Stripe sits in the “Money and foundations” part of a list of 58 tools I keep for building software, publishing content and selling products. Payments and subscriptions. The standard, and integrating it is a matter of asking. This page is the short, honest version: Free, percentage per sale, the moment it earns its place, what to check before you pay, and what else on the list would do the job.
The facts
| What it does | Payments and subscriptions. The standard, and integrating it is a matter of asking. |
|---|---|
| When you need it | As soon as you want to sell something. |
| Price | Free, percentage per sale |
| Free tier | Yes |
| Category | Money and foundations |
| Covered in | |
| In my stack | Yes — I use this one |
Stripe
Free, percentage per sale · As soon as you want to sell something.
No affiliate link here — this one pays me nothing. It is on the list anyway.
Before you buy
Who should skip it
Nothing to skip — if you sell anything, you need a payment processor.
What to check before you pay
Check the per-transaction fee for your country and card mix, and whether your buyers expect a local method you would have to add.
Where Stripe fits
Launch a paid product
Build it, host it, store the data, take the money. Everything else is later. ~€40/mo, most of it free until you have traffic
With: Claude Code · Vercel · Supabase
Alternatives to Stripe on this list
Nothing else on this list does the same job — that is why it is on it. The money and foundations section has the tools around it.
Questions people ask
What is Stripe?
Payments and subscriptions. The standard, and integrating it is a matter of asking. It sits in the “Money and foundations” part of the stack: The boring layer between a demo and a business. Everything here starts free.
What does Stripe cost?
Free, percentage per sale. There is a free tier, so you can try it before paying. Prices change — this list was last checked on 11 September 2026, and the tool's own pricing page is the source of truth.
When do you need Stripe?
As soon as you want to sell something.
What are the alternatives to Stripe?
Nothing else on this list does the same job. That is why it is on the list.
Do you use Stripe yourself?
Yes. It is part of the stack I build and publish with.
The Short Version
Every conclusion from all eight playbooks — how these tools turn into income. Free.