Payment Gateways

GoCardless vs Stripe

Both are payment gateways. The short answer: choose GoCardless if you are businesses collecting recurring payments by bank debit; choose Stripe if you are online businesses and SaaS companies taking card payments internationally.

Some links on this site are affiliate links. If you buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Our rankings are not for sale; sponsored placements are always labelled.

GoCardless logo GoCardlessStripe logo Stripe
Best forBusinesses collecting recurring payments by bank debitOnline businesses and SaaS companies taking card payments internationally
Free planVerifyVerify
PricingSee providerSee provider
Built for IndiaGlobalGlobal
CategoriesPayment GatewaysPayment Gateways
Strengths
  • Lower fees than cards for recurring payments
  • Automatic retries for failed payments
  • Integrates with Xero and QuickBooks
  • Excellent API and documentation
  • Subscriptions, invoicing and tax tools
  • Available in dozens of countries
Watch out for
  • Bank payments take days to settle
  • Not for one-off card checkouts
  • Pay-per-transaction fees add up at scale
  • Account reviews can delay payouts for new businesses
Visit GoCardlessVisit Stripe

Which should you choose?

GoCardless: Payment platform for direct debit and bank payments, popular for subscriptions and recurring invoices in the UK and Europe.

Stripe: Global payments platform for accepting cards, wallets and local payment methods online, with subscriptions, invoicing and strong developer tools.

The best way to decide is to run the same week of real work through both — most offer a free plan or trial — and compare how long tasks take, what your team prefers, and the total cost for your number of users including renewal pricing.

Not sure either fits? See all payment gateways compared.