Stripe
Takes cards, ACH, and invoices online. Payouts a net lump to your bank. Not a ledger.
Best for
Online and SaaS shops that want to collect cards, ACH, and invoices with no monthly processor fee, and will keep the books in QuickBooks, Xero, or Kick.
Not ideal if
Anyone who needs Stripe to be the ledger, or who expects each bank deposit to equal one invoice without a payout report or a connector.
Standout
Pay-as-you-go US card pricing with no monthly fee, plus ACH and a payout reconciliation report, without replacing QuickBooks.
About Stripe
Stripe is payments infrastructure, not a ledger. You take cards, wallets, ACH, and invoices through Checkout, Payment Links, Invoicing, Billing, or your own API. Money sits in the Stripe balance, then pays out to your bank as a net lump (sales minus fees, refunds, and disputes). You still close in QuickBooks Online, Xero, Wave, or Kick. The Dashboard has a payout reconciliation report and CSV exports so you can match that bank line.
Square is the closer pick if you sell in person with a register and hardware first. Kick can be the ledger and will ingest Stripe as a feed. Synder and A2X sit next to QuickBooks or Xero and post Stripe (or store) settlements so the deposit ties out. Stripe's own QuickBooks Online and Xero hooks are marketplace apps (including QuickBooks Sync by Acodei), not a general ledger inside Stripe.
People who stick are usually online or SaaS shops that already collect on Stripe and do not want a monthly processor fee. They use Payment Links or hosted Checkout without a custom build, add ACH when invoices get large, and keep the books in another file. The weekly job is reviewing payouts, not posting a trial balance.
What people who used it say
What they tend to like
No monthly processor bill
Standard Payments has no setup or monthly fee. You pay when a charge succeeds.
Low-volume QBO path can work
Some bookkeepers code each Stripe charge in QuickBooks Online and match the bank deposit. Others use a Stripe clearing account, then record the deposit as a transfer.
ACH when the invoice is large
Official US bank-debit copy prices ACH at 0.8% with a $5 cap, which is the usual reason shops offer bank pay on big invoices.
What they hesitate about
The payout does not equal one invoice
A single bank deposit can cover many invoices plus fees. Bookkeepers split the line from the Stripe payouts tab or give up and look for a connector.
Fees, refunds, and FX hide inside the lump
Owners describe settlement summaries that mix gross sales, fees, refunds, chargebacks, and FX from different dates.
They go shopping for a connector
r/quickbooksonline and r/CFO threads ask for a tool that posts Stripe payouts into QuickBooks so the bank line ties out.
How it hits your books
- Replaces your ledger
- No
- QuickBooks Online
- Partial
- Xero
- Partial
- Multi-entity
- Partial
- Inventory
- No
- 1099s
- Partial
- Payroll
- No
The bank line is a net payout. Match it to the payout reconciliation report (gross, fees, refunds, disputes) or a connector. Instant payouts you reconcile yourself. Nothing writes a full set of books.
Invite the accountant to the Dashboard, or export payout and balance CSVs. A marketplace app or a tool such as Synder can post into QuickBooks Online or Xero. Stripe does not hand over a general ledger. Connect platforms may face 1099-K rules; Stripe does not e-file 1099-NEC for an ordinary shop's vendors.
Images
Features
Cards, wallets, and hosted checkout
Charge cards plus Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Link. US Standard is 2.9% + 30¢ per successful domestic card. Keyed cards add 0.5%. International cards add 1.5%. Currency conversion adds 1% when required. Payment Links and Checkout are included on standard pricing.
ACH on large invoices
ACH Direct Debit is 0.8%, capped at $5, on standard settlement (about 4 business days). Two-day ACH is 1.2%. Instant bank-account validation is $1.50. Failed ACH is $4. USD bank transfer is 0.5%, capped at $5.
Invoices and Payment Links, not a ledger
Send a hosted invoice from the Dashboard. Starter adds 0.4% per paid invoice on top of Payments fees. Plus is 0.5% and adds quotes. Customers pay by card, ACH, or bank transfer. Stripe can match ACH credit and wires to the invoice. You still close elsewhere.
Payouts and the payout report
Standard payouts to your bank have no extra Stripe fee. Instant Payouts are 1.5% (50¢ minimum). The payout reconciliation report (automatic payouts) breaks a deposit into gross, fees, refunds, and other categories, with CSV download. Instant payouts you reconcile yourself.
Dashboard on the phone
The official iOS and Android Dashboard apps show live-mode balances, payments, refunds, and payouts. Tap to Pay and manual card entry are on both. Payment links and new subscriptions are iOS-only in the app docs. View-only roles cannot take payments in the app.
Marketplace sync into QuickBooks or Xero
Stripe does not post a general ledger. Official docs point to marketplace apps: QuickBooks Sync by Acodei for QuickBooks Online, and a Xero feed. Invoicing marketing also names NetSuite. You still close in those files.
Pricing
A shop that takes 500 domestic card charges of $100 pays 2.9% + 30¢ each ($3.20), about $1,600 that month, with no monthly Stripe software fee. International cards add 1.5%. Currency conversion adds 1%. Invoicing Starter adds 0.4% on each paid invoice. Instant Payouts add 1.5% (50¢ minimum). Disputes are $15 to receive and $15 to respond. ACH at 0.8% (capped at $5) is cheaper on large invoices; Financial Connections validation is $1.50. Tax Basic is 0.5% on Billing, Checkout, Invoicing, and Payment Links (or 50¢ on the Tax API). Tax Complete publishes $90 to $1,500 per month on a 1-year contract. Custom / IC+ is quote-only.
Standard Payments
Online cards and wallets. No setup fee and no monthly fee. Add-ons stack on top.
- 2.9% + 30¢ domestic cards; +0.5% keyed; +1.5% international
- +1% when currency conversion is required
- Apple Pay, Google Pay, Link, Payment Links, Checkout
- Radar Lite included on standard pricing
- Dispute received $15; dispute countered $15 (refunded if you win)
- Original processing fees are not returned on refunds
ACH Direct Debit
Large or recurring invoices where a card rate is too high. Settlement is slower than a card.
- 0.8% capped at $5 on standard settlement (~4 business days)
- 1.2% for two-day settlement
- $1.50 instant bank-account validation
- $4 failed payment; $15 disputed payment
Invoicing Starter
Send a hosted invoice from the Dashboard. Plus is 0.5% and adds quotes.
- Hosted invoice page and PDF
- Reminders, Smart Retries, customer portal
- ACH credit and wire auto-reconcile to the invoice
- Plus: 0.5% per paid invoice and quotes
Custom
Large volume or a unique model. Not self-serve dollars.
- IC+ or discounted flat rates
- Volume and multi-product discounts
- Country-specific rates
- Professional services and a named sales contact
Integrations
Platforms
Audience
Pick something else instead of Stripe
Square
Pick Square instead if you sell in person with a register and hardware first, and online payments are the add-on, not the core.
Kick
Pick Kick instead if you want a US replacement ledger that can ingest Stripe as a feed and hand your CPA a year-end package. Stripe collects; Kick keeps the books.
Synder
Pick Synder instead if the job is posting Stripe (and other processors) into QuickBooks Online or Xero as transactions or summaries so the deposit ties out.
A2X
Pick A2X instead if you want settlement-summary journals that match payouts in QuickBooks Online or Xero, especially if sales also hit Shopify or marketplaces.