimates based on standard published rates. Actual fees may vary by business type, card present vs online, and volume. Verify all rates on processor websites before signing up.

Payment Processing for Your Business

Accept payments online and in-person. These processors offer the best rates for small businesses.

Stripe →

Payment processing for online businesses — 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction

Square →

Free POS, 2.6% + 10¢ in-person — invoicing, online payments, hardware

PayPal Business →

Accept payments everywhere — checkout, invoicing, business debit card

We may earn a commission if you click above. Calculator is free to use.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average payment processing fee?

In-person transactions: 2.6% + 10¢ (Square, Stripe). Online: 2.9% + 30¢. Keyed/card-not-present: higher. Volume discounts available for businesses processing $80K+/month.

How can I reduce payment processing costs?

Pass fees to customers (surcharging is legal in most states). Use PIN debit for high-value transactions. Batch transactions daily. Choose a processor with interchange-plus pricing vs tiered pricing.

What is interchange plus pricing?

Interchange-plus pricing: you pay the actual interchange fee (set by card networks) plus a fixed markup. This is more transparent and usually cheaper than tiered pricing, where processors bundle rates into broad categories.