Stripe Alternatives in the UK: Stripe is a popular online payment processing platform for many businesses. Tech-savvy firms and startups prefer it to other payment methods. The platform provides versatile software that you can use to develop custom checkouts. Stripe is one of the leading providers in the credit card payment processing industry.
However, it isn’t the best fit for everyone. For example, you need advanced development know-how to create custom checkouts on Stripe. This presents a challenge for most small businesses. Thus, you may be better suited using Stripe alternatives. Read on for a breakdown of the alternatives to Stripe in the UK.
Square
Square is quite popular in the online payment processing scene. It’s one of the best alternatives to Stripe because of several things. For one, it offers a free point-of-sale (POS) system.
Square also allows you to begin selling instantly after signing up without doing any programming. Stripe doesn't offer that option.
The POS system offered by Square works well for a range of businesses. With Square, you can get additional software as your organization expands.
You can obtain software to help with marketing, loyalty plans, and payroll. However, Square doesn't provide as many integrations as Stripe. Thus, it best suits small businesses rather than more complex organizations.
PayPal
PayPal is a renowned online payment processor. Unlike Stripe, PayPal is easy for business owners and clients to use. On the other hand, implementing and maintaining Stripe can be challenging.
PayPal offers a variety of benefits. It accepts different kinds of payments and has an international reach. Thus, using PayPal as a payment method ensures efficiency. In addition, PayPal provides users with a free POS system known as Zettle.
A significant advantage of PayPal has to do with customer conversion. Clients are more likely to convert when they see PayPal.
GoCardless
You may need a Stripe alternative in the UK that does more than credit card processing. That’s where GoCardless comes in. It offers a direct debit solution. That means that a business owner is in control of obtaining funds from the client’s bank account.
With a direct debit solution, you can get paid on time. GoCardless also has add-ons that you can use to recover failed payments. Your business may deal majorly with recurring or subscription payments. If so, GoCardless may be the right Stripe alternative for you.
Authorize.net
Authorize.net can get integrated into different payment solutions. It is also a reliable payment gateway that doesn’t have chargeback fees. However, it has a monthly fee.
Merchants can use Authorize.net as a payment gateway or a payment processor. Such flexibility makes the platform attractive to business owners. Another excellent quality of Authorize.net is its ability to handle high-risk businesses.
Authorize.net doesn’t integrate as well as Stripe. However, it partners with developers who can develop integrations on your behalf.
CardConnect
One of the leading Stripe alternatives in the UK is CardConnect. It provides payment processing and other technology solutions. CardConnect offers extensive security measures by using robust point-to-point encryption and tokenization.
With CardConnect, you’ll get APIs that allow for the ease of integration into third-party apps. The payment solution also provides users with a reporting and transaction management portal.
Through CardSecure, the platform can integrate payment acceptance into multiple systems. It does so in a way that reduces transaction costs.
Stax by Fattmerchant
Stax by Fattmerchant is a strong contender regarding Stripe alternatives in the UK. As a credit card processing platform, it’s suitable for many businesses.
Most companies in the credit card processing industry charge a percentage of your transactions. However, Stax charges a fixed monthly cost.
The monthly cost depends on your annual income. For example, if your business’s annual income is below $500,000, you pay a monthly price of $99. Thus, Stax is one of the best alternatives to Stripe for businesses that earn a specific amount annually.
Adyen
Adyen is a payment processing platform that offers many ways of accepting payments on one platform. These include POS for physical payments and a payment gateway for online transactions.
With Adyen, you can get a merchant account to help you receive payments. It may take 48 hours to receive customer payments into the account.
Adyen is quite helpful for small businesses. It allows merchants to accept payments in many different ways. Examples include direct debits, digital wallets, and credit cards.
Helcim
Helcim is a credit card processing platform and one of the alternatives to Stripe. This payment service is popular among business owners because of its pricing structure. It uses price tiers to determine costs.
These tiers depend on transaction volume and whether or not payments are online or physical. Helcim’s prices are set up to lower your costs as your payment volume increases.
Helcim is an excellent Stripe alternative in the UK if your business has a high transaction volume. Helcim can integrate with your business's inventory management software. Thus it can help you better manage your inventory.
Elavon
Elavon has many years of experience as a merchant service provider. It is suitable for many kinds of businesses.
You can get various software solutions from Elavon to help with online, contactless, and in-person payments. For example, the company offers POS solutions to help with checkouts.
Examples of contactless payment options from Elavon include:
- Tap-and-go cards
- Mobile wallets
- In-app payments
All solutions offered by the platform are fast, boosting operational efficiency.
2Checkout (Verifone)
2Checkout, now Verifone, is suitable for enterprises that deal in physical and digital products. The digital commerce platform offers multiple payment options. It also allows for subscription billing. 2Checkout can be beneficial for you if you want to accept international payments.
The company offers multiple cart integrations. In doing so, they help merchants customize the checkout experience of clients. With 2Checkout, you can also access tools for improving conversion rates.
Choose the Best Stripe Alternative for Your Business
Choosing a good Stripe alternative will provide you with many benefits—for example, cost savings and improved efficiency. Ensure you consider pricing, ease of use, and fee transparency when selecting an alternative.
Also, look at the features the alternative offers and its user reviews. With this in mind, you can find your organization's best stripe alternatives in the UK.
