Stripe Fee
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Payment processing fees consist of two components: a percentage of the transaction plus a flat fee per transaction. Stripe's standard rate is 2.9% + $0.30 for US domestic cards. This means on a $100 sale, you pay $2.90 (percentage) + $0.30 (flat fee) = $3.20 total, netting you $96.80. The flat fee becomes proportionally more expensive for low-price products — on a $10 sale, that $0.30 represents 3% of the transaction, bringing your effective rate to 5.9%.

Why the percentage model exists: Card networks (Visa, Mastercard) and issuing banks take a cut of every transaction as "interchange fees." Payment processors like Stripe add their own margin on top. This system exists because credit card transactions involve risk (fraud, chargebacks) and infrastructure (secure processing, compliance, data handling). The processor is betting that legitimate transactions will outnumber fraudulent ones and provide enough margin to be profitable.

Volume discounts become available as your processing volume increases. Stripe's standard rate applies up to about $80,000/month in volume. Beyond that, you can negotiate custom pricing — often dropping to 2.4-2.6% + $0.30 for high-volume businesses. At $1M+/month, some businesses negotiate down to 1.9% + $0.20 or lower. However, these custom rates require direct relationships and typically yearly commitments. For most indie developers and small businesses, standard rates apply.

International fees add complexity. Cross-border transactions (selling from the US to a European customer) typically add 1-1.5% to your fee. Currency conversion adds another 1-2% depending on the provider. If you're selling globally, these fees compound quickly — a 2.9% + $0.30 transaction might become 4.4% + $0.30 for international sales. Some platforms like Paddle handle this better by becoming the merchant of record and dealing with local payment methods and tax compliance, though they charge higher base rates.

Hidden costs matter too: Some platforms charge for failed payments, subscription management, customer portal access, or advanced reporting. Stripe includes these features in the base pricing, but Paddle and FastSpring include tax handling and compliance in their higher rates. When comparing platforms, calculate total cost of ownership, not just transaction fees.

Stripe Connect enables marketplace and platform business models where multiple sellers receive payments through your platform. Instead of being the merchant (you receive money, then pay sellers), your sellers are the merchants — they receive payments directly into their Stripe accounts, and you optionally take a platform fee. This is how Revnu works, and it's the model used by Shopify, Etsy, Substack, and most modern commerce platforms.

Three types of Connect accounts serve different use cases. Express accounts give your sellers a simplified onboarding experience with your platform handling most of the Stripe interface — perfect for creators who want to start selling immediately without dealing with payment complexity. Standard accounts give sellers full control over their own Stripe dashboard, with your platform acting as a connector — better for established businesses with existing Stripe accounts. Custom accounts are for platforms that want complete control over the payment experience, acting as an intermediary where sellers never interact with Stripe directly.

Why platforms choose Connect: It shifts liability to the seller. When you're the merchant of record, you're responsible for tax compliance, refunds, chargebacks, and fraud across all transactions. With Connect, each seller handles their own compliance. This dramatically reduces your legal and operational burden. Additionally, sellers keep the relationship with Stripe — if they leave your platform, they can take their Stripe account with them, reducing platform lock-in concerns.

The cost structure for Connect depends on your model. If you use Direct Charges (seller pays the Stripe fee), the seller pays standard 2.9% + $0.30, and you can optionally take a platform fee on top (e.g., 5% of the sale). If you use Destination Charges (your platform pays the Stripe fee), you pay 2.9% + $0.30, then transfer funds minus your platform fee to the seller. Revnu uses Direct Charges, meaning creators pay standard Stripe fees, and Revnu takes a platform fee (2-6% depending on your plan) — transparent and aligned with seller success.

When NOT to use Connect: If you're selling only your own products, standard Stripe is simpler. Connect adds complexity (onboarding flows, account management, fund routing) that's only worthwhile if you're enabling multiple sellers. For solo creators or single-product businesses, regular Stripe checkout is the right choice.

Revnu's pricing philosophy is radically simple: you pay standard Stripe fees (2.9% + $0.30) directly to Stripe, plus a platform fee to Revnu (2-6% depending on your plan). That's it. No markup on payment processing, no hidden fees, no percentage of percentages. On a $100 sale with the Basic plan (4%), you pay $2.90 to Stripe, $4.00 to Revnu, and keep $93.10. This transparency matters because many platforms hide their margins in complex fee structures or charge much higher processing fees.

Compare to alternatives: Gumroad charges 10% of every sale, which includes payment processing — sounds simple, but on a $100 sale you're paying $10 total. With Revnu Basic (4% take rate) + Stripe, you pay $6.90 total ($2.90 + $4.00), saving $3.10 per sale. At scale, this adds up dramatically. Selling $10,000/month means $1,000 to Gumroad vs $690 to Revnu Basic + Stripe. That's $3,720 saved annually. Paddle charges 5% + $0.50, which on a $100 sale is $5.50, then you'd still need additional tools for features Revnu includes — license key management, analytics, storefront hosting.

What you get for the platform fee (2-6% depending on plan): Hosted checkout pages with conversion optimization built in, customizable storefronts with your own domain, license key generation and validation infrastructure, RevnuAuth SDK for web app integration, subscription management, customer portal, affiliate system, analytics dashboard, and ongoing platform development. If you built these systems yourself or stitched together multiple SaaS tools, you'd spend thousands in development time or $200+/month in subscriptions.

The Stripe Connect advantage means you maintain a direct relationship with Stripe. Your payouts come from Stripe to your bank account, with Revnu's platform fee automatically deducted. If you ever leave Revnu, you keep your Stripe account and customer payment relationships. Compare this to Gumroad or Lemon Squeezy where they're the merchant of record — if you leave, you start from scratch with payment processing. Your customers see charges from your business name, not a third party, building trust and reducing refund requests.

Volume pricing is coming: As Revnu grows and processes more volume, we're negotiating better Stripe rates that we'll pass directly to high-volume sellers. When we secure 2.5% + $0.30 pricing for sellers processing $50k+/month, you'll automatically benefit — we don't keep the savings. The business model works because everyone wins: you pay fair fees, Stripe processes reliably, and Revnu succeeds when you succeed. No incentive to nickel-and-dime creators who are building real businesses.

The hidden cost most sellers miss: Beyond payment processing, consider what infrastructure you actually need to run a software business. Affiliate tracking? That's $50-99/month for Rewardful. Session replays for conversion optimization? $49-99/month for Hotjar (included on Basic+). License key management? $50-200/month for Keygen. Auth SDK for web apps? $23-99/month for Auth0. A/B testing? $49-199/month for Optimizely (included on Grow+). Gumroad and similar platforms don't include any of this — you'll spend $200-600/month ($2,400-7,200/year) on additional tools. Revnu includes most of it depending on your plan. When you calculate Total Cost of Ownership, not just transaction fees, the savings with Revnu are significant.