Stripe

Best for

Creators who want low transaction fees, full control over their checkout experience, and a payment processor that scales with them.

Not best for

Absolute beginners who want an all-in-one solution. If you just want to sell a PDF and don't want to configure anything, use Gumroad instead.

When to use it

When you're building a custom sales flow with WordPress/WooCommerce, when you want the lowest possible transaction fees, or when you need subscription billing.

When not to use it

When you need an all-in-one platform that handles products, pages, and marketing. Stripe only handles the money part — you need other tools for everything else.

Expert take

Every digital product creator should eventually run their payments through Stripe. At 2.9% + $0.30, it's far cheaper than Gumroad's 10%. The setup requires more work, but it pays for itself quickly once you're making regular sales. Pair it with WooCommerce for a powerful, low-cost setup.

Simple setup for a new coach

Create a Stripe account, verify your identity and bank details, and connect it to your sales platform (WooCommerce, Checkout Page, or similar). For the simplest setup, use Stripe Payment Links to start selling immediately.

How it fits the workflow

Stripe is the 'sell' layer — it processes money. Pair it with tools for 'create' (Notion, Canva), 'market' (ConvertKit), and 'deliver' (WooCommerce, Teachable) for a complete stack.

Common mistake

Not setting up Stripe Radar rules for fraud prevention, then getting hit with chargebacks. Also: ignoring Stripe's reporting features — the data there is gold for understanding your business.

What Is Stripe?

Stripe is a payment processing platform that powers online transactions for millions of businesses — from solo creators to Fortune 500 companies. Unlike platforms like Gumroad or Teachable that handle the entire sales flow, Stripe is the payment layer that sits behind your checkout. It processes credit cards, handles subscriptions, manages invoicing, and sends payouts to your bank account.

If you’re building a custom checkout experience (using WordPress + WooCommerce, for example), Stripe is almost certainly your best payment processor choice.

Key Features

Payment processing: Accept credit cards, debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and bank transfers from customers in 135+ currencies.
Subscriptions: Built-in subscription billing for recurring products, memberships, and payment plans.
Checkout: Pre-built, hosted checkout pages you can use without building your own (Stripe Checkout). Mobile-optimized and conversion-tested.
Payment Links: Create simple payment links to share anywhere — no website needed.
Invoicing: Create and send professional invoices for custom work or consulting.
Fraud protection: Stripe Radar uses machine learning to detect and prevent fraudulent transactions.
Reporting and analytics: Detailed dashboards for revenue, payouts, disputes, and customer data.

Pricing

Standard pricing: 2.9% + $0.30 per successful card charge. No monthly fees, no setup fees, no hidden costs. For high-volume sellers, custom pricing is available. International cards add an additional 1.5% fee.

Who It’s Best For

Stripe is the best payment processor for digital product creators who want maximum control and the lowest per-transaction costs. If you’re using WordPress + WooCommerce, a custom website, or want to build a tailored checkout experience, Stripe is the standard choice. It’s also the payment processor behind many platforms (Gumroad, Teachable, and others use Stripe under the hood).

Where It Falls Short

Stripe is not a beginner-friendly, all-in-one solution. It’s a payment processor — not a sales platform. You won’t get product pages, marketing tools, or delivery systems. You need to pair it with other tools (WordPress, a checkout plugin, delivery system) to create a complete sales flow. The dashboard, while powerful, can be overwhelming for non-technical users.

Set Up Stripe Payments

Build the system behind your tools